August 3, 2021
As he finished adjusting his tie, Harvey took one last look at himself in the mirror, checked the time on his alarm clock, and realized he had to leave immediately if he didn't want to be late for his client. It had been ten years since he became a lawyer — four spent at the DA's office, six at Pearson Hardman, now Pearson Specter Litt — and life was good. Things had gone well from the start as he had quickly climbed the ranks to become senior partner alongside Jessica, all while living the high life in New York: sports cars, fine alcohol, cigars, bachelor parties, a different woman every night — the life he had dreamed of as a teenager. Though in recent years, his idea of the dream life had started to shift, about two hours later, as he walked toward his office, his phone rang, and his fiancée's name lit up the screen.
«Hey»
«Hey you»
«Did you land safely?»
«Yeah, just now»
«And?»
«Shitty weather as usual» chuckled the woman.
«Well, it's London» snorted Harvey.
«Yeah. Anyway, I have an appointment in half an hour, so I'll have to leave»
«Will you tell me about it?»
«Of course. See you, Harvey»
«Bye Scottie»
As soon as Harvey hung up, he heard Mike's voice behind him, a teasing and mocking tone.
«Were you on the phone with the future Mrs. Specter?»
«I was, yeah»
«How is she doing?»
«Great. She just landed in London — but we're not here for that, what's up, Robin?»
«Theodore Acker»
«Alright, sit down»
Quickly, both men took their seats across from each other, diving into the case that had been bothering them for nearly two weeks. As usual, they put in a few more hours, then headed downstairs to grab a bagel before returning to the sixtieth floor to continue working until eentually, Harvey made his way back to his empty condo, waiting for the call from his fiancée to hear how her meeting had gone. Sitting in front of a replay of the Yankees game with a glass of whiskey in hand, he paused the screen when his phone rang — and answered with a smile.
«You're not in bed yet?»
«What am I, ninety?» chuckled Scottie.
«Alright, forget it. How did it go?»
For a few minutes, the brunette recapped her meeting with the British businessman she was representing on behalf of the firm overseas, while her fiancé listened intently, offering his thoughts before steering the conversation in a completely different direction as she talked with excitement.
«I heard back from the castle»
«Which one?»
«The Castle on the Hudson in Tarrytown»
«The one with the spa?»
«Yeah, yeah»
«And?»
«They have availability in February»
«In…»
«Six months» chuckled Scottie.
«Six months... right…» whispered Harvey.
«Hey, no second thoughts, huh?»
«No, no — look, Scottie, I'm sorry, I'm dealing with a big case, Theodore Acker again — and it's stressing me out»
«Right. Anyway, I'll go to bed, but we'll talk tomorrow?»
«Sure, bye Scottie»
«See you, Harvey»
As soon as he hung up, Harvey left the game paused and sat in silence for a few minutes, lost in reflection over the past five years. He had met Scottie at Harvard, where they spent three years completing their Juris Doctor degrees — locked in a silent competition, occasionally sleeping together, never quite crossing the line into something real. Their paths diverged during the master's program, but when Harvey returned to New York, they continued to cross paths and each time, they fell back into the familiar rhythm they'd had at school: casual, physical, uncomplicated. Dana Scott was now working for Edward Darby, splitting her time between London and New York, their careers had evolved separately, but they reconnected from time to time — always on their own terms, while still entertaining other flings in their respective cities. For the longest time, Harvey believed he wasn't built for a serious relationship — not with his mother's betrayal still lingering in the back of his mind, no matter how many years had passed — but Jessica had shifted that perspective. She'd seen firsthand the connection between him and Scottie — beyond the banter and office politics, there was real care there. So one evening, over a glass of whiskey in Jessica's office, a few long-overdue confessions were made.
«What's going on between you and Dana Scott?»
«With Scottie? Nothing»
«Harvey, come on, it's me, we can talk about it, right?»
«There's nothing. We spend the night together when she's in New York, but other than that, nothing. Our relationship is purely physical, it's always been that way since Harvard»
«And you don't want more?»
«What do you mean, more?»
«You're not going to spend your whole life like this, right? You're thirty, you should start settling down, and Scottie's perfect for you»
«I don't know, Jessica. I really appreciate Scottie, I enjoy being around her, but I'm not in love with her»
«She is, you know»
«Maybe…» murmured Harvey.
«You know, in a relationship, it's not just about love — that comes with time. The most important thing is that you're happy and supported, right?»
That night, Harvey questioned everything — his past, his choices, and what he truly wanted — and decided to take the leap into a serious relationship with Scottie. Sometimes, he still missed the carefree life: the spontaneity, the rush, the wildness, but he had to admit, the stability he found in this relationship brought him a quiet kind of reassurance. It wasn't perfect, but it was balanced as Scottie wasn't always around — her work kept her between New York and London — which gave Harvey the space he needed, the solitude he often craved, and she understood him in a way few did. She never pushed for grand declarations or pet names, never asked him to say I love you while she accepted him as he was, with all the emotional knots he hadn't quite managed to untangle. Their relationship was simple, uncomplicated — and Harvey liked it that way, but he also knew that for Scottie, something was missing: marriage. Harvey wasn't entirely sold on the idea, as marriage had always felt like a trap, a performance — especially after what he'd seen in his own family. But it made Scottie happy, and so, one day, he found himself in a jewelry store, steering clear of Tiffany's like he had for the past ten years, before finally getting down on one knee and asking Dana Scott to marry him. She didn't hesitate, she said yes, and after three years together, Dana Scott was set to become Dana Specter — to the brunette's great delight. Still sitting in front of the paused Yankees game, Harvey stared at the screen, the ache in his chest refusing to fade. He knew checking the closet was a bad idea — he always knew — but the temptation tugged at him and with Scottie gone for another two weeks and no one around to distract him, he poured himself another glass of whiskey and hoped the feeling would pass. That night, he fell asleep alone, slightly drunk, the ache still sitting heavy in his chest as the next morning, he woke up groggy, the headache from the night before lingering, pulled on a suit, and tried to shove the confusion aside. But as he headed downstairs to grab a bagel from the cart below, he stopped dead in his tracks as he heard a voice — one he recognized all too well.
«No, it doesn't change anything for me, Carla. I teach my first class at 10 AM, my second at noon, and then I just have office hours from 2 to 3 PM. After that, I'm free — what did you want to discuss?»
She passed right by him — phone to her ear, wearing a long brown coat, loose jeans, and a pair of worn-in boots — and Harvey would've recognized that red hair from a thousand others. It was the hair he pictured when he couldn't sleep, the one that lived in the quiet corners of his memory no matter how hard he tried to forget. The last time he'd seen her was when he dropped her off at Yale after winter break, kissing her one last time, deep and slow, before getting back into his car and driving to Harvard with tears in his eyes. When she told him she was leaving for Paris, it had felt like time stopped and for a moment, he'd considered it — giving up everything, following her across the ocean — but deep down, he knew: if he asked her to stay, he'd ruin both of their lives. He couldn't take New York from himself and he couldn't take Paris from her. At first, he'd felt betrayed, but Donna explained she'd applied months ago and had only just gotten the acceptance that same day — it had nothing to do with him, she said, and maybe that made it worse, maybe that made it real. The two of them had been too good to last, neither of them had the words to make it easier, so they didn't speak. They spent the night tangled together in silence, making love like it was the end of the world — holding on, gasping, clinging to something they already knew they were about to lose as in that Miami hotel room, a part of them stayed behind. Since then, Harvey hadn't tried to find Donna, he hadn't heard from her, either — maybe that was for the best. It hurt too much to remember her, and even more to imagine seeing her again. She was in Paris, probably living a new life, maybe even in love and while time had done little to dull their story, Harvey had told himself it was better this way. He was with Scottie now with his so-called perfect life, he should've moved on. But seeing her now — in the flesh, in New York, hanging up her phone just a few feet away — it shattered every defense he had built. Before he could stop himself, he was running after her, heart pounding, her name on his lips.
«Donna!»
The moment she turned around, both of their hearts skipped a beat. Even in the middle of New York's bustling financial district, surrounded by honking cabs, hurried footsteps, and the distant hum of city life, it felt as though they were the only two people in the world. Time seemed to slow, the noise fading into a distant blur and for a few long seconds, neither of them spoke, they just stared — eyes locked, breath caught — shock flickering behind their expressions. Donna found herself getting lost in his deep brown eyes, the ones that used to see right through her, and Harvey, in turn, took in her freckled face, the familiar softness of it, like a memory he never truly let go of. Ten years had passed since that night in Miami, and yet… they hadn't really changed. The decade had added a touch of gravity to their features, a little more maturity, a little less impulsiveness — but beneath all of that, they were still the same two people who had once clung to each other as if the world was slipping away. Then Donna smiled — that same radiant, playful, knowing smile — and for a second, Harvey was twenty-three again, standing in a bar near Yale, watching her laugh like she lit up the entire room.
«Oh my God, Harvey»
Without warning, she launched herself into his arms, wrapping tightly around his neck with the kind of force that only came from years of holding back. Harvey caught her just as fiercely, his arms circling her waist and pulling her in as though afraid she might slip away again. He was engaged to someone else, and yet, in Donna's arms, he forgot all about Scottie. In a second, he buried his face into the curve of her neck, his nose brushing along her jaw, lips ghosting across her skin. The second her familiar scent reached him — warm, soft, still unmistakably Donna — his entire body relaxed. Years of trying to forget her, years of silence, of pain, of forcing himself to move on, all of it dissolved in an instant. Then, to Harvey's dismay, she gently pulled back. Their closeness had always surprised him. Harvey Specter wasn't one for physical affection — never had been — but Donna? She was all touch, and somehow, he loved that about her, needed it, even. So when she put a few inches of space between them, his hands instinctively slid from her back to her hips, reluctant to let her go completely. In the meantime, Donna's hands found his face — one resting on his jaw, the other slipping into his hair the way she used to, fingertips threading through like muscle memory while Harvey exhaled a long, quiet sigh, sinking into the familiarity of it — the warmth, the tenderness, the ache.
«I can't believe it» whispered Donna.
«Who would have thought…»
«Ten years»
«Ten years, yeah»
«You're still as beautiful as ever, Donna»
«You're not so bad yourself» giggled the redhead.
God, how he had missed that sound — her laugh, soft and warm, the kind that wrapped around him like a memory — as sometimes, he swore he could still hear it in his dreams. He loved it more than he cared to admit and not wanting the moment to end, he gave her hips a gentle squeeze, grounding himself in the feel of her, in the truth of her being there — real and right in front of him. Then he leaned in, voice low, just for her.
«Do you have time for a coffee?»
As he eagerly awaited a response, Donna smiled softly — that same quiet, knowing smile that used to undo him in seconds and for a fleeting moment, it felt like no time had passed at all. Like they were still those two kids, standing too close, saying too little, feeling too much. She placed a hand over his heart, fingers curling gently into the fabric of his suit jacket, her thumb rubbing slow circles against the material, grounding herself in him — in the weight of the moment. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she murmured.
«Of course, I have time, Harvey. I always have time for you»
It felt as though everything he had tried to bury, all the emotions and memories he had spent years suppressing, suddenly resurfaced — and he couldn't escape it. But instead of recoiling, he embraced it, because with Donna, it was different. She was like a drug, and no matter how long he'd been abstinent, just seeing her again was enough to pull him right back in. He needed her — to feel alive, to feel like himself again and as she spoke those words, tender and free of any ulterior motive, her kindness and warmth washing over him, Harvey couldn't help but smile. His eyes scanned every inch of her face — the freckles, the curve of her lips, the way her eyes softened when she looked at him. Without hesitation, she threw herself into his arms again, holding him tightly as though they were picking up right where they left off. They were only a few steps away from the firm, and anyone could walk by and spot them — Scottie's friends, or worse, the whole office. But at that moment, Harvey didn't care, not when Donna was in his arms. When the hug ended, they walked side by side, the conversation picking up as if the last ten years had never happened and sure, they were older now, more seasoned by life, but they still shared that same playful, teasing energy that had always existed between them. It was the kind of connection you couldn't erase, no matter how many years passed. When they entered the large café on the corner, they both placed their orders before sitting down at a table, and Harvey immediately bombarded her with questions, eager to know everything about the woman who had shaken his world with just one look.
«What about now?»
«Well, after my studies, I stayed in Paris for a few years before working all over the world. But, even though I loved performing on stage every night, playing Shakespeare in front of people from everywhere, I got a bit tired of traveling without ever being able to settle down and feel at home. So, I came back to New York almost six months ago»
«And now?» smiled Harvey.
«Professor. I teach history and theory of theater as well as directing and staging at Columbia, but I also teach a lot of courses on the history of drama and theater at New York University»
Harvey smiled, listening intently, his gaze never leaving Donna as she spoke. He was completely captivated by the way she described her life — the way her passion for theater still lit up her eyes, how she had embraced the world with that same fierce energy he remembered so well, and despite all the years that had passed, she was still the Donna he had known — the one who had stolen his heart without even trying. There she was, sitting across from him, just as radiant, just as magnetic as ever. As she spoke, Harvey couldn't deny it — he still cared. Deeply, he still felt that pull, that connection, stronger than he wanted to admit, while his smile softened as he listened, his voice low and warm when he finally spoke.
«Pretty busy, right?»
«Yeah. What about you? Still a lawyer, I suppose?» chuckled Donna, her eyes gleaming.
For a few more minutes, they talked casually — about the life of a lawyer, the DA's office, Jessica, his name now etched on the wall — but never once did they mention a partner… neither of them. Time ticked on, but Harvey knew he had to meet his client while he didn't want to, not with Donna sitting there, talking to him, looking at him like they hadn't spent years apart. But with a reluctant sigh, he stood up, explaining the situation as Donna followed suit, slipping on her jacket while continuing the conversation. But then, as she moved to adjust her hair, caught under the fabric, Harvey's breath hitched. For just a moment, he saw it. The thin silver chain that had been carefully hidden beneath her sweater — the one with two heart-shaped pendants dangling from it. He could see the familiar gleam of the jewelry against the dark fabric, and in that instant, his heart stopped. There, nestled just below her collarbones, was the necklace he had given her all those years ago. Ten years ago, to be exact — for Christmas, when they had spent two weeks together, still figuring each other out, still not fully understanding what they had, but knowing it was something powerful. The pendant still held his initials, engraved inside, a reminder of the two of them — of everything they had been. Donna had never expected to run into him today, but that necklace, that symbol of their fleeting but intense love, was still there, hidden yet still so very present as Harvey swallowed hard, his heart pounding. This... This was the sign he needed — the confirmation that maybe, just maybe, nothing was truly lost. He couldn't keep the words inside any longer so interrupting one of the questions she was about to ask, Harvey whispered in a voice that trembled slightly,
«What are you doing tonight?»
«Nothing, why?»
«How about a restaurant?»
«Sure» smiled Donna.
In a second, they exchanged numbers quickly, almost too quickly, as if neither of them wanted to break the spell that had descended over them. After one last, lingering hug, Harvey watched as the redhead turned and walked away, her long hair flowing behind her like a memory he hadn't realized he'd been holding on to. As she disappeared into the crowd, Harvey felt a tightening in his chest, reluctant to pull his gaze away and while it was as though, with each step she took, something in him screamed to follow. But he stayed still, frozen for a moment, as the weight of what had just happened settled on him. He knew it was wrong, Scottie didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve the doubts or the unspoken truths hanging in the air. But as Harvey stood there, watching Donna vanish into the mass of strangers, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that this was something more — something he couldn't ignore. His fiancée was far away, her business trip still ongoing, and here, right in front of him, the great love of his life had just reappeared.
It felt like a message — one from fate, perhaps — a sign that the world wasn't done with him and Donna yet.