Chapter 10:

Mindy was still bouncing off the walls when they returned to the room, aided a bit by the champagne that had been continually thrust in their hands throughout the evening. Even Danny was feeling tipsy, which he hated because alcohol made him a little more loose-lipped than he preferred.

Mindy had kicked off her shoes the second they walked through the door and was practically yelling out to Danny while brushing her teeth in the bathroom. "This night was so crazy. God, how exciting is this!"

Danny shook his head from his spot on the bed. Drunk Mindy was always kind-of amusing. "Yea, it was definitely an interesting night. It's time for bed though don't you think?"

"Oh, fine, old man. Don't get your panties in a twist."

"I would think that would be you in this situation…"

"Sure, but I'm not wearing underwear," she casually responded just before taking a shot of Listerine.

"Oh Jesus, Mindy, are you trying to kill me?" Do not say what you are thinking right now…

He wasn't quite sure how she managed to still pull an innocent face while in mid-gargle of mouthwash.

Mindy closed the bathroom door halfway in order to change into pajamas and in his tipsy state, Danny forced himself to close his eyes. It is not appropriate to violate your co-worker's privacy. It is not appropriate to violate your co-worker's privacy.

She bounded out of the bathroom and literally jumped into bed and under the covers with him.

"OK, Dr. Lahiri. I know you're drunk right now, but it's time to calm down."

"Fine, Dr. Castellano. You're such a grump monster."

She made a face at him, but admitted to herself that she was feeling pretty tired. She yawned in spite of herself and turned off the bedside lamp, though the moon illuminated the room slightly anyway.

"By the way, I'm sorry I kept your fake proposal waiting for my fake answer. What exactly did you say while I was daydreaming?"

"Not much. You know me, Min. You're lucky the fake proposal didn't consist of me thrusting a ring box in your face and puking from nerves. It was a little easier because I was pretty sure I had it in the bag."

"I could've said no!"

"And why would you do that?"

"Good point. Still though, this ring is gorgeous," she said staring dreamily at her hand. "It looks so real."

"That's probably because it is real."

"Excuse me? Are you seriously telling me that this is a real diamond ring?"

"It was my great-grandmother's engagement ring. It was passed down through the family and my mother held onto it for me to give my future wife."

Mindy nodded silently though she had a million thoughts running through her head.

He answered her unasked question. "Christina never wore it. My mother didn't tell me about it until after the divorce. She never liked her and just didn't think the ring belonged on her finger. She wanted only the right person to wear it. I was a little mad at first, but she was right after all. Mother's intuition…"

"And you thought to take it with you for the weekend. I really appreciate it, Danny."

Danny had his eyes closed and was so quiet that Mindy wondered if he had fallen asleep. She kept staring at that beautiful ring on her finger, not entirely sure why she still had it on hours later. She was startled when Danny finally spoke again. "You're not the only one, you know? I worry sometimes about finding someone. I thought I had it, but it wasn't real. And now, I'm closer to 40 than 35 and still single. No kids."

Mindy interrupted, "Dude, you can have kids when you're 80. Don't worry."

"Well sure, biologically I'm not worried," he said giving her a pointed look to which she blushed in response. She wasn't sure why exactly, but there was definitely some veiled innuendo about his virility in that comment somewhere. After that mind-blowing kiss earlier, Mindy found her mind wandering to some steamy places. He continued, "I'm just saying that I get where you're coming from. I want what you want too."

Mindy smiled softly as she held his glance. When did his eyes become so expressive? When did the faint smile on his lips start creating butterflies in my stomach? When did he become so damn attractive to me? Mindy suddenly startled and sat up. "Oh my God, Danny! We have to take this off of my finger. Just think of your mother and all that she did to make sure the wrong person doesn't wear it!"

She began to twist the ring, cursing when it didn't come off immediately, when Danny grabbed her hand, similar to that moment of turbulence on the plane. Mindy was so shocked that she stilled her motions. He pulled her down slightly, almost into his side if she let gravity take hold. The air was quiet as he held her hand to his chest. "I think she would be fine with this," he responded in that deep, quiet voice that she had come to realize made her feel tingles up her spine. She tried to resist, but her body melted into his words and she let go into gravity, allowing herself to settle down into his side. They weren't looking at each other because it was easier without eye contact to pretend that this was somehow appropriate between friends and colleagues.

"I can feel your heart beating."

"A very good sign that I'm still alive."

"It's soothing."

"I'm glad."

Given how far the situation had already gone, Mindy decided it wouldn't hurt to get a little more comfortable. She placed her head on Danny's chest, now hearing instead of just feeling his heartbeat. She felt him tense up briefly and then relax. His free hand tangled into her hair, stroking it in a soothing, repeated motion. They had a choice to make here tonight and though unknown to each other, their thoughts were the same: we'll worry about reality tomorrow; this fantasy is too good to pause now.