Hey Everyone!
I know that I haven't posted anything in such a long time, but I was going through a very rough time. Since it's been a while since I've posted, I thought I would give you all an explanation. One of my close teachers passed away the day I was planning on posting a new chapter, and my mind just kind of went on auto pilot. I couldn't really write, and the computer didn't really hold a purpose for me. But don't worry, now I'm done my grieving (I hope), and I'm trying to get back into my normal routine.
So here it is; a new chapter!
JUST A REMINDER: Take into account that not whatever you read is the way it seems! DO NOT DRAW TO CONCLUSIONS.
...I lied, draw to as many conclusions as you can.
Or am I lying?
Enjoy!
P.S. I do not own Suits, unfortunately.
The lawyers at Pearson Hardman had crowded the hallways, trying to get a glimpse of the action that had taken place. Either they were speaking of the events that had transpired, or commenting on the aftermath. Suddenly, people in the hallway started to make way for a worried, but more royally pissed off Maxine Harris as she stormed through the area. Clad in plaid pyjama bottoms, a wool sweater, a large bag, and a pair of moccasins, the woman was seeing red as she moved passed Louis' associates, the managing partners, as well as the woman herself Jessica Pearson. Outside of Harvey's office was a bunch of EMTs placing someone on a stretcher, causing Max's anger to increase. She threw the door wide opening, grabbing the attention of the two EMTs, as well as her boyfriend, who was being patched up by the said EMTs. She took an assessment of the entire office: couches turned over, coffee tables broken, autographed basketballs and baseballs strewn all over the place, and glass was everywhere.
"Did you break any bones?" Max said in an accusing tone.
Harvey sighed as he looked over injuries, "Couple of bruises, a few stitches, a black eye, a sore shoulder, but no broken bones."
She nodded before turning to the two other men, "Would you mind excusing us for a second?"
The men looked at each other in confusion and wonder as they slowly placed their items down before quietly leaving the office. Max turned to Harvey, who had a sheepish grin on his face.
"Babe," he started, before he felt something strike across his face.
"You moron," Max said as she was slightly punching the man in front of her, "you fucking moron, you blatant imbecile, you... stupid, inconsiderate bafoon!"
Harvey grabbed onto her wrists before she could punch him again.
"You chivalrous bastard," she whispered, attempting to hide the tears in her voice.
Harvey held her hands to his chest, clutching them tightly, "I'm sorry."
She shook her head, "I told you not to apologize for things that aren't your fault."
She turned her hands, clasping onto his rough, comforting grip. Max had been sick that morning and had chosen to not go to work that day. Her stomach was upset and almost every smell made her want to vomit. Harvey looked at her attire with humour in his eyes. Her plaid plants were blue and black, and her brown moccasins were well worn. Her wool sweater clearly wasn't warm enough for the early November weather, which led Harvey to believe she was running on anger and adrenaline when she was leaving her apartment.
Her new apartment, Harvey reminded himself.
Harvey felt Max's hands tighten, causing him to look at the beautiful woman. She had the worried look in her eyes, but Harvey could see how proud she was of him. Max never condoned harsh violence, but her smile was clearly aware that she felt good her man got a few punches in. She was also glad he wasn't the one being carried out on a stretcher.
"I'm just glad he didn't hurt your pretty face that much," Max said as she softly ran a finger over Harvey's bruised eye. He ended up slightly jerking back in pain, causing Max to laugh.
"Serves you right."
The sound of the door opening caused the two people to turn around and face the new arrival. The man, which Max noticed that it was a very ruffled Mike, stared at the couple with wild eyes.
"What the fuck happened?"
Three hours earlier...
"Are you sure you're alright? You weren't looking too well this morning."
Max placed the third last pile of books onto the shelf as she rolled her eyes. Harvey always worried about her, which she thought was cute. Now, it just seemed like he was nagging and annoying. But she knew Harvey was just caring, which he didn't do for many people. She got up from her kneeling position to grab the other pile of books as she spoke through her headset.
"I'm fine Harvey. I can feel the seasonal flu seeping through my organs, but I'll just stick with orange juice."
"Yes, because you and orange juice have a good track record."
She smiled, "You know me too well."
"That I do," Harvey said as he held the phone to his ear, leaning back in his office chair. He played with the pen on his desk as he thought back to the morning he had told Max he loved her. Harvey was glad she didn't hear what he said. Harvey wouldn't know what he would do if she knew that he loved her. Would she run? Would she be scared? Would she have said it back? Harvey wasn't ready to let her hear him say "I love you". He wanted her to hear it badly, but he needed more time.
"What are you up to right now?"
She plugged in the light for her wine displays, "Nothing. Just moving things here and there."
"You're rearanging your home at ten o'clock in the morning?"
Max's mind didn't process who she was talking to, thinking that it was Mike, "I've been moving for a week and you notice now?"
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, her eyes widened and her heart dropped. Max never forgot anything. So how the hell she forget that? She forgot that she hadn't told Harvey that she was moving. Max had been working hard on keeping the secret safe, and to just blow it away in one conversation caused her to smack herself. Idiot, she thought, as she made her way through her kitchen, grabbing the wine. Harvey's eyebrows furrowed. Max moved? When the hell did she decide to move from her place? And why didn't he tell her?
"What the hell do you mean you've been moving for a week?"
Although Harvey couldn't see her, Max acted sheepishly and diligently, "Well, my apartment was getting small-"
Harvey cut her off, "So you decided to leave your place without telling me?"
She rubbed her face, "Yes Harvey, I did."
He sighed in frustration, "Are you trying to avoid me?"
She rolled her eyes, "That's a joke, right?"
"Did I laugh?" Harvey said bitterly.
"Why is this so important to you?" Max said as she threw boxes on the floor, "it's not a big deal."
"No, it's not, when you're not trying to hide something."
Max stopped in her place. What was he talking about?
"What do you mean I'm hiding something-"
Harvey cut her off, "Come on, Maxine. Do we have to go through this again?"
She sighed into the reciever, causing Harvey's grip to tighted on the phone. Was it that bad that she wouldn't tell him anything?
"Max," he said sternly, "why didn't you tell me?"
She threw her hands in the air, "Because I was afraid you'd ask me move in."
Harvey's grip loosened.
"You don't want to move in with me?"
He heard her sigh.
"Of course, Harvey. I would love to move in with you."
"Why didn't you?" He asked quietly.
"Because Harvey, it's too soon," she said, placing her movies on the shelf, "I'd love to, babe. But I can't commit to something like that yet."
Can't commit to something like that.
That was the one thought that kept ringing through Harvey's mind. Can't commit? Maybe she was afraid. Maybe she wasn't able to commit because she didn't love him? Harvey banished the thought. Of course she loved him. She stood in five-inch heels on a cold and wet night, waiting for him to finish a meeting for his clients. She came early in the morning to clean and repair his home after he destroyed it. She even came with him when he went suit shopping, sitting in the chair for over three hours. How could she not love him? Maybe she just wasn't ready for a commitment like that so soon. He would give her time, he thought.
"I understand," he said with a slight smile on his face.
Max's head shot back, "Really?"
"Really," Harvey said, getting out of his chair, "just tell me next time, that's all I ask."
She smiled, "You're amazing."
He laughed, "I know."
She pressed her fingers into the headset, hearing the chime, notifying her that the call ended. Peeling her headset off and throwing it on the couch, she ran to the washroom, clutching the toilet. She had been feeling woozy the entire morning. Of course, she wouldn't let Harvey hear her being sick. He'd come straight from work and take care of her.
She flushed the toilet, sitting on the side of her new claw tub. How the hell did she get so lucky? She got Harvey Specter: Senior Partner at Pearson Hardman, and also one of the best closer in all of Manhattan. Harvey Specter was her boyfriend. Boyfriend. Not a lot of people had the privilege to say that. But it wasn't just the title; she got to actually have him. She got the guy who was willing to skip a day of work just to spend a day with her. The guy who would wait forty minutes for her, even when she asked him to leave. The guy who would do anything she asked, like take a picture with her, try a new food, or shamelessly dance like idiots in the middle of the hallway.
Yeah, she got lucky.
Her doorbell rang at that moment, and Maxine groaned in frustration. Getting up from her very comfortable position, she made her way towards her front door. As she went to slide the peephole cover, she stopped herself, remembering she didn't have a peephole anymore. She went to the small window on the side, moving the black curtain out of the way. Smiling at the sight, she unlocked her door to find a one Rachel Zane bundled in three jackets and very thick pants, with fluffy socks and slippers. Rachel's hair was in a high ponytail as her face was make-up free. Her pale face was a funny sight.
"Can we be sick together?" Rachel said, clutching her jacket.
Max smiled as she swung the door open.
"I'm guessing Mike told you where I was," Max said as Rachel shuffled in.
"I swear to God, you guys are siblings," Rachel said, plopping on Max's couch. She shrugged off her jacket, realizing the other brunette had turned on the heat to a very high amount. Rachel sat comfortably in her pink tanktop and light sweater as she crossed her sweatpant-covered legs. Rachel sighed, taking in the new apartment. The walls were a warm beige with a deep red accent wall. A corner bookshelf covered two walls entirely, now being filled with books. Boxes were still stacked, some opened, some still taped tightly. Pictures strewn all over the floor, waiting to be placed on a wall. It was just like Max's old apartment. Just... bigger.
"Don't tell Mike that, he might believe it," Max said as she locked the door.
Rachel smiled before she held her stomach, throwing her head on the back of the comfortable couch, "Oh my God, this damn flu will be the death of me."
"Preaching to the choir," the brunette said as she went to the kitchen, grabbing two bottles of ginger ale and a box of crackers, "I feel like death warmed over me."
"I feel like I ate Louis' lunch."
Max smiled, "I wouldn't put it past him. I'm pretty sure the guy eats rotten garbage daily."
"Ah," Rachel said as she ran a hand through her hair, "because he's a rat."
Max smiled, "Great minds think alike."
She sat down, sighing in relief.
"I want watermelon."
Rachel's eyebrow rose, "in November?"
"Mmhmm," Max said, cuddling with her legs, "with feta cheese... And pickles. Deep fried pickles with peanut butter."
"That sounds..." Rachel smiled, "delicious."
At that moment, Max's phone rang, causing the two women to look at the small device sitting on the table. Rachel picked up the phone, looking at the screen in confusion. She turned the small device to Max.
"Why is your doctor calling you?"
Max's face drained of colour.
Harvey continued walking towards his office after his meeting with Salvatore Gross. He smiled as he strode down the hallway; Harvey Specter was in a great mood. He just brought in seven multi-million dollar clients to the firm, so why wouldn't he be happy? He continued to stride down his office, flipping the bird slightly as he passed by Louis' office, making his way towards the glass corner office. As he approached his office, he saw Donna not looking very well. Her gorgeous face was a bit discoloured and pale. He slowly approached her, leaning on the wall.
"You know being sick requires going home and staying there, making sure you don't get anyone else sick."
Donna rolled her eyes, "Tell that to your girlfriend."
Harvey smirked, "Now don't blame this on Max."
"Oh," the redhead said as she kept typing, "I will."
The brunette man walked into his office, "Go home, Donna."
She smiled at him before getting up to leave her cubicle. She felt ill, yet it wasn't exactly what Harvey was thinking. Navigating from cubicle to cubicle, she found the washroom. In a narrow state of mind, she shot towards the bathroom door before pushing the door open, and running into a stall. She sat on the toilet, clutching her head. Her mind was going miles a minute. Her thoughts were swirled in a mess, and Donna needed a moment to think to herself. God, she was in such a mess. Donna was a smart woman, but there was always that moment where she couldn't, for the life of her, figured out what to do. With a shaky hand, she pulled her phone from the pocket on her dress. Her thumb slowly grazed over her contacts, finding the person she wanted. Her fingers pressed on the keys with purpose.
'I need your help.'
She clutched the phone in her hand as she rested her head on them. With a silent prayer, she hoped her phone would vibrate. She hoped she got a response. She needed help; she needed guidance. She needed someone to be there.
Donna's phone rang.
'What do you need?'
Harvey sat in his office, having the record that was playing fill the room with soft music. His eyes shut in peace as he felt the music seep into his ears. His whole body finally relaxed after a stressful morning. The clients he had put stress on him, Jessica was riding on his ass, Louis was being his annoying self, and to top it all off he had a fight with Max. Well, it wasn't a big fight, but he and Max rarely fought, so any fight was a huge deal. Opening his eyes, his pen found its way into his hand. His eyes scanned the room, noticing through the window that Donna was not sitting at her desk. Taking into account Donna was sick, his focus became the documents in front of him. A few signatures later, Harvey was easily bored. He pulled out his phone, noticing it was just over two hours since he'd last called Max. Dialing the number, he put the phone to his ear.
It rang once.
"Hi!" Max said quickly, "is this an emergency?"
Harvey's eyebrows furrowed.
"Just making sure you're alive-"
"Fine!" She said a little too cheery, "I'm fine! Trust me; I'm okay."
"...Okay," Harvey said hesitantly, "I'll come at seven-"
"I'll call you," she cut him off, "Don't worry about me. Bye babe!"
Before he could say 'bye', the line went dead. Harvey stared at his phone in confusion. What just happened? Did Max just give him the brush off? Whatever it was, Harvey placed his phone back in his jacket pocket as it hung off the back of his chair. Donna still hadn't returned and Harvey was getting curious. He began to get out of his chair when he noticed a very expensive suit walking very fast towards his office. His heart jumped when he realized it was Vincent Giovinazzo rushing towards his office. Harvey walked around his desk, leaning against the front as the Italian threw the door open.
"Vince... can't say it's a pleasure to see your face."
"You're funny with the jokes, Harvey," Vince said as he paced in the office, never leaving Harvey's sights, "real funny."
"What do you want? We closed your case weeks ago."
Vince's finger wagged towards him, "I want you to pay me back."
Harvey's eyebrow rose, "You hit your head on something?"
"Your driver hit my statue!" The Italian roared at the lawyer, screaming in his face.
The lawyer rolled his eyes, "When the hell was this? And how do you know it was my lawyer?"
"An hour ago," Vince seethed, "and I know it was your driver because your sweet woman was in the back."
That caught Harvey's attention.
"Oh yeah," Vince said, smiling. The Italian knew he hit a nerve, "Your beautiful woman. Your girl... Max, is it?" Giovinazzo said crossing his arms, "She is gorgeous, by the way. I mean, she looks great in just sweats, you know? A real girl."
Harvey's hands clenched into fists.
"And that tank top... Damn Harves, she's pretty sexy."
It took everything Harvey had to keep his hands at his sides.
"You better leave before-"
"Before what, Harvey," Vince said, shoving his finger into Harvey's shoulder, "You gonna hit me," another poke, "huh? Or you just gonna sue me," another poke, "like the little bitch you are."
Harvey's jaw was rigid, "Leave now."
"Come on Harves," Vince said laughing as he shoved Harvey into his desk, causing the desk to push back and have all of the items fall off the desk.
"Don't be such a pussy."
That did it.
Harvey's fist swung in the air, hitting Vince straight in the face. The Italian stuttered back for a moment before throwing a quick elbow at Harvey's cheek. Squinting in pain, Harvey ducked underneath Vince's elbows, lifting him in the air. He threw him down to the floor with a sickening crack, with the Italian landing at an odd angle. Harvey pelted the man with several punches before Vince's fist came into contact with Harvey's eye. Pulling back, Harvey was caught off-guard when his collar was grabbed, and he was thrown onto the coffee table. He grabbed his repaired shoulder in pain. He felt pressure on his stomach, and felt the blow of a punch hit his face. When the second punch came, Harvey was ready for it as he grabbed the hand. Although the impact caused him to flinch, he held onto the hand, twisting it harshly. Harvey heard a snap in the wrist, and the Italian's agonizing scream. He thrusted Vince off of him as he saw red. Harvey was hovering over him, punching him repeatedly. He lost count after five. As he raised his arm after several gruelling punches, he noticed that beneath the bloody face was the pleading and giving eyes that belong to Vincent. Harvey knew the fight was done. He got up slowly, quickly aware of his surroundings. Everyone was staring at him as they probably came over to see what the noise was all about. Harvey turned to face Vincent, who was lying on the ground. Breathing, but still lying there.
All Harvey did after that was walk back towards his chair, sit down, and close his eyes as he listened to the music still playing.
"You're an idiot."
The three of them, Mike, Max, and Harvey, sat at the edge of Harvey's desk as they saw Vincent, who was on the stretcher, being wheeled into the elevator. Mike was on the edge to the left while Harvey was in the middle, holding a bag of ice to his face. Max was holding an ice bag to Harvey's head as she rubbed his shoulder lovingly. She smirked as Harvey winced back in pain.
"Serves you right," Max said again.
"I got the gist of it, thanks babe," Harvey said, rotating his shoulder. He shrugged the pain off as he sighed. As soon as he was going to relax, he saw a very odd sight. Clad in his twenty-thousand dollar suit, Julian Satin was walking at a steady, but fast pace towards his office. He had the look of concern and bloody murder on his face. Harvey stood up straight, causing Max to turn and see what Harvey directly was looking at. Max's eyebrows furrowed. What the hell was her father doing at Pearson Hardman? As soon as he spotted the two, his pace slowed down, and his face calmed a bit. With slower strides, Julian made his way into the office. Mike gave a curt nod, knowing that the air got a little thick around these three. He left shortly, leaving behind the three other people in the room. Max stood beside Harvey as Julian rubbed his face.
"This is an odd sight," Harvey said solemnly.
Julian's eyebrows rose in agreement, "Not by choice."
He turned to Max with a small smile, "Do you mind giving us a moment, Max?"
She softly smiled and nodded, rubbing her boyfriend's arm before walking out of the office. As she was walking out, her cellphone rang, and she began digging into her large purse for the sound. Harvey's eyebrows met as he looked at Julian in confusion. When the hell did they start to get along? Julian being compassionate towards Max? Max allowing Julian to be compassionate? What the hell was going on?
"Harvey, do you know how much it costs to raise a child?"
That was an odd question.
"Do you know how much?" Harvey said in a mocking tone.
"One hundred and eighty thousand dollars, roughly. From birth to their eighteenth birthday."
"Alright," the younger man said, confused.
"Obviously money isn't a problem for you," Julian said walking around the room, "but what about time? Surely you are a busy man, you don't really have time for a family."
The lawyer shook his head, "What brought up the children speech, Julian?"
Julian licked his lips.
"Because the pregnancy test I saw in Max's bag might make you start thinking about kids."
Did I just write that? Really?
But don't forget, not everything is the way it seems.
ON THE TAOP: What was Max really doing on that day? Did she stay home with Rachel and knit sweaters? Or did Max do what Max does and not follow the rules? Who knows? (Oh wait... I do). Tune into the next update for the answers!
Review?
xoxo N.