Like They Do In The Movies
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
"Can you believe that Beyonce copied me?" Mindy exclaimed, storming into Danny's office.
It was just like her to invade his personal space with a non-sequitur. It was a wonder he ever got any work done at all.
He sighed, leaning back in his seat with one eyebrow raised.
"I cut my hair short and go off to Haiti and then she cuts her hair short. Coincidence?"
"Yes." Danny replied. "I'm not even going to mention the fact that she has no idea who you are no matter how many times you favourite her pictures on tumbstergram, but why are you bringing this up right now?"
"What do you mean?" Mindy looked at him like he was the crazy one.
"You've been back from Haiti for months. Your hair's already growing back."
"That's the worst part! Between not experiencing Hairgate as it was happening and all the drama with Casey, I haven't even had time to process. Now they're calling it the Boldest Move of 2013."
"So?" He dared to ask.
"It was totally my bold move first." Mindy grumbled.
"Can't you talk to Betsy about this? Or Tamra?" Danny pleaded.
"Fine, Danny. I know you hate short hair anyway, so who cares what you think. You wouldn't know forward-thinking fashion if it sashayed through your apartment." She flounced out of his office.
He was pretty sure he had changed his opinion about short hair, but he wasn't going to remind her about that particular incident.
"Magic Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"
Mindy was feeling particularly happy this morning. She had finally recovered from her killer week on-call by sleeping off Saturday and Sunday. All of the patients that were booked in clinic for the day were her favourites (yeah she had favourites and any doctor that said otherwise was lying. same with parents). And the cherry on top, she had a hot date tonight – a third date! – and she had the perfect I-am-demure-and-classy-but-we're-totally-gonna-do-it outfit.
She was chatting about it to Betsy, who was hanging on her every word, when she noticed Danny making his way towards them, several charts in hand.
"Hey Bets, I need you to book these C-sections for me for next week."
"Sure thing, Dr. Castellano."
Danny eyed Mindy and she braced herself for his inevitable comments. For a guy who had absolutely no sense of style, he was ever the fashion critic.
"You look good, Min."
"I do?" She smiled. It was weird; Danny had been complimenting her more often lately. And not the backhanded compliments she was used to – genuine, sincere compliments. She was never really sure what to make of it so she would thank him and grin, feeling like a million bucks.
Because when Danny gave her a compliment she really believed it. It meant that much more coming from him.
"Here's looking at you, kid."
"Hey Mindy, do you think you can cover my call this Friday?" Danny asked, making his way into Mindy's office, only to find her head face-down on her desk.
"Uh, Min? Are you okay?" Unfortunately for them both, this was definitely not the first time he'd ever found her in such a distraught position.
"I'm fine, Danny. I'll take your call shift, don't worry." Came her muffled reply.
"Seriously, Mindy, what's wrong?"
Mindy finally sat up so she could properly glare at him. "I just read that Buzzfeed article '24 Things Single People Are Tired Of Hearing' and realized I have heard each and every one of them in the past month. I am going to die alone, Danny.
"You're not going to –"
"A hot doctor with impeccable fashion sense and no romantic prospects is a sad thing." She put her head back down. "So I'm being sad."
"There's always, um, online dating?" Danny offered.
"If you had seen the latest episode of Catfish you wouldn't even bother making that suggestion."
Danny had no idea what she was talking about, but that was nothing new. He hated seeing her upset.
"Look, you're an intelligent, beautiful and compassionate woman living in the greatest city in the world. You'll be fine." He said, pointedly evading eye contact.
Mindy looked up, seemingly touched. "You mean it, Danny?"
"Of course."
"You said that I'm beautiful. Oh my gosh, you're so sweet, Danny!" Mindy gushed and he immediately regretted his choice of words.
"Cheer up, alright? And as far as Jeremy or Morgan or anyone else is concerned, this conversation never happened."
"Okay." Mindy agreed, still beaming from the compliment.
Danny left her office feeling a bit foolish, but also glad knowing that Mindy was smiling again.
"Love means never having to say you're sorry."
They fought all the time. Sometimes it was a wonder they were even able to work together, they fought so much. Mindy couldn't remember a week going by without her and Danny having some sort of blowout.
But she also noticed something else. The more they fought the closer friends they became. It was a bit odd. When she fought with her boyfriends she always wanted to avoid them at all costs.
The thing with boyfriends was that you fought, you had your Silent Treatment period, then one of you had to admit you were wrong and apologize. Then make-up sex.
With Danny, they would fight and fight and fight and then just as suddenly they would be fine. They would be friends. She couldn't even remember the last time one of them apologized to the other. They didn't really have to. It was implied. She never felt that boiling pit of rage in her gut for Danny when she was in the middle of a fight with him.
"Why are you zoned out? Hello?" Danny tapped her on the shoulder. Apparently he had entered the doctors' lounge without her even realizing. And while she had been thinking about him too. How embarrassing!
Instead of trying to play it off, Mindy turned to him thoughtfully. "We always fight, Danny."
"Yeah, that's nothing new. So?"
"But we never, like, apologize. Or talk about it. Or, I dunno, change. We just fight and then go back to being normal. Our arguments have never gotten in the way of our friendship."
"I guess not. We're obviously always gonna be alright." Danny shrugged before nudging her playfully. "I mean, what would you do without me, Min?"
Mindy knew it was a joke, but she still felt butterflies in her stomach at his words, at his touch, at the lopsided grin on his face.
Some days being with Danny felt a little bit like love.
"My momma always said, 'Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.'"
Danny's palms were sweating. Okay, they were almost always sweating, but it wasn't helping things. He was meeting Mindy for dinner and he was terrified.
Mostly because he had conveniently forgotten to mention that it was a date.
But he had walked into her office a ball of nerves and asked her to dinner and she had accepted so easily, he hadn't even had time to explain the meaning behind it. She accepted, prattled on about the "right" way to eat sushi and then somehow the conversation had segued into her current Netflix queue and when was the next season of Orange Is The New Black coming out?
So he had thought it best to leave well enough alone. But now that he was at the restaurant he realized how ridiculous it was to go on a date with a woman who didn't even know it was a date.
"Danny!" She gave him a quick hug. He took note of the fact that she was wearing a little black dress, surprisingly practical shoes and just a little bit of makeup. That seemed important somehow.
"Hey, Min. Our table's ready."
Dinner went better than Danny had expected; Mindy talked enough to compensate for any nervousness he was feeling and soon enough even he forgot it was a date and their usual repartee resurfaced.
"So am I the first girl you've brought here? It's pretty classy, good for a first date."
"Huh?"
"This is a date, isn't it, Danny?" She smiled at him. That sweet, soft smile that made her eyes sparkle under the lights.
"I, um – yeah."
Mindy threw her chopsticks at him. "Then why didn't you just say so this morning? I was on the phone debating with Gwen all afternoon! I finally gave in because it was two against one. Riley pinky-swears that you like like me."
"Smart kid." He muttered.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Danny shrugged. "I dunno, I thought you knew."
"How? I'm not a mind-reader, Danny, I don't know what you're thinking." She lowered her eyes. "When it comes to you, I never know what you're thinking…"
"I like you, Mindy." He blurted out. "I tried really hard not to. Really really hard."
"Gee, thanks."
"But I couldn't!" He threw his hands in the air. "I tried not liking you and it didn't work so I guess we have to try this now, okay?"
Somehow whatever he said seemed to work, because her mood brightened. "Okay." And then she went back to listing off the dessert options.
Why was this so easy? Wasn't this supposed to be incredibly difficult, just like everything else in his life? Just like everything had always been when it came to the two of them? But somehow Mindy transitioned to dating just as effortlessly as she had transitioned from co-worker to friend. At the time he hadn't even noticed it happening.
And now they were walking towards Times Square hand-in-hand and she looked so beautiful and he had no idea how but this was happening. Right now. To him. She only complained once about how gross and clammy his hands were to hold.
It was a good night.
"You had me at 'hello.'"
"Danny, it's freezing up here!"
"Of course it is, Mindy, it's the top of the Empire State Building in the middle of February, what did you expect? You're the one who always wanted this…"
"I expect an explanation. And what exactly is it that I always wanted, to develop frostbite?"
Danny bent down on one knee, looking up at Mindy expectantly as realization slowly dawned on her.
"Oh my god, Danny, oh my god. Oh my god oh my god oh my god. "
"Mindy Lahiri, ever since I met you –"
"YES!"
"Hey, wait, at least let me ask you properly."
"It doesn't matter, yes yes yes, Danny, a million times yes!" She squealed, bouncing enthusiastically on her feet, the cold all but forgotten.
He couldn't help smiling like an idiot as Mindy gave him the biggest hug and then continued flailing wildly in excitement.
"I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
"Danny!" Mindy gaped at him. "Did you just quote When Harry Met Sally?"
"When Doofus Met Dummy." He corrected.
She grinned at him like the Cheshire Cat. "So then which one are you, the doofus or the dummy?"
"Both." He muttered, his heart hammering away like an idiot in his chest.
Mindy sidled up close to him and her smile got even wider, if that was possible. "Well, you're my dummy doofus, so it's okay."
Danny rolled his eyes but bit his tongue nonetheless.
"You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how."
"What?"
"I wish I knew how to quit you."
"Mindy what are you –"
"I'm being romantic, shut up!" She smacked his arm before resuming her previous overdramatic demeanour. "I'll never let go, Jack."
"You're just quoting movie lines at me."
"I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her."
"Stop!"
And they lived happily ever after…well, most of the time at least.