Mike seemed to be in a silent dialogue with his gift ever since he had received it from Harvey last week. The book had already become his most precious belonging and occupied the highest place on the small book-shelf in his living room. In the past week he had often sat on the couch opposite the shelf with a can of beer and thought of all things, good and bad, that had happened to him over the years. At times he took important client calls in the living room showing off his lawyer-skills to no one in particular.

"I think I am going crazy," he confessed to his grandmother over breakfast one Sunday morning.

"No Michael,you are not. You are just suddenly aware of the fact that your mother is watching you but she has been watching over you for years now, and not just in the living-room," she chuckled.

Mike frowned at her but he was secretly relieved that there was an explanation for his weird behavior.

"It was really nice of Mr. Specter to do this for you, you know," she said as she poured him a cup of tea,"I hope you have told him how much it means to you."

"Yes Grammy," said Mike without meeting her gaze. He really wanted to tell Harvey how much it meant to him but it was very difficult to do that in words, especially because they had never had serious conversations about each other's feelings until that day in Harvey's office. He didn't want his 'thank you' to come across as casual conversation. So instead of saying anything he had worked twice as hard that week than he usually did, succeeded in reaching office on time three days in a row and slightly before time on the fourth day. Harvey had noticed but not said a word. Donna however had expressed her surprise and curiosity and both of them had acted nonchalantly.

Mike had been curious too, mostly about the specifics of the gift. How did he manage to get the book? How much would it have cost? Do you think he struck a deal? were only few of the questions that he had thrown at Donna.

"Oh god Mike stop it now. I told you already that I don't know all of that!" At first he thought she was teasing him but later he realized that she did not know about how Harvey had managed the whole thing. There was no need for him to see to it personally when he had a super-efficient secretary but if Donna really had no idea, Harvey must have made the efforts himself. This thought seemed to have stirred something warm in Mike's chest. Or may be it was the hot tea. Funny, because he hadn't taken a sip yet.

"What are you thinking?" asked Grammy.

"I don't know Grammy it's just so funny to think that Harvey did this on his own. Even the gift wrapping, I mean with scissors and..and tape.."

They both started laughing. The idea of Harvey wrapping a gift was so hilarious that Mike even thought of keeping the wrapper as a souvenir to tease him later. The easiest way to get under his skin was to remind him of an occasion when he had been caring and human and Mike loved doing that whenever he could. But the plan had backfired on Mike as throughout the week he seemed to have been in a silent dialog with the wrapper too, only here the latter did all the talking. It reminded him of how sweet a gesture it had been on Harvey's part, and how it had been completely out of his comfort zone. Even Trevor had never stopped being Trevor for Mike's sake, even for a second. But Harvey had let him know that he cared despite his no-show policy. The way this made him feel about Harvey was no doubt bad news for him. He was already doing a terrible job of hiding his crush from Donna and given that it was at an all-time high now he wondered how long it will take Harvey to find out that he liked him, that is if he didn't know already.

"You know Michael," said Grammy bringing him out of his thoughts, "sometimes we believe people to be exactly like the image they create for themselves but everybody has a softer side which they hide from the world for whatever reason."

Mike nodded and drank his tea in silence. He had some idea about Harvey's reasons from that night in his office and he knew that they were not going away anytime soon.


"Could you stop that?" asked Harvey looking directly at Donna. It was mid-noon and Donna had been getting on his nerves since morning.

"Stop what?" she said feigning innocence "Looking at you like you have been up to something? But that's my job Harvey! To look out for you."

"This isn't looking out for me. This is called giving me the creeps. Just stop with those expressions ok?" he asserted "And don't spend your entire day in my office. You have got a desk of your own."

Donna laughed. "You know Mike does a better job at ignoring my Donna-stares; which has lead me to think," she said dragging the last word, "that you have bigger things to hide than he does."

"I am not hiding anything." Harvey sighed as Donna raised her eyebrows. The only way to get rid of Donna's inquisitiveness was to satisfy it. "Okay here it is. I feel uncomfortable around Mike these days."

"Oh-my-god-I-care-about-you kind of uncomfortable?" asked Donna in a dramatic tone.

"No. I-don't-care-about-you-but-i-might-have-lead-you-to-believe-that-i-do kind of uncomfortable! I was grateful for his presence during a case and wanted to say thank you. But I might have gone overboard with the gift! You should have stopped me but you didn't.

Donna looked serious all of a sudden and when she spoke Harvey knew she wasn't teasing him anymore. "You are uncomfortable not because of what Mike may be thinking but because of what you are feeling and like always you want to run away from it. And I did not stop you because for the first time in years you wanted to express how you feel about someone through a nice gesture"

"I felt grateful and that's all. You are making it sound like a bigger deal than it really is. Mike is smart and funny and it is natural for me to get attracted to someone like that. But we work together and so the dynamics need to stop. It makes me uncomfortable."

"I have just one question." Said Donna like she was treading carefully, "What was the smart and funny thing he did that lead to your uncomfortable realization?

"You expect me to remember every conversation I have with him!" he snapped. But Donna simply smiled knowing that she had done her part. With a nagging discomfort Harvey accepted that it wasn't some usual banter or a glimpse of Mike's genius during some case that had warmed him to Harvey. It was the sensitivity and maturity with which he had supported him during the divorce case. He had helped Harvey with something personal without getting too close and too personal which he had wanted to repay by doing something similar. The only trouble was that his way of doing it was way more obvious than Mike's.

"Harvey I know you do not want to get into a relationship with Mike because he is your associate but not acknowledging your feelings can only cause more awkwardness."

"It will not. I have something in mind to put a stop to this weird dynamics."

"Just don't do something stupid," she said fearing the worst. The decisions where Harvey did not consult her were usually the worst decisions of his life.

"I never do anything stupid."

"Oh yeah? Working on a Sunday to avoid your associate is not something stupid?"

"Hey don't be so bitter. I told you that you could stay home. And the only reason I didn't tell Mike I was in office today is that he has worked over time the whole of last week and didn't want him to worry about work on a Sunday."

"Oh so you have noticed?"

Harvey ignored her and got back to his files. He had to get his mind back on track. He had only couple of more months to convince Jessica to make him name partner. He wanted a big case, a big win after which all senior partners would vote for his name on the door. He could not afford to be distracted by his subtle dynamics with Mike.