Harvey and Ally
(Third person)

Harvey quickly rushed into the bathroom, turning the hot water on and letting the steam slowly rise from the tub. He stood in front of the mirror and stared at his own reflection.

Those tormented eyes burned through him. The nightmares flashed right before his eyes. Their agonizing cries were drumming in his ears. His sight was turning red. The same color of the blood spilling out through the gunshot that penetrated their bodies. He wanted to look away, but he was held captive. His heart pounded uncontrollably against his bare chest as he gripped the white marble sink, sucking the life out of his scarred hands.

The steam rapidly filled the room, fogging the edges of the mirror. He was slowly fading away. As I should have. He was left with the remaining sight of the man's wounded soul looking back at him. Then, just like that, he disappeared into the mist. He felt the strength of his neck give in as his head dropped into a bow. "It's ok. It's ok. It's ok," he whispered to himself, releasing the surface of the sink from his choking grip

"Shit!" An agonizing scream instantaneously escaped him as he dumbfoundedly jumped into the tub, forgetting that he'd only turned the hot water on. After a few seconds of hell, the water soon adjusted to a desirable temperature. Holding himself in place with his leathery hand against the cold subway tiles, he bowed his head down and let the stream of water cleanse his soul.

She said don't dress up. But he wanted to look good for her.

Drops of water dripped from his hair onto the curvature of his broad, masculine back as he surveyed the clothes that were hung with precision in his closet. The white towel still wrapped around his hip, exposing the tip of his V-cut abs and the hairline from his navel down south, soon fell at his feet as he donned a black Calvin Klein boxer. He immediately picked up the towel and hung it behind the bathroom door.

He put on his casual black pants and a gray long sleeve shirt, exposing just the inner part of his prominent collarbones as it met his strong chest underneath the cotton shirt. The sleeves fitted flawlessly around the cuts of his arms. He straightened his clothes, ensuring it left no room for any crease or wardrobe error.

He completed his outfit with a casual navy blue suit and slipped on his dark brown suede chelsea boots. He had perfected the feature of a soldier, except he wasn't preparing for a war. Not this time.

Ally stared at her wristwatch, following the hand as it swept pass each line, ticking every second. She was startled by the noise of Monica's high-pitched cry as the wooden chair hit the floor. Monica muttered her apology for accidentally dropping a chair, causing a commotion in the dining area. Few moments later, it was finally time to go. The chairs were flipped upside down and placed on the table. The restaurant was completely swept and mopped off for the next day.

Ally rushed to the restroom to make a quick touch up, hoping to hide the evidence of a hectic Friday night that imprinted her entire face. She adjusted the slim metal wear of her eyeglasses that kept sliding down her nose with her index finger. She decided to keep her glasses on to hide away the heavy darkness circling her eyes. She quickly dabbed on her light red lipstick, hoping to paint some life on her face. She cursed underneath her breath, wishing she brought some make up with her.

The second hand on her watch pointed directly at two. She started panicking as she rushed out of the restroom and clocked out of work. She bid a quick farewell to her coworkers and hustled into her car. She hadn't noticed the drizzling rain until the engine roared to life and the windshield wipers cleared away the raindrops that obstructed her view of the plaza.

Two minutes passed and she parked her red sedan between a Black Audi RS5 and a Ford sedan in front of Stefani Steakhouse. There were a few cars left in the parking lot of the plaza as the rest of the business were already closed.

Ally (10:13pm): I'm in front of the restaurant. Should I wait for you?

Harvey (10:13pm): Come in. I'm already inside.

Ally pulled down the sun visor to check her reflection one last time. She dabbed her already heated cheeks with her palms, waking herself up from this dream. Her heart pounded through her black silk top as she watched her chest rise and fall.

Why am I so nervous?

She shut off the car engine and sprinted towards the restaurant's revolving door hoping to avoid being soaked from the rain. She took a deep breath and pushed through the door handle and found herself inside a dimly lit room.

A tall wavy-haired man stood behind a podium to the left of the entrance as she patted away the raindrops that settled on her hair and shoulder. She effortlessly formed a smile as the man slowly walked around the podium to properly greet her.

"Good evening. Welcome to Stefani Steakhouse." He was at least 6 feet tall, forcing Ally to lift her head up.

"Good evening. I believe a friend of mine already has a table for us." Ally assumed after examining the empty stools around the bar.

"Yes, Miss Ally. He's waiting for you. This way please."

Ally arched an eyebrow at his awareness of who she was. His warm, friendly smile confidently spread throughout his face. She relaxed her tensed shoulder and followed him into a room with booths on both sides of the wall. The dining room was almost empty with only a few tables occupied.

Harvey sat at the corner booth facing the entrance of the room. He had requested a table with the most privacy and gave details on Ally's feature to the host when he arrived.

With much success, he spotted the man walking towards his direction, blocking a petite figure behind him. The man gave a nod to confirm her arrival. He stopped, but was lightly pushed off balance as something, or someone, hit him from behind. Harvey quickly stood up from the booth and grinned at her clumsiness.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" Ally reached out for his arm apologetically. Harvey glared at her palm touching the man's bare arm and cleared his throat when a smile naughtily crept on the host's face. The host knew he made a mistake and quickly wiped away the enjoyment he had on his face.

"No worries. Here's your table and enjoy your night," he gave Harvey an apologetic nod and walked away, leaving behind the two bodies standing in front of each other.

She clutched tightly onto the handle of her purse as his lips crooked into a smile. "Hi," Ally shyly smiled in return.

Without saying a word, he took a step forward, bent over to her height and kissed her softly on the cheek. "Hi," he whispered into her ears. He was welcomed with the same wildflower citrus scent she had on the first night they met.

A delicious, tingling sensation ignited every inch of her body the moment his lips touched her flesh. The warmth of his breath into her ear traveled throughout her body, as she clenched from the throbbing thirst between her thighs.

He stepped back just in time to see her icy cheeks blossom into life. How fucking cute.

He looked more mature. His outfit probably played a role. She specifically asked him not to dress up, but she was glad of his disobedience, because the view of this dashing man was criminally inviting.

She was surfing through the waves of his subtle and earthy aroma. The soft white light above his head highlighted his golden brown hair and intensified the emerald hues of his hazel eyes as it pierced through her. She felt naked, again. Like he was savagely undressing every piece of clothing she had on. She examined his facial features carefully as if she was performing an explicative surgery. Other than a scar at the corner of his eyebrow, she realized that there was not a single flaw on him. He was perfect.

"Do you always bump into men like that?" he commented with his playful smile after they slid into the booth.

Ally loudly inhaled in shock and defended herself, "that was clearly an accident, just like with you. You think I should apologize and leave my number on the tab?" Her eyes squinted and her lips stretched into a teasing grin.

"Ouch. You're making me jealous already and it's only our first date." Harvey leaned forward and placed both of his forearms on the table.

She was a petite figure compared to his solid structure. He smirked as she backed off as soon as he leaned closer to her.

"Are you afraid?" Harvey asked, keeping their distance between each other at arm's length, for her convenience.

He scoped his eyes on her. She tried to remain as composed as possible. Deep breaths escaped her parted rosy lips. But when his sight dropped below her neck, he could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest through her silky top.

Fuck.

The way her top fitted the roundness of her breast made him stir in his seat, adjusting his awakening. He took a sip of water, clenching his thirst. It was the only moral thing to do, for now.

She let him look at her intensely and with unspoken intent. But as she caught his eyes drift down to her chest, her body ignited into oblivion. She was burning in desire for his intention. For his full, moistened lips. She was wet. Dripping wet. Already.

She grabbed the closest thing her hand could reach to hide herself from him. She immediately shielded herself with the restaurant's laminated menu and pretended to look over the menu. But she lost her ability to read.

"Afraid I might eat you instead if we don't order anytime soon. I'm star-," Ally blurted out but was immediately engulfed with embarrassment.

Oh God. I didn't just say that out loud.

His eyes sparked up like fireworks on July fourth. She opened her mouth to reclaim her words, but the grin on his face just made her want to run away.

"Should we get out of here then?" He shifted his weight, teasing to get up from the booth.

"Stop! Oh my God. I meant I'm starving. Your mind needs some cleaning service."

He chuckled. "Hey! I'm not the one who wanted to eat someone here." He lied. Because he did. He wanted to eat her and satisfy her. He wanted to bury himself between her thighs. He wanted to- Fuck! Control yourself, you animal!

Her flesh burned as she closed her eyes, trying to recollect herself. She set herself up. This was on her.

"I don't understand how you could make me so nervous," Ally lifted her eyelids and looked at him wild-eye. She maintained her composure. She no longer wanted to be timid. She wanted to try to voice whatever was on her mind. She wanted to be bolder. This was a challenge and an opportunity. He was still a stranger to her. If he didn't like it, better to find out now than later.

"Wow. I feel flattered." His crooked smile spread at the thought of his effect on her.

"You're welcome." She was carried away by his feature. His smile wrinkled the corner of his eyes as it glistened with desire.

"Should we eat?" Harvey asked with no intention of breaking the eye contact they had been keeping for what seems like forever.

"Hm...What do you have a taste for?" Ally replied, keeping their eyes locked to each other.

"You."

He let the word slide out of his mouth in whisper, but with the intention for it to be heard. The smirk on his face radiated so much confidence that he could've fooled her and anyone else who might have heard it.

A burst of laughter slapped his face. His eyes widened with shock. "How original," Ally mocked his confession. "I meant something from the menu, smart mouth." Ally snorted, trying to recover from her obnoxious giggles.

His jaw dropped. This may looked like an instant rejection, but it was a captivating loss. He got to witness her in her natural state. She was free. She didn't hold back or tried to be formal. She was herself. It was the first time he saw her laugh. He had a taste of her happiness from such a simple source and now he wanted to taste every part of her.

"Well, I guess not everyone can handle honesty, huh?" Harvey defended himself as he picked up the menu and pretended to have the slightest interest. Nothing written on the menu could satisfy his hunger. Not unless she was the special for tonight.

Ally spilled a fricative breath.

"Are you challenging me?"

"Do you dare?"

"Bring it on."

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FINALLY! I know, I suck. I take forever. Life is crazy right now. But I'm so happy I finally got around to publish this chapter. Phew. Hope you enjoy (:

Love,
A.