Every moment of this vacation has been something that he hadn’t known he’d needed but simultaneously wanted more than anything in the world ( sans Santos winning the presidency. ) Though he wouldn’t tell Donna that to her face, he knew she understood in a way that most women wouldn’t. She had been the one to tell him how badly she’d wanted to win after they slept together for the first time, completely neglecting the question he’d actually been asking her. That drive was probably one of the sexiest things about her. Even as he’d been shocked at the answer at the time, he can more than appreciate it now.
When he speaks the words it’s completely him, more honest than he’s been about his feelings for Donna since he met her. “ I’ve never felt like this before. “ There’s been other women. They both know that. But he’s never reacted to anyone the way he does to her. Not many people deal with Josh on a normal day, never mind Josh trying to run a candidate. And no one could handle him like Donna did. The sunglasses on his face do little to hide the surprise he feels at her words. “ Donna, I just flew you across the country. “ he raises his eyebrows, but it’s not exactly surprising. They’ve been playing this game for as long as he could remember. Waiting rooms where one is dying on the other side, extended gazes after heated conversations, knowing what the other wants without saying the words.
He turns completely to face her then, ignoring the television playing from just inside their hotel room. Nothing on the transition at the moment. The lounge chairs are making it so he can have the illusion of being on the beach before he actually wants to go. Besides, he doesn’t know how much PDA he’s comfortable with yet. It’s easier to wrap his arms around her waist when she’s leaning against the balcony than from the beachside bar. “ It’s an expensive prank. “ he moves his legs to the side of the chair, sitting up so he can reach over and grab her hands. “ You know me too well. You’d have caught me if I was joking with you. “ But he wouldn’t, he couldn’t. They’ve almost lost each other more times than they can both count. He can’t. Not again. He’ll go insane.
“ It just feels like…. Somehow everything with us… was leading up to this. “ he shrugs as if it isn’t as big of a deal. But it is. It’s everything.
they’ve been inevitable for so long in her mind... so long that donna’s convinced herself that she’d just had some crush — that he couldn’t possibly have any real feelings for her. they’ve both been so stressed — what with the campaign, and with leo, and the transition — who’s she to say that he hadn’t just been blowing off a little steam and she’d been convenient? well, they’re on vacation together, so maybe that’s a little silly. okay, it’s really, really silly and it just gets sillier the longer she thinks about it. there’d been so much tension before she’d joined the santos campaign, and after the kiss things had been complicated, then the ultimatum but now they’re here. so really, silly doesn’t seem to even begin to cover it.
“you know, sam would probably find fault with the tv being on all the time, seeing as the whole point of a vacation is to relax. i mean, if things go well... this could be our last chance for the next eight years, and i know we’ll be working in the same building and all but i won’t be there every day to make sure you’re eating or just generally ingesting something other than coffee. you’ll have the west wing, i’ll be coordinating everything for the first lady it’s really...” talking to fill the relative silence following something she wishes she maybe hadn’t said has become a donna moss speciality over the years, so it’s the part where she stops herself that’s new and special and owed very much to josh.
for a long moment she just stares at him, a smile on her lips as her gaze flickers down to their hands then back to his face, and donna’s almost sure she could hear her heart sing if she listened closely enough ❪ okay, now that? that’s silly ❫. “i couldn’t agree more. i’m just glad to know it’s a mutual sort of... thing. that we... that i wasn’t making it up. i should’ve had some idea when you flew to gaza to be with me after the bomb, but you really do mean that. maybe i should stop talking now, i just feel like there’s so much that’s been unsaid for so long that i should say something,”