They enjoyed the rest of the dinner, Donna and Harvey consuming most of the second bottle of wine. Mary congratulated her daughter on the tasty food.
"Harvey did the vegetables" Donna admitted, throwing a smile his way.
"Well thank you Harvey" Mary added, glancing between Donna and Harvey.
She was trying to understand the relationship they had, as they seemed to be in a world of their own, throwing shy glances at each other from time to time. She was happy her daughter was happy, really, but couldn't help this anxious feeling rising in her chest. She was afraid she'd end up hurt; after all, she had never seen Donna having such strong devotion, fondness towards anyone.
"Let's get the desert" Donna said, standing up as Harvey followed her immediately. He stood in the kitchen, leaning on the counter, watching her with hungry eyes. He realized he really shouldn't have drank that much, consumed by the idea of her skin under his touch.
She could feel his gaze on her, strong, raw and dangerous. She wondered whether it was the alcohol causing her to feel like time had stopped, every motion she made slowed down, while his eyes still pierced through her. She grabbed clean plates from the drier, walking towards Harvey and standing right in front of him, their bodies almost touching, before placing them next to him on the counter. She then moved to the drawer to grab forks, her hips swaying, making it harder for Harvey not to stare.
"Can you grab the tart?" she asked, standing close to him again. He nodded, walking to the furnace where the mango tart was. They started walking towards the dinner table, before Donna stopped suddenly.
"Whipped cream" she said, her voice barely audible. Harvey's mind went into shutdown, unable to grasp what she had said.
"What?" he finally asked his voice cracking.
"Get whipped cream, from the fridge" she clarified, swallowing hard.
They sat back at the table, Donna cutting parts for everyone, as Harvey helped her with the plates. The can of whipped cream stood between them, a reminder of that night, none of them daring to touch it. Harvey finally reached for the can, spraying the borders of his tart. Donna did the same, taking his step as a permission to use it. Donna made a small conversation with Rick, feeling bad for not involving him – not that he made it easy, in most of the conversations. She was interrupted by Harvey's husky whisper and the motion of his thumb towards her face.
"You have something here" he said, his thumb brushing the side of her lips, causing her to hold her breath. He then looks at his thumb, covered with whipped cream, before he thoughtlessly puts it in his mouth, taking off whatever was left. Donna felt the room shrinking, unable to breathe, while Mary and Rick looked awkwardly at each other, noticing the intimate moment Donna and Harvey just had.
Mary and Rick excused themselves, thanking both Donna and Harvey, as they walked towards the door. Mary hugged her daughter, whispering into her ear: "Be careful", a sentence that Donna didn't (rather refused to) understand.
When they were left alone, Harvey and Donna stared at each other for a couple of minutes, before Harvey said: "Let me help you with the dishes". Donna smiled slightly, shaking her head. "It's okay, I can do them later" she said.
"Come on" he reasoned, "I'll just throw leftovers and you put them in the machine". They went to the kitchen, standing side by side as he emptied the plates and she put them inside the dishwasher. He started humming a song, and it was the first time Donna had heard him sing. She didn't comment, secretly enjoying his warm voice, before she joined him, noting his loop-sided smile.
I see the crystal raindrops fall
And the beauty of it all
Is when the sun comes shining through
To make those rainbows in my mind
When I think of you sometime
And I want to spend some time with you – Just the two of us, Bill Withers
Harvey sat down on the couch where Mary and Rick were sitting, as Donna grabbed what was left of the wine bottle and poured them in two glasses. She handed him his, before sitting comfortably next to him, her body angled towards his, putting one leg under her.
"See, I was right. He's an idiot" she said, breaking the silence.
"Come on…he's not that bad" Harvey argued, feeling bad for the guy. Donna raised her eyebrows in a way that questioned his statement, causing him to correct: "Ok I have to admit, Mary can do much better".
"And his voice!" Donna repeated, making them both laugh.
A silence fell, as Harvey rested his elbows on his legs, not daring to look at her. He threw a side look at her, their eyes locking before she whispered slowly: "Thank you for coming Harvey. I don't think I would've made it without you". There's sincerity in her voice, filling him with a warm feeling.
"It was a great night" he admitted, before she disagreed: "That was a god-awful dinner, but okay". He chuckled softly, before adding: "Well I had a great time". She smiled back at him, whispering back: "Me too".
"What you said before…did you mean it?" he asked, his neck moving in her direction, their eyes locking again. She wasn't really sure what he meant, she had said so many things tonight. "About being happy", he added, "are you?"
She took a few seconds to think about her answer before she said: "Yes"
"What about your big theater dreams? Is this everything you've wanted?" he asked again, his hands gesturing to the room around him, before reaching for the wine glass standing on the table. He can't help but feel a bit of guilt, feeling responsible for her lack of theatrical activity. Any other day, Donna would've been offended by his question, which sounded like a judgment on her lack of purpose and goal. But looking at his soft relaxed attitude, Donna understood he wasn't, in any way, trying to judge her.
"Things changed…" she said, unsure of her answer, before adding with a hint of sadness: "Maybe everything is overrated". She looked away then, unable to maintain eye contact, before asking him: "What about you? Is this everything you've dream of?" He inspects her face, trying to read what she was feeling, unsuccessfully. "When I have my name on the door, yes, I'd have everything" he explained, watching her bite her lower lip.
"You don't want to let those worlds collide, because you are afraid to risk anything" she said to him
"Because we have everything!" he shouted back.
"No Harvey, you have everything" she pointed out, her voice shaking.
"So you're saying you want EVERYTHING?" he asked, confused.
"I never thought I'd need someone on this journey with me" he confessed, his voice low and broken, "but with you, it's different" he continued, his voice even lower now. His eyes were swinging between hers and her lips, as he felt her shift in her seat, barely leaning towards him. "I wouldn't want to do it without you" he finally added, his hands clumsily hugging the glass.
"I should go" he reasoned, afraid of doing something that would jeopardize what they had. He stood up while Donna tried to absorb what he had said. She followed him, meaning to ask him what he meant, why she was different, but her words choked in her throat.
"Anyone else loses faith in me, it doesn't matter" he confessed, staring at her lips. "But with you, it's different" he whispered, as she leaned a few millimeters in. "I should go" he said, standing up.
She had watched this before, she had let him say things on that same couch and walk away without an explanation. But she couldn't do it again; she couldn't wait another decade for another confession. So this time she followed him, this time she didn't choke, gathering all the courage she had to ask him: "Why?"
"You know why Donna" he had said, thinking that she couldn't not know.
She shook her head, explaining that she didn't.
"You know I love you Donna" he said, leaving her with her eyes wide, in shock of what she had just heard, as she watched him leave with heavy feet, her own heart sinking inside her chest.
"Goodnight Donna" he said.
"Goodnight Harvey" she repeated, watching him leave with heavy feet, her own heart sinking inside her chest.
Thank you for reading! What do you think? I personally really enjoyed writing this. I'm not sure if I should just end it here, or add another chapter (that would include my original do you remember? idea), and I'd love to hear your opinion/suggestions.
Review!
-G