Title: Not Words But Meanings (1/1)
Author: Aerial312
Rating: PG-13
Category: Valentine's Day Fluff
Spoiler Info: the very beginning of the first Bartlet for America campaign
Disclaimer: I own nothing…I just borrow.
Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Sure. Just let me know where its going.
A/N: I couldn't resist bringing the fluff.
Donna sat on the floor toying with the white carnation she'd found in her inbox. Attached—with a paperclip—was a note. 'Donna—Not even a week, and I'm already "finding you valuable". Happy Valentine's Day—Josh'. She smiled. The phone rang.
"Bartlet for America. Josh Lyman's office. How may—"
"Who the hell are you?"
"Excuse me?"
"Who is this?"
"This is Donna Moss, Josh's assistant."
"When did they give Josh an assistant?"
"Monday."
"And you've made it all week?"
"Uh…yes…ma'am."
"You sound so young."
"I…"
"Is he in?"
"No, he's in with Leo till 2—"
"When he's done tell him he'd better call me."
"I'm new, so excuse me for sounding rude…who are you?"
There was a short chuckle on the other end of the line. "Mandy Hampton. Josh's girlfriend."
"Okay. And he can reach you—"
"He damn well better have my number."
"Oh…okay, Ms. Hampton, I'll…oh hold, on…"
Josh paused in his door way as cupped her hand over the receiver. He nodded his head at the phone in question.
"Mandy Hampton," Donna whispered.
'I'm not here,' he mouthed, shaking his head.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ms. Hampton—"
Josh snorted, and Donna glared at him.
"There was just some commotion in the hallway, I thought the meeting may have let out early."
"I bet. Tell him to give me a call when he stops being a chicken."
"Yes, ma'am." Donna hung up the phone. "You gave yourself away."
Josh sighed. "I just couldn't deal with her right now. I need you to do me a favor."
"Okay."
Donna perched on the side of his desk with her notebook. Josh smiled.
"I don't know why I even care, but it was brought to my attention that it is Valentine's Day—"
"Hence the not wanting to talk to the girlfriend."
Josh cringed as she said it.
"You need me to have something sent to her."
"Yeah, I guess."
"You guess."
"I'm supposed to, right?"
"Supposed to?"
"You're a woman. Isn't that what a guy's supposed to do? Some gaudy flowers or chocolates filled with something nasty?"
"But if it doesn't mean anything…"
"You think?"
Donna nodded, turning away.
"That something Dr. Freeride used to do?"
"If. I think it's almost better to forget than to bring something home at 1am on the 15th…sorry, that got a little too personal there. If you want to, then I can certainly order—"
"I don't want to."
"No?"
"Leo's rushing to send his wife something, and he said that I should keep Mandy happy."
"And you don't want to?"
He sighed. "She and I...she introduced herself as my girlfriend?"
Donna nodded.
"That's a generous term."
"Yeah?"
"It's…we…it's complicated. She's pretty…uh…we fight most of the time."
Donna nodded again.
"You know what, don't send her flowers. She wouldn't appreciate them anyways."
"Okay. Anything else?"
"You don't think I'm being stupid, do you?"
"I…I know nothing of the situation."
Josh smiled. "No, no flowers for Mandy."
"Did you call your mom?"
"No…remind me after my budget meeting."
Donna nodded.
"I sent mom flowers though. The important ones I took care of this morning, myself."
Donna grinned. "The flower…thank you."
Josh smiled back, broadly. "Well…I just thought…"
"You have dimples."
"I—what?"
"Dimples. Your dimples…I don't know how I've never noticed them before."
"You haven't even been here a week."
"But they're so pronounced."
"Drop it, please?"
Donna laughed. "They're…nice. I was just surprised, is all."
"Well…"
"And thank you for the flower. It made my day."
"Small gesture."
"The biggest I've had in years."
Josh looked at her sadly. "Really?"
She nodded.
"We'll have to do something about that."
"The language of friendship is not words but meanings." Henry David Thoreau
FIN