Well, back to it after the holidays! Wishing all Suitors and Darvey crew members a lovely New Year. Here's the next instalment... please review if the moment takes you! Thanks x

Chapter 18 - Unexpected Guest

At the far end of Pearson Specter Litt's fiftieth floor corridor, Harvey's smile lit up his face. Her incredulous authority, her infamous sass and organisation reverberated out from his office and along the hallway. He upped his pace slightly, not wanting to seem over eager to get to her, but also not wanting to miss a moment of her giving out her orders to whichever tradesman she was dealing with that morning. The day before, it was the carpenter, who had left somewhat perplexed. Mainly by her ability to know more than him about fine wood, therefore ending up, like most people who encountered Donna, totally in awe of the red head after completing a new shelving unit for Harvey's vinyls.

By the time he'd made his way to the doorway of his office, a brunette middle-aged lady laden with rolls of fabric, had emerged looking somewhat bewildered and pale.

'Are you playing nice? Or do I need to pull your pigtails at recess?' His grin engulfing the door's entrance as he hovered without stepping in. Donna had temporarily

barred him from setting foot in his office for the past two days, so he'd taken up residency in Jessica's office, while she was away charming a new client in Chicago.

Donna didn't look up from the sample

brochure she was perusing, flicking each page with more enthusiastic force than the last.

Mesmerised, he stayed rooted to the spot supporting his weight against the doorframe, studying her incredulous spirit and talent - her whole attention on something he could see that she loved so much. Watching her like this - authoritative, creative and inspiring - it made his heart leap. He was beginning to enjoy this new feeling his heart gave him. The rush to the head... and other parts.

As soon as he went to move forward, unable to keep a distant proximity, her head shot up from her trance, 'I know you're there, and no, you're not coming in. I've told you. No entry until it's complete Mister, so now, will you please go take your pretty little self back to your office.' She tilted her head to one side, she was finding the distance between them just as intolerable, but she was determined to complete the project before Jessica got back from Chicago the following day.

'Jessica's office. This is my office. How can I stay away from my office when there's something so beautiful in it?' That grin making an appearance, nearly almost breaking her in two.

'Harvey,' she uttered exasperatingly, placing her pen and notebook down onto the pile of boxes sitting next to her.

'Donna,' he matched her tone with an equal amount of tenaciousness.

'What are you doing here anyway? I thought you had back to back meetings all day,' she smiled, 'Which I'm sure you told me about this morning between,' she smiled, 'Well, it doesn't matter what it was between,' she flustered, which made him smile as he noticed the flush of pink that radiated across her cheeks as she thought about their morning together. In fact, how they'd spent the past three mornings together. 'Harvey, I can't concentrate with you standing there, you're distracting.'

'How am I distracting?' he asked, making sure he followed it with the Specter smile he knew she couldn't resist.

'That's why!' She flicked her pen at him, 'I'm trying to be professional here! Do you want a good job or not? Now, go away otherwise your office will start to resemble something Louis may like...'

Harvey's face slightly recoiled in disgust, 'Have you seen the plans for his office?' He snorted unable to contain himself. 'I thought you were doing it for him? Louis has just shown me his ... ideas.'

'I know,' she let out an exasperated sigh, 'I think you may have been right about Louis.'

'When have I ever not been?'

'I asked him to write me a Wish List, a sort of brainstorm of ideas I could work from. You know, just so he felt like he was contributing, when really, I know what he wants and I know he'll love what I have planned, but I wasn't expecting Caesar's Palace!'

'Yeah, If Caesar was a pimp!' He laughed, 'Now, actually, I did come here with a motive other than to stare at you. I was going to go get a coffee, do you want me to bring you one?'

Her eyes sparkled as the light poured in through the windows, 'You're getting me a coffee? At work?' She feigned shock.

'Well, you are working hard, I thought you deserved one...'

'And what, I never worked hard before when I was your secretary?' She smirked, unable to continue her feigned annoyance.

'Point taken,' he stepped back out the office, 'I guess it just took me four years to make you a coffee...'

'You owe me quite a few. Goodbye Harvey,' she sighed, pleased he was leaving but instantly needing him close as soon as he had disappeared from sight. She sighed to herself as she dropped her brochure down on the desktop. You're in deep Paulsen, she thought with a smile allowing the butterflies to continue to flutter within her stomach; a feeling she hadn't felt since she was a teenager, that new feeling of being with that someone who made you feel like you're the only person in the world. She laughed, mentally telling herself to get a grip and then trying to shake off her total girl crush feels. Although, she was pretty certain, this was more than a girl crush; it was definitely something she hadn't felt before.

A sudden realisation of her surroundings brought her back around from her semi-Harvey daze, catapulting her back into his office and back to her task in hand. With a sigh, she rested her hand on her waist, casting her eyes around the office, THE office. The office that held an encyclopaedia of stories, some that made her smile with fondness; some that made her shiver. She brushed her hand across her milky arms to feel the goosebumps that had risen so delicately across her skin. The four walls had seen everything they had been through and truth be told, she held every one of those memories close, as without them, they wouldn't be them. They wouldn't be where they are in that moment; where they should be. Where they should have been many years ago, but she knew he wasn't ready back then. It took losing her for the best part of four years to realise that gaping hole she had left in his life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As she began to unfold Harvey's vinyls from the protective brown packaging, which had been placed around their boxes during the painting, she recognised a familiar rush of her favourite smell that drifted into the office.

'That better be what I think it is?' she turned back towards the doorway guessing correctly, as Harvey stood, still adorning his unexplainably handsome smile. 'How long have you been stood there for? Have you branched into stalking now?'

'How did you guess? I was just about to go home and pin photos up of you across my bedroom wall.' He passed her a takeaway cup of vanilla latte, skinny with whipped cream as her she tilted her head slightly in feigned amusement. 'I must admit however, my Facebook stalking is improving...' he pushed his luck further, 'In fact, I knew you were never over me..' He wiggled his eyebrows as he sipped on his own coffee.

'Really?' Her eyes fixed on his as they sparkled towards him, 'When was I under you?'

As soon as she'd delivered her comeback, she knew what she had said and there was no going back, her stomach knotted, tugging pleasurably on her insides as she waited for his obvious response. He narrowed the proximity between them, hot breath on her lips. 'I think we both know, when that was.' As much as she tried to resist it, the blush covered her cheeks and she knew he'd witnessed her bashful reaction. Damn it.

His lips parted slightly, she could feel the smile growing on his mouth as his lips glide smoothly over hers; coffee and vanilla coating them.

'Uh um,' the obvious attempt at distraction jolted the pair out of their 'coffee and vanilla' and 'that other time' haze, as they simultaneously drew their heads towards the door.

'Louis?' Harvey sighed, as his hand slid down from Donna's waist and returned to it's position in his pocket, trying his best to loosen the fabric around his groin. Although, he thought briefly, Louis at his doorway was kind of doing the job pretty sharpish. 'What is it?'

'Well, when you two have finished doing whatever that was, I need to speak with Donna.' Louis fidgeted on the spot trying his best not to make eye contact with either of them, still uncomfortable with their new dynamic.

'Can't you speak to her here? I'm sure it's nothing I'm going to be interested in.' Harvey swigged back on his coffee as he helped Donna place a stack of vinyls back on the shelf, distracting them away from their previous conversation.

'No Harvey, you won't be interested but even still,' he ventured further into Harvey's office, now that the two of them had parted ways and lips. 'It's about my office design and if you don't mind, I'd like to speak to Donna alone. I do not wish to be mocked for my astounding sense of interior perspective.'

Donna places a hand on Harvey's arm, 'I'll be with you in two minutes Louis, let me just finish up here and you'll have my undivided attention.'

A wide and beaming grin smoothed across Louis' face, 'Thank you Donna.' He turned on his heel and headed out just as quickly as he had entered.

'So... that wasn't weird.' Harvey half snorted as he nodded towards where Louis had exited.

'Hmm,' Donna scanned his face as she rounded the boxes and placed her coffee cup down on the edge of the black glass desk. 'Not only was it weird Louis catching us like he did, but you know what else was weird?'

'His ears? His inability to to control his saliva production?'

'Ew, no!' Donna grimaced at the thought. 'I'm not talking about Louis Harvey, I'm talking about what you said just before you tried to brush over it by kissing me.'

'What was that?' He honestly couldn't remember much before his lips had met hers three minutes ago.

'Your attempt at making a Facebook joke? When I know for a fact that you don't make Facebook jokes.' She scanned his face further and Donna-ed him. 'Unless, you actually have been...' She suddenly caught him swallowing hard. 'I knew it!' She all but yelped, 'You've gone through my whole Facebook profile...' She grinned, knowing for sure now that she had caught him.

Always the lawyer, he was quick on his return. 'I do believe the sole purpose of Facebook is to display one's life to others, so therefore Miss Paulsen, your case has no grounds.' He smirked, happy with his response.

'Well, the grounds I have, are that you suddenly perceived that I was...what was it? Never over you? How on earth did you get that from my Facebook profile, which I hardly update?' Her arms now folded, slightly protective of the fact that he thinks he knows how she felt.

'Donna, I didn't mean anything by it. I just meant.. I don't know what I meant. Maybe I just wanted to believe that you missed me somehow.' His boyish smile still hovering.

'Missed you? Harvey, the whole reason I'm here is because I missed your stupid ass, and I realised that there's no one else in this world, whether it be here or Europe, that I want to be with. Who I want everything with.' She looked towards him, his eyes still casting doubt over her explanation.

'And I feel that too, but..' he stopped and resisted.

'What is it Harvey?' She knew there was more, something else he was itching to ask. Something that had yet to be said. His voice almost inaudible as a low sound dryly left his throat, 'How did you know that?' he asked.

'Know what? That I wanted to be with you? I thought we'd been over this?'

'No, I meant, how did you know that there wasn't anyone else for you?'

Immediately sensing what he was getting at, Donna released her hold of Harvey's arm.

'Wait. What? Seriously, you want to know if I was seeing anyone in England?' She stepped back slowly in surprise, her face paling with confusion. 'Weren't you the one who was seeing someone? In fact, you were the one who got engaged trying to work out if there was anyone else for you!' Her voice gradually getting louder.

'Donna, please.' Harvey took a short step towards her as she mirrored his and took a step back.

'Don't Donna me. How could that bother you? From what I heard from Scottie herself, it seemed like you were pretty much up for making a go of it, until she realised that you were...' she stopped.

'I was what Donna? Still in love with you?' He answered, gently grabbing her wrists with both hands to stop her from retreating further.

'I've always loved you Harvey, you know that.'

'So tell me. I didn't see anyone special on your Facebook page. Was there anyone in England who made you forget me?' He was suddenly surprised by his own vulnerability, something only she'll ever witness.

Donna felt an overwhelming lump fill her throat, almost choking her, suffocating her. With more strength than she knew she had, she swallowed, forcing the lump down. Just far enough to answer.

'No. Harvey.' A wave of nausea swept over her body as she wriggled free of his grip.

'Now, as much as I love being interrogated about my love life in another country, I need to go see Louis.'

He let her go, as he remained facing the mid-afternoon Manhattan skyline, he shuddered as her warmth left him, what the hell just happened?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Quicker than what she thought was appropriate, her walk took her along the corridor down towards Louis' office. Just before she caught sight of her friend sat in his chair, she stopped and slid her back towards the wall. The breath she'd been holding since he'd asked her that question was still suffocating her body. With one exhale, she released it; alongside her feeling of betrayal. She should have just told him there and then. She didn't lie. There wasn't anyone who made her forget about Harvey, but there was one person who nearly did.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As she rounded the corner towards the elevators, feeling the need for fresh air. The streets fifty floors below Harvey, were extremely appealing right now. Suddenly, a familiar British voice echoed around her surroundings as she neared the marbled reception area.

'Donna! There you are!'

Brushing her strawberry red hair away from her face, Donna began to scan the vicinity for the voice she recognised so well.

'Ana?' The redhead beamed, flinging her arms open to greet her friend. 'What are you doing here?'

'Can't I surprise my best American friend?' Ana squeezed her tightly around her body then pulled back just as quickly to examine her. 'You look ...different...' Ana's eyes scanned Donna in a flash but smirked with a knowing wink.

'No, still me,' she tilted her head and smiled. 'When did you? I mean, how did you even know where I would be?'

'Emma,' Ana smiled, 'Your cousin.'

An O of realisation formed on Donna's lips.

'Wait a minute. You never travel alone, you hate to fly. Who did you come with?' Donna felt the lump beginning to rise again. You've got to be freaking kidding me? She thought. Of all the times and of all the people. Donna suddenly began to think the universe was well and truly against her now her life had just begun to be perfect.

Ana's face told Donna everything she needed to know. In that moment, Donna suddenly noticed Ana's anxious gaze change direction, her eyes followed her friend's, until they landed on the one person she really didn't want to see that day. Or that year and especially not in her city.

'Thomas?' Donna managed to croak, her wide eyes rapidly darting back to the lobby, as a familiar Tom Ford suit rounded the corner. Harvey.

Shit.