highlander_ii

It's after hours and she has files for Harvey. She's just going to leave them on his desk. It won't take but a second, then she can go home.

"Rachel?" she hears from over by the record collection.

She whips around, managing to not drop the files all over his floor. "Harvey. Um - I didn't know you were still here," she says. She holds up the files. "I was just dropping off some things I finished for you."

"Good," he says, but doesn't give her more than that. Not even a 'thanks'.

Not that she was expecting more. She's heard the stories. She knows what he's like. Knowing that, one would think she wouldn't do what she does next, but she does it anyway. Call it adventurous. Call it stupidity. She does it anyway.

As she turns to go, she stops. "Harvey," she begins, but doesn't wait for him to look up or she might lose her nerve, "would you be interested in being my date for this stupid double date I have to go on to help Mike with his girlfriend?"

Before she even finishes talking, she's ready to bolt out of the office. What the hell was she thinking? He's her boss. And he's Mike's boss. And this is so inappropriate. He could fire her for even asking, right? Shit...

The look on his face reads as vaguely surprised and maybe - what is that, impressed? "Rachel, why are you asking me?" Which isn't the question she was expecting from him, but is better than an outright 'no' without any consideration at all.

"Um, well - I don't know, really. I mean, most of the associates are - "

"Creepy?"

She snorts a laugh and covers her face with one hand. "Gawk-y is a better term. They stare a lot." She shakes her head. "It doesn't give off warm and fuzzy vibes."

"But I'm warm and fuzzy?"

"No, you're sexy -" and she stops talking right there. Mortified. "You know what, I'm just going to go before I say anything else stupid and I might have to take a sick day tomorrow." She turns to walk out of the office, but he calls her name again and she turns back.

"What's really going on?"

Rachel sighs. "Mike and his girlfriend are having a mini-crisis. And he thinks that if they go on a double date with me and someone else, that she won't be jealous and they can get over their situation."

Harvey blinks up at her. He looks comfortable there on his couch. Suit still not creased, despite living through a full workday and then some. She's not sure how he does that. Does he have little faeries that come around to make sure his slacks are creased? "And you chose me?"

"Purely out of proximity." Or something less insulting?

"Proximity?"

"Bad choice of words. Impulse is probably better. Look, Harvey, I'm sorry. This was inappropriate. Don't worry about it. I'll find someone else." This time she really is leaving.

"I'll go," he says. She had taken about three steps before she heard him. Now she isn't sure if she should keep walking or turn back to him again. "Rachel?"

She half-smiles to herself and closes her eyes. "Uh - just a little hysterical deafness, I think, but did you say you'd do it?"

"No, I said I'd go with you on your double date with Mike." And she can hear the smug smirk in his voice.

Tucking her chin over her shoulder, she grins. "Should I ask Donna for your address so I can pick you up?"

He laughs and it's a beautiful sound. Has she ever heard Harvey laugh before?

"Under other circumstances, I might say yes. But enough people already know where I live. I'll pick you up."

"Good," she says. "We're supposed to meet Mike at nine on Friday."

Mike looks up when he feels people approaching the table. His jaw nearly hits the floor. Rachel he had been expecting, obviously. Harvey, he had not.

He rises from his chair with Jenny as they make introductions. The smirk on Harvey's face is unnerving. What the hell is he planning?

Mike leans over to Rachel to whisper, "What the hell? Harvey?"

Smile on her face, she turns her head to answer, "I asked. He said yes." Then she takes her seat as Harvey holds out her chair.

Mike knows Harvey is enjoying this. Torturing him. He's sure that's why he agreed to it. This is going to be awkward no matter how it plays out.

The small talk is mostly benign while they order and wait for their meals. Mike is thinking he might make it through without wanting to crawl under the table. Then Jenny asks how long Rachel and Harvey have been dating.

Rachel tries not to choke on her wine. Harvey has the most wicked grin on his face. It takes all of Mike's will not to kick him in the shin.

"We aren't," Harvey answers simply. Of course the bastard wouldn't lie for him.

"Oh," Jenny seems surprised.

Harvey sets his glass on the table. "Rachel asked me to come along as a favor."

Mike is trying to melt into his chair. Maybe become invisible. This cannot be happening. Jenny's going to think that Rachel is into Harvey or that Harvey is into Rachel. It's going to go badly.

"I think she did you a favor," Jenny teases and it makes that wicked grin on Harvey's face look even more wicked.

Rachel, looking a little uncomfortable says she's going to the ladies room and Jenny goes with her. Mike takes the opportunity to lean over and ask Harvey just what the hell he thinks he's doing.

"I'm helping you out," he says flatly. Then when Mike just stares, slackjawed, at him for a moment, continues: "You needed someone to help prove that you're not trying to get into Rachel's pants at the same time you're already in Jenny's. You owe me one."

"Oh my god, if I didn't already know you were an asshole..."

Harvey sips his drink, then sets his glass down again. "Look, Mike, you're going to have to make up your mind what you want to do. You have a few options - be with Jenny, be with Rachel, be with both of them, or be with neither of them. But what you cannot do, is string them both along while you dick around trying to figure out what you want."

Mike frowns. "Are you giving me dating advice?"

"No. I'm giving you how not to get your balls cut off advice."

"So, you're not interested in Rachel?"

"Would it matter if I was?"

Mike stops himself from lunging across the table. "No," he says.

"Get your shit together, Mike or you'll fuck it up with both of them."

"So, Harvey and Rachel?" Jenny asks as she and Mike leave the restaurant.

"Are you jealous?" Mike tries to go with teasing here.

Jenny laughs. "No. I just think they're kind of cute."

"Really?" Mike asks, turning his head over his shoulder looking back to see if he can spot them somewhere. "I don't know. I don't think he's really her type."

"So who is her type? You?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

Shit. "I mean - someone like me. Not actually me. And it was your idea." He needs to get out of this conversation.

"I saw the way you looked at her when she walked in with him. You didn't like her date choice."

Mike frowns at her. "He's my boss. And she's my friend. I don't want to think about my boss sleeping with my friends."

"Okay, I can see that being weird." She takes his arm and they get a cab back to Mike's place.

"Harvey, you really didn't have to walk me up," she tells him as she fishes in her bag for her key.

"It was a date. Isn't that what dates do?"

She half-shrugs. "It was a fake date and a lot of my dates don't walk me to the door."

His eyebrows go up a little. "Then you're obviously dating the wrong people." Then his brows bend back down into a frown. "Fake date?"

Rachel nods. "It was for Mike."

"You know, I still don't see how fixing his relationship with Jenny is your problem. Or mine."

"It's not," she turns to face him. "But he's my friend and I want him to be happy."

"Are you happy?" Harvey asks her half out of nowhere.

"Sure," she says and unlocks the door so she has a good excuse not to look him in the eye. "Did you want to come in for a drink or something?" Why had she just asked him that? Didn't she just finish telling him this wasn't a date?

"I think I'll pass, but thank you," he says and she's almost disappointed. Talking with him had been fun and interesting. Especially watching him subtly torture Mike at dinner and half-flirt with Jenny just to see what Mike would do.

When she looks up from the door, Harvey's turned to head back down the hall. "Hey, Harvey," she calls to him and waits for his attention, "thanks for coming tonight. It was nice."

He nods to her, then continues down the hall to the stairs.

Rachel steps into her apartment unsure if she's disappointed she didn't drum up the nerve to convince him to come in or content that he was a perfect gentleman and didn't try to coerce his way in. Her mental war is put on hold by the ringing of her phone.

"Rachel?"

"Hi, Mom. I just got home..."

"Was that Harvey Specter I saw you with at..."

Rachel kicks the door shut and drops her face into her palm. Because of course her mother saw her when she was out tonight.

"Mom..."