A/N: I'm back, and with, what I think, is the second to last chapter of Fonder! Yes, the story is coming to a close. And this will be the first fic I've ever completed! I've published several other stories under a different name years ago, and to this day, none of them are complete. So I'm super excited to finish this! Also, thank you all for reading this story and for the reviews you've left! I appreciate it, really. I've really loved writing this story for you guys and for myself. Mmk, with the sentimental stuff out of the way, onward with the tenth chapter.

Fonder

Chapter Ten

The Italian Hobbit

Mindy's POV

"Thank you so much, Dr. Lahiri! Thank you for everything!" Amber Loyed wrapped her arms around me and pulled me as close to her protruding belly as possible in a grateful bear hug. Laughing, I patted her back in response.

"Now, Amber, you are officially the happiest pregnant woman I've ever met. Eight months typically isn't a great time for you ladies." I said, pulling away to beam at her.

She giggled and wrapped her arms around her husband, who stood loyally by her side. "That's because I am happy. Overjoyed! And it's all because of you. After having four boys, I'm finally getting my girl! We couldn't wait any longer-we had to know we were getting a girl, and we are!"

And then her squealing started again. While happily laughing with her as she bounced on her heels to replace jumping off the ground excitedly, I caught a glimpse of Tamra, Morgan and Betsy cautiously watching me. When they saw my stare, they hurriedly went about their day. What the hell was that about?

I waited until the Loyeds left gleefully to turn to the trio, all looking suspicious as they read random documents in manila folders.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "What?" I snapped.

They slightly jumped simultaneously at the tone of my raised voice and proceeded to mumble about tasks they had to do elsewhere as they power walked away from the desk.

Except for Betsy. She had nowhere to run.

As I approached the desk until I stood right in front of her, she quickly snatched up the phone and pressed it to her ear. "Thank you for calling Shulman and Associates, how may I help you?"

"Betsy," I said, gently taking the phone from her hand and placing it back in its cradle, "stop it. The phone didn't even ring."

She cleared her throat and threw a confused look my way. "I-it didn't? I could've sworn it… uh, it did."

When I just continued to stare at her, her face crumbled. "Oh, darn it! I can't lie to you, Dr. L! I'm so sorry. It's just, well, you've been really scary to be around lately. We were just shocked to actually see you laughing."

I scowled, mostly out of confusion. "What? I always laugh. And I'm totally not scary! I'm pleasant, and sweet, and lovable."

"More like sad, and angry, and miserable," Morgan's voice came from behind the desk. He slightly popped his head up to see my reaction before retreating back to the ground.

"Miserable? What the hell? I'm not miserable!"

"Uh, just yesterday you told a newly married couple to start drawing up the divorce papers tonight 'cause they were destined for failure." Tamra piped up, popping her head out of the bathroom before joining the others in their erroneous attack against me.

"Okay," I started, "but I was telling the truth then. He asked me last month when was the soonest he could have a paternity test done! There's no trust in the relationship. They're destined to fail."

"Well, you've also been stomping around here like Godzilla, all super pissed and mopey for the past two weeks," Morgan leaned in close. "What, Casey not putting it down the way he used to? I remember he did that weird thing with his tongue that seemed to turn you on."

I twisted my face in disgust. "Morgan, how the hell do you know about the weird tongue thing?" I shouted.

He laughed nervously. "I didn't, but you just told me… Actually, no, I saw you guys last year when I stopped by your apartment. You know, you should consider investing in some new curtains or blinds because—"

"Oh my God, Morgan, I'm going to kill you, you perv! Why haven't I gotten a restraining order against you yet?" I lunged towards him, but Morgan jumped back.

Betsy stood, her hands in front of her. "Whoa, Dr. L! We all know Morgan's a little cuckoo, but this isn't about him. We just want you to be happy… and, well, it was nice to see you laugh again. We missed it."

I had to admit that for the past couple of weeks, I had been down in the gutter. Today was different, though. Today had been a good day. I woke up and worked out willingly, gave a dollar to a homeless man on the train out of the kindness of my heart instead of just trying to get rid of the loose change in my purse, and then I got to the office and the best thing happened:

Danny didn't show up!

It was hard always having to avoid him, or if we couldn't do that, having to deal with the whirlwind of emotions I felt while also having to deal with the heat of his angry glare directed at me. It was hard, and made me moody and sad and angry.

But today, I didn't have to deal with it, and so it had been a magnificent day! I finally could socialize with Jeremy and Peter and my patients without the fear of having to run away from Danny, always thinking of escape plans if the scenario occurred.

I even was looking forward to the double date Casey and I had with Gwen and Carl, which I had joyfully gotten dressed for before my appointment with the Loyeds. I wore a earthy green low-high dress with straps that cross over the chest, creating a triangle that showed off my cleavage. There was a sheer train in the back, and a slender black belt accentuated my waist, black platform wedges numbing my feet. Usually if I had a date with Casey, I'd wait until the end of the day to get dressed, but I was excited to go out with him tonight, and didn't want to wait.

Danny had barely crossed my mind, and whenever he did, I successfully pushed all thoughts of him aside to enjoy this rare day.

"Hey Dr. C! What are you doing here?" Morgan called from the opposite side of the room, his gaze no longer focused on me but on someone standing behind me.

My body tensed and the air suddenly felt electric, as if one sudden move would electrocute me on the spot.

Trying to appear cavalier, I turned to face him, the sight of him making my mouth instantly dry. I had always thought purple was his color, and the outfit he adorned only proved how right I was. In a purple button down shirt with matching gray slacks and suit jacket, he looked strikingly debonair. His hair seemed to have had a recent trimming and I immediately remembered how amazing it felt to run my fingers through his short locks.

"Danny," I squeaked out. "Hello."

He nodded once at me then walked towards his office.

"Wow, you look really good, Dr. Castellano! Do you have a date tonight?" Tamra asked.

He stopped walking and turned to look at Tamra before glancing at me.

Fuck.

My heart tightened in my chest. He had a date with who? Did this mean he was over me?

I looked away and willed myself to push my thoughts and questions of him out of my brain as he answered, "Uh, yeah. You could call it that."

"Damn girl! You look good!"

We all turned at the sound of Casey's voice. He, Gwen, and Carl stood in the elevator foyer. It was crazy how moments before I had been excited about our date, but now…

I looked to Danny, who shifted awkwardly from foot to foot before going into his office quietly.

I looked back to Casey and smiled. "Hi honey, how are you?"

"We've got a surprise for you," he said immediately, as if he couldn't hold it in. I raised a brow and let my eyes land on Gwen, who mouthed, "Sorry," to me.

Uh-oh. What the hell did that mean?

"Hi Mindy!"

My eyes widened.

Laurel.

How many people were going to show up unexpectedly tonight?

She ran from behind Casey and gave me a huge hug. I scowled at Gwen, who avoided eye contact, before plastering on a fake grin before Laurel could spot the scowl.

"Laurel. Wow. What are you doing here?"

"Hey… I thought I told you to wait for me in the cab." Danny had stepped out of his office, and upon seeing him, Laurel beamed and bounced over, dress swinging with every pep in her step.

She grabbed his hand.

I wanted to burn it.

"I wanted to see you!" Laurel answered my previous question. "Danny said you'd be busy, but it looks like you're going out, too! Where are you guys headed?"

I looked to my shoes as Casey put his arm around my waist and answered, "Going to a new restaurant in Chinatown. What about you guys? You're both looking pretty snazzy."

"Oh," Laurel gushed, "thank you! We're going to a salsa club. We love dancing."

We? I thought. When did they become a we?

"Oh, wow! That sounds dope. Would…" Casey squeezed my side and looked down. "We've never really gone dancing before. That sounds fun. Could we join you all?"

"NO!" Danny and I yelled at the same time, causing everyone to stare at us confusedly, Gwen the only one shaking her head back and forth.

"Whoa, why not?" Casey asked. "It sounds pretty fun."

"Yeah," Carl popped in. When was Carl given permission to voice his thoughts? "Gwen, we haven't gone dancing since before Riley was born. This could be fun!"

I shot a death glare at Gwen, and as she stared between me and Carl, he eyes landed on her husband. "We haven't, have we? It does sound fun…"

"Okay, but we made the reservation already," I spoke up. "And it's the hottest, hippest restaurant out right now, and I'm not dressed to go salsa dancing!"

"What are you talking bout, babe? You look gorgeous." He kissed the top of my head and I sighed.

"Yes, I do look gorgeous, I know, but the restaurant—"

"Has a two hour wait even with a reservation, and I'm hungry." Carl said. "Let's do it! A little spontaneity, right, honey?"

Gwen nodded, and I felt a low growl itch my throat.

"Then it's settled!" Laurel said, clapping her hands together. "And I heard the salsa spot has the best food ever. So good. Alright, then, let's get going!"

Danny and I briefly made eye contact, both of our expressions matching exactly what we were thinking:

This is going to be an awful night.

A large crowd circled around the dancing couple as they showed off their fancy moves, as if they had been partners for years. Danny pushed Laurel's shoulder and spun her out just to pull her back into his arms, making the audience coo "ooh" and "ahh" in fickle fascination. The crowd was to Danny and Laurel as an ADHD riddled toddler was to glitter. It annoyed the crap out of me.

"They're not that good," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest, being sure to take a sip of my mojito along the way.

"Aren't they amazing?" Casey shouted in my ear. I threw up an overly happy grin his way before turning my scowl back to the duo, gliding around the middle of the floor. One of her long, slender legs hooked onto his waist as her other leg stretched out behind her. I felt my hand tighten around my glass, and imagined myself squeezing it so hard in anger, jealousy and frustration that the glass would shatter in a million shards, but when I actually squeezed it harder, it resulted in my hand getting a cramp. With a pout I switched the glass to my left hand, stretching out the right. Damn them.

Finally the song ended, and everyone cheered for the two before filling in the space they'd made for them to continue their own dancing.

I turned to look at Casey and said, "I'm parched. I need another drink."

"Another? You just got that one like five minutes ago."

"Hey, don't get judgey with me," I said, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"No, babe, I just want to dance. We haven't danced all night! That was the point of coming here, right?"

"Oh my gosh, wasn't that amazing!" Laurel shouted. I spun around to see her and Danny approach. His hand was on the small of her back. It made me want to vomit.

"Wow, you guys are incredible," Casey gushed. "Where did you learn those moves?"

"I just followed Danny's lead! It was all him."

"Oh, okay. Setting women's lib back several years, I see," I mumbled while staring down at my shoes.

As Laurel and Casey conversed, Danny smirked at me. "I heard that."

I rolled my eyes, continuing to avoid eye contact.

"Hey, don't be mad you don't have the moves, Min."

I heatedly snapped my head up to meet his gaze. "I do have the moves, Dan, I just don't feel it's conducive t-to women to participate in the antiquated practice of following the man. I mean, feminism, okay?"

"Wait, did you say you have moves?" Laurel shouted over the music, bending down to hear me better.

"Yes, actually, I did, Laurel, and that's because I do. I totally have moves. All of them! They may not be your sexy salsa but—"

"Show us! Show us, show us, show us! Let Danny teach you how to salsa, and I can teach Casey! He tried to teach her in the cabins, Casey, but she just was stubborn. I thought you were embarrassed because you couldn't dance, but obviously you have all the confidence in the world!"

I hated this woman.

I turned to Casey to object but he was already dragging Laurel to the dance floor. I looked to Danny, whose jaw was clenched tightly. He stiffly offered his hand, and after staring at it for a brief moment, I set my empty glass down on a nearby table, then placed my hand in his warm, sweaty palm.

On the dance floor we stood awkwardly across from each other, staring as people around us danced sensually to the Reggaeton that now played over the speakers.

Danny moved forward to put his hands on my hips, but I panicked and broke out into my own dance.

He froze and stared at me like I was a moron. "What the hell is that... I-is that the Charleston, Mindy?"

I slightly bounced as I swung my legs back and forth rhythmically to the 20s style flapper dance and answered, "Yes! It's a classic! Appropriate during any occasion!"

"That is absolutely inaccurate. The Charleston is a dance reserved for speakeasies and juke joints. This is a Latin club, and we will dance accordingly. Now," he stepped forward and softly said, "come here."

He put his arms around my back, pulling me as close as possible so one of my legs was between his, and vice versa. He moved his body in a slow wine, and I quickly fell into line. Typically I would feel embarrassed, stepping all the way out of my comfort zone and dancing in a way I hadn't even checked in the mirror to see if it looked good, but Danny made me comfortable, and soon our bodies melded as one. I slowly brought my hands to lock behind his neck, my fingers instinctively playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. He closed his eyes, and I did the same, feeling the music become a distant noise in the background as memories of our time in the cabins flooded back, our bodies fitting together perfectly just as it had in Gatlinburg.

I exhaled while resting the side of my face against his chest. No sooner had I done it, Danny's chin was on top of my head, and he too released a similar exhale to mine. We were no longer slow wining, but instead intimately rocking back and forth, probably completely off beat to the music, but neither of us cared. I felt complete and whole in his arms. I could only hope he felt the same. If his presence here with Laurel was any indicator, it appeared that he had moved on with the bombshell.

My insecurity forced me to look up at him, though all I wanted was to stay planted in his arms for as long as possible. I titled my head up so my mouth wasn't far from his ear, and asked, "Why are you here with Laurel?"

He raised a brow and smirked. "Are you serious? I could be asking why you're here with Casey, but I'm not. Don't ruin what we're doing right now. Not when I'm enjoying this so much."

I quieted and considered staying that way, until I couldn't hold it in anymore. "Okay if you're enjoying this then why are you here with Laurel?"

He released me and stepped back. I felt cold, as I typically did whenever his arms weren't around me. "Because, Mindy, I can. That's what people do after they're rejected: they move on, so that's what I'm doing. You can't just fucking see me here with Laurel and then start grilling me like you're my girlfriend."

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. "I am not—!"

"You had your chance with me, Mindy. And you turned me down for Casey, so don't try to box me in and keep me available for you as some kind of backup plan while you decide who you want to be with. See... the thing that really pisses me off, out of all the things that have pissed me off these past few weeks about you, is, even though I knew you were selfish—it's a quality about you I find kind of cute, God knows why—I never expected you to be that way with me. I... I was supposed to be different, Mindy. You're supposed to want the best for me... and you don't. You want what you want when you want it, and I'm not gonna be apart of it."

And with that he walked away, leaving me in the middle of a room full of enthusiastic couples dancing happily. Quickly I shuffled to the bar and ordered another mojito. I know I was being selfish but... knowing Danny was no longer an option terrified me, and knowing he was available comforted me, as fucked up as it sounded. His availability had become a glimmer of hope for me that I didn't have to be destined to a life of forced love. He had been my out, which I knew wasn't right, but now it was that much more obvious how horrible of a person I had been.

And to Danny, no less.

But I hadn't found the courage to take a chance on Danny yet, especially with someone as perfect as Casey already willing to drop down on one knee and make me his wife. What if Danny one day woke up and was like, "What the hell was I thinking?" Then I'd be alone when I could've been married to Casey in potential marital bliss.

"What was that about?"

I turned to Gwen and sighed. "What was what about?"

"You and Danny storming off the dance floor like that."

"Uh... it's nothing," I grumbled, taking a sip of my mojito.

Gwen stared at me cautiously before grabbing my arm and dragging me to the bathroom. When we were alone in the lounge area, she sat me on the couch and shook her head disappointingly at me. I shifted uncomfortably and asked, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You are a ridiculous human being, Mindy Lahiri."

"What the hell, Gwen!"

"You are! You are a successful thirty—"

"—Something!"

"—year old doctor who behaves like an 8th grader when it comes to boys... or men."

I furrowed my brows and stood. "Gwen, you're the one who told me to get back with Casey!"

"And I also said I don't get you. Mindy, I'm your best friend, so I want the best for you, and I think Casey is best for you. But at the end of the day I'm not you! And you're clearly miserable with Casey."

"Oh my God, are you telling me I should try to get back with Danny now?"

"No! I'm saying to trust yourself! If I had followed each piece of advice that you've so graciously offered on my love life over the years, I wouldn't be married to Carl—"

"—Which would have been amazing. All the single ladies!"

"—and I wouldn't have Riley."

I shrugged. "Eh, I could do with or without her."

"Point is, horrible godmother, you've got to find a way to take your own advice sometimes, and trust what your heart is telling you instead of depending on other people's opinions and those stupid self-help blogs you read. You need to ask yourself, 'Would I rather be with Adonis reincarnated?' or 'Would I rather be with an Italian hobbit'?"

"He is not a hobbit!" I yelled, hopping up from my seat on the couch. "He is 5'10", which is exactly five and a half inches taller than me, and he's just as gorgeous and kind as Casey, and he's way funnier and oh my God, I'm in love with an Italian hobbit."

A/N: Ahhhhh! So close to the end! We've got one more chapter after this, and then Fonder will come to a close. Somewhat bittersweet (hehe) but I'm excited to finish my first fic! So thanks for continuing to read, you all, even when my updates don't come as quickly as you'd like! I'd love to read what you think, so please review! Until the next, and last, chapter!