A/N: Okay. So, this chapter is really long, I'm sorry! There was no way to cut it down. I hope you enjoy! As always, any reviews are greatly appreciated! xoxo


"So how was the rest of your weekend?" Mindy asked, sitting down next to Danny. He looked around, wondering if he was in the right place.

"What are you looking so crazed for? I can sit near the front every once in awhile," Mindy pulled out her notebook and a pink pen.

"Yeah, if we have a celebrity lecturer," Danny smirked, pleased with himself.

"Okay, Danny. You think you're so smart? We're getting our tests back today. Whoever has the higher score, wins. Loser takes the winner out for pizza." Her eyes dared him.

"Fine. My favorite place is Luigi's, by the way," Danny shook her hand, confident.

"Game on," Mindy replied, staring him down. They smiled as Dr. Smithson walked into the classroom.

"Settle down, everyone. I know, you're wondering whether or not your tests are finally graded. And yes, they are," she smiled. "You're lucky Grey's Anatomy is on hiatus." She sighed. "When I call your name, come up and get your exam. Don't forget, they're curved. So don't go calling your parents and revoking your donations to the university just yet." The class laughed nervously.

"Reed, Jeremy?" Jeremy strolled down the steps, winking at several girls as he accepted his papers. Glancing at the top, he smiled, obviously pleased with his grade.

"Brooke, Kelly?" A timid girl with glasses and long hair sheepishly held out her hand for her test, scurrying back to her seat without even looking at her score.

"Castellano, Daniel?" Danny smiled, sliding out of his seat. He looked at the top immediately, fist pumping on his way back to the front row. "95. Beat that, Lahiri," he smirked.

"Lahiri, Mindy?" Mindy took a deep breath. She wanted to put Danny is his place so badly. He thought he was so smart, but she knew she was just as clever. She held out her hand, breathless. She always got nervous before getting grades back. Even if she knew she did well, there was still a tiny part of her that worried that she had failed. She turned around, finally looking down.

"So, do you mind anchovies?" Danny asked as she sat back down.

Mindy turned to him. "I mean, it's your money, you can get what you want. Read it and weep," she smiled, holding up her exam to face him. Across the top was a red 96.

Danny leaned in, staring Mindy down. "Okay, Lahiri. You won. But next time, it is on." His emphasis blew a piece of hair out of her face. She smiled, knowing she'd gotten to the one and only Danny Castellano.

Mindy settled in for the rest of the lecture, reveling in her victory.


"Does your family, like, own this place or something?" Mindy asked, taking in the pizzeria's décor. It was a cute place, full of little signs with Italian sayings. The booth they were sitting at was covered in maps of Italy.

"You know, contrary to popular belief, I do not know every Italian person in America," Danny shook his head.

"But what about…you know?" Mindy gave Danny a look.

"No, what do 'I know'?" He asked.

"The mafia!" Mindy whispered from behind her menu. She glanced around, eyeing the waitress.

"Mindy, the mafia doesn't exist anymore." Mindy rolled her eyes, unbelieving. "And even if it did, I'm sure they don't have PTA meetings in the community center."

"Maybe your mom kept you out because she didn't want you to lead a life of crime! She didn't want her eldest son to always be on the run!" Mindy suggested.

"I think you've watched one too many episodes of The Sopranos," Danny replied. "And my ma didn't want to keep me out of the mafia. She wanted me to be – " Danny stopped himself.

"What?" Mindy asked, intrigued.

"She wanted me to be a dancer." Danny sighed. Mindy's mouth opened in surprise.

"So finally, I get to hear the tale of Ballerino Castellano!" She cheered.

"Fine. But if you repeat one word of this to anyone…" Danny glanced around. "You'll be swimming with the fishes." He whispered, laying on the accent. Mindy nodded, eyes wide.

Danny took a deep breath. "I was a bit of a pain back in middle school. When my Dad left, I kinda got out of control." Danny shrugged. "So my Ma made me volunteer at the community center working the lights for dance practice. You can guess the rest."

"Oh, no I can't!" Mindy shook her head. "You don't just go from pointing the lights to pointing your toes! There's more to this. And as you can see, we're still waiting on our pizza," she stated matter-of-factly. Danny groaned.

"Okay, there are a few more pieces left to the story." Mindy smiled knowingly. "I was at so many rehearsals, I started to learn the routines myself. Pretty soon, I was practicing at home on the linoleum. Better for turns," he added. "Anyways, I was fine just dancing on my own. Til one day, the lead boy made it onto the soccer team. The girls were out a lifter, and their showcase was the next day. I had watched them do the routine so many times; I knew it like the back of my hand. So I volunteered to fill in for him. And I guess I just never stopped." Danny ended, fiddling with his straw.

"Wow, Danny. That is so sweet. A lost boy turns to dance for control and expression in his life. How artistic," Mindy smiled dreamily, imagining a Young Danny practicing his pirouettes in the kitchen.

"No, don't do that, don't make me into some crappy Lifetime movie," Danny waved his hand. "It wasn't like that."

"The only way to get out his frustration, Danny Castellano pushes himself to become famous, longing for his father to see him on a billboard, wherever he was. Little does he know, his dad made it to the most important show of his life – his audition for the New York Ballet!"

"Okay, that's enough," Danny glances around the pizzeria, nodding at the old couple in the corner. The waitress rounds the counter, carrying their pizza. "This could not come soon enough," Danny thanks her, cutting a piece and shoving it in front of Mindy. "Here. Eat, so you stop talking." Mindy frowns a bit, picking up her slice. She bites in.

"HOLY SHIT! Danny! God, that's so hot!" She waves her hand in front of her mouth, swallowing before gulping down her glass of water.

"Yeah, that's what the steam indicates," Danny replied, his own slice cooling off in front of him. Mindy narrowed her eyes, waiting patiently and trying to ice the roof of her mouth.

Finally, she takes a timid bite. "Good?" Danny asks, already halfway through his own piece. "Mhmmm," she answers, not bothering to stop. Danny smiles, taking another slice.

"Danny, this is amazing!" Mindy takes a second to breathe between bites. "Where did you find it?"

"Eh, their specials are listed in the the newspaper. Figured I'd save a buck and try it out," He shrugged.

"I swear, you are the only person born after 1950 that still reads the newspaper," Mindy shook her head. "But right now, I'm glad you do!" She held up her pizza happily. Danny laughed, realizing she had a string of cheese hanging out of the side of her mouth.

"You uh, you got some schmutz there," he gestures at his lips.

"What?" Mindy asks, wiping the wrong side.

"No, the other-" Danny watches as she completely misses her target. He leans forward, wiping it with his thumb. Mindy freezes as his skin brushes hers.

"There. Better," Danny nods, turning back to his dinner. Mindy smiles, careful to take smaller bites.

In no time, they finished the whole pie.

"Wow. A girl who can actually eat. I like that," Danny says appreciatively. Mindy shrugs. No use in denying it now. He just saw her demolish half a pizza.

The waitress walks back to the table. "Are y'all finished?" They both nod. "Okay, will this be on one check or two?" Mindy looks at Danny, panicked, before he pulls out his wallet. "One," he tells the waitress. "She got the higher exam score, so I'm buying." The waitress laughs, taking Danny's bills. "I'll be right back," she says as she heads towards the register.

"That's right Castellano. Did your pizza taste of sweet, sweet defeat?"

"No, it tasted like tomato sauce and sausage."

"Maybe one day you'll get to my level of witty banter," Mindy rolled her eyes.

"One can only hope," Danny replied sarcastically. The waitress returned, keeping the change as Danny instructed her to do so. He got up, helping Mindy into her jacket and holding the door open as they exited.

They walked back towards campus.

"Thanks for dinner, by the way," Mindy looked at Danny. "I know I only beat you by one point, it really wasn't that big of a deal."

"No, you won fair and square," Danny allowed. He smirked. "Won't happen again, though."

"Oh it won't?" Mindy asked.

"No. Next time, you're gonna buy me sushi."

"Sushi! But that's so much more expensive than pizza!" Mindy cried. "And anyways, that means you have to beat me, Castellame-o."

"I know what it means," he replied smugly. "Enjoy this victory while you can."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"I guess we will."

Mindy smiled to herself, swinging her hand by her side. Her pinky brushed his as it moved to and fro. Danny glanced up at her, eyes wide. Mindy smiled, bumping his hand with her own. Danny smiled back, tapping the tips of her fingers.

They walked the rest of the way back to campus this way. It didn't take long before they were at Mindy's dorm.

"Well, this is me." She stopped at the door, glancing up at the brick building. "Home sweet home."

"You need me to walk you to your room?" Danny asked, glancing around him. It was starting to get dark.

"No, I think I'll be safe once I get in the building," Mindy laughed. "But thank you."

Danny nodded. "Sure." He took a step closer, looking everywhere but at her. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight." Mindy smiled up at him, shy all of a sudden. They stood there, just looking at one another, waiting for the other to make a move.

Mindy was just about to turn to the door when Danny kissed her.

Oh my Luigi, Mindy thought as his lips captured hers. Danny Castellano was one hell of a kisser. She'd forgotten they'd already kissed. But this time was different. She wasn't drunk, and he wasn't a stranger. He was Danny Castellano. And this was so much better.

She moved in closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. She wove her hands through his hair, remembering how it drove him crazy. Danny responded by pulling her in tighter. Mindy smiled. She was too preoccupied by his soft pillow-like lips to notice the people walking by and staring. He was so gentle yet so hungry at the same time. She jumped a little as his tongue traced her teeth, Danny laughing at her reaction.

It didn't take long before they were full-on making out. Mindy was sure her lipstick was all over her face, and the tail of Danny's tshirt hung out of his pants. Someone whistled as they walked by, causing the two to break apart, huffing. They laughed, still holding onto one another.

"So. That was, um –"

"Awesome," Danny finished for her. He scratched the back of his head. "Do you wanna do this again sometime?"

Mindy paused. "This as in make out in public, or this as in hang out?" She asked, confused.

Danny laughed. "Both?" He was still a bit out of breath.

"Both. Both sounds good," Mindy replied, giggling.

"Okay. Good," Danny smiled back. "Well, uh, I better get home."

"Wouldn't want to miss So You Think You Can Dance," Mindy gave him a knowing look.

"What?"

"Nevermind," Mindy laughed. "I'll text you."

"Okay. Bye," Danny leaned in to peck her on the cheek. He waved as he walked off.

Having stopped shaking enough to open the door, Mindy slid to the floor. She smiled happily, pinching herself to make sure it wasn't a dream.