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Donna finds the coffee shop first. It's new and straddling the line between bohemian and chic, with comfy chairs and funny names for drinks like Dirty Hippy Chai (chai latte with espresso and soy) and Why Bother (decaf skim latte), and the cafe itself is called Mondays (as in, Somebody Has A Case Of The, says a sign propped on the cash register), which Donna finds both cute and maybe a little too try-hard. But it's cute and it's cheap and it's on the way to work, so she stops in to order for herself and Harvey one morning.
There's a blonde behind the counter when she strolls in, hair tucked behind her ears and bright blue apron already stained. Her name tag identifies her as "Jenny :D" in her own handwriting, and when Donna looks at the girl's face, she's already smiling, her grin matching the face on her name tag.
Donna orders simply, just two regular house coffees, because she's not ready to try anything extraordinary yet, not without knowing how this place tastes first. The cups are colorful and, as Jenny :D fills two of them, Donna realizes that they're all different and all the decorations are hand-drawn. Hand-drawn cups and mismatched pillows on the chairs and signs with coffee puns on them. Donna doesn't know if she finds this endearing or irritating.
And the coffee isn't that good, a touch above Starbucks but below the coffee house on Park, so Donna has no idea why she keeps going back, except for the reasons that some part of her finds it cute and that it's affordable. And Harvey hasn't complained about the coffee yet, so she assumes--no wait, she knows--that he likes it. And even if he didn't, he wouldn't say anything because, hello, she's Donna.
On Donna's 12th visit, a young man comes out of the back, wiping his hands on his ratty blue jeans. He's handsome enough, she thinks, even if he reminds her of a puppy. His eyes are bright blue and his hair looks like he's just rolled out of bed. And judging by the state of his wrinkled shirt, he probably did.
Jenny :D hands Donna her cups with a smile and turns to the newcomer, and Donna can't help but stick around for their quick exchange.
"Sink is unclogged," the young man says over the spray of the water in the sink. "Shouldn't cause you any more problems, but if it does...well, next time, you should call an actual plumber." He shoots a wink over his shoulder and his grin is lopsided.
"But, Mike, I can't pay plumbers in baked goods," Jenny :D answers, and Donna really has to stop thinking of her with emoticons.
"Paying people with real currency? I am shocked." There's something about this kid and his relationship with the barista that reminds her of her relationship with Harvey, so she doesn't bother to hide her smirk as she catches the boy's eye before turning to walk out the door. The bell above the door harmonizes with Jenny's laughter as she leaves.
Donna doesn't see that Mike kid again the next few times she visits and she almost forgets about him until he comes out of the back of the cafe again. He's in the same jeans as before but a different shirt and he has a blue baseball cap tugged low on his head.
"Okay, Jen, oven's installed, you should be good to go," he says and Donna has to wonder what exactly this kid does. She watches as Mike bends slightly and presses a kiss to Jenny's cheek before muttering goodbyes. As Jenny hands Donna her drinks, the redhead smirks before starting up a conversation.
"Boyfriend?" she asks, even though she already knows the answer.
And then she second-guesses herself for half a moment because a blush blooms on Jenny's face as she finishes Donna's order. "Ah, no. My boyfriend's best friend," she says, and Donna nods in understanding.
"He's cute," Donna says before tossing down some bills and turning to leave.
"I can...introduce you?" Jenny says as she hands change back, but Donna interrupts her before she can finish.
"Don't worry about it. I wasn't thinking about myself," she says cryptically, and then walks out.
Harvey comes with her once or twice to the shop. He doesn't mind it, even if it does seem a little kitsch for him, but the coffee is good and Donna likes it. The girl behind the counter is nice and her coworker/boyfriend, Trevor, while a douche, makes a mean chai latte, and everything is clean, so really, he can't hate it.
Mike isn't there the few times Harvey comes in, and if Harvey sees the disappointed look on Donna's face when he's not there, he doesn't say anything.
The first time Harvey sees Mike is actually one of the few times Harvey goes to the coffee shop without Donna. The younger man is leaning against the counter with his back to the shop and he's got one of Jenny's cinnamon rolls shoved in his mouth.
"One day I'm going to make you pay for the things you eat, Mike," Jenny says as she keys in Harvey's order.
"Liar," Mike says around a mouthful of baked goods. "I'll just make more."
Harvey props his hip against the counter and butts in with, "You're the baker?"
Mike finally turns around, and it's a good thing he's already swallowed, because otherwise he would have choked upon seeing the extremely attractive model in a three piece suit. Still, when he tries to answer, his throat catches and he has to cough before he can answer.
"No, I, um, well, sort of," Mike stutters out and tries not to blush when Harvey smirks at him.
"Sort of?"
"I'm the baker slash plumber slash carpenter slash whatever Jenny needs me to do," Mike finally says as he leans forward to rest his elbows on the counter.
"Jack of all trades," Harvey says and Mike smiles at the counter before looking back up.
"Mike, actually."
When Harvey swans in later than usual with a cup of lukewarm coffee for her and a grin on his face, Donna automatically knows exactly what's happened. She watches him, when she knows he's not looking, and watches as he types away on his phone, smiling every time he gets a new text. And even though she wasn't there for the initial meeting, she chalks it up to a win for herself, since she's the one that actually found the shop in the first place.
After that first meeting, it's pretty easy for them. Mike's job--or rather, his lack of a steady one--makes it easy to drop in to see Harvey. And after Harvey makes Senior Partner, he has more time for dates. And so they fall into a routine, and Harvey, strangely, finds this all so easy, and Mike, well, Mike's just happy.
Their dates start off at the coffee shop when Harvey comes down on his lunch breaks and then has to call Donna after an hour to tell her he'll be late coming back. They spend their time talking about a lot of things, and Harvey learns about Mike's parents and his grandma and how he's only six credits away from a degree in pre-law and how, even though he's technically a courier, he picks up odd jobs here and there.
And Harvey, well, Harvey can't help but open up to this bright-eyed boy from the coffee shop. It doesn't happen right away, of course, because he's not that kind of guy, but after several coffee dates and one wild dinner with a touch too much liquor, he's telling Mike about his climb up the Pearson Hardman ladder, and how he owes everything to Jessica, and how, even though he's known her for years, he's still terrified of Donna's abilities.
Six months after they've officially started dating, Harvey realizes that this is the longest relationship he's been in in a while. He should be scared, he should be heading for the door, but one morning he rolls over and Mike is there, sleeping, and the sun is throwing bands of light across the expanse of his back, and Mike's face is relaxed and smooth and content. And Harvey just, Harvey realizes that this--this moment, this picture--is something he wants to see for the rest of his life.
So he burrows back under the sheets next to Mike and stares at him and clenches his fists so he doesn't reach out and touch. And he stares so long, his gaze going back and forth over Mike's face, until finally Mike wakes up and blinks at him and then glares, muttering something about how Harvey is creepy and that he should go back to sleep.
So he does.
Their life is far from perfect. They fight, constantly, about a lot of things really, including but not limited to: Mike's education, Harvey's late hours, flirting on both ends, and Trevor. But for every fight, there's ten times the love and laughter and goodness. Mike moves in to Harvey's condo, and his stuff, like all his skinny ties, ends up in Harvey's closet and on his shelves and in his life.
And when Harvey comes home some nights to Mike standing barefoot in the kitchen in sweatpants and an apron, cooking or chopping vegetables or making those same cinnamon rolls that brought them together, Harvey can't help but stare and wonder how he ended up with such a perfect life.
And every Sunday they go back to Mondays.