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Donna wears an engagement ring the day Harvey's name comes off the wall.
"Are you sure about this?" she asks for what feels like the millionth time. Still, her hands shake.
His fingers interlock with hers to steady her, his thumb finding the ring and running over the tangibility of their love. "I've never been more sure about anything."
They had tossed around words like forever and engaged only days into their relationship, knowing that this was it. That they were each other's one. Yet, Donna continued to wonder if Harvey would ever produce a ring or if it was merely understood that at some point in time they'd end up in front of an altar with their families and close friends bearing witness.
He said, "I'm sorry, but I can't wait anymore," one morning, voice still a rasp and eyes barely open. A Monday to be exact, a day expected to be mundane. She and Harvey already called Louis the night before and told him they would be coming in late, relishing in a world without Faye breathing down their necks. Before she could muster a reply, Harvey turned over in bed and fished through his bedside table, pulling out a small black box. He got to his knees, the mattress sinking under his weight and a smile impossibly wide, saying, "Did you expect me to ask like this?"
A snapshot: their bed still a mess from the night before, tossed pillows and tangled, loved-in sheets. His hair askew and his bare chest tan in the morning sun. The brilliant ring shining in the light. Her palms rubbing her eyes like she couldn't exactly believe what she was seeing. Her suddenly saying, "Yes, yes, yes," and feeling hot tears on her cheeks and him kissing her as if it was the last thing he'd ever do. Her hands on his jaw and his hands in her hair and somewhere along the way, they're both crying.
They're both happy.
It continues from there. Talks of moving on, of a new house, of a world where they could simply be. There's a mention of Seattle, but Harvey holds onto the hope that their close friends will come home. Instead, they settle on the idea of the Upper West Side, brownstones and tree-lined streets and the ability to breathe.
Now, the present: boxes sit at their feet with their personal belongings. Harvey's basketballs and records had been moved out last week. Here, it's scribbled-in notepads, framed pictures, a can opener. Fifteen years, they've walked these halls, matched in step and determination.
"You ready?" he asks.
She takes a breath. "I just need one last look."
The stark walls and glass doors are splashed with memories, good and bad. There's the kiss in her office, one they both wanted but still couldn't face. There's the time he said I love you without saying how and she left him for Louis the next day. There are the early days, where she was his secretary and listened in on his conversations, poking and prodding him in a way only she could. There are the not-so-secret kisses in his office and late-night Thai dinners in hers, trysts in the file rooms and held hands under the conference room table.
It's a beginning and a middle to a love story. She presses the button to the elevator. Now, they'll continue elsewhere.
When the doors slide open, they pick up their boxes and step into the elevator. Donna leans against the cool metal wall.
"You know," she says, "there was once a time I went down this elevator and thought I'd never come back."
He laughs dryly. "I had moments like that more than I can count."
"It was after I got fired." She watches him swallow. "I swore to myself that I wouldn't come back, no matter what. That I was done with that life."
He has a ghost of a smile on his face. "But you came back."
"But I came back." Her shoulder brushes his. "Because you said you needed me."
"I did," he says. "I still do."
"And I knew right there, it was you. It would always be you. No other man could have the same effect on me."
His eyes somehow brighten and melt at the same time, a look she has learned he reserves only for her. It makes her chest soar and threaten to burst, consuming and bellowing, almost swallowing her whole. His face splits into the widest of smiles and in one fell swoop, his box is on the ground and her face is cradled in his hands. Like he's holding the entire world in his palms, he kisses her, deeply and wholly. It's sweet; it's gentle; it's love.
They kiss until they reach the first floor. They walk out of the firm and slide into the backseat of Ray's car, laughing and smiling and free.
"I really want to marry you," he whispers, his breath tickling her ear.
Her mouth almost hurts from grinning. "Good thing you already proposed."
"I would take you to city hall right now and make an honest woman out of you if I could."
She cocks an eyebrow. "Who's stopping you?"
"My mom and brother. Your parents." He laughs. "Mike and Rachel would definitely kill us if they missed out on the ceremony."
She rolls her eyes. "It's such a burden being loved by our family and friends."
"It really is." A beat. "It's okay though. We'll find the perfect venue."
Her head lolls against the seat and she simply gazes at him, a soft smile curving across her features.
"What?" He barks out with a chuckle.
"I never thought I'd see Harvey Specter be into wedding planning."
"I'm full of surprises, Paulsen." A devilish smirk plays across his lips. "Try and keep up."
She yanks him in by the lapels of his suit jacket and bruises a kiss to his mouth. His noise of the shock gets muffled under his returned fervor, lips moving with a learned rhythm. Donna pulls back and gives a similar smirk.
"I am too, Specter."
He has a half-smile and enamored daze to his eyes. "God, we should have quit years ago."
They barely make it through the front door before his mouth is back on hers. Her fingers find his shirt buttons and they stumble to their new bedroom, messy and careless and in love. He tosses her onto the mattress and she lets out of a shriek of elated laughter. He crashes down next to her and laughs too, leaving open-mouthed kisses on her throat.
She lets out a content sigh. "We finally have all the time in the world."
"After fifteen years, I'd say we deserve it," he says.
She tilts her head to look at him. "I love you, Harvey."
Those three simple words are his favorite sound in the world. He murmurs back, warm and soft and something like honey. "I love you too, Donna."
Here, they lie, her in a white dress and him in a black suit. The next time they wear clothes like these, it's their wedding day. The sun shines brightly that New York summer; she looks gorgeous and he looks handsome and they say vows that bound them together forever. Tears are shed and mouths stretch into smiles. It's another chapter in their love story, one that comes after starting a small law office out of their home in conjunction with Seattle's own Zane Ross and one that comes before small feet racing into the kitchen, the little girl a perfect mixture of her mother's hair and her father's smile.
But for now, they lazily kiss, skin brushing and clothes slowly shed. They are; they be.