Open Your Eyes

((Post-series future fic; angst - Drake/Mindy, Mindy/OMC - Rating: K+; Words: 481))

There will probably be a follow-up to this.

When no one's paying them much attention, Drake grabs Mindy's hand and drags her from Josh's birthday party in full swing in the living room through the kitchen and into the pantry.

"Drake, what are you—"

He pulls her left hand up and eyes the diamond ring with nothing short of disgust. "You're engaged?"

She yanks her hand out of his. She gives herself a moment to calm down. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes, Luke and I are engaged."

"Since when?"

She holds her head up; she's defensive. "Last night."

"You're going to marry that loser?"

"Luke is not a loser. He is a wonderful intelligent successful man and he loves me."

Drake snorts, "He's an accountant; how lame is that?"

"Accounting is a very respectable profession; he works for one of the best accounting firms in the region. And why do you care?" she asks, folding her arms across her chest.

He shrugs, "I thought we had a good thing going."

"I had a brief lapse in my sanity." It's the excuse she uses time and time again when she's trying to rationalize her short-lived secret affair with Drake. "Whatever we were was a rebound thing while Luke and I were on a break."

"Your fiancé know that you cheated on him?"

She glares at him, her nostrils flaring—how dare he suggest such a thing? "I did not cheat on him!"

"You just said that you two were on a break when we were together! Isn't that cheating?"

"Oh, you know what I meant!"

They pause; their voices are getting louder and they're trying very hard to keep from yelling.

"You can't marry him."

"Why not?"

All she needs is one good reason. If Drake can give her one very good reason to break her engagement, she will.

"Because!"

She shakes her head, "That's not a reason."

He can't grasp the words to say, he can't make them form in his head or on his tongue, so he kisses her instead in an attempt to communicate.

Mindy misinterprets it as him trying to distract her. She places her hands on his chest and pushes him away. She's disappointed. Same old Drake. It's all she needs to keep her resolve.

"You're not going to change my mind." She leaves walks out of the pantry and he follows her.

Drake tries again, "Do you love him?"

His query makes her stop. What kind of question is that? She looks over her shoulder at Drake, "Yes."

It's not the answer he was expecting and it certainly is not the answer that he wanted. She was supposed to say 'no' and realize that marrying Luke would be a big mistake. She's not supposed to be in love with the guy. Why can't she be like other girls?

Mindy leaves him standing in the kitchen, feeling lost and defeated.

*** Finis ***