It's their fifth date, or possibly 205th, depending on who's counting. But this is the number five, "we're really doing this thing, dinner and a movie" type date. Except technically, it's the first time they actually went out to dinner since things... changed. Mindy can't find the words to label any of it, it's so weird.

They had gone on a lunch date, at work, after they were both back at the practice, and a breakfast date before work the next day. A few round of drinks after work followed, and Mindy almost let the alcohol melt her resolve, except Danny wouldn't. He took her home and sent her upstairs alone, because he was a gentleman, and her splitting headache the next day was not just from the hangover.

Then she guessed it was a date when they met for coffee between deliveries, on a crazy night where every baby wanted to be born at once, and they made out later, secretly, in the call room, till he was paged. That was maddeningly hot, since they were sneaking around at the office too, and there was a bit of frantic bump and grind, and they were both kind of disappointed when it ended so soon. Danny still didn't press the issue.

But they hadn't actually said "hey, so this is a date" until tonight when he asked her to have dinner, and she made a smartass comment about it. So he picked her up at her apartment to walk to this little place near her, and she wore flats because she liked being shorter than him but only just exactly how much she already was. So she wasn't sure, maybe it was their first official date. But it felt like the fifth.

So they sat in a somewhat forced romantic atmosphere, a dark little restaurant where there was quiet music to build the ambiance and there were fake candles and a guy selling single red roses, and she figured he brought her here because that's what she wanted.

It wasn't what she wanted, but she appreciated the sentiment. The food was mediocre but she ate it with gusto, because if she was picky he would know she was nervous. If he knew she was nervous, he might do her math and then expect, if he didn't already, that tonight would be the night. And that made her more nervous.

It wasn't that she didn't want to sleep with Danny, quite the opposite. She had been battling the urges since the start, fighting those desires that he could incite so easily, with a glance or a touch or that hot, gravelly voice. God forbid he do all three at once, and he did, often. He was smooth, and he knew what it did to her, but he didn't push it.

She kind of wished they had just done it in the damned airplane, germs and all. Whatever happened after that, they wouldn't have this looming thing now, because they would already know the unknown, and it wouldn't have built up in her head to be this thing, this insurmountable obstacle.

It was ridiculous. She had never felt like this. Losing her virginity had been less of an ordeal, as quick and messy and unfulfilling as it had been. She didn't have expectations and hopes, or if she had, they were long forgotten, along with most other details. Since then, she had had good sex and bad sex and great sex and awful sex, but she felt unwaveringly that this would be something she had never experienced. That was exciting, and terrifying.

So she played off her nerves and tried to be her usual self, except she kept drifting off into her thoughts, but he didn't seem to notice. He wasn't acting any different, so she thought maybe she was just overreacting, reading things that weren't there, as she tended to do. She tried to relax, telling herself he had no expectations or timeline, though she feared maybe he did. But he was just being himself tonight, no posturing, no games. Besides, they were long past the point where any of that was necessary.

She watched him as he finished the last of his meat and potatoes dinner, waving his fork as he gestured towards nothing in that stereotypical Italian manner, his elbows firmly on the tabletop. His brow crinkled and his eyes rolled and all manner of expression crossed his face as he ranted, something about a missing plane, she wasn't following, because she was enraptured in his face and her thoughts.

"It just doesn't make sense, you know?" He set the fork down and looked at her expectantly. She didn't know. She just nodded vigorously and grabbed her wineglass, draining it quickly. Danny picked up the bottle and poured the last of it for her as he spoke again.

"I'm just getting too worked up here. So, what happened with Mrs. Gabriel today? Did you convince her to get the amnio?" He grinned up at her, and it took her a moment to get in gear and hold a conversation. She rattled off a quick recount of the patient's visit and settled back to let Danny take the reins again as he regaled her with facts she already know. It was comforting, but as he talked, as she watched his lips move and and his eyes catch hers and listened to his voice, she felt her chest tighten even as a strange relaxing warmth of realization spread through her and made her feel heady and brave.

Shit.

So this was what it was like. She felt at once both stupid and brilliant. It was like when she thought she was having orgasms, until the time she actually had one, and whoa, it was like nothing other. That other stuff was meaningless and silly in comparison, as was every time she thought she was madly in love. Because she hadn't been. Not even close.

She had been fighting it, denying it, squashing any tiny consideration of it, for who knows how long. Weeks, months, maybe years, while that little ember continued to smolder like Danny's eyes, till one day it was a full on forest fire. Burn, baby, burn. She loved, and was in love, with Danny, as simple as that. And suddenly, stupid arbitrary numbers didn't matter at all. It's not like she could get in any deeper. She was all in, and all she wanted was him.

And with that, the decision seemed easy. He was in the middle of a solo debate about 3D sonography when she boldly laid her hand on his wrist and interrupted him.

"Danny."

He looked at her with a flash of annoyance because hey, he was talking, but it was gone instantly. He must have picked up on the little flutter in her voice or the look on her face, because he suddenly grinned and gazed at her with eyes that were so soft that she she couldn't breathe. He knew.

"You want to get outta here?" He said almost in a whisper, and she nodded decisively. With a deep breath and a smile, she moved her hand down to cover his and he immediately clutched it.

The check couldn't come fast enough.

He took her hand again as they left the restaurant, this time lacing his fingers in between hers, looking at her with this grin that seems to waver between affection and lust about as fluidly as her emotions did. He did that thing where he just slowly stroked her wrist with his thumb and she came undone. The walk to her apartment felt like Christmas Eve, with the anticipation of what wonderful surprises were to come if only they could just make it through the wait.

That last red light held them at bay just a moment longer and Mindy finally got the courage to look up at him, meeting his eyes. Small talk was all but abandoned by them, but as he lifted her hand to his lips and laid the softest kiss on the back, she felt like she would burst if she kept silent. But she couldn't just tell him how she felt, this thing was too raw and uncertain, and Danny was Danny. It was a balancing act between freaking him out with too much and too little, and she was terrible at keeping a balance. But she couldn't just stay quiet.

"I like you, Danny."

He just gazed at her, his eyes twinkling with reflections of the lights around them. She watched his lips as they started to speak, then closed in a smile before opening again.

"I like you too."

The light turned green and they plowed forward, not speaking again till they were through her apartment door. He closed it behind him hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure he should be there, and she dropped her purse and slipped off her shoes and turned to him. He bit his lip and looked younger all of a sudden, the corners of his mouth shyly twisting up, his eyebrows raising too.

She took a deep breath and nodded, feeling emboldened. There's no reason to think this should be any big deal, and yet it's the biggest deal ever.

There was no rush, no fervor, no frenzy. Just this connection - starting with their eyes, then lips and hands, and eventually their bodies. It was hot and passionate, but more than that, it was joyful. There was awkwardness and ease, quiet moments and loud ones too, and smiles and laughter and surprise and reverence. She was amazed at Danny's patience - his obvious eagerness didn't get in the way of how much he wanted to make sure everything was just right for her.

And it was.

And when it was done, the bed was mussed and the sheets possibly torn, but they laid tangled in them and in each other. Danny just gazed at her in adoration and she felt it to her toes.

"Wow." He murmured. "That was so worth waiting for." Mindy giggled and preened in response, exhausted but not physically. Danny closed his eyes and grinned, so wide his cheeks were rounded like apples, and he fumbled to find her hand, squeezing it tight.

"Are you happy, Danny?" She asked him, never more certain the answer was yes.

"Delirious." He looked into her eyes again. "Not because of... this. Because of you."

She sighed, curling into him, fighting off the sting of tears behind her eyes. He didn't have to say many words to say so much to her.

"You're fucking glowing. You're so beautiful." His voice cracked.

Mindy reached for humor to deflect the feelings that threatened to overwhelm her. "Orgasms are good for the skin." She told him, jutting her chin up.

"You're gonna have the best skin in all of Manhattan." He growled, kissing her again, curling her toes. She wanted to tell him, again, what this was to her, that it had never been like is before, but she knew it was too much, too soon. She had time. She wanted to do this forever, if she could, if he would.

She thought maybe he would.