"Alright, I'm here." Mike said taking a seat in front of Harvey's desk.
"Good." Harvey mused, but remained silent after that.
"Harvey, is there something you need?" Harvey tapped his forefinger on his bottom lip.
"Are you still checking into the Mason's financials?" Mike observed Harvey's face. There was a softness there, worry, something that suddenly aged Harvey in Mike's eyes, not in a bad way just in a way he hadn't seen before, it made him look less arrogant, more human. More affected. It was… beautiful. Harvey has always been hot to Mike, but beautiful? Mike tried to remember a time he had thought of that exact word focused on Harvey, not his suit or something he did, but Harvey.
"No…" Mike said, drawing it out.
"Why not?" Harvey kept his eyes away from Mike.
"Because, um, well, I mean, Harvey I found the flaw we use."
"You found a flaw." Harvey finally looked at Mike. "Let's have a student teacher talk, Mike."
"Now?"
"Now." Mike looked around himself, anywhere but Harvey. "Mike, remember when I told you to push until it hurts." Mike nodded. "Apparently we did." Mike's eyebrows knitted together not completely understanding. "When I asked you to come up here, it was to say thank you. Then I found this," a folder was tossed towards Mike, who barely caught it, "lying on my desk." Mike looked around then back at Harvey. "Go ahead, open it."
Mike felt his hands start sweating, he had no idea what was in that folder, it could be proof of his and Harvey's lie about Harvard, it could be about his drug problems or past problems rather, or a number of other things. But when Mike opened it up he was confused.
Pictures. Bunches of pictures. Pictures. Of him. And Harvey.
The time at the business dinner a few days ago when Harvey had gotten extremely close so he could lower his voice and Mike still hear him.
The time when Harvey had stopped Mike and asked him about Trevor.
Pictures of Mike showing up at Harvey's place drunk, trying to give Harvey the stock sales.
Pictures of small smiles, touches, and looks over the shoulder.
Pictures that, taken out of context, may not look… proper.
"What is this?" Mike asked.
"I don't know." Harvey said. "There's no note, nothing. I think someone just wanted to know that they're watching." Harvey stood and walked around to sit on the edge of his desk in front of Mike. "Mike, do you know what you do when someone starts pushing back."
"Find a way to bind their hands."
"No, not at first. At first you just keep doing what you're doing." Harvey smiled, a hard edge to it, but still a smile. "When they try to scare you, you act like you're tough. When they try to use a close working friendship against you, you act closer than ever." Mike glanced up at Harvey and leaned back in his chair.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, late work nights at each other's place, more dinners, more smiling, and stuff that friends would do."
"Harvey, if you wanted to be friends you didn't have to force it on me." Mike laughed, starting to forget about the fact that someone was stalking him.
"My point is, they are trying to create a relationship where there isn't one, or set boundaries that were never established, we just give them what they are after. When you're facing a bear in the forest, you make yourself look bigger."
"I'm pretty sure this is the most awkward student teacher conversation ever." Mike said starting to fantasize about what exactly late nights at Harvey's would entail. Well, at least what they would entail in his fantasies.
"Whatever, look, tonight, after work, meet me outside at the car around eight thirty, we'll go back to my place." Mike started laughing hysterically. Nerves starting to screw with his mind.
"Okay Harvey."
The rest of the day had Mike looking over his shoulder uncomfortably, waiting to see someone standing there, camera pointed in his direction. At eight twenty Mike sat in his cubical, thoroughly engrossed in file after file of financials, but no discrepancies.
"Hey." Mike said sliding into the town car. Harvey nodded his head, feeling awkward and sort of lame. He shouldn't have had to use this picture thing as an excuse, even though he was right and he knew he was right aobut how to deal with the situation. "What's wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"You just look like someone killed your dog." Mike muttered.
"No, but someone threatened my puppy." Harvey's attempt to satisfy his ego and make himself feel better worked a little and the rest of the ride was quiet.
Big. That was Mike's first thought. Walking into Harvey's condo was like taking a step inside a magazine. It was big, beautiful, and the exact dream that normal people like him would never get- a reflection of Harvey himself. And there he was again calling Harvey beautiful. Since he thought it the other day that thought had continually plagued his mind.
"Welcome to my humble…"
"Harvey, nothing about this place is humble. Stop kidding yourself." Mike laughed.
"shut up." Harvey laid his suit jacket over the back of the chair and poured himself a drink, not bothering to offer Mike one. He already used a crazy excuse to get him here, which he didn't really know why Mike believed, he wasn't going to try to get him drunk too. "Did you find anything else in the financials.?"
"Oddly, no. The Mason's are squeaky clean."
"That's impossible."
"No really their financials…"
"No one is squeaky clean." Harvey dead panned, cutting Mike off. "Everyone has a past."
"Even you?"
Harvey considered the question for a minute. "Well, lets just say I didn't always live in a condo like this or dress in clothes this nice." He let that sink into Mike. The Mike smiled like something was funny. "What?"
"It's just hard to picture you in anything but Armani."
"The isn't Armani. It's Tom Ford." Harvey corrected, turning away from Mike and starting toward his room. "but let me make it a little easier to picture. You stay here. Help yourself." He gestured toward the kitchen.
Mike walked to the counter and poured a glass of the bourbon Harvey was drinking and took a couple of slow, deep, sips. It was kind of subtle for bourbon but delicious in every way.
And speaking of delicious, Harvey chose that moment to walk back in the room causing Mike to choke a little. Harvey was wearing plain black pajama bottoms low on his hips. And that was it. Mike wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He'd never wanted something so badly.
Kay guys! latest chapter, i know it's short but i'm in the process of moving. Hope you liked it! Love Always, Alice.
PS Remember REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
Coffeelover328- Soon, i'm hoping. lol, i don't really know how this is going to play out yet, but i know where it's going to end up. ;)
Boothslittleanthropologist- I mean, really, thank you. you are seriously great! i hope you liked this chapter. it's short but useful (i hope).
When Is This- COME TO THE DARK SIDE! lol.
ChocohalicsAnonymous- I hope you liked this one. and ME TOO!
Always,
Alice