highlander_ii

"Why did you bring Harvey on that date?" Mike asked.

Rachel blinked. She could already see where this was going based on how their conversation had already gone. And it wasn't going to be good.

"Because it was last-minute and because you needed me to help convince your girlfriend that you don't like me."

"You did it to get to me."

No. Mike did not get to go that way. Not on this.

"Let me get this straight - you think I asked Harvey to go on a fake date with me to get to you? Mike, the only reason I needed to take anyone on a date at all was because of you. Would you have preferred someone like Kyle?"

"What? No! I mean - just... why my boss?"

Rachel sighed and tried very hard not to roll her eyes. It didn't work. "It was an impulse. I took some files to his office and he happened to still be there. It was on my mind, so I asked. He said yes. He knew what he was getting into."

"What did he get into?"

Rachel's brow bent into a deep frown. "You know what, Mike, I'm going to go before we both say something we can't take back. But, for the record, no, I didn't sleep with Harvey. Not that it's any of your business. Good to know what you think of me though." She turned to go, hoping he wouldn't call her back. She needed to get out of the office for a bit. Get some air. Take a walk. Get a really good coffee from the shop down the street.

On her way back to the office, she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking, her head elsewhere after her fight with Mike. She brushed against someone and it jarred her out of her wandering thoughts. "Sorry," she said to be polite, intending to keep walking - maybe around the block. She wasn't ready to go back to work yet.

"Rachel?" she heard her name and was instantly mortified. This was not happening.

She turned back to the person she'd bumped into. "Hi, Harvey. Sorry, I'm - I'm going to go."

He caught up to her and matched her stride. "What'd Mike do now?" he asked and took a bite of his hot dog. Rachel's stomach rumbled. It was lunch time, wasn't it?

"Why do you think Mike did anything?" she asked, then immediately wished she hadn't. She knew why. And not just because half of her problems recently were because of Mike. Harvey had this knack for picking up on things. Even if you didn't want him to. Which she'd thought was ridiculous until Donna pointed out several examples one night when they were out at happy hour. "Nevermind. Yeah. Mike."

Harvey seemed completely unruffled by her sudden shift and lack of answer. "I asked to be polite. I know what he did just watching you."

Rachel snorted. "No way."

"You were talking about the not-a-date-but-really-a-date and he's mad about your choice. Then he was an idiot and asked if you slept with me. To which, you indignantly told him to fuck off."

When she glanced over at him, he was casually eating his hot dog like this was just a work conversation out on the street. "How the - how do you do that?"

Her first experience of the Harvey Specter people-reading thing was a bit more jarring than she'd expected. The hell?

"Wait - you talked to Mike didn't you?"

He arched a brow at her. "When? As you were storming out of the office or while we were walking down the street?" He shook his head. "It's just what I do. And I know Mike. He was an idiot."

"You're defending him?" she asked in disbelief.

"That's not what I said. I said he was an idiot. And he was. Whether or not you slept with me isn't his business and he knows better. But he let his emotions make his decisions." He wiped his mouth with a napkin after taking the last bite of his hot dog.

"Are you saying he's in love with me?"

Harvey frowned hard at her. "How did you jump to that from what I said?"

"Jealousy."

"His or yours?" Harvey asked and Rachel thought he was trying not to laugh.

"His. I'm not jealous. He's with Jenny. He made his decision."

Harvey didn't say anything and Rachel stopped walking, put a hand on his elbow to stop him.

"You think I'm lying?"

"I think you're lonely. And upset that he picked someone else. And that you don't have someone of your own. It's common."

Rachel stared at him, flabbergasted, for much longer than was comfortable. "What about you?" stammered out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"What about me? I'm not lonely. And I don't want to date Mike." He started walking again.

Rachel hurried to catch up. "That's not what I meant. I mean, what - how do you - I mean -"

"Get past it?

She stared at her shoes as they walked. She still wasn't sure how he did that. Though, maybe this time, it wasn't nearly as much reading as just logic-ing.

"You move on. You find someone else. Or something else. If it's going to happen, it will."

It was her turn to frown. "Bullshit, Harvey," she said. "You don't think that."

"No, but you do."

"So your advice is to do the opposite of what I think?"

"I don't give advice."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Of course not."

He stopped walking again. "Look, Rachel, you're going to do whatever you want, but your options are to do nothing and move on, or, if you really want something, go after it."

Rachel nodded. He was right. If she really wanted something, she should go after it. So, she stepped into his personal space and stretched up to press her mouth to his. It didn't really surprise her when he kissed her back. Though she had no illusions that he was truly interested. She knew he was just an ass sometimes and wasn't going to pass up the chance.

When she stepped back, he said, "That was very nice, but no."

She grinned at him. "I know," she told him and turned to walk back to the office, rather pleased with herself. And ready to finish that conversation with Mike to let him know he was on his damned own.