A short story to follow the Santa Fe episode. A peek into the weird and wonderful mind of Mindy Lahiri. None of the characters are mine.


Pins and Needles.

Christina is not at all like Mindy pictured her. Not that she has pictured her or anything because you know, she doesn't spend that much time thinking about her weird sweaty colleague and his weird lonely life.

Except, okay, she does, because she's Mindy and she thinks about everyone's love life way more than is perhaps normal.

In her head, Christina was brunette, like Eye-Patch, like Alex, and maybe not so pale. She'd also had this permanent sneer on her face, like someone who knows they're better than anyone else, and who likes to screw around behind her husband's back. Her husband. Danny.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sneaks a glance at Danny, standing by her side with his eyes fixed on his ex. He visibly swallows, his Adam's Apple lifting and falling.

Christina says hi to him, somehow managing to sound possessive when she says his name and, come on, how ridiculous is that? Like she has the right to say his name in that sexy bedroom voice.

Beyonce Pad-Thai, who has somehow graduated from warrior to full on alter-ego, clears her throat and raises her eyebrows. Okay, maybe she is sounding a little weird but Danny is her friend, dammit, whether he asked to be or not and this woman screwed him up bad.

"What are you doing here?" Danny manages to ask in his usual, no-nonsense voice and if his voice sounds a little strained Mindy can totally understand that because his bitch of an ex-wife is standing right there. She is inexplicably proud of him. Proud because he isn't falling apart, at least not so that anyone can see, which she totally would be (and has done) when faced with an ex. Inexplicably because it's not like Danny is hers to be proud of.

Christina looks uncomfortable with so many eyes staring at her and shifts from foot to foot. The blonde's eyes meet Mindy's and she's shocked, and a little embarrassed to realise that her mouth is hanging open. She shuts it immediately. It feels weird. What do people normally do with their mouths when they're standing still? Maybe she should smile? She gives it a go and Christina looks even more freaked out. Mindy averts her eyes and pretends to study something on the desk in front of her.

Her right hand rests in her eye line and brings to mind panicked hand grabbing and holding and she swears she can still feel the imprint of his fingers on her hand. She brushes it off as an over active imagination while Beyonce Pad-Thai sighs and covers her eyes with one hand, shaking her head. Shut up.

Wen she looks up again, catching Betsy's confused look as she does so, it is to see that no one has noticed her more-awkward-than-usual moment because they are still looking between Danny and Christina as if the only thing missing is cotton candy and upbeat music and they'd be watching an acrobat swinging on a trapeze. God what did she miss? She needs to stop zoning out like this.

Danny looks calmer now, or at least he would from a distance. But Mindy is right next to him, close enough to see the sweat glistening on his upper lip. His voice even manages not to shake as he suggests that maybe they should go into his office to talk in private. Mindy catches a breath of his scent - cologne underlaid with sweat and male - before he is gone and all she can see is his back as he walks away from her, towards his ex.

Danny and Christina disappear into his office and the door closes behind them with a click that would go unheard if the rest of the room wasn't so deadly quiet.

A few seconds and no one seems to know what to do. Morgan has gone all pale and is muttering something like oh shit under his breath but Mindy can't focus on that right now. She needs some Gwen time and some time to reflect. Or shop. One or the other. Because surely there some merit in retail therapy, right?

Something has just happened to her. She isn't sure what yet but something feels different.

Blindly she grabs some files from the desk and nods importantly while making busy noises. Turning on her quite frankly fabulous heels, she leaves her colleagues to their excited whispers.

A snippet of a conversation comes back to her but is immediately shaken off.

Josh didn't know what he was talking about. Danny is her friend. That's it. And if her right hand is tingling a little on the way to her office, it's probably because she's been leaning on it or something.