Chapter One: The bet.
It had all started as a silly bet.
Danny Costellano was too competitive to lose and she hated to always see him win. She was also extremely stubborn by nature, so that didn't help much either.
They were in their break room one Friday afternoon, having their typical fight that they always started every day at work. He was telling her to stop watching romantic comedies because 'she was turning into a brainless bimbo with unrealistic expectations on men and love'; and she was telling him that 'he was a bitter, old loser who had given up on living because without love what was the point?'
Lately their fights at work had seemed to become more and more heated. Her telling him to 'bite her' was not a sufficient insult any more Danny's smart arse snarks had improved and no matter how hard she tried to not let him get under her skin; he always seemed to find a way to do it…pretty effortlessly, she might add. It drove her so insane!
So this Friday was not that much different to any other fight that they usually had at Shulman & Associates. Jeremy had come into the break room in an attempt to calm them down. What would then follow was a lecture on how some of them were trying to work and did not need to hear their 'immature lover's spat'- as he called it- throughout the whole office. Danny would then attack Jeremy for being in the"mood" for work, because everybody knew Jeremy was the KING OF PROCRASTINATION and whenever he was not flirting with a married patient who was ready to pop, he was sexting his latest girl he had met at some night club the night before.
"Guys, lets settle this in a professional manner." Jeremy said stepping in between Danny and Mindy, who were yelling at each other near the kitchen sink. "Mindy, dear, put down the knife." He said gently, trying to pull it out of her hands.
"Ugh, I wasn't going to stab him." She said rolling her eyes. "Trust me; if I wanted to stab him…I would have done it already."
Jeremy looked at Danny for some kind of reaffirmation of this and he nodded at his friend quickly. Mindy drove Danny insane every day, but he knew that she was not psychotic.
Mindy sighed heavily. This is what she had to deal with five days a week! Immature idiots that sided against her because she was a girl and they were men?
Sometimes Danny and Jeremy's bromance was borderline gay and she wondered if there was something that they were not telling her.
"So, what are we fighting about this time?" Jeremy asked pulling out a chair to take a seat.
He knew that he was going to be here for a while; he had gotten used to their fights staying as dragged out and unresolved for as long as possible. He was definitely going to need a seat today, because judging by their louder than normal voices and the looks that they were shooting at each other; this fight was not bad…it was catastrophic.
"Danny thinks I scare guys off and that's why I'm single." Mindy said glaring at Danny, who just rolled his eyes.
"That's not what I said!" Danny hit back quickly defending himself. "You're taking my words out of context."
"Oh yeah, Danny? Tell Jeremy what you said then, genius."
"I said that sometimes you can be a little too full on with your boyfriends and that causes them to panic- because hey, guys don't want love declarations and wedding planning in the first week of dating…which would explain why you have trouble keeping a long-term relationship."
Jeremy winced. Danny had really dug himself a grave there and this was going to be a longer fight than he had originally expected. Maybe he should cancel his coffee date with that girl he had met last night?
"That's pretty much the same thing, Danny!" Mindy said crossing her hands over her chest.
"It's not."
"I was paraphrasing what you said…the meaning is still the same."
"No, it's not."
"Guys," Jeremy cut in, he always hated playing the mediator, but nobody seemed to do it anymore since Shauna had left the practice. "Could we maybe-"
"Back off Reed, I am not going to let this one slide." Mindy said threatening him with a pointed index finger. "You always make me cave and I won't this time. Not until he apologies." She said pointing her finger towards a very smug Danny.
"Danny, what you said was a bit harsh…" Jeremy said trying to encourage his friend to just apologize already.
"If it's harsh, it's only because it's true."
"AHA! The truth finally comes out! You do mean that I scare off guys."
"Well you don't exactly have the best track record to deny it, do you?"
Mindy was going to literally slap him. Who gave him the right to poke fun of her love life? At least she put herself out there! At least she believed in love and was not a horrible combination of scrooge and the Grinch that stole Christmas!
"Bite me, Danny." She said hotly, trying to walk past him. "I don't have time for this."
She wanted an apology and it was killing her to have to cave first again; but she was on the verge of actually picking up the knife and using it this time. And she did not want to go to jail for the rest of her life for murdering Danny Castellano, no matter how tempting that was…
"Bite you?" Danny mocked shaking his head in disbelief. "Is that the best you've got, Lahiri?" he called out behind her.
Walk away, Mindy.
Do not give him the satisfaction!
"You know what's funny, Danny?" Mindy said reappearing at the entrance to the break room door. "It's funny how you act like you don't believe in love and marriage any more just because you failed at your first marriage…but I see the way you look at your patients that come in with their husbands and children. You want everything I want; just as badly, but you won't admit it; and that my friend makes you a sad person, because instead of going after what you want, you deliberately chose to be grumpy and miserable indefinitely!"
"You think you can read me like a book, don't you?" Danny asked walking up to her, closing the distance between them. "But let me tell you something Mindy, if you spent a little more time on bettering yourself and maybe focussing on your own love life…" he said leaning in to whisper something to her "…maybe you wouldn't scare off guys and you would not be single."
Mindy raised her hand to slap him, but he caught it before she could even try.
"Guys come on." Jeremy said standing up and walking towards them. "Must we be so childish?"
"Don't you have a coffee date with random girl number 643?" Danny asked, without taking his eyes off Mindy.
"I had to cancel it." he said sighing heavily. "I didn't know how long, this would go for." he said waving his hands at the two of them. "Look, this fighting is not getting you guys anywhere and its extremely annoying, not to mention disrupting…makes me wonder if Shauna quit because of your constant bickering twenty-four seven!"
Mindy rolled her eyes. "Shauna moved to Staten Island with her cop boyfriend and could not be bothered coming to work by boat every day."
"Ferry." Danny said correcting her quickly.
"Have you even been on a ferry, weirdo? It's practically a boat. A boat that practically holds cattle, because everyone is so jammed packed like farm animals trying to get into New York City!"
"Enough you two!" Jeremy said throwing his hands up in the air. "Time out. I might not be the most practical partner in this partnership and right now, I clearly sound like the biggest hypocrite but, I think we should all be getting back to work. Don't you agree?"
"Sounds perfect." Danny said walking past Mindy to exit the break room.
"Fine by me!" Mindy called out, walking into her office and slamming the door shut loudly behind her.
For once in his life, Jeremy had actually wished that Shauna still worked at the office and could instead be playing his new found role as office mediator.
xoxo
"What is it now Danny?" Mindy growled as he stepped into her office. "Your presence is seriously annoying me. I have literally had enough of you today, that I 'm actually considering taking all of next week off work."
"Please do, just the thought of the office without you…gives me so much pleasure." he said leaning against her door frame.
"Don't tempt me, I might actually do it and you will spend the whole week missing me."
"That's not possible." He said grunting a little and crossing his hands over his chest.
"Is there something that you need? Why are you here?" Mindy asked, opening a file that was on her desk and pretending to read it.
"Interesting chart?"
"I'm working, Castellano." She sang out. She was trying her best to be positive because her patience was very thin. "I think you should do the same, don't you?"
"You can stop pretending to be working now. You're not fooling anyone."
"I happen to be working, unlike you." she said holding up her chart to show him.
"That's funny, because I happen to know that the chart you are so invested in… is upside down." he said before walking out of her office and leaving her alone to her angry thoughts of him.
xoxo
"Morgan, Betsy have you guys seen my yoghurt that I left in the fridge?" Mindy asked leaning over the admin and nurses' station.
"No, sorry Dr Lahiri." Betsy said shaking her head. "Maybe you ate it already."
"No, I didn't eat it already." Mindy snapped angrily.
Seriously, Betsy could say some really dumb things sometimes! Mindy thought a little irritated. It was at times like this that Mindy really missed Shauna.
"Why do we have a thief in the office?" Morgan asked suspiciously. "It wasn't me. I can't afford to cross the law anymore or I end up behind the slammer again."
Mindy laughed. "I doubt stealing yoghurt would send you to jail again Morgan; but good on you for keeping things in perspective…stealing is always bad."
"Don't worry, Dr L. We will find this yoghurt thief." He said patting her on the arm quickly.
Mindy groaned loudly. "I think I know who it is." She said before storming off towards Danny's office.
"Hey loser," she said furiously as she walked up to him. "That's my yoghurt! Get your own."
Danny was stretched out in his reclining chair, his feet on his table, enjoying the scene in front of him.
"Ninety-nine perfect fat free?" he said pretending to read the label on it. "Yuck, no wonder this thing tasted so bad!"
Mindy hit his leg hard. "Don't act like you didn't know you were eating my yoghurt. I've literally never seen you eat yoghurt in your life."
"Honest mistake." Danny said shrugging his shoulders, "Besides aren't you more of an ice-cream girl, anyways?" he asked smirking a little. "I have never seen you eat anything this healthy."
"Give me back my yoghurt you annoying, stealing… freak!"
xoxo
"Did you find out who stole your yoghurt, Dr L?" Morgan asked when Mindy stormed back towards her office in a foul mood.
"Costellamo did." Mindy said using the phrase she used to call Danny whenever she was pissed off beyond what she could bare.
"Should I call the police? Or write a warning on his file?" Morgan asked shaking his head in disgust.
"No, to the police and Morgan, for the last time, you don't have the authority to write on anyone's file…especially the partners here. Is that understood?"
Morgan nodded disappointedly.
xoxo
Mindy was annoyed.
Well annoyed was the understatement of the year. She thought to herself as she lay down on the floor to her office.
The clock hanging on her office wall showed that she still had about three hours before her weekend could officially begin. The weekend was always her favourite part of the week. It meant that she was Danny Costellamo free for two whole, peaceful days. She just needed to get through these last three excruciating hours.
"Do you have my patient, Mrs Saunder's chart?" Danny asked walking into her office and nearly stepping on her deliberately.
Don't let him break you!
"Why would I have it?" Mindy asked irritably, closing her eyes and counting to ten.
"I don't know, maybe you stole it when I went to the bathroom as payback for eating your disgusting yoghurt." He said starting to sort through the paperwork on her desk.
"That's childish and lame, Danny. Almost like eating someone else's yoghurt just to piss them off."
"Still mad about that, huh?"
"No, I'm not mad that you ate my yoghurt, you loser! I'm mad that you think I scare guys off."
"But you kind of do."
Mindy groaned. She wasn't in the mood for another fight. Couldn't he just leave her alone for the next three hours?
"Get out of my office." She hissed, picking herself off the ground and heading around to her desk.
"Look Mindy, you're a relatively attractive girl..."
"Relatively attractive? Are you trying to insult me?"
"No, I was trying to give you a compliment without puffing up that big head of yours." Dan snapped quickly.
"Oh the irony!" Mindy sang out as she snatched some paperwork out of Danny's hands.
"What?"
"Well Danny, it's ironic that you think that I have a big head when no one thinks more highly of himself than Danny Castellano!"
"I don't think highly of myself." He snapped quickly.
"Yes, you do!" she said rolling her eyes. "Eye-patch dumped you because you are such an opinionated jerk, that doesn't listen to anyone else because you are always right! Does that sound familiar?"
"Most of the times I am right, though." He said shrugging his shoulders.
"I can't believe we are having this same fight for the billionth time! I don't have your stupid file, so can you please go? I have work to do."
"I can see how much work you have, won't you just lying on the floor before, doing absolutely nothing?"
"You get so much satisfaction out of our fights, don't you?"
"Yeah, I kind of do." Danny said smirking at her.
"I guess it's cause you secretly love me."
"What?"
"You're always taking lunch the same time that I take it, you follow me around the office like a rash…you pick fights with me about every single thing….you eat my yoghurt to get a reaction from me, do I need to keep going?"
"Lunch…" Danny said clearly his throat loudly. "Lunch is usually between 12-2. Some days I'm hungrier than most and therefore I eat when I need to. Other days I have to see patients, so I eat when my schedule is free. Trust me, I'm not purposely trying to have lunch with you every day, it just happens that way."
"Whatever." Mindy said rolling her eyes.
"Also, I don't follow you around the office…you follow me."
"WHAT?"
"Let me finish," Danny said holding up a hand in the arm, to cut her off. "Our fights are usually because you are so unreasonable! I'm actually surprised you got into medical school, let alone became a Doctor when I all I hear come out of your mouth is 'those twilight kids are so lucky…in a period of four years, they have made more money than I have working as a Doctor from their movies.' The yoghurt was an honest mistake; I honestly thought it was mine. There's yoghurt in the fridge, it's not ninety-nine percent fat free, but you are welcome to have it; if you don't mind the extra calories."
"Ugh, you are such a pig." Mindy said pushing him out of her office.
xoxo
"I've called this meeting," Jeremy said when Mindy and Danny had taken a seat in his office. "because a lot of the staff here, who are also your friends I might add,are worried that you two are creating a hostile working environment."
Danny snorted some kind of laugh and Mindy rolled her eyes.
"I don't think hostile is the right word, Jeremy. We are not abusive towards each other, right Mindy?"
"You're verballyabusive towards me, Danny." Mindy said innocently, pretending to be hurt.
Danny rolled his eyes. "Really? How old are you?"
"Hmmm. I don't know. Take a guess Danny," Mindy said sarcastically. "But I'll tell you one thing…I'm young enough to be your daughter-"
"-For the millionth time," he said cutting her off quickly, "we are born in the same decade! I'm not even five years older than you! But five years is a bit of a stretch, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised by your immaturity-"
"My immaturity? You're five years older than me and so much more immature!" Mindy snapped back quickly.
"Enough!" Betsy shrieked. "Please stop fighting!"
Mindy and Danny turned quickly to see Beverly, Morgan and Betsy standing at the back of the office.
"What's going on here?" Danny asked, a little confused as to why the other three were also sitting in on this meeting.
"This is not a partner's meeting," Jeremy said crossing his hands together on his desk, "I called this meeting because the four of us are concerned." He said gesturing towards the three waiting at the back. "This is a meeting with all your friends that care about you."
"It kind of feels like an intervention." Danny mumbled, shifting in his chair.
"Why Danny, have you had interventions before?" Mindy teased.
"Guys enough, please. Now this is a kind of like intervention." Jeremy said nodding. "I am far too young to be stressing about this kind of stuff…do you know how many wrinkles form on your face as a result of stress-induced thoughts and burdens? I am the face of Shulman and Associates! If this face goes, you can say goodbye to our taxi cab ads and most of our female patients!"
"Don't worry, we will still always have Mindy's minute, right Dr Lahiri?" Danny asked nudging her playfully.
"I'm sorry but Jeremy is right, he is the face of this company and I am clearly the celebrity…so what do you do exactly?" Mindy asked hitting back.
"I do the work."
Mindy snorted loudly.
"I do the work," Danny continued nodding his head up and down. "When you two slackers are too busy texting hook-ups and lying on the floor- like you're still in kindy-garden by the way- I do the work around here that is needed. I'm carrying this office on my bare back."
"So manly of you." Mindy said rolling her eyes.
"Look, regardless of who does the most work, the four of us think that the fights have to stop." Jeremy said, gesturing towards the three other employees at the back, who were all nodding in agreement.
"The fighting will stop when Danny apologizes for being an arrogant jerk."
"Funny how it's always my fault every time we have a disagreement." Danny said rolling his eyes.
"Well Danny it is, when you are such a disagreeable person to deal with." Mindy said hitting back quickly.
"I wouldn't be so disagreeable if some people did not drive me mental twenty-four seven."
"Oh stop with your bickering!" Beverly snapped angrily. "I don't care that you two fight all the time; I care about my own health! I am old. I'm an old woman that does not need to hear people at each other's throats all day long…if I wanted to hear people fight, I'd still be seeing my grandkids! Now it's obvious to everyone in this office that you guys fight because you are in love with each other, so please spare us the drama at work and just get together already!"
"I'm sorry?" Mindy asked loudly when Beverly had finished. "We are not in love with each other."
"I don't know where you got that notion from, but-" Danny said, loosening his tie a little to clear his throat.
"Daisy…handsome…" Beverly said gesturing towards the other two standing next to her. "…help me out."
"It's Betsy!" she hissed a little annoyed. "Betsy! Not Daisy! How many times do I have to tell you that?"
"Oh big deal, I'm an old woman suffering from dementia. I only call you Daisy, because your name sounds like something that they name cows and I get confused."
"I like that she calls me handsome." Morgan said smiling smugly. "You can keep doing that."
"Can we go now?" Danny asked, holding up a hand in the air.
"No. As somebody that has been to her fair share interventions before, I think we should be addressing the issues before us." Beverly said.
"Good idea, Bev." Jeremy said nodding in agreement. "What are they again?"
"That these two are in love with each other! Keep up pretty boy! And I'm the one with dementia. I swear, if you weren't so hunky…"
Jeremy grimaced a little in disgust.
"Beverly, I don't know how to tell you this any differently." Mindy said sighing heavily. "But I am not in love with Danny. Sorry, I know this must be so hard for you to comprehend." She said gesturing towards him.
"Fine by me, because you are too complicated for me anyways." Danny said sounding relieved.
"I'm sorry; I'm too complicated for you? What is that supposed to mean, Danny?"
"Exactly what it means…you complicate things. You complicate everything. Which is why you are always single."
"I see we are back to me scaring off guys again."
"Only saying it, because it's true."
"At least I put myself out there, Danny. When was your last relationship? Eye patch? That was months ago!"
"And you can put yourself out there as much as you want, Mindy. But you will never be able to hold a steady boyfriend, because you are too full on and scare guys. Your words, by the way not mine."
"You are such a jerk!"
"I may be a jerk, but at least I'm honest. I'm sure you have no problem finding guys, you are a very good looking girl, but you have a problem keeping them."
"At least I can pick up!" Mindy snapped. "Why am I even defending myself? You're the least experienced person I know in the love department! Does it hurt your feelings when you strike out all the time, because girls realise how pathetic you are?"
"I don't strike out." Danny said hotly. "I can pick up just as many people as you do."
"I find that hard to believe." Mindy said rolling her eyes.
"I'll prove it." Danny said quickly.
"Prove what? That I was right and that I can pick up and you can't?"
"What are you doing tonight?" Danny asked ignoring her.
"I have a date." She said lying quickly.
"Not anymore. You and I are going clubbing…I'm going to prove you wrong, Lahiri."
"I'd really love to prove you wrong, Danny." Mindy said sweetly, "But I have a date tonight."
"Really?" Danny asked turning a little in his chair to face her. "Bull."
"Don't be jealous because I have plans for a Friday night and you don't."
"A date in front of the TV does not count as an actual date."
"I have a date with a man, Danny…I'm not staying at home in front of the tv tonight. I have a hot date with a new guy I met a couple of days ago."
"You can cut the crap, Mindy. I know you're lying…want to know how I know? Because whenever you meet a guy or organise a date, you parade around this office like a fairy, rubbing it in everyone's faces and you haven't done that this week. So since there is no guy; I think we should test out of the theory."
Mindy snorted loudly. "Like I want to spend any more time with you outside work hours!"
"Hey, you drive me crazy too, but I think we should do this. That way, we can put this behind us once and for all, so what do you say, Lahiri?"
"You are so childish! I am not cancelling my hot date to go clubbing with you!"
"I'll cancel him, if you give me his number." Danny said smirking. "If he's even real." He mumbled under his breath.
Mindy shot him a dirty look. She had no idea how to come back from this. Why on earth did she lie about her date? She knew that admitting to Danny that no date existed would make her look like a Grade A loser, so she figured the only way to improve the situation was to stick to the lie. She really did not want to be spending any more time with Danny Castellano tonight. She had literally had ENOUGH of him for one day.
"Guys, this isn't exactly the solution that we were hoping for." Jeremy said, snapping Mindy and Danny out of their argument and reminding them that they were not the only two people in the room.
"I'm going." Beverly said angrily. "I'm missing Days of our lives."
"Beverly, is actually the one that made the complaint about you two." Jeremy said when she had left the room.
"Our fighting can't be that bad?" Danny said shaking his head in disbelief. "Remember when Shauna had that psycho ex-boyfriend and he was always throwing things round in the office? That was a hostile working environment!"
"Dr L, Dr C…" Morgan said when nobody replied to Danny. "I agree with Beverly…you two have this sexual attraction towards each other-"
"What?" Mindy snapped cutting him off quickly.
"-It's kind of magnetic." Morgan continued. "Even Betsy and Dr Reed agree with us…I think the sooner you guys realise your true feelings for each other the better. Now I'm also going to go and watch Days of our lives with Beverly…she got me into it two weeks ago and I really like that show. Betsy are you coming? Today's episode is meant to be really good because they find out who is stalking Gabi Hernandez."
"Ooh, really? I definitely want to see that." she said following her friend out of the room.
"So are we going to do this or not?" Danny asked when they had left.
"Do what exactly?" Mindy snapped a little annoyed that she was still in the room with the most annoying person alive. She would rather be watching Days of our lives with the others.
"You said that I strike out and I think you scare guys; so I think we should make a bet, to see which of the two of us has more numbers at the end of the night. What do you say, Lahiri?"
"It's obviously going to be me." Mindy said hotly.
"Guys this is not what I meant by our little intervention." Jeremy said cutting in.
"Then it's a bet." Danny said reaching out his hand to shake hers. "Tonight, whoever has more phone numbers at the end of the night is more experienced in the love department, as you call it."
"Fine by me, Castellamo." Mindy said shaking his hand. "You better bring yourself a box of tissues, because you will need them when I kick your ass tonight."
"So I'll pick you up at eight." Danny said standing up and walking towards the door.
"I'll be ready." Mindy said hotly, before storming out of the room before Danny could.
Jeremy had a bad feeling about this. Somehow he felt as if he had just made the situation ten times worse than before.
xoxo
"Have a good weekend, Dr Lahiri." Betsy said as she waved goodbye to her friend.
"Bye Betsey, bye Morgan." Mindy said as she put on her blue coat.
"Dr L," Morgan said walking up to her quickly. "I heard about the bet. Some advice for tonight… One, wear something really hot and short-guys love that. Two, lots of make-up…it does wonders. Three, be confident. Four, don't let Danny get under your skin. Five, if you have to lie for the sake of getting more numbers, do it."
"Woah, Morgan." Mindy said cutting him off. "I've literally never seen you so invested in my love life before."
"I always am. Plus, there may or may not be an office bet on who is going to get more numbers and I am backing you, so please make sure that it is you, because I've already put down a hundred dollar wager."
"What?" Mindy exclaimed.
"Well, Dr Reed, Beverly and Betsy all think that Dr C is going to win…but I backed you."
"Awww thanks Morgan! Don't worry, we will win."
"Morgan, are you coming?" Betsey called from the elevator.
"Yup. Gotta go Dr L. Break a leg tonight." He said as he headed towards the lifts. "I have faith in you."
"You're going down." Danny said as he threw a patient's file into the nurses' pigeon hole. "The odds are three against one in my favour."
"I don't care if they are a hundred to none because, I will beat you tonight and you will strike out. Now I'm going home to make myself all hot and irresistible. I'll see you at eight."
It had all started as a bet.
A silly bet to prove that he wasn't always right and that she was capable of beating him once in a while.
But as Mindy walked into the open elevator, she wasn't too sure that she could any more Tonight was really going to come down to the God's and she hoped that they would show mercy in her favour. It had been a while since she had been clubbing and she wasn't too excited to be going either. But somehow the thought of beating Danny Castellano and seeing his shocked expression on his face when she did, was enough to make her want to go through it.