I'm sorry it took me so long to update. This chapter took a lot of time, I really hope you enjoy it. I was supposed to include the rest of the night, but decided to break it into several chapters so I wouldn't keep you waiting too long. Enjoy!
Harvey walks out towards the balcony, to find her looking at the view, wearing a magnificent black dress. It hugged her body perfect, showing a fair amount of her back, reaching just above her knees. He was inappropriately staring at her, and it's something she must've noticed, as she turns around and quirks her eyebrows. Even the sight of her face caught him by surprise. She had managed to pull her hair up in a ponytail perfectly, the devilish red lipstick she was wearing making his heart skip a beat.
He smiles at her, stuffing his hands in the pocket of his tuxedo. "You look amazing" he blurts out, as pours them both a glass, and walks towards her. Her eyes meet his with equal admiration. "You don't look half as bad" she compliments back, taking the glass of his hand, their fingers lingering a bit longer than he had planned. He thinks about what to say, firmly believing that he would soon be all over her if she kept looking at him the way she was. "What is this place you're taking me to anyway? I don't know what 'casual' even means." he nags. "They're on the sofa in your bedroom" she quickly answers. He's not surprised she had already picked his clothes for him, and simply states the obvious: "You're too good at this". She shrugs carelessly, her attempt at hiding her proud smile not escaping him. "Come on we're going to be late" he says offering her his arm, which she takes gracefully as she slides her hand around it.
"Mr. and Mrs. Specter; welcome to the Alize" the host welcomed them. Donna was observing the beauty of this restaurant, her mouth half open in astonishment, too busy to realize what the host had called them. Harvey realizes how much it fit her to be called Mrs. Specter; he thinks that if he were to get married, it would be to her, with one ginger kid running around the house. Not that he had thought of it before. The Alize is a French restaurant located on the 56th floor the Palms Resort Casino, its hallway entrance styled with glossy parquet floor, spacious glass cabinetry and lustrous wood paneling. She suddenly heard a voice right behind her, a voice she wasn't happy to hear. "Donna?" she heard. It was Laura Peyton's voice, an old colleague of Donna when she used to do theater, with whom things were always as competitive and tense as possible.
She never liked her; Laura was sneaky, a hypocrite, and far less talented than what she claims to be. She had married the perfect guy, always rubbing it in everyone's face when possible. So when she asks Donna with surprise: "You got married?", it takes Donna a while to react. Long enough for Harvey to swoop in, extending his hand "Engaged actually. Harvey Specter" he jumps in protectively. Donna looks at him, trying to contain the surprise. He smiles at her, his eyes telling her to follow the lead. Laura was studying him thoroughly, in a way that made Donna want to punch her. "Good catch" she jokes. Donna laughs half-heartedly, as she slips her hand into Harvey's. He holds it as naturally as possible, their fingers intertwining; hoping the sound of his heart pounding wasn't as loud as he felt it to be. "Well enjoy your evening" Donna cuts the conversation, eager to wrap up the encounter.
The host guided them through tables, Harvey still holding Donna's hand, as she tries to remind herself it was only an act. Alize's main dining room was scattered with tables and floor-to-ceiling windows, with a lonely table outside the room, on the balcony that looked upon the city and desert landscapes of Vegas. It was theirs, and Donna realizes how much effort Harvey had made to get them such a place. They finally sit facing each other, her hand suddenly colder from the absence of his. "Engaged? Where's the diamond ring Specter. Don't grow all cheap on me now" she jokes. He's relieved of her reaction, he actually thought she would be mad at him for intervening; she wasn't a woman in need of saving. "I'm sorry, I just know who she is and how annoying she could be, just needed to shut her up. And for someone who took the lead role from you, she sucks at hiding her jealousy" he explains. Donna was surprised he remembered what she had told him about her, and her smile widens as she thanks him. "Didn't think you'd remember. And I'm expecting a diamond ring now" she jokes. He thinks about the gift he got her, checking it was still in his pocket. Giving it now would be too scary for her, especially when mentioned with wedding bells and chimes.
The evening went on great, the amazing wine list making them both relax into a state they haven't visited in a very long time. They had been both so busy with work these few years; they forgot how good it felt to enjoy a dinner without the slightest mention of work. The wine was making Donna slightly more touchy as usual, her hand sometimes lingering on his arm as she excitedly tell him one of her embarrassing college stories. Harvey on the other hand was glad to see her enjoy herself, unaware of how intoxicated he looked by her from a third eye, his laugh resonating more than it ever did.
"Can I ask you something?" he says, staring at her. He thinks about how he's been doing that all night, glad that she felt comfortable under his look. "Shoot" she answers, stretching her arm to reach for the olive lying around his plate. "Danny. What happened with him?" he asks curiously. "Well we broke it off" she answers sheepishly, her mouth turning into half a grin. He huffs. "No really? You were doing well, and then one night, just like that…?" he insists. Right after our talk you idiot, she thinks. The alcohol was making her hazy, pushing her to double the attention as she speaks. "He thought there was something between the two of us" she replies hastily, drinking up her wine and grabbing the bottle to serve herself another.
He grabs the bottle from her hand, serving her. "But why? I mean at that time it was the coldest it's been between us" he remarks. She notices him wince at the memory. "It's something that slipped from my mouth. I was drunk" she explains. Usually she would've found a smart answer to avoid his question, making him understand she didn't want to talk about it. But she was throwing gasoline on the fire this time, fueled by the alcohol pumping in her blood. He tilts his head: "Something?" He needed to know, without pushing her away. "Harvey…" she warns. She doesn't need to say another word, he drops the topic. Despite how much it killed him not to know, he didn't want to pressure her; after all she knew best when to say what. "I was miserable" he states, avoiding her gaze. She tries to catch his eyes, waiting for an explanation. "At that time I mean. Without you" he whispers. She's not sure what he means by these words, and whispers back so low he might've missed it: " I'm always with you", Danny's words echoing from earlier.
"Donn, go easy on the alcohol. Shit I need to let Jessica know" Harvey remembers. "Specter, just because you can't keep up doesn't mean I should stop" she teases. "Oh I can keep up" he challenges as he chugs his glass. She grabs her phone and tries to gets up, swaying a bit due to the alcohol. "Where are you going?" he asks, getting up to steady her. He puts his arm around his waist, her body relaxing by his side, after turning rigid at first. "I need to stretch, and I'm gonna call Jessica" she explains, grabbing the balcony rail.
He can see her shivering from the chilly weather. He takes off his jacket and gently puts it on her shoulders, keeping his hands there. They looked like a real couple now, him standing right behind her, whispering: "Put her on speaker". She tries to ignore his breath on her neck and dials Jessica's number.
"Jessica!" Donna greeted, more excited than usual because of the alcohol. "Donna, I trust everything is ok?" Jessica inquires. "Great actually. Harvey closed him!" Donna proudly announced. "Harv stop it, you're tickling me!" blaming him for his fingers' circular motion on her skin."And in less than six hours!" Harvey adds. Jessica laughs on the other line: "I trust you two are celebrating?" she asks, her tone very suggestive. "Yes" Harvey answers. "You kids enjoy yourselves. Great job Harvey" she says, hanging up. Donna turns around to face him, their proximity more obvious to her now. "Thank you Harvey" she sincerely says. "What for?" he asks curiously. He thinks about how he should be thanking her for all the shit he had put her through. "This. This place is incredible" she contemplates. He tucks a strand of her hair behind her ears, breathing heavily.
"Ready to go kick some ass at the Casino?" he steps back, offering his arm and a wink on his face. "Do you really have to ask?"
Thanks for reading, please review and let me know what you think. I promise to update more frequently starting Saturday.
Waiting for your feedback
-G