I am going through withdrawal. SO MANY EMOTIONS! I may or may not require a mental health day, just to get over this. Anyhoo, what can we do? Other than count down the days and live vicariously through Mindy, reruns and all… catch you on the flippy flip ;)
Mindy stared up at Danny from the floor of her office, shoeless and in the depths of the despair.
"I can't even begin to describe how pathetic you look, Lahiri. You have patients coming in today and you're going to scare them off!" Danny exclaimed, shoving her with his foot.
"I can't. I just can't Danny. I feel so empty inside." Mindy sighed, an exaggerated sigh which irked Danny to no end.
"Look, Min, either you get up or I pour my morning protein shake on your face. You decide." Danny inched closer to her and she quickly sat up.
"Don't you dare! It took me too long this morning to straighten my hair!" crawling away from Danny. She found a hiding spot next to her desk and quickly leaned her back against it.
"Straighten your hair?! You have straight hair, Lahiri…" Danny impatiently rolled his eyes. "You're acting like you just got dumped! You aren't even dating anyone!"
"Danny, you don't understand! 'The Vera Project' winter finale was last night. It's on hiatus until April. Life. Until. April. Will. Be. Hell." She dragged out her words and ended with a deep sigh, wiping a fake tear from her cheek and ultimately resting her head dramatically against the desk.
"Are you kidding me, Min? A show? You are acting this ridiculous over a show?" Danny asked incredulously.
Mindy popped her head back up, eyes shot open and quickly stood so that she could meet Danny at eye level. "A show is one of your stupid Springsteen concerts, Danny. This was 'The Vera Project', television gold! To make matters worse, Vera finally got together with the man of her dreams and we're left hanging until the season starts back up again! What am I supposed to do until then? What? And don't you dare tell me to suck it up or get a boyfriend or whatever other lame suggestion you are about to offer!" She leaned in towards Danny with eyes narrowed and ready to pounce.
"Suck it up, yes. Do that. Get a boyfriend? Not sure that's in your cards…given the way you are acting… Stop acting like a child. It's a show. These aren't real people. That isn't a real relationship, Mindy. When are you going to ever open your eyes and realize that what you see on tv isn't real? Those are actors who probably really hate each other and who are paid to read lines to be funny, it's all a joke." Danny said, slowly backing away from Mindy, giving himself plenty of wiggle room if she decided to go for a punch.
"I know that it's not real, Danny. But, I am so invested in Vera's life. She is like the funniest woman I have ever met." Danny quickly interjected, "Nope. She's not real, you've never met her." Mindy rolled her eyes and continued, "Ugh. You know what I mean. It's like a funny show, Danny. And these two, Vera and Chris, well they are meant to be together! It's fate. And they finally kissed! He seized his opportunity and kissed her!" Mindy was so excited, she stopped focusing on Danny and was so happy describing the perfect relationship that had played out for her every Tuesday night (or Wednesday morning if she had to DVR the episode). "But now, we wait. Ugh. Now I am so distraught. What will I do with myself every Tuesday night, Danny?" She slowly walked around her desk and plopped into her chair, dropping her head loudly against the desk.
"I repeat, not real people, Min. Not a real relationship. You're too stuck in fantasy land, sometimes, Min. And if you're worried about not having anything to do every Tuesday night, find something to do, join a quilting club, read a book, hell, learn how to cook. Who cares? Just pull yourself together, woman!"
"I need a mental health day, Danny. You know what's worse than this being on hiatus? That I actually watched the episode like 15 times, back to back. Couldn't break my eyes away from that kiss! Ugh. When will I find someone to kiss me like that, Danny?" the sadness resonated in her voice. She looked around her office for something to focus on, other than Danny's face, Danny's perfect face. Ugh she thought as she searched the room for something that her mind could occupy itself with.
Danny took a moment to gaze at the woman standing before him. It was always like this with her, always this energy that filled the room, whatever room she was in at the time. He studied her face and Danny's eyes focused on the roundness of her cheek and desperately wanted to caress her skin ….and those lips, those lips which were always in motion, either rambling about something trivial and insignificant or showing emotion like they were doing now.
He couldn't stop himself, "So, in that show of yours, the guy finally gets the balls to kiss the girl? The one he's been pining after since the beginning of the show? His best friend?"
Mindy looked up, curious to know where this question would lead. Danny always faked being uninterested in her choice of music and even her favorite television shows, such as now, but she knew better. It was all a façade. He was the biggest teddy bear that she knew and he almost always became as obsessed about her "things" as she was, without letting anyone know it, of course. She knew him better than he thought. She smirked, "You watched it, didn't you? You sneaky little bastard. You totally are into that show!" Mindy jumped up from her seat, not sure why. She wasn't planning on confronting him or anything, she just felt the need to stand a bit closer to him.
"Maybe." Danny's voice cracked. "So, this ideal guy of yours? He just pulls her into him and shows her how much she means to him?" Danny was inching closer to her, his voice barely above a whisper. There was something in his eyes that she was dying to explore.
Mindy melted. Was this happening? Was he about to do what she thought he was about to do? Her heart skipped a beat and her breathing became slow and deliberate. "Uh huh" His lips were inches away from her. She could smell him, she could feel him around her although they weren't touching, it was his energy, his heat that she felt.
He placed his hands around her face and pressed his face against her ear, "Real life is always better than what you see on television…" and with that he pulled her in close and kissed her, gently at first but then they were both engulfed in the feeling of each other. It was everything that she had hoped it would be, the desire, the trust, the love, the passion, the longing, the built up tension, it was all there. Every fiber of her being felt alive.
He slowly pulled away from her, gently leaning his forehead against hers. She smiled warmly into his eyes and slowly ran her fingers down the outline of his face. "I can see what I'll be doing until April." She smiled coyly at him and kissed him again on his lips.
"My. Life. Will. Be. Hell. Until. April." He chuckled, responding with quick pecks on her cheek and bringing her closer to him.
"So, what now, Danny?" She asked.
"We watch reruns…" Danny said jokingly, bestowing her with one of his classic grins.
