It's been a while! Sorry! I am winding this one down within the next chapter because there is so much great new material to work with! So, here it is.. As always, your comments are appreciated. Catch ya on the flippy flip! ;)
CHAPTER 11
"So, now is as good a time as ever to mention that my ex-wife is pregnant, right? That her new boyfriend was one of my friends? Oh and that the baby could still be mine?" Danny half jokingly said in his high pitch voice, while looking at Casey and Anne. He took a slow and deliberate breath and nervously wiped the moisture from his hand onto the lap of his jeans.
Anne looked questioningly to Danny and then to Mindy. "So, you're divorced but she might be pregnant with your child? Ohh." She slowly digested the bit of information as Danny nodded his response in the affirmative. "So, you and Mindy haven't been dating that long, then? Wow, you guys come across as having been together years..." she trailed off while looking again to Mindy.
"Um, no, no, no. We are not together. I mean, we came here together but he is just a work colleague." Mindy argued defensively while shooting a look of shock to Danny. Danny didn't hear anything, as he was too busy looking at the couple standing at the entrance of the restaurant. Mindy continued, "As for the rest, Danny being divorced and Christina being pregnant, true and true. Geez, I should have totally sent this story to Maury Pov ..." Mindy began to say absentmindedly. She quickly closed her mouth when she saw Danny's reaction. That part he had heard.
"I'm going to say hello at the very least. It would be rude if I didn't. Besides, I'm sure they want to be around us just as much as we want to be around them. Not at all." Danny said as he stood. "Excuse me, Casey...Anne, but I will be right back." Danny waited for a brief moment and looked down at Mindy, expecting her to follow him.
Mindy sighed. "Ugh. Fine! Let them ruin our evening! But I will stay here with Casey and Anne while you play nice. Tell the happy couple that I said hello." She said, narrowing her eyes on Christina across the room.
Danny responded dryly, "I will." and excused himself from the table.
Mindy quietly watched Danny as he made his way towards Sperm Donor and Heartless Woman Whore (she renamed them). For two minutes, she focused solely on Danny's movements and the air of condescension showing on Christina's face. I loathe that woman, Mindy mentally told herself. Paul was invisible to her now. He merely was there, a hopeful sperm donor but nothing more.
"She is quite beautiful. It's a shame that their marriage ended in divorce but I guess some relationships are not destined to be. Now, he's free to find someone who will make him truly happy." Anne said, primarily to Mindy. Mindy jumped, having forgotten the two still seated with her at the table. Anne repeated herself as Mindy stared blankly at her. Mindy smiled back, detecting a faint something in Anne's choice of words.
Casey instinctively looked to Mindy and added to Anne, "Danny is a great guy. I'm sure he'll find that woman to make him happy in no time."
Mindy felt herself blush. "Yeah, I guess so." She responded nervously, desperately wanting to change the conversation. She noted that Danny had already given them the Cliff-Notes' version of the pregnancy, she would fill them in with the rest of the story. All of it, except maybe where she fit into it.
"So, Anne, that blond bombshell in the maternity dress...Come on, really, Christina?! A maternity dress again?...anyway, she and Danny divorced several years ago after she cheated on him. He finally forgave her and they recently tested the waters again..." Mindy spoke slowly and quietly, her full attention to the wide-eyed Anne who soaked in the story. "Things didn't work out and Danny broke things off. Well, when he did, Christina had animal-like revenge sex with Paul, who was a doctor with our practice at the time. Danny and Paul had become good friends, I think. " Mindy slowed while stealing a glance towards Danny, who was now gesturing over to the table. "Paul just told Danny this week about the pregnancy. Given her due date and all, well, it's up in the air as to who the father might be. The three of them decided it would be best to wait until after the baby is born to find out." Mindy ended the story with a look of sadness, her eyes focusing on the plate of food before her.
"Oh, I understand." Anne calmly said, quietly nodding her head and adding, "I am sorry if I assumed you and he were...well, together."
"Oh yeah, we are totally not together." Mindy quickly interjected as Danny suddenly appeared at the table. He sat down and began rearranging his napkin on his lap nervously.
"They told me to say hello and to excuse them for not coming over directly. They are here meeting some friends and well..." Danny tried to think of a better excuse but couldn't think fast enough.
"So, what? They're too good to say hi?" Mindy jumped at his silence, glaring at Christina from afar. "Offensive, much?"
"Hey, you didn't bother getting up... Look, they told me to tell you hello. They're here having dinner. We're having a great dinner, let's just leave it, please." he said almost angrily.
"Um, ok Mr. I Don't Want to Be Rude So I Have to Say Hi. No problem here. I told you we should have just ignored them, like some people do to me when I run into them... Hey, this is actually great news! They did us all a favor." Mindy said, slowly becoming grateful that she would not have to endure the awkward introduction. She couldn't bear to see Christina's gloating face when she introduced her to Casey and his wonderful, new bride.
"Well, then let's get back to our dinner!" Casey said, still hoping to get some more information out of tonight. He wanted to see for himself what possibility at romance the pair had. Everything he had seen tonight had pointed towards a very clear and resounding: hell to the yes. They wanted to jump each other's bones. He was happy to catch side glances from Mindy to Danny throughout the night and was more than happy to know that this was no longer just one-sided affection.
The rest of the dinner went relatively painlessly. There were a few stares towards the back of the restaurant where Christina and Paul had been seated, a few more mentions of the pregnancy, of the divorce and Danny's overall future but nothing that really affected the great dinner that they were all having. The easy nature in which Anne fell into conversation with everyone, Casey's willingness to take a back seat and "observe" and Danny's good mood made everything so much easier. Casey was surprised to see Danny in such a good mood, especially after having run into Christina and the new boyfriend. Danny, Casey thought, was definitely over Christina.
"It was absolutely wonderful to meet you, Mindy. You're as lovely as Casey described!" Anne laughed as Mindy released herself from their tight hug. Anne turned to Danny and in a hushed voice, "And you, Danny...keep your chin up. I'm sure whatever happens with Christina, it will be for the best. You have a great friend here," looking to Mindy, "to help you through this." Anne sunk her head in closer to Danny's. She began whispering, "For the record...I think you should go for it. I think you and Mindy make a sweet couple. Just an unbiased opinion..." She smiled knowingly and pulled him into a hug.
Danny felt flustered. He stood a moment, half grinning to Anne with his mouth gaping. He slowly turned to face Casey and extended his hand. The women hugged it out again and began talking fashion and shoes. "Congrats, again, Casey. You certainly look happy."
"Thanks, man. I am. Hey, no hard feelings from earlier, right? I mean, I wasn't trying to make a scene at your office... It's just that I think we needed this." He said, turning to the women. His facial expression turned a bit more serious and he lowered his voice to Danny, "Just look after her, will you? Mindy will always be very dear to me and I will always want what's best. Don't let her keep chasing rainbows when her pot of gold is in front of her." Casey said, patting Danny on his back with a nod of his head.
Casey directed his attention back to Anne and asked if she was ready to go, as they still had some last-minute things to do before heading back to Texas.
Danny was caught off guard, still contemplating Casey's words. Of course he would look after Mindy. He always had. He was opening his mouth to respond to Casey but the words wouldn't come out. They were already several feet away and waving goodbye. Danny took a deep breath and glanced to Mindy was also waving goodbye. Danny breathed into the night air, "This pot of gold will always look after her."
Mindy finished waving goodbye and quickly turned to Danny, linking her arm through his. "I am so happy we came tonight. You did so good. You surprise me, Danny Castellano, for a minute there you had me fooled into thinking you were decent company...well, at least you didn't embarrass me.." She playfully said, bumping her shoulder against his.
"Yeah, well, you know I am a sucker for free food. Besides, tonight wasn't all that bad, Anne gave me her sister's number." Danny joked, trying to shake the seriousness that Casey had left him.
"Ha ha. Joke's on you, Danny. Her sister just got engaged. Facebook says so." Mindy said, scrolling through her news feed, until coming across the one she needed. She triumphantly flashed her phone in Danny's face.
"How can you possibly have friend-ed her sister already?! It took you two weeks to accept my friend request!" Danny argued.
"I don't accept just anybody's friend request, Danny. I had to make an executive decision with you, though. You are clearly beyond my age criteria. You should kind of feel special, you are my only friend above 50! Well, other than my mom."
"We are the same age, Lahiri! Fine, whatever." They both chuckled and started their slow walk towards Mindy's apartment.
They walked silently with their arms linked together, Mindy huddling a little closer to Danny than she normally did. She convinced herself that it was because of the crisp night air. Besides, Danny clearly didn't mind. In fact, she could have sworn that he felt shiver against her every now and again. It definitely wasn't cold enough for that. Mindy quietly reflected that it was only until recently that she could appreciate this quality in a man. To be able to walk in silence and be content just being. Not that she wasn't a fan of useless rambling, but for the moment she was happy knowing that they were each saying so much...saying almost nothing.
After a few moments of walking in silence, Danny finally cleared his throat, "Hey, Mindy?"
She turned to him and nodded for him to continue.
"I think I want to tell everyone at the office about Christina and, um, well the baby and I just want to know if you think it's a good idea?" He shrugged his shoulders nervously.
Mindy gasped. "What do you mean, do I?! Of course I do! Sure, they'll start an office pool betting on whose baby it is and sure, Morgan may try to pay you to become Godfather, but, I just think it would be easier on us if they knew what was going on. You wouldn't have to constantly lie to everyone because, Danny, you are a horrible liar. Like, ridiculously bad at it."
"Calm down, I don't like lying, there's nothing wrong with that. It makes me uncomfortable...But, you're right. I think I'll tell everyone tomorrow." Danny nodded.
"Better you than me, Danny. I almost told the cleaning lady this morning while she was taking out my trash! I can't help myself, Danny, I wasn't made for keeping secrets. I was made for gossip...and chocolate...and reality TV. In that order."
"I am impressed, Min. You have held out longer than I would have given you credit for."
"Very funny, old man. Since we're on the subject of Christina and all...what is up with her giving us the finger tonight? Not that I didn't enjoy my evening better because of her snub, I just thought she would have enjoyed seeing me defeated." Mindy lowered her eyes to the floor.
"Defeated? How are you defeated? Casey and Anne together? I wouldn't consider that being defeated. You're exploring your options, nothing wrong with that." He said in his gruffy voice, barely above a whisper. Mindy shivered slightly. "Anyway, truth be told, I told her not to come to the table with me. She wanted to, I could see it in her eyes, but you were having such a good time that I figured we could do without them." He said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Oh. Ok. Well, thank you, I guess." Mindy said, slightly confused.
"It was nothing..." He looked to the ground, fidgeting his hands clumsily in each pocket. "Can I tell you something?" Danny slowed their steady pace and almost stopped moving altogether.
Mindy felt her body tense and the air became desperately suffocating. His eyes were so intense she could swear that he was going to go for it. Hell, I might go for it if he keeps looking at me like that, she thought. "Uh hum" Her voice barely audible above the noise of cars passing by them.
"Tonight was nice. No, not nice. It was amazing. I know you were nervous about meeting up with Casey and his new wife but honestly, I haven't felt so refreshed in ages. You know I hate that romantic garbage, the junk they sell young, impressionable girls so they will get their parents to go out and buy princess themed blankets and room decor. I am not a fan of it. It sets you girls up for failure in the real relationship world. I am a realist..." he pretended not to see Mindy's appalled look, "But...I can't help to feel that a happy marriage can exist. There was something about those two, I don't know, that left me hopeful. I guess that's what I could call this feeling, hopeful.." Danny's words left his mouth faster than he could stop them. What he had originally planned on being just a simple statement as to how happy the newlyweds looked had turned into some soul-searching declaration and to Mindy of all people!
"I know what you mean, Danny. Kind of bittersweet for me, but I can see what you're saying. They looked so happy." Mindy said with a faint smile. She did feel bittersweet about it; on one hand, she was a bit envious of Casey but on the other hand, she was so happy for him. He found an amazing woman, someone who could fulfill him in ways that she knew that she never could. She sighed deeply, and nervously looked to Danny. "Why shouldn't love last forever, Danny? I mean, sure, you had a horrible experience with that ungrateful wench of a woman, no offense, but why not? I might not be a realist as you call it, but I would like to think that there's someone out there that completes me, that makes me happy to no end, and that will be mine forever." She stopped looking at Danny, there was too much emotion running through her.
"I'm not saying that it doesn't exist, I guess. What I'm saying that love doesn't come like they play it out in all of your movies. What happens after the movie ends? That's what I want to see! How do you know that five years down the line that Sally doesn't regret ever falling in love with Harry? Maybe he snores too loudly, maybe she hates that he uses dandruff shampoo, she hates the way he plays piano or hates that he speaks his mind too much. Who is to say that they end up living happily ever after?" Somehow this was going all wrong. Danny seemed to projecting his own feelings a bit too much in this conversation. He immediately felt awkward and wanted to end it there.
Mindy was oblivious to what Danny was trying to say or who Harry was in this scenario. "Who is to say that they don't?! I just never want to give up the hope that someday I will be as happy as my heroines, with the man who I'm destined for. How depressing is it if the main characters never fall in love? Shoot me in the face, Danny! I would rather live in blissful denial than know that I will die alone! As long as I know that my prince charming is outside my door too timid to knock but as long as I know he's there...waiting along with me...I'm fine with that." Mindy smiled innocently.
The light of the moon across her face made her seem much younger to Danny right now. That sense of optimism that was truly Mindy made Danny warm inside. Of course she'd wait for her prince charming. She might declare tomorrow that she hates the idea of Prince Charming and that she hates men, but deep down she was holding out for him. Danny took a second to soak in the moment, to soak in her perfume and to soak in her facial expression at this very second. She was rubbing her hands together and smiling looking towards the sky. God, she will be the death of me, he thought.
"Ok. Good to know, I'll be sure to tell that knight in shining armor that hangs out on your doorstep all of the time." He said, nudging her in the shoulder again. He even let out a soft chuckle. He was afraid of just how long he was willing to wait for her to realize that he's been waiting outside her door, too timid to knock.
Soon, they were standing in front of her building, winding down the events of the evening. Danny, began to nervously look around and realized that he didn't want this to end, at least not now. He was still feeling slightly optimistic and confident.
"Hey, Min? I'm not tired. Up for a stroll?" Danny asked nervously.
"Sure.." Mindy responded slowly, looking around her. Danny took this as a bad sign, she must not want to go but won't say no. Mindy saw the immediate hurt in his eyes and clarified, "Yes, Danny. Of course. I was just going to ask if we could head up to my apartment first so that I can change. These shoes are not 'stroll' material."
"Oh! Of course. Sure, let's go up." Danny energetically said glancing up towards her apartment. He began walking but stopped when he noticed Mindy not following. She stood, shaking her head at him.
"Ugh. Men. Always so excited to come up to a woman's apartment!" She jokingly said, feeling slightly playful herself.
"That's not what I meant. I was just...um, you know..." Danny scratched the back of his neck, desperately wanting the right words to fall out of his mouth. Instead, there was more jumbled garbage and a bead of sweat that began to collect on his forehead.
"Just for future reference, it's impolite to walk ahead of a lady. Always next to or behind us." She breezed past him, shaking her finger playfully in the air. "Tsk, tsk"
He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He admired her from behind, acknowledging to himself that tonight was the night that he had to knock on her door. There was no use waiting outside anymore. Change things as it may, he had to do this.
Mindy stopped and looked back to him as she reached her building door. She called out to him, "Are you coming up or waiting out here?"
Danny took a deep breath and walked towards Mindy, linking his arm in hers. "Wait outside? Nope, not anymore..." Danny gave her a lop sided grin and they entered the building. Oh boy, he thought to himself.
TO BE CONTINUED