Dinner was agonizing and painful. Every minute dragged by. Danny had considered just standing up and dragging Jeremy out of the restaurant himself, but he didn't think that would set the right mood for a confession of love.
Finally, though, the check came. Jeremy and Mindy started painstakingly calculating each individual portion to determine who owed what, but Danny snatched it out of their hands. "I'll just get it," he replied, shoving his credit card into the slot and impatiently waving it toward their server.
"Are you sure?" Jeremy protested, reaching for his wallet. "Why don't I ask them to split it equally onto my card?"
Danny quickly shoved the bill into the hands of the server. "No, that'll take too long. I've got it."
"No, wait," Jeremy called out, and the server pivoted toward the table. "Here, just take…"
"No, go. Put it on that card," Danny argued. Confused, the server started to turn away, but Jeremy held out his card, so the server took a step back toward the table. Jeremy began to get up, and Danny stepped in front of him and blocked the way. "If you take the check and bring it back in less than 2 minutes, I will tip you $100 in cash," he murmured quietly so only the server could hear. The waiter's eyes lit up and he quickly scurried away.
"God, Danny, what is with you tonight?" Mindy said as both he and Jeremy sat back down. "You're acting like a jerk."
"Hey, I covered the check, didn't I?" he shot back.
"Yeah, but you're practically foaming at the mouth and snarling about it," Mindy replied. "What, do you have a hot date or something? In a rush to get home? Because might I remind you that this was your idea, Danny!"
Great. Now he'd made her angry. She was arguing with him and he wasn't even fighting back. If he told her he loved her now, she'd probably just slap him in the face. Way to go, Castellano.
Just then, Jeremy's pager went off. He looked down at the message. "Oh! Looks like one of my patients is in labor. I should get to the hospital. Thanks for getting the check, Danny. I'll grab it next time."
Danny nodded and waved, though it was more of a wave of dismissal than a farewell. Not that Danny noticed. He just wanted to get him out of here. This was perfect! Now he'd have alone time with Mindy… who was still glaring at him.
He reached out and touched her hand across the table. "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm just a little anxious about something. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
Mindy's eyes lit up. "Ooo, anxious? What are you anxious about? This sounds like it could be juicy. Is it juicy gossip? Come on, I'm your friend. Tell me! I hope it's something exciting and fun that I can tell everyone. Oh my God, Danny, you're not back with Christina, are you?"
"What? No! Why would I ever get back together with Christina?"
"I don't know, Danny, you have a history of bad decisions when it comes to her, so I never know if you're about to do something completely horrible again."
"No, it's not that. It's…" Danny gathered his courage. It was time. He had to tell her. Now.
"What? Danny, don't leave me hanging!" Mindy said, kicking him under the table.
"Ow! I was getting there. Geez, what are you trying to do, break my shins?"
"Stop changing the subject! Tell me your gossip!"
Danny took a deep breath. "Okay, Mindy, the truth is…"
The sound of a cheesy pop song filled the air, interrupting Danny's speech. "Sorry," Mindy said, pulling out her phone. "Oh my God, it's Gwen! Do you mind, Danny? I haven't talked to her in like ages and ages."
Danny sighed. "No, go ahead."
Mindy stood and ran around the table. "Thanks, Danny. See you tomorrow at the office," she said, leaning down to kiss his cheek. Before he even had time to process, she was flitting toward the door, chatting cheerfully on the phone. With one final wave, she stepped out onto the street.
Just then, the waiter came back with the check. Danny glanced down at his watch. "Of course that was under 2 minutes. Great. Can anything go my way tonight?" Angrily, he fished into his wallet. "I've only got 3 $20s."
"You said $100 cash," the server reminded him.
"I know what I said, but I didn't think you'd actually be able to do it, so I've only got 3 $20s. I can put the rest on the credit card…"
"You said cash," the server repeated.
"Okay, but I didn't think…" Danny protested.
"Well, you shouldn't have made a promise without thinking," the server retorted.
"What do you want me to do?" Danny replied, his voice raising. "I've only got 3 $20s!"
"There's an ATM on the corner," the server replied.
Danny let out a heavy breath. "Fine. Whatever. I'll be right back. I guess one of us should have a good night." Then he stormed down the street to withdraw $100 and bring it back to the waiter, before going home alone.