"What was it that you needed to tell me, Grace?" Harvey asked as he took a seat on the sofa, opposite to the one that Grace had sat on.
"What do you mean?" She asked, a little confused at what he was referring to.
They had walked into his apartment a matter of minutes ago, so there had been no obvious lead to that question.
"TJ told me that you had something to tell me."
"TJ? What do you mean?"
Harvey wasn't sure if Grace just wasn't catching on with what he was saying or if she was trying to stall the moment. However, after what TJ had said to him tonight there was no chance he could go to sleep without hearing it.
"He said it was something to do with Max but he didn't get to finish because you interrupted." Harvey explained and his tone was so cold, as though he was already expecting the worst.
Harvey's words alongside his coldness were enough to make Grace's stomach drop. She knew exactly what Harvey was referring to now and it made her feel physically sick. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. She wanted to be the one to tell Harvey before things got twisted between this group.
Grace had been waiting until the morning to explain it in the most sensitive way possible. She hadn't wanted to do it tonight because their drunken states were capable of blowing things up more than they needed to be.
"I know what he's talking about..." Grace began, trying to keep her voice calm. "But I really want to talk about this in the morning Harvey, when we're both sober."
"But I want to talk about it now." Harvey retaliated, barely even giving Grace chance to finish her sentence. "What is going on?"
"Harvey, please..."
"No, just tell me now, or I won't be sleeping. What is going on?"
It was clear that Harvey was getting himself incredibly worked up and Grace could only imagine the scenarios running through his head.
She didn't want to do this now. Grace knew that it would only make matters ten times worse. However, she also knew that if she continued to try and push the subject away, then it was only going to cause more aggravation for Harvey.
The guys had stupidly put her in a lose-lose situation and she hated them for it. Instead of putting it into perspective and being considerate of everyone involved, they had jumped straight in planted the seed in Harvey.
"What is it, Grace?" Harvey asked once again, when she had been silent for too long.
At that point Grace had very little choice but to give in.
"This whole thing is fucked up but I need you to try and understand my decision to keep this quiet." Grace began, attempting to emphasise that point, knowing how bad it would look otherwise.
Playing with her hands in her lap, Grace felt completely out of control, vulnerable even; something she did not experience that often.
"I told you... I told everyone that I didn't know who Brinley's dad was, right?"
Harvey barely even nodded his head, as that sentence alone was enough to signify where she was going with this, even in his drunken state of mind.
"I lied, I did know, I always have but I decided to act like he didn't exist. Max is Brinley's dad, he's the guy that got me pregnant and then fucked off like it wasn't his responsibility. He's the idiot that got a lucky escape while I was left alone, feeling absolutely terrified."
With tears brimming her eyes, Grace stopped talking when she noticed Harvey's still state. He hadn't said a word, he had barely shifted in his seat and she couldn't figure out what was going through his mind.
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you... I didn't tell anyone. I just wanted to pretend that he didn't exist, like he pretended that Brinley didn't."
When Harvey ran his hands through his hair, that was the first movement from him in the past minute. Although there was some relief that he hadn't completely shut down, he still wasn't looking Grace in the eye and that had her nervous.
"Is that why he went away for a year?" Harvey asked as his focus remained on the floor. His voice was monotone and quiet, sending a chill down Grace's spine.
"Yes, I think so..."
Max had never admitted to that however, it had all been perfect timing. After Grace had told him the news, it hadn't been long until he'd jumped into plans of travelling the world. Then with Harvey's help on picking the best spots, he'd got on a flight and not looked back until a year later.
"Fuck." Harvey bit as he slammed his fist against the sofa. "Fuck, fuck."
It was so unusual to ever see Harvey angry, so even that simple gesture caused a gasp to fall from Grace's lips. She wanted to get up and hug him, to ease any of the emotions that he was currently feeling but she couldn't. She didn't know where his anger was directed right now. At her? At Max? At them both? Therefore, she stayed put and just watched as he stood to his feet.
"Where are you going?" She asked as he began heading straight for the apartment door.
Pausing as he reached it, Grace was so sure that he was going to turn around but he didn't. Instead, he remained facing the door as he spoke.
"Out, I just need to get out."
"Harvey, please, don't leave." Grace pleaded with him, not knowing what he was going to do but needing him to stay put. Not only did she want him to calm down before he reacted, she also wanted his comfort, she was craving it.
Grace knew that this was hard for him, Max was his best friend. However, she was now terrified that the lifelong friendship the two of them had would overpower the relationship she had with Harvey.
There was no guarantee that he would perceive his friend in a bad light for what he did. It didn't matter how much he cared for Grace or Brinely in this situation, Max had been in his life the longest.
"I need to talk to you about this Harvey, please. Just give me five minutes, at least." Grace continued to beg in pure desperation but it was no use, Harvey's decision had been made.
Pulling open the apartment door, he left without taking a second look back.
As the door slammed behind him, Grace's face dropped to her hands as the tears finally fell from her eyes. Every emotion she had felt over the past year had come crashing down on her and made her feel weak and incapable of remaining strong.
She didn't know what Harvey was thinking or what he was feeling. Did he feel differently about her? Would this break any chance they had of making their relationship work? Would he side with Max, or would he shut them both out altogether?
None of it was clear, and that caused a sickening anxiety to run through Grace's body as she feared the absolute worst.
...
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