Behold – the next chapter:
««« ×ǁ MILESTONES ǁ× »»»
It's later that week that she's strolling into his condo, calling out a greeting to him, as she makes her way towards the kitchen, in need of a drink.
She's digging through the cabinets, retrieving a bottle of her favorite red along with two wine glasses, when the sound of his footsteps echo throughout his condo, getting louder as he strolls out of his bedroom.
Just a moment later, a pair of arms are wrapping around her waist.
His signature scent of masculine woods and warm musk invades her nostrils, and she is suddenly enveloped in his embrace, bringing an instant smile to her lips.
She seriously can't help it, anymore. It's pretty much automatic, whenever he's touching her.
After all those years of barely any physical contact, she truly can't get enough of his hands on her, nowadays. And clearly, he's having the exact same problem given that he never misses an opportunity to touch her.
"You know…" he murmurs while placing a few light kisses along her collarbone.
"Hm?" She says, her eyes closed as she enjoys the way her whole body quivers in response. He barely has to do a thing before she's tilting her head to the side, encouraging him further while giving him more room to work.
"Our one month anniversary is coming up," he tells her, never losing focus on those sensitive spots.
"Hmm… is it?" She comments, casually – as if she didn't already know.
She's Donna – of course she knows.
Still, she wasn't going to make a big deal about it. She's well aware that he's not really into that sort of thing. To be honest, she's pretty surprised that he even remembered in the first place.
"Yep," he responds, after planting one last kiss to her skin before turning her body so he can get his eyes on her. "And I'm taking you out," he declares, with that Cheshire cat grin, looking all kinds of proud.
"Oh yeah?" She asks, unable to control the smile on her face as her arms wind around his neck. "Where are we going?" She wonders, her interest peeked.
"Anywhere you want," he declares, his palms resting on her waist.
Donna hmms in response, already thinking about where they should go. She's running through the list in her head – Le Bernardin, Daniel, Eleven Madison Park, Atomix, etc. It's when she gets to Carbone that something occurs to her, causing her to meet his eyes and start searching them.
"What?" He asks with a chuckle, well aware of what she's doing.
"Well…" she begins as she fidgets with the collar of his shirt. "Since when do you celebrate things like a one month anniversary?" She questions, tilting her head in curiosity. She knows the two month anniversary dinner with Paula was far from his idea – clearly, he was just going along with it to appease her. Before that, he had always balked at the idea of a celebration for something so insignificant.
"I don't know," he shrugs, beaming down at her. "Since I started getting to celebrate them with you, I guess," he adds, sincerely.
Her heart immediately expands at his words – even after four weeks together, she still gets emotional when he tells her things like this.
She doesn't have to say a thing for him to know what she's thinking. He can see the emotion in her eyes and immediately leans down to kiss her, pulling her flush against his chest.
Moments later, when they finally part in favor of air, a silly smile stretches across her lips. "I guess I'll have to start thinking about what to buy myself as an anniversary present," she quips as she continues to toy with his collar.
"Donna," he says, grabbing at her hands to stop her movements, already busy with the frown spreading across his face. "Do you really think I'm gonna let you buy your own anniversary gift?" He presses, his tone surprised and almost offended.
His reaction catches her slightly off guard, confused by the way he looks slightly insulted. "Well… I mean, I've been buying my own presents since 2007," she points out.
"I know, but… that was… before," he retorts. "Things are different now," he wants her to know.
"I know," she assures him. "But, you know I don't mind," she adds. "I mean… you don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to gift giving… especially when it comes to women you're dating," she reasons, trying to be delicate.
"That's not fair," he argues as his brow starts to furrow. "You know you're different," he stresses, his voice becoming softer as a hand slides down her back.
His words bring a smile to her lips and she can't help but want to dig deeper. "Hmm… how so?" She wonders, clearly just fishing.
He's well aware of what she's doing, but he can't help but want to play along, his lips twitching in response. "Because I love you… and I know you… and I care about getting you something you'll love," he tells her. "Which, by the way… I already have," he remarks, that signature smug grin overtaking his face.
The admission leaves her absolutely stunned – not only did he actually remember and want to celebrate their one month anniversary, but he's also already bought her a gift. Even with all of the ways that he's been surprising her lately – his open vulnerability and willingness to commit, his verbal affirmations and physical affection, and the way he has truly jumped in with both feet and done everything he can to make it work – this is still something she never would've expected.
Still, she tries her best to play it off.
"Well… someone's awfully confident," she sings as her hands play with the buttons of his dress shirt.
"I am," he confirms, clearly proud of himself.
"Alright, if you're absolutely sure…" she concedes, still toying with him a bit. "I mean… it's kind of a lot of pressure, but if you really want to…" she continues, purposefully teasing.
"You know, I could always return what I got you and pick up a bottle of scotch," he threatens, narrowing his eyes.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" She stresses, a chuckle falling from her lips. "I think it's really sweet that you bought me something yourself," she offers, her lips tugging at the corners and the warmth evident in her gaze.
"You're worried, aren't you?" He retorts with a silly grin.
"Extremely," she quips, without hesitation. "I mean… you know that lingerie counts as a gift for you and not for me, right?" She playfully remarks.
"Can't it be a gift for both of us?" He offers as his mouth curves into a smirk.
"Maybe… but it's mostly for you," she decides, lightly poking him in the chest.
"Okay," he acquiesces with a laugh. "But seriously… don't be worried," he persuades her. "I'm so sure that you'll love it, that if you don't… I will…" he pauses, trying to think up a wager that is appropriately outrageous. "I will agree to go on a double date with Louis and Sheila," he announces.
"Wow, you are confident," she realizes, with a touch of surprise.
"I told you," he responds, looking a bit smug. "Oh and don't even try to go snooping for it," he warns. "You'll never find it," he declares, proudly.
"Never?!" She challenges, obviously doubting him. "You sure you want to say that to me?" She dares.
"I took all the necessary precautions," he says, not even a shred of a doubt to be found.
"Hmm…" she says, looking him over and attempting to read him.
"No, don't even try doing your Donna shit on me!" He exclaims, a chuckle building in his throat.
"Hey, I have three whole days to figure it out," she warns him, all kinds of mischief dancing in her eyes.
All he can do is shake his head and grin.
Yeah, celebrating with her is going to be fun, he's sure of it.
(→→ ←←)
It's a Friday night and they're at his place, her heels tossed to the side, and his sleeves rolled up while his suit jacket lies discarded on the couch.
The atmosphere is easy and comfortable – the sounds coming from the kitchen, the clinging and clanging and the sizzle in the oven, are mostly drowned out by the record that's playing. It's one of Gordon's and has been a favorite of hers for years.
Harvey knows. It's why he put it on.
Donna is sitting up on the counter, having found the perfect vantage point to admire his skills in the kitchen.
He's cooked for her before – not often, but she doesn't cook for him often, either.
There have been a couple of nights where he's delighted her with some simple dishes that Marcus taught him one summer when they were home from college, and then there was that chicken recipe he claims to have taught himself, but she suspects it was actually an ex-girlfriend that introduced him.
Still, it's obvious tonight is different.
As soon as they got to his place, he declared that he was cooking for her and under no uncertain terms, could she lift a finger to help.
So, instead, she poured them each a glass of wine and lifted herself up on the counter so she could enjoy the show.
And yeah, she has certainly enjoyed it.
Watching as he maneuvers his way around the kitchen, looking so determined and focused, a content hum leaves her lips. "Mm… I love when you cook for me," she declares, a delightful smile twisting across her lips.
"Oh yeah?" He grins, throwing a smug look over his shoulder, as he simultaneously sprinkles some more seasoning on the roasted chicken.
"Mhm," she confirms with a nod as she enjoys the sight of him bending over to place the chicken in the oven. "Kindda makes me want to forget about dinner altogether," she flirts, watching as he sets the timer.
"Hmm…" he says, as he turns towards her, narrowing his eyes. "I could probably be persuaded into that," he remarks as he moves closer, stepping in between her legs and letting his palms land on her thighs.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure it'd take a lot of convincing," she retorts, adding a playful roll of her eyes as her arms slip around his neck.
Grinning, he immediately leans in and catches her lips in a kiss.
And, of course, it doesn't stop at that.
In fact, it doesn't take long at all before they are getting carried away with dinner still cooking in the oven, Harvey's hands roaming her body as his mouth travels down the smooth column of her neck, doing all the things he knows will make her ache for it.
She's just about to suggest they take this into the bedroom when one of the timers goes off, alerting Harvey to the fact that he needs to check on the roasted vegetables.
"Hold that thought," he murmurs against her lips before he reluctantly pulls away to open the oven. As he starts flipping the vegetables with a spatula, the song changes to one of her all-time favorites, coaxing her to hop off the counter and dance to it.
Leaving her glass of wine behind, she finds herself in the middle of the room, her eyes closed as she enjoys the melody and sways along with it. Meanwhile, her brain is flooded with memories of all the other times they have listened to this song together. It almost always involved late night drinks at the office, or the two of them working deep into the evening, digging through boxes of discovery, and sharing some shitty Thai food.
With her eyes still closed, reveling in the rhythm and the nostalgia, she feels a pair of arms slip around her waist from behind and a smile falls on her lips before she can even blink her eyes open.
"Dance with me," he murmurs in her ear, not even giving her the opportunity to respond before he spins her in his embrace. His palm quickly rests on her hip while he takes her other hand in his.
He's absolutely beaming at her, making it impossible to do anything but return the expression as they glide along the hardwood floors of his condo.
She can't even recall the last time they danced together, but they haven't lost a step – still perfectly aligned, their connection as strong as ever.
It's something they've always done well together. All the years of anticipating moves and following leads, allowing them to be each other's perfect dance partner.
And now – six weeks into their relationship, it's only made them more in tune.
Just as the song starts to speed up, Harvey decides to go for an abrupt spin and twirls Donna away from his body before pulling her right back in, letting her land right against his chest.
They're both smiling ear to ear, floating around the room, as Gordon's music echoes off the walls.
It's something she never could've imagined all those years ago, as she sat in his office, sharing a late night drink – the two of them so close but still so distant from each other. The idea of them being here – dancing in Harvey's condo while the dinner he made for them is cooking a few feet away – him looking at her like she's all that matters.
Had she ever let her mind drift to such things back then, this is exactly what she would've envisioned – exactly what she would've wanted to have with him.
And the fact that she does, it's something she can hardly believe even now, six weeks in.
But, it's happening. It's real.
This is the man she gets to come home to, the man she gets to wake up next to and fall asleep beside – this is the man she gets to dance with.
And she wouldn't have it any other way.
««« ×ǁ MILESTONES ǁ× »»»
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