As Mindy left work that day, she really only needed one thing: a drink. It had been one of the craziest days in a long time and then on top of it all, she had to check Facebook and see how everyone was moving on with their lives without her. She really didn't care. She would just have to keep telling herself that for a while. Her friends kept telling her she was better off and she knew they were right. She had been right to call off their engagement, she had just wished she could have been the one in the new relationship first. It was petty, but she's never said she couldn't be a bit petty. She really didn't care at all that he was moving in with some gorgeous ass model, she just didn't need to hear about it tonight. She didn't feel like going to her regular bar. A lot of his friends hung out there and they were the last people she wanted to see tonight. She left the hospital in search of a new bar where she could drown her sorrows. You couldn't even call it drowning her sorrows because she would have to be sorrowful. She just needed a place to drink heavily and pretend life was perfect. You know what? She's a hot Indian doctor with an ass that doesn't quit for crying out loud. Life could be worse.

Mindy rounded the corner and saw a bar called Shulman's. Looking in the windows, she took in the calm atmosphere. Deciding that maybe a low key night of drinking alone didn't sound like the worst idea, she stepped inside. She looked around the bar. It wasn't very big. There were a few people sitting in groups throughout the room looking content. She could hear some music being softly played throughout the place. She seemed to pick up some Springsteen. "Well the music could be better," she thought to herself. But overall it seemed like a fine place to drink and have no one bother her.

Sitting down at the bar, she looked around to see if there was a bartender around. Just then a handsome, dark haired man stepped behind the bar. "What can I get you?" he asked nicely. She was so distracted by the attractive man in front of her that she didn't actually realize he had spoken. He looked at her expectantly and she snapped out of her daze.

"Sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked you if there was anything I could get you. Like something to drink. It is a bar so usually people don't come here to just sit."

"Yeah. Right. Of course not. Umm, I will have whatever red wine you have. With ice, please. And keep it coming," she said, trying to decide if he seemed snarky or if he was just plainly stating a fact.

"Sure."

"Thanks."

He brought her a glass of red wine and she immediately started drinking it. Frankly she didn't care if it was the good stuff or not. Even the crappiest wine could still get her drunk. She looked up to see a rather shocked face on the bartender.

"Sorry. I am just uh, thirsty," she said lamely.

"Well if you were thirsty I could have given you some water first. Or something without alcohol. Not that I should be complaining. The more you drink, the more I get paid."

"Are you the type of bartender that people come and spill their secrets to or are you just a "serve em and move on" kind of bartender?" She asked after a pause.

"Hmmm. I don't really know. Most of the people who come in here are regulars so I know them pretty well by this point. I guess maybe a combination. Usually I don't really talk with just anyone but if you're needing to spill your secrets that just might make my night more interesting," he replied, smirking at the end.

Damn this guy was attractive, or was it just the wine she had been steadily drinking since he put the glass in front of her. She couldn't have had that much to drink yet.

"Let me ask you something…, wait what is your name?"

"Danny."

"Great. Danny, let me ask you something. Why do guys seem like they are all in and that there is no one better in the world for them than you and then the minute you break up they go start dating woman after woman as if to rub it in your face?"

Danny seemed a bit stunned by the question. He just stared at her blankly. Maybe he figured she had less personal questions in mind.

"Uh, I don't know. Remind me of your name?"

"Oh yeah. It's Mindy. Mindy Lahiri."

"Okay. So Mindy, I get the idea that some guy broke your heart?"

"No it was actually me. I dumped him because I didn't think we were right together. And we weren't. I was right to do it. But now he's moving on and moving in with some woman he can't have known very long and I can't explain to myself why I'm mad about it. I don't care about him. I don't want to still be with him. I just… I just –"

"You just wanted to move on first?"

"Does that sound terrible if I say that?"

"No. If anything it sounds familiar."

Mindy contemplated what he said. She really wasn't a terrible person. She was just feeling lonely if anything. She looked down at her wine glass and was horrified to see how quickly she had consumed almost the entire thing. She began to nervously laugh, "Wow. I really downed that didn't I? I came here with the intention to get drunk but not this fast. Wow."

"No judgment, but are you drunk off one glass of wine? Actually less than one glass of wine," Danny asked.

"Noooooo," she really dragged out the word. "I am not drunk. I am just a lot closer than I expected given that I haven't been here like fifteen minutes."

"Well whenever you are ready to leave, I'll make sure to call you a cab," Danny offered kindly.

Mindy looked up at him. She didn't know this man and here she was rambling like a crazy woman. He probably thought she was just some drunk idiot. That would not have been the first impression she would have wanted to leave with this incredibly hot man. Mindy picked up her wine glass and drained it. She set it back down gingerly and debated the advantages of ordering another glass. She had already made a fool of herself. Maybe it was best she just go home. Thank God this wasn't her normal hangout.

"You know what Danny, thank you for the advice. I don't need a cab. I'll just walk home. It isn't too far from here. I apologize for keeping you away from other paying customers. Thank you for letting me ramble on about my lame life. Sometimes I just need a sounding board."

"Don't mention it. They do say bartenders make the best therapists, right?"

"If they don't, they certainly should."

He laughed in reply. And wow if his deep laugh didn't do something to her. She should really be going. "Okay, well thanks again," she said awkwardly. As she stood up, she lost her footing and felt like she was about to fall. Before she could process anything, she felt two strong hands grab her wrists, managing to keep her upright. She looked up to find Danny holding her wrists incredibly close to her hands from across the bar and looking at her with a strange look in his eye.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Uh. Um yeah. Thanks," she added, a bit too shaken to really form sentences. She could feel the heat from his hands on her wrists and it was messing with her.

She looked up at him and he realized he was still holding her wrists. He quickly let go, muttering something.

As she left the bar she turned around one more time to look at him. Danny was leaning up against the bar, watching her leave. She lamely waved at him, to which he replied, "Nice to meet you, Mindy Lahiri." She just smiled back and walked out of the door into the night.

"Dude, who was that?"

Danny didn't hear Peter come up behind him and was startled to hear his voice in his ear.

"Umm I don't really know. I had never seen her in here before," he responded, hoping it wasn't too obvious that his mind was clearly still with her.

"She looked pretty drunk. That was a pretty smooth move, though, Casanova. Look who's trying to move on and get over Christina!"

"What? That was the first time I met the woman. I didn't want her to hit her head on the floor. You know injury paperwork is a bitch," Danny said defensively.

"Whatever, man. I'm just saying, I was watching you two and it looked pretty intense. Whatever it was. I think she was into you," Peter replied.

"Okay, Pete, why don't you keep cleaning tables. You clearly don't know what you're talking about, okay? Just keep working. Don't give me an excuse to fire you."

"Mmhmm. This always happens. The friends try to point out the obvious and are shut down. Whatever. It's a good thing I'm used to it. If Jeremy hadn't been checking the delivery in the back, he totally would have agreed with me. But whatever, put down your friends. I'll just go clean some tables. Try not to daydream too much while I'm gone, okay?" And with that, Peter got back to work, leaving Danny to wonder if there really had been more to that interaction than he thought. He really didn't think so. Although, when he walked out from the back, he had been struck by how beautiful the woman at the bar was. He would admit that he couldn't really take his eyes off her. She wasn't into him. She had barely been here for ten minutes. She chugged a glass of wine and talked about her ex. Peter had no clue what he was talking about. And it didn't matter what it looked like because he would probably never see this Mindy again.