Danny and Mindy looked upon the glass bottom of the boat with two entirely contrasting expressions: his was look of wonderment and reverence while hers was one of complete boredom and disappointment.

"How are you not impressed by any of this?" Danny questioned in a hushed tone as another silver and bright blue fish quickly swam by. "We see the ocean's calm surface and have no idea what kind of epic war for survival lies beneath. It's a daily bloodbath where the fittest and most cunning must prove themselves everyday and we sit here on land, living our cushy lives, none the wiser of the terror that lies beneath."

Mindy, already well-acquainted with Danny's reverence of the ocean, maintained her uninterested gaze at the clear bottom of their vessel as her feet swung over the edge of her seat. "I would honestly love to see one of these battles for survival. Even a scuffle for survival would be nice instead of seeing the same fish and coral over and over again." She looked up and gestured towards the many pictures of varying sea life lining the wall. "And they shouldn't promise us that we're going to see all these cool sharks and sting rays if we're just going to see a hundred of the same striped fish for an hour."

"You seemed pretty excited when we saw the clown fish," Danny pointed out with optimism. "You called him Nemo!"

"Well, yeah, when you see it the first time it's kind of like seeing a celebrity," Mindy explained. "After the thirtieth time you begin to feel like you've been ripped off, even if you didn't technically pay for it."

They decided that morning to peruse the attraction vouchers in their possession and choose an activity for the day while leisurely exploring the city. Both agreed that a glass bottom boat tour would satisfy his interest in learning about nature while satisfying her desire to see something beautiful up close. The first ten minutes after shove-off were interesting, but they were forty minutes in and only half of the pair appeared stimulated by their surroundings.

"Okay, well, what do you want to do after this?" Danny asked after tearing his eyes away from the glass. "Maybe get some lunch?"

Mindy nodded with some of the life returning to her eyes. "Yeah, I want a burger. I could have sworn we passed a few places on the way here." She paused for a moment, then added, "Also, I'd really like to go dancing tonight. The night life here has to be crazy and I did not expect to crash as hard as I did last night. We can dress up, get dinner, and find the loudest club on Duval Street."

Danny gave a slight cringe. "Does it have to be the loudest?"

"Yes, that's non-negotiable."

With a shrug of his shoulders, he sighed in defeat. "'kay, fine. Let's find the loudest club …and I hope that this place, whatever it is, has the stiffest drinks."

"Agreed," Mindy immediately replied with an enthusiastic smile. "And for that, I will try my best not to call you 'Grandpa Castellano' for the remainder of the trip."

Twenty minutes later their boat ride came to an end, much to Mindy's joy. They filed out of the boat with the rest of the patrons, Danny's hand placed protectively on Mindy's lower back as she ascended the few steps to the deck. The captain waited for everyone at the top to personally say goodbye to everyone as they excited. The bulky man in a blue polo and white shorts met Mindy and Danny with a friendly grin.

"I hope you and your husband enjoyed your voyage with us today," he said with a tip of his hat.

"Oh, he's not my husband," Mindy corrected quickly. "But we had a nice time, thank you very much."

Danny lips tightened in an unintentional grimace. It certainly wasn't the first time that day that they had been mistaken for a couple. He wasn't sure what they were doing that made it so easy for others to think that they were together, but it had been assumed that Danny was Mindy's significant other to some degree no less than four times: once at breakfast, another time in an artifacts shop, and twice on the boat tour in two different instances. It was beginning to bug him, but not for the reasons he thought it would.

Danny could handle people thinking that him and Mindy were together, it was something they had dealt with every once in a while for years. What bothered him, surprisingly, was the alacrity in which Mindy would correct the error while they were here. He knew it was petty, but it seemed silly to him for her to be so hell-bent on everyone knowing that they weren't together. Honestly, what would be the harm in a bunch of strangers thinking that they were an item? Why was the idea of him being a viable dating option - in front of people they would never see again once they left - preposterous? Not that I necessarily want to date her, he thought to himself reassuringly, but still…what so ridiculous about me?

Taking a moment to consider his reasons for being annoyed, he began to feel idiotic. Of course Mindy would take the time to correct people…because they weren't a couple. They were friends and, naturally, she didn't want anyone to have the wrong idea, nor did she want either of them to feel awkward. It was sensible to correct the mistake and move on. It wasn't anything personal in the least.

So he decided that he would continue to let her correct all of Key West, if that meant having a decent vacation, because they were, in fact, friends.

He just hoped that Mindy didn't expect him to exert his energy for the sake of setting everyone straight.

After one of the best showers she'd every experienced, Mindy stood in front of one of her opened suitcases, wrapped in a towel, as she pawed through the different dress options for the evening. Truthfully, all of her options were technically good ones; she took special care in her packing selection, making sure that each option would be a desirable one, no matter the occasion. She had taken into account the weather, all possible levels of intoxication, and varying atmospheres of the different clubs and bars. It was a science that she had perfected over many trips.

The dress she was looking for, however, was a dress with a certain Wow factor. This would be her first major night out as a single woman. It was also her first night out in Key West as well as her first night out with Danny in a long time. The last milestone seemed to resonate with her more than the others. She wanted to look amazing and, honestly, it would be a bonus if Danny thought she looked amazing, as well.

She kept landing on a sleeveless cocktail length dress in emerald green. The amount of glittery sequins lived up to her usual standard, cascading from her right shoulder down to her left hip. Like most of the dresses in her wardrobe, this one hugged every inch of her body with purpose. With the right pair of gold heels (and there were multiple pairs), this felt like the dress to outshine all dresses. Smiling, she carefully pulled the garment from her luggage and laid it carefully on the bed. Once the detail of what to wear was settled, she commenced with the ritual she saved specifically for a night out on the town.

After an hour and a half of moisturizing, plucking, curling, and last-minute shaving, she finally deemed herself acceptable and called Danny over to the room. He must have been ready for a while, for a knock on the door followed less than a minute after her call. She took a fleeting look in the mirror before rushing to open the door, revealing a somewhat stunned Danny. She wanted to take the time to admire his crisp black button up shirt with another dark pair of jeans, but she was too amused by his almost bulging eyes and his gaped mouth.

"Psh-wah umm…" Danny sputtered as he struggled to find suitable words, which tickled Mindy to no end.

"Having trouble there, Danny?" she asked with teasingly narrowed eyes.

A taunt like that would have normally snapped him out of his trance and elicited some biting remark, but instead he simply swallowed hard and stated, "I've never seen that dress before."

"Do you like it better than the purple one?"

Danny finally relaxed just a little with a hesitant smile. "I might."

Smiling wide, Mindy replied, "Good. That's all I was looking for." She turned to the bed and grabbed the selected clutch for the evening. As they descending down the steps, Mindy felt a cold jolt up her spine. I wasn't just flirting with Danny, was I, she fretted internally. She was accustomed to their usually innocent flirtation, but something rang a tad differently than usual. Admitting that he was a passing thought while selecting her dress for the evening, even if it was said with the cadence of a joke, was entirely unintentional. She hoped that Danny was somewhat oblivious to her blunder as they exited the front door of the inn.

Thankfully, dinner and pre-clubbing cocktails progressed much more comfortably. Over a serene dinner at a place called Chartreuse (a short cab ride away from where they were staying), Mindy was finally able to tell Danny that she thought he looked nice, which he deflected with his usual egotistical zinger, they laughed, joked, and reviewed what they hoped to accomplish for the remainder of the week. The ease in which they fell into their usual banter and flirtation not only calmed her nerves for the night, but reminded her of what she missed about their friendship while she was so engrossed in her romantic relationships. Even with sex, intermittent cohabitation, and a proposal, there was a certain intimacy that she had with Danny that she was unable to duplicate with Elliot. She wondered briefly if there would ever be an appropriate time to tell him that.

They finished their dinner and strolled over to Duval Street around eleven o' clock and the energy of the city was palpable. There was an abundance of clubs and bars to choose from, each establishment louder than the one before. The people in the streets, ranging from normal to very obviously drunk, were weaving in and out of each place, each person looking ready to seize the night. The two cocktails in Mindy's system already had her eager to find a place and dance off her mounting energy.

"Danny, how about that place up ahead with the pink lights?" She nodded her head towards a place about twenty yards away to their left. There was a long, but moving line of people forming in the front with people waiting to enter. The pulsing pop music could be heard from where they were standing. Even the doorman seemed to be grooving to the beat.

"Yeah, that might be fun," Danny agreed easily. "Let's go."

They walked with a little more purpose towards the building illuminated in pink. Upon closer inspection, Mindy read the sign that said Julep of Key West. The crowd entering seemed to be a mix of young and older, which encouraged her greatly. They finally reached the line and filed into the back.

"I can't remember the last time I went out dancing like this," Danny admitted over the blaring music. "I think it was when Shauna was still with us."

Mindy raised her eyebrows in surprise. Danny was a pretty exceptional dancer, which she had learned the night that the entire office went out as a group years ago.

"If I could dance like you," Mindy mused, "It would be so hard to keep me in the house. I'd be out pretty much every night, scoring as much easily-impressed ass as possible."

Danny laughed. "Oh, yeah? Well, maybe I'm not interested in all that."

They looked at each other, each with mirth-lit eyes. Mindy simply gave a slight nod of her head as they approached the doorman and paid their cover charge.

The inside of Julep was smaller than any club in New York Mindy had visited, but it was packed wall-to-wall with dancing, drinking, and lively bodies. There was a row of unoccupied roped-off booths, which was a glaring contrast from the ones in the city that were always filled with big shots and models. It seemed like everyone was on the dance floor and ready to party, which was refreshing.

"I'm gonna get us a drink," Danny informed Mindy loudly over the music. "Vodka pineapple for you?"

Mindy nodded enthusiastically just before Danny grabbed her wrist gently and navigated them through the crowd until they reached the busy bar. He immediately caught the attention of a young, busty bartender with long raven hair and far too much make-up, even for a dark place like Julep.

"Hi! What can I get you, handsome?" she said, in Mindy's opinion, a little too cheerfully.

"Uh, one vodka tonic and a vodka pineapple, please."

Mindy turned to Danny and playfully nudged his shoulder while the bartender tended to their order. "You're going to have the entire female population on this island at your feet by the time we get ready to leave…you are still planning to come back with me to New York, right? You're not going to convert into some tanned, ukulele-playing island stud, are you?"

Danny smirked. "You wouldn't happen to be jealous, would you, Mindy?"

The accusation stilled Mindy for a moment. She was being playful and so was he, she was fairly certain. Why did she suddenly feel the need to defend herself?

"Of course not," she quickly denied, attempting to sound as laid back as possible. "Just making an observation."

Shrugging, Danny responded, "Well, I think everyone is just especially friendly here. No harm in that, right?"

The young bartender returned with their drinks. "Are we opening a tab?"

"Yeah," Danny answered quickly. "Definitely." He handed her his card and grabbed their drinks, handing the yellowish drink to Mindy while he kept the clear beverage to himself. He raised his glass just slightly in her direction. "To new beginnings and a good time."

"To new beginnings and a good time," Mindy echoed, clinking her glass with his. They sipped their cocktails as they took a lap around the club. There was another room in the club that played different music from the main room. It housed a separate bar and dance floor and was bathed in blue light. It was hard to see inside, but there appeared to be a lot of couples dancing intimately in this particular setting. It made Mindy more uneasy than she would have guessed.

"Uh, can we stay here in the main room?" Mindy asked, hoping that she sounded casual. "I like the music here better."

Danny looked back at the blue room, then at Mindy. She thought she spotted a flash of concern across his face, but he responded with "sure" just before she could speculate too much. It wouldn't surprise her if he saw through her phony reasoning, though. He was usually pretty good at picking up her signals, whether she meant to give them or not.

The turned back to the main dance floor and started bopping to an old Christina Aguilera song. Without preamble, they made there way to the middle of the dance floor and swayed to the music with the crowd. Mindy held tightly to her drink in one hand and her clutch in her other, but had no difficulty twitching her hips and getting swept away by the beat. Danny's hips were as mesmerizing as ever, snaking and rotating in time to the pulsating rhythm. The swagger he possessed while dancing was something that Mindy could never be fully prepared for. To see her friend, who was normally a curmudgeon, dance like he didn't have a care in the world was a sight that she equated to spotting a unicorn.

They danced for a few songs as the DJ alternated between current music and songs from the nineties. Danny seemed to really be enjoying himself, showing appreciation for each song that played while Mindy laughed good-naturedly at his excitement. She moved a little closer to him so she could shout over the sound system, "We really should go out more often! I forgot how fun it was to see you dance like this."

Danny smiled widely. "Oh, yeah?" His hand was suddenly resting lightly on Mindy's hip as a means of steadying her long enough for him to asked slickly, "You like what you see that much?"

While she was well-aware that the gesture was innocent and his voice betrayed an obvious tone of jest, the move still caught her off her guard just a little and inexplicably put her on edge. The thin material of her dress did little to block the warmth from his hand, which she found alarming and comforting all at once. It shouldn't have been a big deal – he touches her all the time in one way or another – but inconsequential move set her on edge. She was beginning to feel like every little thing tonight – from their flirty nature upon leaving the inn to the slightest innocent touch – was going to make her uncharacteristically uncomfortable, for some reason. The need to loosen up became apparent, so she drained the last watered-down gulp of her cocktail.

"I'm gonna go grab another drink," Mindy informed him firmly.

"Okay, but be nice to my tab, alright? We still have five more days here after tonight."

Mindy nodded appreciatively, then replied jokingly, "Right. Top shelf liquor and a complimentary round from you for the entire bar. Got it."

"Real nice, Min."

Giggling, Mindy made her way to the bar and waited for one of the bartenders to make their way to her. As soon as she sat on the stool, she could just barely feel her phone vibrate in her clutch. Still waiting to be served, she pulled her phone out to find a Facebook notification of an incoming message from Dennis Mjeckwindowski.

Elliot's brother.

"Oh, goddamit," she groaned loudly, attracting the attention of the customers immediately around her. She knew the best thing would be to ignore it until she got back to the city, but she also knew that the little will power she had would never be wasted on something trivial like ignoring a Facebook message, no matter how awful the message was sure to be.

When the bartender finally got around to asking her for her order, she decided to stick with her vodka pineapple. After a second of thought, she amended, "Make that a double, please." She clicked the notification in order to launch her Facebook app and be redirected to the message from the man who was once supposed to be her brother-in-law. Her drink arrived just in time for her to read the greeting: "Dear Selfish…" With a harsh sigh and a heavy heart, she continued to read as she began to drain her glass.

Ten minutes and two empty glasses later, Mindy was still commiserating over the biting message she'd received from Elliot's brother, which explained in detail why she was responsible for the downward toll he'd taken and just what made her an awful person. While normally she would be working hard to build up a confident, witty defense against such an attack, she felt like it was a hard point to argue while sipping cocktails on what was supposed to be her honeymoon. She felt like Dennis might be right about a few things, especially the parts where she was labeled as callous, distasteful, and uncouth. While she had occupied herself with the task of finding the perfect dress for the night, Elliot, per the message, was barricaded in his apartment, showerless for the third day in a row and drowning his sorrows in beer and McDonald's. Dennis when as far as to call him "a broken pile of yuck" and she was obviously to blame.

This is not what was supposed to happen. She should either be here with her husband or at home, in hiding. How had she so quickly forgotten how big of a monster she was? The multiple drinks in her system only amplified her self-pity. Either she needed a comforting word or a cold dose of reality in order to yank her from this newfound funk. In any case, she needed to find Danny.

She hopped off of the stool and carefully made her way back into the crowd, which appeared to be getting denser as time passed. The sudden switch from a sitting to an upright position caused her to sway just a little bit. Mindy immediately concluded that she was on her way to being drunk and she couldn't decide if the better idea would be to stop while she was still cognizant or to keep going until the night significantly blurred. Maybe Danny would be able to steer her in the right direction.

She looked in their previous spot on the floor, but he wasn't there.

"Danny?" she called out over the music, which she knew was pretty useless with the number of people there and the heightening volume of the place. She tried to sharpen her focus in order to find him quicker, but there were just so many faces and none of them sensed her urgency enough to move out of her way. Mindy tried to cut through the crowd assertively without shoving anyone. The club was not nearly big enough for the search to be too difficult.

"Maybe he's in the blue room," she said to herself. She hoped that he wasn't; the last thing she needed after that message she had just endured was to have to wade through a sea of happy couples. She steeled herself in preparation, then turned around to head towards the direction of the other room. She immediate stopped once she finally spotted Danny, dancing with a random, curvaceous blonde woman. His hand was high on her hips and she was undulating against him very aggressively. It was hard to really make out his face in the dark, but Mindy was able to spot the woman's proud smile as she grabbed his and spun herself around in order to press her back against his front, seductively wiggling her bottom all the while.

Mindy felt the sudden urge to leave. She immediately headed towards the door, not bothering to consider whether or not that was an appropriate reaction to what she had seen. She wasn't mad at him…no, she was mad at him, actually, for deciding to dance with some skank as opposed to looking for her and making sure she was okay. She then scolded herself for assuming that woman was anything other than a normal woman looking to have fun, but the anger towards Danny remained. Why hadn't he told her that he wanted to hook up with other women while they were out? Was that even her business? Somehow she felt like it was.

She entered the night air and wondered what her next move would be. Either she could stay outside for a moment and sort out her feelings, or she could just go home to her warm bed and cry it out until she eventually fell asleep. After weighing her options the words "bed" and "cry" influenced her to hail a passing cab and hop in. She gave the driver the address and he took off. Seeing the club disappear from her window made her immediately resent how much of a bust the night had been and she didn't know who she was more upset with: Danny for forgetting her for some woman, Dennis for sending that awful e-mail, or herself for even reading the message against her better judgment. Before she could land on a conclusion, her phone rang. With her phone still in hand, she looked at the screen to find Danny calling. She tapped the answer icon reluctantly.

"Yeah?"

"Mindy, where are you?" Danny asked frantically. She sound of a car whizzing by and a shouting drunkard let her know that he was outside of the club. "I've been looking for you and can't find you anywhere!"

Mindy rolled her eyes, trying not to let the worry in his voice soften her resolve. "I'm in a cab. I'm heading back to the house."

"WHAT?!" he cried. "What the hell? Why are you heading home? And why didn't you come find me?!"

"I didn't want to interrupt you and that woman."

There was a silence on the line, presumably while Danny tried to decipher what she was talking about, then he returned with, "The blonde?! Mindy, you can't seriously think-"

"I just didn't want to get in your way, alright?" Mindy interrupted. She fiddled idly with one of the sequins on her dress. "I was ready to go home and I didn't want to drag you with me if you were having a good time." Her voice cracked on the last two words once she felt her throat begin to constrict. No crying, Mindy scolded herself silently. Not yet, anyway.

"Mindy, that's crazy! I can't believe you left me here by myself!"

She could tell that he was angry, but mostly worried for her. Now she was beginning to feel that awful feeling again, the one she felt after checking Dennis's message. She wondered how many times her selfishness would become a reoccurring issue.

"I'm sorry," she apologized in a low town. "I just…I had to go. I'm really sorry."

Mindy hung up the phone before she finally allowed the tears to roll down her cheek freely. It was clear to her that she had made a mistake, but there was no returning to the club now. Having a good time would be impossible and Danny had to be furious with her. If they were going to fight, she'd rather it be in the comfort of her pajamas.

She arrived at the Amelia Inn minutes later, graciously paying the driver and rushing to unlock the house. At first she felt relieved to be home, but it was immediately followed by dread. It was silly to leave. She had no right to concern herself with Danny's hook-ups, whether they were vacationing together or not, and leaving without telling him was inconsiderate.

"God, I really have a knack for thinking of things way too late," she said in the silence of the house. She slowly made her way up the steps, still tipsy from the alcohol, and reached her door. While unlocking it, she took a moment to glance at Danny's room door. Would she be able to hear him through the wall if he brought someone home? She prayed not. He was a free man who had the right to do whatever he wanted…she just had no desire to hear it.

Mindy entered the room and immediately slipped out of her shoes and began to disrobe. She grabbed the same nightshirt she had slept in the night before and yanked out her earrings. Then she slipped into her bed, neglecting to remove her make-up, turned off the lamp and allowed her drunken drowsiness to claim her before she had the chance to think or cry anymore. She was so deep in her sleep that she completely missed the knock on her door fifteen minutes later.

The next morning, Mindy woke up to the sound of the resident rooster saluting the rising sun. She had no clue what time it was, but she could tell that her body simply was not ready to get up. The acrid taste of stale vodka in her mouth served as a reminder of the night before.

"Nope," she moaned. "Not ready to face that." She flipped over in an attempt to fall back asleep. Before she could close her eyes she caught of glimpse of a folded piece of paper tucked under her door. The lifted her head to look at the paper more clearly as her eyes adjusted to the dull morning light. While she didn't feel like physically getting up, her curiosity was too strong to allow her to ignore it much longer. She sat up and swung her feet around the edge of the bed, stepping onto the cool wooden floor. She took the few steps needed to reach the door and bent over to pick up the paper. Using the little light that found its way through the curtains, she unfolded the paper to find a quickly scrawled note:

I'm not exactly sure what happened tonight, but I really want us to talk about it, okay? Please come find me anytime, Min. Wake me up if you have to. I just want to understand.

D

P.S. – I'll be alone.

She felt a mixture of relief that he was by himself and mortification that he felt the need to mention that detail to her. More than anything, she felt regret for not taking the time to talk to him and standing in the way of their good time. Deciding that any attempts to return to sleep would be futile, she checked the bedside clock, which read "6:38." She bypassed her bed and went to the bathroom in order to get cleaned up, all the while thinking of ways to make things right.

A/N: Hi, again! Thank you so much for reading and if this chapter is a bit of a grammatical wreck, I must apologize. I read through this as much as I could, but I was eager to get it out before tonight's long-awaited return. I promise to go back and make any necessary spelling changes and such.

I would love to hear from you guys! If you could leave a review, I'd appreciate it so much. If you can't/don't want to, no worries at all! I'm just glad you're reading it.

Julep and Chartreuse are not real establishments in Key West, as far as I know. None that I've been to, at least. Neither is the Amelia, though it is modeled after a bed and breakfast that I did patronize during my honeymoon there. :o)

I hope you all enjoyed this, HAPPY MINDY DAY!, and Hollaatchyagirl,

Phunky