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“And that’s why we should have a national Prince George holiday,” Mindy ended, walking into the practice through the door Danny held open for her.
He rolled his eyes and followed after her, taking his messages from her outstretched hand as she separated their two piles. “I can’t believe you just spent the entire train ride here explaining that in excruciating detail. That’s 20 minutes of my life I’ll never get back.”
“You’re welcome!” Mindy replied with a toss of her hair as she unlocked her office door. She dropped her purse down next to her desk, studying the array of sticky notes arranged across her weekly calendar. An orange one stuck on top of the Friday block caused her to groan.
“Danny!” she called, catching him as he passed by. He paused at her doorway as she moved towards him, batting her eyelashes and giving him a sugary-sweet look. “How much do you love me?”
Danny choked on air. “What are you – I, uh –“
“Oh, you know what I mean,” Mindy rolled her eyes, dropping the act. “Kevin and Shannon’s dinner party is this Friday.” She crossed her arms. “You know how they get, nagging me about when I’m gonna settle down and stop taking Frozen gummy vitamins.” She held out her hand. “I need you to be my date.”
“What? Why? Just bring one of those skinny jean-wearing college graduates you’re always robbing from the cradle,” Danny replied with a smirk.
Mindy held up her index finger. “I resent that statement. How was I supposed to know those kids were just touring high schoolers and not Five Seconds of Summer? I don’t know what an Australian accent sounds like, Danny!”
“I’m gonna ignore that troubling statement and get to work.” Danny started to walk away.
“Danny, wait!” Mindy grabbed his bicep with both her hands, pausing in her plea to give an appreciative squeeze. “Woah, have you been benching the extra-thick Bibles lately? Hubba hubba!”
“Okay, come on, get off,” Danny wrestled his arm from her grasp. “I’ve just had some more down time than usual, so I’ve been putting in extra reps at the gym. That’s no reason to go around assaulting people.”
“Whatever, Danny, don’t act like you didn’t enjoy a hot woman’s touch.” She narrowed her eyes. “Point is, if you have all this extra time, then you’re free enough to be my date.” Danny started to protest. “Uh-uh.” She held up a hand to stop him. “You owe me, buster. Or do I need to remind you of your little Billie Jean debacle?” Her hand started to move slowly towards her phone in her pocket.
“You said you were gonna delete that!” Danny whispered, glancing around and pulling Mindy’s hand away from her side.
“And give up my chance at blackmailing you for years to come?” Mindy scoffed. “Seriously Danny, have you ever seen a Shonda Rhimes show?”
“Shonda who?”
“I’m not gonna dignify that with a response.” Mindy started walking back towards her office, pausing in the doorway. “Meet me at my place at 8. And bring some booze – I’m gonna need to do some serious pregraming if we’re gonna survive another one of these parties.”
Danny huffed but conceded, spinning around to march into his own office and curse Michael Jackson for his catchy music.
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“Cabernet? Really? At least it’s the good stuff,” Mindy allowed, reaching out to grab the bottle from Danny. “Come on in and make yourself at home-ish.”
“Home-ish?” Danny asked, taking off his leather coat and laying it on the edge of the couch.
“Yeah, home-ish. I assume at home you take off your shoes, but since I don’t wanna be subjected to Sweatgate 2015…”
Danny picked up his jacket. “Well, have fun at the party. Tell Kevin and Shannon I say hi.”
“Danny, stop!” Mindy ran in front of him so that he couldn’t reach the door. “I’m sorry. The situation is just ripe with comedic opportunities.” She grinned up at him. “Get it?”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Danny rolled his eyes, putting his jacket back down. “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to be a little nicer to your date.”
“Aw, but you’re my friend date! That warrants more teasing,” Mindy replied, pulling two wine glasses from the cupboard. Danny went to the drawer, pulling out the corkscrew he had used dozens of times before in the apartment. It was almost a ritual of theirs at this point.
“So then what am I doing here?” Danny pulled the cork out of the bottle, pouring a liberal amount of wine into the two glasses.
“Whaddya mean?” Mindy hopped up on the counter so that she was facing Danny.
“Well, aren’t I supposed to be your boyfriend or whatever, so that Kevin and Shannon won’t keep bugging you?”
“Ohh,” Mindy nodded, comprehension dawning. “You haven’t done this before.”
“Pretended to be someone’s date so that they could stop getting blacklisted by their friends? No, can’t say that I have,” Danny smirked. He sipped his wine. “You’re a special case.”
“Thank you for saying I’m special,” Mindy grinned back, twirling her hair. She finished off her glass with a flourish. “Basically, we’re not gonna tell anyone that we’re not dating, but we’re also not gonna tell anyone that we’re not not dating. Get it?”
Danny frowned. “Not really.”
Mindy rolled her eyes. “I swear, sometimes it’s like explaining social interaction to a brick wall.” She shrugged. “You’re my friend date in an ambiguous enough way that people won’t want to ask us questions about if we’re dating, but an obvious enough way that we came together. We’re not lying, just…omitting the truth. Capisce?”
Danny shook his head. “Enjoy your time in purgatory.”
Mindy beamed. “Aww, how sweet! You skipped your usual analysis of what level of hell I’m going to!” She patted his cheek, jumping off the counter.
“Yeah, well, apparently I have to be nice to you or I pay the price.” Danny rolled his eyes. “You ready to go?”
“Yep! Lemme just put on my shoes.” Mindy skipped over to the door, leaning on the knob to struggle into sky-high heels. Once steady, she held out her hands and twirled around. “So, how do I look? Do I rival Nicki Minaj? You know, someone on the subway thought I was her the other day, and I have to say, I totally see the resemblance.”
“You look nice. Like you could’ve recorded ‘Spaceships’ too”.
Mindy gasped, beaming up at Danny and giving his arm a playful squeeze. “I’m so proud of you! I mean, it’s ‘Starships’, but that’s as close as you’re ever gonna get.”
“Tomato, tomahto,” Danny replied, rolling his eyes. He offered her her coat and held open the door so that she could exit into the hallway. Then the two were on their way.
________________________________________________________________________
“Kevin! Shannon!” Mindy beamed and held out her arms, moving through the open door to embrace her friends. “How are you!”
“Good, good,” Shannon replied, pulling away from Mindy to turn to Danny, who was standing awkwardly in the doorway holding another bottle of Cabernet. “And who is this might I ask?”
“This is Danny,” Mindy answered, purposefully omitting any titles.
Kevin motioned towards the wine. “Thanks for bringing more booze. You know these two, gotta keep a bottle or five hidden or you won’t get any yourself.” He winked, pulling Shannon in to kiss the top of her head.
“You snooze, you lose,” she replied.
Danny held up the bottle. “You want go crack this one open?”
“Sure, why not. Let’s leave the ladies to catch up,” Kevin shrugged, leading Danny towards the kitchen.
Shannon turned back towards Mindy. “He seems nice. What’s he do?”
“Oh, Danny’s a doctor in my practice.” Mindy suppressed a grin as Shannon nodded appreciatively.
“Well, it seems like you’re happy.” The doorbell rang. Shannon placed a hand on Mindy’s shoulder, pointing to the door with the other. “I’d better go get that. Get yourself something to drink! Have fun, introduce Danny around,” she added with a chummy grin.
“Will do,” Mindy replied, walking through the room and waving to various acquaintances. She glanced around the space, finally finding Danny and watching as Kevin clapped him on the back before going out towards the living room with a stack of coasters in his hand. Mindy sidled up to her date, who was avoiding eye contact with anyone and sipping from his beer.
“So, what’d you tell her?” Danny asked, leaning back on the countertop.
“Well, she asked what you do, so I said you’re a doctor.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it,” Mindy confirmed. She held up her hands. “See? No lying at all.”
“Yeah, remember that when she asks you about me in a month.”
Mindy waved him off. “Oh, we’ll have broken up by then.”
“What?” Danny turned to look at her in disbelief. “Why?”
“Okay, Romeo, calm down,” Mindy eyed him. “I’ll just say that my success intimidated you too much.”
Danny choked on his beer. “Oh, right, like she’ll believe that.”
“Exsqueeze me! That is a very believable lie!” Mindy smacked Danny on the arm. “What, like you would break up with me?” Mindy scoffed.
“Hey, a lot of women would like a ride on the D Train,” Danny grinned. “I’m a hot commodity.”
“Oh yeah, ‘cause the demand for sweaty Italian men with geriatric lifestyles is so high.”
Danny looked hurt, pouting and taking a long drag from his drink.
Mindy immediately stopped the teasing. “Look, I’m sorry Danny. You are very desirable. You’re very handsome – oh, get over it,” Mindy added, in reply to his smirk, “and a nice guy, when you actually decide to be. Any girl would be lucky-ish to have you.”
“Damn straight,” Danny nodded. Then added, “Lucky-ish,” muttering and finishing off his beer. He held up the empty bottle. “You want anything?”
“Yeah, let’s open the wine.”
Danny did so, pouring one glass for Mindy and grabbing another beer for himself before glancing around the crowded room. “You wanna venture outside? It’s getting kinda stuffy in here.”
“Sure, I know where we can go. Bring the wine.” Mindy led Danny down the hallway and through Kevin and Shannon’s bedroom, where they quietly climbed out the window and onto the fire escape. It was a small space, but they were comfortable enough with one another not to care about brushed knees or extra body heat.
Mindy smoothed her skirt and took a sip from her glass. “Thanks for coming with me tonight.”
Danny nodded. “You’re welcome. Kevin and Shannon seem nice.”
Mindy grinned. “That’s what Shannon said about you.”
“She did, did she?” Danny smirked. “See, I’m not that bad of a fake boyfriend after all, even if I’m intimidated by you.”
Mindy smiled and nudged Danny, laying her head on his shoulder. “No, you’re definitely not.” She sighed, Danny moving to rest his chin on top of her head. “Can I confess something?”
“Is this gonna be like on that Jerry Springer reality show you make me watch?”
“You mean Luggage?” Mindy felt Danny nod. She shook her head slightly. “No, I mean like a real confession.”
“Okay.” Mindy knew Danny’s silence meant he was listening closely.
“I know that we’re getting older, and that everyone’s pairing off and soon these parties will be only couples and their annoyingly adorable kids.” Danny remained quiet. “But I just wanted to say that I’m glad I have a friend like you to go through it all with.”
“I’m glad too.” Danny’s breath tickled her cheek. Mindy reached out and took his hand, just playing with the tips of his fingers in that absentminded way one does when thinking about nothing and everything all at once. Danny let her, just breathing in and out. He watched as she traced the curve of his fingers, like the way children traced their hands to make turkeys for Thanksgiving. Back and forth, and back and forth, so gently. They sat there for a long time, not speaking, just tracing and watching.
And then the rain came.
“Oh, shit!” Danny cried, immediately trying to cover Mindy with his jacket as she scrambled for the window ledge. He placed a steadying hand on her back as she climbed back through and into the house, Mindy holding out a hand for him to grasp as he made his way inside as well. They took a look at one another, not drenched, but also not the driest they’d ever been.
“Time to go home?” Danny asked. He shook some drops off his coat.
“Time to go home,” Mindy agreed, laughing as they moved back down the hallway towards the door. They said their goodbyes, thanking Kevin and Shannon for the invitation and promising to get together for dinner sometime.
By the time they had made it downstairs, it was downpouring. Danny rushed out into the street and hailed a cab that had miraculously appeared, holding open the door for Mindy to run and slide down the seat. Danny followed suit, slamming the door shut behind himself and telling the driver Mindy’s address.
“You’re soaked!” Mindy laughed, reaching out and slicking Danny’s hair back. “You look just like Gene Kelly now!”
“You know who Gene Kelly is?!” Danny asked, incredulous. Mindy whacked him in the arm again, the wet material of her cardigan sticking comically to his leather jacket. “Oh God, we’re a mess.”
“What’s a little fun without getting wet?” Mindy waggled her eyebrows, laughing at Danny’s shocked face. She reached out and wiped a few drops from his cheek, laughing at her ineffectiveness. Danny rolled his eyes but let her continue the endeavor, trying not to let his smile show too much.
It wasn’t long before they pulled to a stop in front of Mindy’s building. Danny opened the door and started to take a step out, pulling up his jacket in preparation to shield Mindy.
She put a hand on his chest to stop him. “Danny, don’t worry about it. I can walk myself to my door this once. No need for you to get even wetter.”
“Are you sure?” Danny looked conflicted, wanting to be the usual gentlemen, but eyeing the rain with skepticism.
“Yes. Look, I’ll call you when I get inside my apartment, okay?”
“Okay.”
Mindy climbed over Danny, which took a bit of creative maneuvering given all the slipping and sliding they were doing on the leather seats. Soon, Mindy was rushing out into the downpour and up the steps, waving at the cab as she opened the door to her building. She smiled to herself as the elevator rose up to her floor, biting her lip as she glided to her doorway. Once inside, she picked up the phone and dialed. It rang only once before Danny picked up.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me. I’m inside, safe and wet.”
“Good. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Talk to you tomorrow. I love you, bye!” Mindy hit the end call button and then froze.
SHIT!
Shitshitshitshitshit.
She started pacing back and forth, dropping little puddles of water along her carpet. Maybe he hadn’t heard her. Maybe it was a bad connection. Or, he thought she just meant in a friendly way. Yeah, that was it! Danny wasn’t the type to assume stuff like that. Friends say I love you all the time. It was a totally normal, platonic thing –
The doorbell rang.
Mindy froze again, gulping and moving towards the door. She took a deep breath. Her hands were shaking as she twisted the knob, slowing pulling it open. Danny stood with his hands on the either side of the door, panting and soaked through. He stood up straight and looked at her with searching eyes as water puddled around him. “Did you…did you say you love me?”
Mindy nodded, incapable of forming words.
All of a sudden, Danny was grabbing her and kissing her with vigor of someone who hadn’t been allowed to for a very long time. His hands were in her wet hair, smoothing it back from her temples as he tugged on her lips, pushing them open to deepen the kiss. Then he spun her around, pushing her up against the door and closing it with a thud so that he could lean into her, feel every inch of her through their soaked clothes as Mindy kissed him back.
After a few moments Danny pulled back, breathing hard and brushing her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb. He grinned down at her, panting and looking the happiest Mindy had ever seen. “I love you too.”
Mindy blinked coyly up at Danny. She started to back up towards her room, slowly stripping off her drenched cardigan. “I think it’s time to change out of these wet clothes.”
Danny nodded slowly, following after her with an excited grin. “Did I mention I love you?”
Mindy just nodded, squealing as Danny chased her into her bedroom and peppered her with neverending kisses.