Harvey was looking forward to seeing Donna again.
They had just finished their winter exams and were finally on vacation, and while Donna and he had sent each other a few messages, he hadn't heard from her much anymore since he came to Yale for the game. So knowing that he was going to see the redhead again after two months with not that much news made him so happy, and if he was looking forward to it, his excitement immediately subsided when he heard his father talking on the phone as he was on the couch with Marcus.
«Hey kid, how are you doing?»
There were only three people Gordon called kid: Harvey, Marcus, and Donna, and since two were in the same room as him, that left only one person: her.
«Of course I don't mind, I always told you: our house is your house too, Donna»
So it was her, yeah.
«Really? I'm happy for you, kid. And of course, the more, the merrier»
What does that mean: the more, the merrier? Wasn't she alone?
«Oh, so he accepted»
As Marcus talked, Harvey turned around so fast to look at his brother, murmuring as he didn't understand what he meant.
«He? Who is he?»
«Well, her boyfriend»
«Her boyfriend?»
«Yeah, Thomas»
«Thomas?»
«Yeah. What's going on with you?»smiled the younger brother.
«Nothing, it's just that.. she didn't tell me anything»
«Why would she have told you?»snorted Marcus.
Because I've been having sex with your best friend for almost half a year, you dickhead wanted to reply Harvey as he stayed silent, looking at his brother, who continued to chuckle as he had just said the most absurd thing in the world. Alright, so she was with Thomas, great.. well, was predictable, and yet, it hurt. As he sat on the couch brooding, feeling his brother's gaze on him, he decided to act like the asshole he was and snickered.
«Paulsen has a boyfriend? No fucking way»
«She has, yeah»
«Since when?»
«Well, she told me not too long ago, but it seems like one month, one and a half, maybe»
So right after he went to visit her at Yale. Great.
«That's pretty new, then»
«Yeah»
«And she's bringing him here?»
«Yeah. But only a few days later, he turns back to New York to celebrate Christmas with his parents. She just wanted to show him around and for Jim and Laurel to see him»
«Already? Isn't it too fast?»
«Well, when it's the one, you know it»smiled Gordon as he was done with his call.
For a few seconds, he said nothing, while the musician put his phone away to look at his sons.
« Donna is staying here for the holiday as usual, and Thomas would only stay for a few days with her. Harvey, you're lending your room as usual? »
While his first instinct would have been to accept the idea that Donna would sleep with her boyfriend in the same bed where she and Harvey had sex day and night, each experience as hot and obscene as the previous one, the very idea of her being with another man in his bed made him want to puke.
«Marcus can't for once?»
«Are you serious?»groaned the younger brother.
« Harv. She's always staying there, your room is bigger, you can make an effort, right? »
«Alright, yeah, sure. When is she coming?»
«They're coming tomorrow, so go clean your room and change your sheets tomorrow morning too»
«Of course»
He might have been almost twenty-four, but at that moment, he was acting like a kid. Even though he had promised his father, he hadn't changed the sheets, wanting his scent to remain for when Donna would have gotten into bed with her boyfriend — knowing she would recognize his scent like he could recognize hers among hundred — as he also left the condom box they'd used this summer lying around in plain sight, just for her to set her eyes on it and remember how he fucked her no matter the time of the day or night. Knowing she was coming, he had gone for a run to clear his mind without really knowing how to act when he would see her. For her part, even if Donna was looking forward to going back to Hartford, she was dreading Thomas coming with her. The two of them had decided to become a couple together after their second date, and if everything was going great between them and they were good together, the idea of him seeing Harvey made her sick to her stomach. She knew the older brother wouldn't care, he would be disappointed not to have sex with her anymore, but he probably wouldn't mind that she was in love — well, on the way to falling in love — it was more her who dreaded seeing him, knowing that she wasn't clear about her feelings when it comes to him. As her parents were still away to visit family, the redhead decided to go straight in with the Specters, her heart pounding as she knocked on the door around ten in the morning.
«Hey kid»
«Gordon, I'm so happy to see you. How are you doing?»
«I'm great, kid — and you must be Thomas»
«I am. Nice to meet you, sir»
«Oh, please, call me Gordon»
«There she is»
«Marcus»
As the two best friends jumped in each other's arms and hugged for a few seconds, Donna pulled away a moment later to make introductions.
«Marcus, this is Thomas, and Thomas, this is Marcus, my best friend since forever»
«Nice to meet you, dude»
«Me too»
«Donna told me you were in Stanford. I have so many questions about it»
As everyone was in the living room talking, Donna couldn't help but look around before questioning Gordon with a soft voice.
«Harvey is still at Harvard?»
«No, he went for a run, but he won't be long — well, speaking of the devil»
At the same time, the door slammed, and Donna was grateful she wasn't drinking or she would have choked. Harvey had just entered the room wearing only shorts, his torso and arms even more muscular than the last time she had seen him, while he had rolled up his shorts to tuck them into his briefs, showing his muscular thighs. He then approached them, his body soaked from the run he had just done, while he took off his headphones to rub his face and slide his hands into his hair to slick it back. She was hot, really hot, because right now, if her boyfriend, best friend, and Gordon weren't in the room, she might have thought that she and Harvey had just finished fucking.
«Harvey, you went running like that? It's fucking freezing outside»sighed Gordon.
«I had a sweater, but I was hot»
«Anyway, you don't greet our guests?»
«Sorry, hey Donna, hello…»
«Thomas»
«Thomas, alright»
As everyone stood up, Harvey shook Thomas' hand before walking over to Donna and supposedly welcoming her, but as he placed a tender kiss on the hollow of her neck discreetly, brushing her ass with his large hand, Donna's legs were slightly trembling. Once everyone was seated, he tried to slip his arm around Donna next to her in front of Thomas, who looked at him a little strangely while the redhead pushed him away.
«Harvey»
«What?»
«You're... sweating»
« I'm sure you don't mind, right? »
You know, since we used to fuck all the time and sweat against each other in every place possible and imaginable thought the future lawyer as he just smiled and stood up.
«Anyway, I'm going to take my shower»
After Harvey left for the bathroom, Donna remained silent as Thomas and Marcus talked about his business school for a moment, the future lawyer's hot body, and the way he looked at her, looping in her head. That night, as Donna's parents weren't back, she ate with the four men before going to bed with Thomas. As she got under the sheets, she felt herself blushing the moment she smelled Harvey's scent enveloping her, and when Thomas lay down next to her wearing a t-shirt and shorts, she felt like throwing up. If he fell asleep quickly next to her, for Donna, it was harder as she stared at the ceiling for hours. As soon as she closed her eyes, everything in this room reminded her of her past with Harvey: the smell of the young man who intoxicated her every time they slept together, the headboard behind her that she had so many times grabbed when he was eating her out or pounding hard inside her, these sheets that stuck to their skin when they were sweating as if they had just done an intense workout session, or even those cushions where they were hiding their faces when they moaned as they were coming hard. In the end, after hours of thinking, she fell asleep from exhaustion until the next day, when she was woken up by Thomas, who placed his lips on her cheek as she whispered.
«Hey»
«Hey»
«How did you sleep?»
«So good. You?»
«Same»lied the redhead.
«What do you want to do?»
As Thomas continued to place little kisses on her cheek while talking, both of them jumped when the door opened abruptly while Donna choked on her own saliva.
«Harvey»
«Hey, you're awake»
«What are you doing?»whispered Donna with big eyes.
«I need to take my shower, but pretend I'm not here»
As he continued to move forward, being barely awake, his boxers low on his hips revealing his v-cute with a half chub, Donna thought she was hallucinating. If she thought the situation was worse, he stopped in front of them to talk to them.
«Oh, maybe you wanted to go before me»
«No, it's fine, I'll wait»muttered Thomas.
«Alright»
As he entered the bathroom, he didn't even bother to close the door completely before stepping into his shower, and Thomas muttered.
«Is he always like that?»
«That's Harvey, he's... unapologetic»
«Good to know
For a few more minutes, the couple chatted until Harvey came out with only a towel around his waist, the drops of water still running down his chest, his hair slicked back as he smirked.
«Sorry, I forgot my boxers»
A few seconds later, he had swapped his towel for his underwear as he had gone out to talk to Thomas.
«The bathroom is all yours»
«Thank you»
The moment the dark-haired guy locked himself in the small room, Harvey approached Donna, grabbed her chin to lift her face, turn it slightly, and place his lips on her cheek, brushing her lips as he whispered against her skin.
«Hey»
«Harvey, you could have knocked»
«Why? Was I interrupting something?»
«No»
«Hey»
«What?»
«Don't you dare have sex with him in my bed»
For a few seconds, facing his menacing face and possessive attitude, she said nothing, too shocked by his words, before whispering.
«Are you crazy? We're never going to sleep together here»
«He's staying for three days, right?»
«Yeah, why are you asking?»
«So you're not going to have sex for three days? That sucks. You know that you and I were having sex every day, sometimes multiple times a day»
«Harvey, stop»
«What? You never had sex with him?»
«This is none of your business»
«Let me guess, it's not as good as with me»
«Stop»
Hearing the shower water turn off, he smiled before placing another kiss on her cheek to head to his closet and grab his clothes to finally leave the room, the redhead releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding. A few minutes later, if was Thomas' turn to left the bathroom dressed and talk to Donna.
«You can go, I prefer to warn you, one of his conquests left memories behind»
«What?»
If she felt jealous at first, she quickly covered it up with a fake smile before locking herself in the bathroom and gasping when she saw what he was talking about. Hanging on the edge of the shower was a black lace thong and bra, and if she had felt a pang of jealousy at first, she was now invaded by an intense heat when she observed her own underwear hanging in front of her eyes. No way, he didn't do that. Quickly, she took a cold shower before joining Thomas and then going downstairs to have breakfast with Marcus and Harvey. After chatting around the table, Donna murmured while looking at her boyfriend.
«I need to go shopping, shall we go?»
«I have too, let's go together»said Harvey.
Without giving them a choice, he got up and grabbed his keys while Donna and Thomas followed him to the car, where he opened the door for the redhead, forcing the future architect to take a seat in the back. While they had been driving for a few minutes now, Harvey glanced in the rearview mirror before smiling at Thomas.
«Are you alright in the back?»
«Yeah yeah»
«The back seat is comfortable, I know»
While Donna could feel Harvey's burning gaze on her, the redhead continued to stare at the road in front of her as they passed by the abandoned industrial estate where they used to go when Marcus wouldn't leave them alone and they wanted to sleep together quickly. Barely at the store, Donna started shopping in the market while Harvey had bought the few things he needed before waiting for them leaning against the car. About twenty minutes later, once the couple was outside, Donna could see Harvey looking at her with his smirk as he spoke.
«You're done?»
«Yeah»
«Strawberry chocolate, do you want some?»
«I don't. Come on, let's go»
Barely in the car, the return was done in silence, and when Donna decided to take a walk around the neighborhood with Thomas, Harvey had tried to find a way to stop the couple from being together, but this time, he found nothing. So it was seeing Donna and her boyfriend walking away hand in hand that he sat down on the couch to start a video game with his brother. Hours passed, and as Gordon walked towards his sons to see what they wanted to eat, Harvey was surprised to see that they were going to eat just the three of them.
«What about Donna?»
«She's eating with her parents and Thomas tonight»explained Marcus.
«Yeah, it's the big night, introducing a partner to your parents is always scary»smiled Gordon.
«Oh, alright. What about pizza, then?»whispered Harvey, trying to change the subject.
As he thought about Donna being with Thomas as her parents for a moment, before Gordon ordered the pizza, Harvey announced that he was going to take a walk before going to the store, knocking on the Paulsen's door, while waiting for someone to open.
«Harvey»
«Hey Laurel, How are you doing?»
Seeing Donna sitting on the couch, Thomas next to her with his arm around her shoulders, both looking at him with big eyes, he decided to continue his little number.
«Is Jim there?»
« Harvey, hey my boy »
«Jim, um, I'm sorry to bother you, but I didn't want to wait too long before giving it to you. Here, since I have no idea how to keep a bottle of wine, I didn't want to wait until Christmas to give it to you, so Merry Christmas in advance»
As he handed the bottle of wine to Jim, the man hugged him before thanking him with a big smile.
«Harvey, you didn't have to»
«It's fine. I bought this in a shop near Harvard, the salesman told me it was excellent, and since you're a wine lover, I thought you'd like it»lied the future lawyer.
«It's incredible, but it must have cost you a lot, Harvey»
«It's fine, for real — and of course, for you, Laurel»
Handing a bouquet of flowers to the older redhead, she quickly kissed him on his cheek to thank him before Harvey excused himself and left the apartment, delighted to see that Thomas had been uncomfortable that his in-laws were so affectionate and admiring of the future lawyer. If Donna thought the situation couldn't get any worse, she hadn't thought about Harvey, who had decided to ruin the holidays for her and her couple. Every morning, he showed up unannounced in the room only in his boxers, spent his days walking around half-naked exposing his muscles, accompanied the redhead everywhere even when it wasn't necessary, constantly contradicting Thomas to show that he was the one who knew the redhead best, all the while continuing his innuendos and undressing her with his eyes whenever he had the opportunity. If she was about to have a talk with Harvey, she hadn't counted on the young man's last move, which was like a stab in the heart. As she was going downstairs to have breakfast, she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a female voice and a brunette from behind.
«Good morning?»
«Hey, Donna. Hum, this is Scottie. Scottie, this is Donna, my little brother's best friend, but you remember right? You two met at Harvard»
«Sure… Um, hey Scottie»
«Donna»
After a brief nod, as Scottie refocused on Harvey again, Donna couldn't help but feel jealousy rising as the brunette continued to stare at Harvey, who was walking around the kitchen in his boxers. Despite Thomas' presence, Donna couldn't help but be annoyed when she saw Scottie being touchy and laughing with Harvey. That same evening, while all the young people were sitting in the living room chatting, a beer in hand, the moment Marcus left the room to answer the phone, Harvey and Scottie sitting on one couch, Donna and Thomas on the other, the other young people could sense a certain tension in the room, and it only took one sentence for Harvey to inflame the situation.
«You're into beer now, Donna?»
«Well, I never said I didn't like beer»
«No, but I can still see your face when you taste it that night, you know, when it was just the two of us in your bedroom, remember?»
Facing the redhead's silence, it was Thomas who laughed nervously.
«What does that mean?»
«It means nothing»whispered Donna as she was looking at Harvey with big eyes.
«Oh really? Because — »
«Harvey, stop»
Sensing that things were going to get out of hand, Scottie quickly got up when he saw Marcus coming back before talking to everyone.
«Alright, I had a great day — Marcus, you'll thank your father for welcoming me — but I absolutely have to go back to Harvard, I have a flight tomorrow to Florida. Um, Thomas, Donna, it was nice meeting you two, and Harv, will you walk me outside?»
«Yeah, um, I'll go up too, I'm tired»murmured Thomas before getting up and leaving the room in turn.
When only Marcus and Donna were left in the room, the two best friends looked at each other while the redhead felt like she was going to be sick. She was a liar and hated that, she had been lying to her best friend for months, having sex with his brother while he was sleeping in the next room, lying to Thomas by introducing him to her parents when he wasn't the one who was obsessing her nights, lying to everyone — to Harvey, her family, especially herself — and she hated that. When she was lost in thought, Marcus looked at her questioningly as she whispered.
«I'm going to go talk to Thomas. Good night, Marcus»
As Donna went upstairs and Harvey went out, neither of them had the idea that this evening was probably going to change a lot for them, and especially, neither of them were ready to have the discussions that were going to follow.