"You have to choose one for each, Danny. That's the rules."
"I don't like these rules! They seem kind of extreme."
"That's the point! It forces you to make tough decisions. We have to make tough decisions all the time as doctors."
"Yeah, and those decisions are a matter of life and death. This, however – what was it? 'Bang, Marry, Kill' – is silly."
Danny speared a waffle piece with his fork while Mindy took a sip of her orange juice.
"Games by their very nature are silly, Danny," Mindy stated. "It's just silly fun."
"How is wanting to kill someone 'silly fun'? And if I ever came to you and told you that I wanted to bang someone, you'd call me a pig for the rest of the day." He punctuated his point by yanking the waffle piece off the fork with his teeth.
"My God, Danny," Mindy groaned as she leaned back in her seat and rubbed her eyes in irritation. "Fine. I will lame it down for you. Out of the three women I mentioned who would you…have relations with, marry, and – I dunno – leave in the corner and ignore, I guess?"
Danny swallowed and grabbed his mug of coffee. "I'd have relations with Christina Hendricks, marry Michelle Obama, and leave Betty White circa 1940 in the corner."
"Wow, Danny, that's a game changer!"
Danny shrugged. "I'm into women of power, what can I say?"
Before Mindy could question him any further, their server returned to the table to check on them.
"Is everything alright here?" the young man asked politely.
"Everything's great!" Mindy replied enthusiastically. The man nodded his approval and was about to walk off when Mindy stopped him. "Hey, I have a question. We're visiting for a few more days and were wondering, what things should we absolutely do while we're here?"
"Well, there's Mallory Square for the Sunset Celebration," he began instantly, ticking the points off with his fingers as if he was asked this very question on a daily basis. "There's the beach, of course-"
"Ugh, not for me," Mindy grimaced. "Sand is the devil's work."
"Okay, well, there's also ghost tours, getting authentic key lime pie and conch fritters, the Museum of Art and History, any of the booze cruises –"
Mindy immediately perked up. "I'm sorry. Did you just say 'booze cruise'?"
The server nodded and smiled. "Those are pretty popular, obviously. For, like, fifty bucks per person you sail out for a couple of hours and drink booze, eat, hear live music, and watch the sunset. It's pretty cool. Tonight would actually be a great night; the weather's gonna be perfect."
He began clearing some of Mindy's empty dishes as she leaned forward. "DannyDannyDanny, we have to do the booze cruise thing!"
"Wow, you have no intentions of slowing down just yet, do you?" Danny asked, looking humored. "Can your poor liver handle it?"
"Hey, I could be so much worse!" Mindy defended. "Besides, we'd have now until sunset to recuperate. I mean, can you think of anything more Diddy-esque than partying on a cruise at sunset?"
Danny's eyebrows furrowed. "I dunno. Why don't you first explain what 'Diddy-esque' means?"
"Danny, we've been through this at least four times. I can't find the energy to explain this to you again, nor do I have any of my visual aids handy."
"Okay, whatever. So, you really want to do this booze cruise thing?"
"Yes!" Mindy replied enthusiastically. "It would be such an amazing time."
Danny gave a small smile, then let his fork drop onto his nearly empty plate with a clang.
"Alright, sure. Fun and partying is what vacation is about, right? Let's do it."
Mindy grinned and clapped with excitement. "Danny, tonight is going to be something epic, I feel. We are going to party in style with the best of them!"
"Okay, so this is definitely a learning experience," Mindy observed as they sat at a small table under the covered area of the vessel. "By 'cruise' they just mean a regular boat, 'booze' is just code for multiple pitchers of the same margarita, and their version of food is cold cuts, cheese cubes, and mediocre chicken wings."
Danny found Mindy's disappointment to be a little misguided, but somewhat adorable. "Oh, c'mon, Mindy, this is a nice catamaran. Were you really expecting a cruise ship to haul around a small group of drunks for two hours?"
Pouting, Mindy shrugged. Danny laughed.
"Hey, this is still pretty cool. The margaritas are good, the band is pretty lively, and we're on a nice, clean boat in the middle of the ocean, waiting for the sun to set. I mean, look around you. How can you even be upset on a night like this?"
Mindy appeared to be thinking for a moment, then looked around her at the people who had joined them on the cruise. There were people ranging from young adults to senior citizens and they were all drinking, laughing, and having a great time. The band on the deck was comprised of four middle-aged men wearing straw hats as they played a selection of island music. The atmosphere was light and fun and, just like their server predicted that morning, the weather was gorgeous. She turned back to Danny as an appreciative smile crept across her face.
"You're right, Danny," she agreed. "This may not be what I pictured, but this is still cool." She picked up her red plastic cup and lifted it up towards Danny, waiting for him to join her with his own beverage. "To Vacation Danny, my holiday spirit guide."
Danny chuckled as he lifted his cup to tap Mindy's. "I don't know about all that, but cheers, nonetheless."
They both took a sip and looked out at the deck. There were couples dancing to tune created by the steal drum and bass guitar. Danny thought some of them looked very intoxicated, which he could understand, as there were crew members walking around with pitchers, policing the passengers to make sure that nobody had an empty cup in their hands. He wondered for a moment how many of these people were here to celebrate honeymoons and anniversaries. Some of them just looked so in love. He was sure that the flowing alcohol may have been playing a major part in that. Still, it was really heartwarming to see.
He turned to Mindy to find her staring at the couples, as well. Her expression was unreadable. He hoped that seeing all the couples didn't put her in a bad head space. The day had been so enjoyable, from shopping to experiencing key lime pie on a stick, and he didn't want anything to mess it up now. They had maintained a certain ease from the moment they woke up.
Danny thought about that morning again, for the umpteenth time that day. Waking up to Mindy was something that he would not forget any time soon. More importantly, he didn't want to forget it. He wanted to remember it often and experience that warm, numbing feeling in his chest again and again. The look of her mussed hair, her sleepy eyes, and her lazy grin did something to him, something that he never allowed himself to dwell on. The kiss had been an accident (a happy accident, but still an accident), a result of still being very sleepy. This was still his best friend, after all – a best friend who was witty and funny and cared too much about things that weren't her business and looked incredibly enticing in just about everything she wore. Now, for instance, she looked incredible in her boldly printed pastel-colored maxi dress, even though his view of it was mostly obstructed by the table. Her ability to look amazing in clothing that most women would look terrible in was something that astounded him. She knew what worked for her, and he was beginning to accept just how much it worked on him.
I'm in trouble, he thought, still staring in her direction.
"Can I top you guys off?" Danny snapped out of his reverie to find an upbeat crew member with long red hair poised with her pitcher, ready to pour.
"Please do," Mindy replied, holding out her cup. The woman refilled her cup quickly, then turned to Danny, who gave her a short nod. Once his cup was full, he thanked her just before she walked towards another table of people.
"At least they aren't skimpy on the on margs," Mindy pointed out. "I was barely finished with my last one."
"Yeah," Danny replied plainly.
Mindy took a large sip from her cup. Her eyes widened and she took a hard look at her drink. "Oh, this is a potent batch."
"Oh, yeah?" Danny drank from his own cup and immediately understood her meaning. The tequila was very present as it burned his throat. He didn't mind it; he just wasn't prepared for it. "Wow, okay, now I see why how these people got drunk so quickly."
"Right?! Danny, promise me that no matter how drunk I get that you won't let me limbo." She tilted her chin towards a crowd of people on the deck who were stationed close to the band. Two male crew members held a limbo stick while a group of middle-aged women flirtatiously bent backwards to walk underneath it, shimmying more than necessary.
The pair laughed as another crew member approached the table. This one was tanned and muscular with long hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. Danny noticed how much attention he had been getting from some of the single passengers, both female and male, ever since they boarded the boat. He flashed Mindy a dazzling smile as he leaned close to the table. Danny immediately felt uneasy. "Did I hear you say that you didn't want to limbo? C'mon, where's your spirit?"
Mindy grinned politely. "Oh, I'm plenty spirited, trust me."
"Well, if I were a betting man, I'd bet that you could out-limbo just about anyone here…anyone except me, of course."
"Ugh," Danny groaned into his cup, his eyes rolling in disgust. The crew member appeared not to notice.
"Care to make a bet?" the crewman offered. "If you win, I'll gift you a shot of anything from the Captain's stash. If I win, then you have to tell me your name."
Danny wanted to interject. More than that, he felt a rising urge to yank the man by his ponytail and throw him overboard. What bothered him most - more than the fact that this guy swooped in under the assumption that Mindy was single and not, in fact, with the man she had obviously boarded the cruise with – was that he was definitely Mindy's type: a pretty boy, strong-looking smooth talker with a winning smile. Even though she said she wasn't interested in hooking up with anyone during the trip, if there was any man that would peak her interest, it would be this Adonis-looking slimeball.
To his surprise, Mindy gave the man a look of confusion rather than flattery. "For starters, I feel very uncomfortable with the idea of the Captain, responsible for safely sailing this boat, having a stash of alcohol on said boat. Secondly, I'd really rather just sit here and enjoy the forthcoming sunset with my very handsome boyfriend." Then Mindy reached out and covered Danny's hand with her own. Without thinking about it, Danny flipped the hand over in order to grab hers more securely, holding it while his thumb grazed her fingers. Mindy's eyes lit up and she smiled graciously at him, ushering in that familiar warm feeling in his chest. He made no attempt to prevent the beam spreading across his face.
Danny didn't remove his eyes from Mindy, not even to look at the crewman as he sloppily apologized. "Oh, wow, I'm, uh, really sorry. I was just – your girlfriend's – you have an attractive girlfriend –"
Danny lifted Mindy's hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of it, still looking at her all the while. He could hear Mindy sucking in her breath. "Go away, man."
The tanned crew member immediately departed from the table, leaving Danny and Mindy alone. Neither person moved to let go of the other's hand.
"Was the kiss too much?" Danny asked, though he was still smiling.
Mindy shook her head. "No, it was a nice touch." Her tone had taken on a breathier quality, which made Danny feel a little lighter in the head. He hoped that had more to do with her and less to do with their strong margarita. "Thank you for playing along, by the way. I know I should have asked –"
"You never have to ask, Min," Danny assured her, squeezing her hand. "Never. Got it?"
Mindy bit her bottom lip (damn her!) and nodded. She looked out at the deck. "Hey, I think the sun's about to set soon! Come on."
Mindy stood up, still holding Danny's hand, and dragged him upward until he was standing. She led them from the covered area and to the stairs leading up to the deck. Once there, she walked them over to the railing. Much to Danny's disappointment, she let go of his hand and drained her cup. He did the same, grabbed her empty cup and joined it with his just before handing them off to the nearest employee. Mindy leaned against the rail, crossing her arms over it and looking out at the sea. Danny shared her gaze, watching the sunlight dance across the water's surface. It was definitely lower than it was minutes ago, its orange brilliance radiating against the darkening sky. He felt so lucky to be able to share this moment with the woman next to him. What did he do to deserve such good fortune?
"Elliot's brother sent me a really mean message on Facebook two nights ago," Mindy revealed suddenly. Despite the news, her voice remained serene. She even still had a hint of a smile.
Danny's head snapped back in shock at her choice to share such information at that moment. "Really? Is that why you were so upset and left the club?"
"Mostly," Mindy confirmed, though the look on her face conveyed that there was more to that answer than she was willing to share. "He talked about how Elliot was in bad shape and how I was to blame for that. He even started the letter as 'Dear Selfish.'"
Danny shook his head and turned to her. "Mindy, he's wrong," he said, his tone sincere. "You're not selfish, not in the least."
Mindy chuckled briefly, almost under her breath. "No, Danny, I'm pretty selfish. I don't see any getting around that."
"But Mindy-"
"Danny," she turned to him, her eyes insisting. "It's fine. Really. I'm selfish and right now, I'm absolutely okay with it. For years I spent most of my time pretending to be okay with every little thing he did, said, and suggested just for the sake of not appearing selfish. I got so good at pretending that I somehow managed to convince myself that it was a good idea to marry this man. Danny…I could be on this boat with Elliot right now, not enjoying my honeymoon and worrying about how I plan to fake happiness for the next few decades. I could be on this boat, stuck."
Danny stared at her with soft eyes. He was so glad to not hear any regret or pain her voice.
"Instead, I chose me. I did the selfish thing and chose my happiness above his. I took our honeymoon and turned it into a completely self-serving trip and I could not be happier that I chose to be selfish, truly, for the first time since meeting Elliot. I just haven't been this happy in a really long time. Even better, I'm here on this catamaran, watching the sunrise with a stomach full of questionable margaritas after a day of shopping and sun and just enjoying my life…and, best of all, I get to do it with you. How incredible is that, Danny?"
He was beyond touched, and the warm feeling in his chest spread throughout his body. The combination of her dress and hair fluttering in the evening air, the smell of the ocean, and the scent of her perfume overwhelmed him in a way that compelled him to wrap an arm around her shoulder. Her immediate response, her wrapping her arm around his back and tucking snugly into his side, made his heart positively soar. He placed a kiss at the top of her head, then buried his nose into her lilac-scented hair.
"It's pretty damn incredible, Min." They looked onto the horizon as the sun descended. Danny took that moment to realize that he, much like the sun, was falling. Maybe that fact would scare him later. Right now, though…
"I'm really happy, too," he gently confessed to Mindy and the pinkish-orange sky.
At Danny's suggestion, they disembarked the cruise and walked around the town, looking for a place to eat. They strolled shoulder-to-shoulder, neither seemingly in any sort of hurry. Danny's hands were in his pockets while Mindy's arms were crossed. Danny wondered if it would be weird for him to grab her hand now, even after they had been walking for over ten minutes.
"Are you in the mood for anything in particular?" he asked, desperate to think of anything other than touching Mindy more decisively.
Mindy shook her head. "You know me, I'm always more sure of what I don't want to eat rather than what I do want. I know I don't want anymore seafood, nor do I want Mexican food."
"No seafood, no Mexican. Got it," Danny confirmed with a chuckle. They continued to walk until Danny's nose was assaulted with a combination of very delicious smells. Garlic, he thought. And rosemary.
"Oh, wow," Danny sighed. "That smells incredible. Where is that coming from?"
Mindy squinted, then pointed at yellow house with an abundance out outside lighting. "I think it's coming from there, that house with the string of white lights. It doesn't look like a residence, though."
As they got closer, Danny could see a case attached to the fence with a menu on display. While it could pass as somebody's home, it was definitely a restaurant. Across the top of the menu read "Bettino's."
"Oh, this is like an old school Italian place. Min, this is going to be wonderful, I can tell. C'mon."
Danny grabbed Mindy's hand (ecstatic for an excuse to do so) and dragged her up the walkway as Mindy protested. "Danny, you know I'm not into Italian food!"
"No, you're not into Olive Garden. That has nothing to do with real Italian food. C'mon, just try it."
At the end of the walk there was a young hostess in all black standing at the podium. She had long, thick brunette hair that was braided into a side ponytail. Once she spotted them, she greeted them with a smile, which showcased a deep dimple in her left cheek.
"Welcome to Bettino's," she said with a thick Italian accent. "A table to for two?"
"Please," Danny replied.
The hostess bowed her head and grabbed two menus before leading them into the restaurant. While it definitely used to be a normal house, it had been gutted and remodeled into a very intimate eatery. There was just a few tables, all covered in linen and dressed with candles and a single rose in a vase. The floor was of a dark cherry wood and the lights were dimly lit. To Danny's surprise, there was only one other occupied table.
"Simona will be with you shortly," the hostess advised them as she led them to a table in the middle of the others. Danny pulled out Mindy's chair for her and waited for her to sit before grabbing his own seat. "My name is Gia. Can I get you something to drink?"
Danny looked to Mindy and asked, "Are you okay with wine?"
"I'm always okay with wine," Mindy answered confidently.
Smiling, Danny told Gia, "Two glasses of your best red, please."
Danny watched Mindy look around her at all of the homey touches throughout the dining area. The windows were fixed with simple linen and lace curtains and there were sepia-toned photographs hung on the walls, all of one family. Each photo showed different stages of the cooking process: picking tomatoes from a garden, an older man stirring contents of a large stock pot, a hefty woman in a head scarf cranking a pasta machine, and an entire family happily sitting at a fully dressed dinner table, looking proudly at their bountiful meal. In the far corner there was a small shelf mounted to the wall, holding a number of colorful Italian cookbooks.
"This place is so adorable," Mindy gushed. "I'm surprised there aren't more people here."
Danny looked around, then looked back at Mindy with a shrug. "I don't know, I kind of like that there aren't a ton of people here, y'know? It makes things feel more…uh…"
"Intimate?" Mindy supplied, looking somewhat bashful after saying that out loud. Danny felt his face begin to burn up, wondering if Mindy could see just how much an intimate moment with her would mean to him.
Thankfully, a woman arrived with two empty wine glasses and a bottle of red wine before he had to answer. The woman looked like a slightly older version of Gia, with the same thick brunette locks and a similar dimple in her left cheek. "Good evening! My name is Simona; I will be taking care of you tonight." She also had an Italian accent, but it wasn't as thick as her hostess counterpart. "Gia told me you wanted a glass of our finest red, correct?"
"Yes, thank you," Danny confirmed graciously. She set the glasses down before them and uncorked the bottle.
"This is bottled at our family vineyard. It's a favorite of Zio Bettino."
Danny leaned forward with interest. "The owner is your uncle?"
Simona nodded. "He's actually here tonight with his wife, Nia. They're preparing their selected specialties tonight, in case you were interested. Would you like some time to look at the menu?"
Mindy nodded and gave a polite smile. "That would be great, thank you."
"You're welcome! Please let me know if you need anything." Simona left the table as Mindy and Danny both took a sip from their glass.
Mindy sat for a moment, savoring the taste before saying with an impressed tone, "Oh, that is good."
Danny agreed, taken aback by its surprisingly sweet taste. "Yeah, this is a nice one. I'll have to ask about taking a few bottles home with me."
Mindy began to toy idly with the rolled silverware in front of her. "A few, you say? Do you plan on sharing with a lot of people?"
"Perhaps," Danny replied laughingly. "I don't know, Richie and Ma might like it the next time they visit."
"Oh, yeah?" Mindy leaned forward. "And the rando women? Might they like it, too?"
There was a certain brand of vagueness in her question that made him feel like he was being bated. He liked it.
"No, I think I'd rather save it for special visits, you know? Just for people that I really care about."
It looked like Mindy was struggling to mute one of her incredible smiles. Danny liked that he was the cause of that.
"Oh," she uttered. "Well…I think that's a good idea."
"Good. I'm glad you think so."
Danny smiled openly at her. Things between them were shifting, there was no question about that. He wanted to believe that Mindy noticed, too, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions. He was no stranger to misreading certain signs from women and while he liked to think that he knew the woman before him better than almost everyone else in his life, there was still that possibility that he was over-romanticizing things. The notion frightened him.
Just then an older, round-bellied man approached their table. He had a wide smile that was accented by incredibly rosy cheeks. The chef's coat and hat gave Danny the impression that this man was Bettino.
"Hello," the older man hailed, his accent just as present as Danny imagined it would be. "I'm Bettino. I just wanted to welcome you both and see how you liked the wine."
Danny stuck out his hand politely, which the man eagerly accepted in a friendly shake. "Oh, wow, it's an honor. We loved the wine, actually. I was even wondering if it was possible to buy a few bottles to take home."
"Oh, sure, sure!" Bettino responded. "My Simona can take care of that for you whenever you'd like."
"Awesome, Bettino, thank you."
Bettino smiled at them both, the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes suddenly very prominent. "I'm glad to see such a beautiful couple with such wonderful taste in wine. Married?"
While Danny should have been able to answer that immediately, he looked to Mindy to see how she would respond. Had this been the beginning of the trip her denial would have been immediate. However, now there was a silence between them and Mindy looked as if she were wrestling with how to answer herself.
"Um, no, we aren't married," Mindy replied. "We're, uh…"
Danny, suddenly bolstered and in a mischievous mood, interjected with, "I brought her here tonight with the hope that I could finally, finally convince her to marry me. She's turned me down at least nine times, but God help me, I just can't find it in me to give up yet."
Mindy's eyes grew to the size of saucers, but her mouth remained shut. Danny guessed that she was shocked by his gall.
Bettino looked to Mindy with an expression of sorrow. "Oh, Signorina, why won't you marry this man? He's handsome, he knows good wine when he tastes it…"
Mindy starred daggers into Danny as he smiled a smile that glowed of self-satisfaction. After a beat, Mindy returned his grin with an impish one of her own. "Well, Mr. Bettino, I think I just need a little convincing. Don't you think him treating me to the most expensive item on the menu would be a great expression of his love?"
Bettino let out a belly laugh and clapped a silent Danny on the back. "Oh, she's a clever one. My specialty tonight is a fresh seafood risotto. Very good. Very expensive."
"That sounds amazing, Bettino, I'll have that!" Mindy ordered excitedly, keeping her eyes on Danny.
Defeated, Danny smiled and shook his head. "I'll have the same, Bettino, thank you."
The man nodded and headed towards the kitchen with a laugh. Danny lifted his wine glass off the table, preparing to take another sip. "I thought you didn't want seafood."
Mindy shrugged. "I guess things change when you're improvising!"
"Touché, Lahiri, touché."
Almost two hours later Mindy and Danny remained at their table, laughing boisterously over empty plates and their second round of red wine. With the restaurant to themselves, they spoke at an obnoxious volume about so many inconsequential things. Danny found that he could have talked to her all night, which was a new feeling for him. He appreciated his silence and he teased Mindy often about her proclivity to talk nonstop, but in that moment he wanted nothing more than to just listen to her rattle on about anything.
"Danny, I think you've converted me…food wise, that is," Mindy admitted. "That was some amazing Italian food."
"You know I can make this for you whenever you want, right?" Danny informed her.
"Really?!"
"Yeah, of course."
"Great!" Mindy said brightly. "Next Thursday, then. I'll bring the wine."
"No need," Danny replied, staring into his empty plate. "I'll have plenty of wine to spare when we leave here."
A slow smile spread across Mindy's face. "I get the special wine?"
Danny had to chuckle at her. "Yeah, Min, you definitely get the special wine."
They sat for a moment, smiling at each other and not feeling a need to say anything. Their comfortable silence was broken by the sound of Bettino loudly singing along to the Italian music playing in the background. They could hear a woman giggling, then squealing as Bettino's singing became muffled. Danny turned towards the commotion and found the restaurant owner dancing with a graying woman wearing a chef's coat, presumed to be Nia. Bettino was planting a kiss on her forehead while he continued to sing and rotate the woman with a gentle sway. Her face finally came into view and Danny was touched by her peaceful, heavenly expression.
Danny turned back around and nodded his head towards the kitchen. "You know, they remind me a lot of my uncle, Romero and my aunt, Patrice."
"Oh, yeah?" Mindy took a final drink from her wine glass.
Danny nodded. "When Richie and I were kids they would host these Sunday dinners at their house, like, twice a month. We would be there all day while they cooked all this food. While they cooked, they would play music like this." Danny pointed at the sound system, which was still playing Italian, accordion-heavy music. "Aunt Patrice would try to prepare the chicken cutlets and my uncle would distract her by trying to get her to dance with him. She'd resist for about a moment before eventually caving. Every time, without fail, they would end up slow dancing in the kitchen for a long time while the food sat forgotten on the counter. They still do, to this day."
Mindy clutched her heart, looking absolutely awestruck. "Danny, that has to be the most beautiful thing I've ever heard."
Danny shrugged. "Yeah, I hated it."
"WHAT?" Mindy cried. "How can you even hate something like that?"
"It took forever for them to finally make the food!" Danny exclaimed, his hands up in defense. "I was just a kid and I was hungry!"
Mindy guffawed. "I can believe you were witness to one of the most romantic happenings you'll probably ever experience and you were against it because it was mildly inconvenient."
He chuckled. "Yeah, I hated it then, but I grew to appreciate it more as I got older. Now, obviously, I recognize it as something that I want. I want to be an old, wrinkly man who still dances with his wife in the middle of their kitchen when they're eighty."
Mindy looked at him in a way that made him feel rather naked, or like she was seeing him for the first time. With her mouth slightly agape and her eyes piercing, it was like she was trying to see inside of him. Then he realized that he had kind of bared a little of his soul to her just then, and the realization made it hard for him to breath.
The music continued to waft through the almost empty establishment and Bettino could still be heard humming to the melody. Suddenly, Mindy's hand was intertwining with his and she was standing to her feet.
"Come," she commanded simply. Without questioning her, Danny allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and led to an empty patch of floor close to their table. They stood in the space for a second as a tiny smile tugged at Mindy's lips. Then, she guided the hand that she was holding to her hip while she stepped closer and slid her hand up Danny's arm until it reached his shoulders. Danny immediately used his free hand to grab Mindy's, holding it close to his heart, and began swaying in time to the music.
Nervous and delirious all at once, Danny cleared his throat. "I, uh, I'm going to try my best not to sweat all over your pretty dress."
"Do I make you nervous, Danny?" Mindy asked in a low, but playful tone.
"Very," Danny answered frankly, with a laugh. "Tonight you do, at least." They continued to sway slowly in a circle.
"Well, you really shouldn't be, Danny. It's just you and me, dancing in an empty restaurant – "
"Surrounded by soft candlelight," Danny added. He slid his hand further around her back. The motion brought her closer to him.
"Yes, amongst the candlelight," Mindy agreed with an exhale.
"And the romantic music…" He gave a gentle squeeze to her hand.
Mindy nodded while the hand she had on his shoulder inched closer to the nape of his neck. "The music is way romantic."
"And you're looking so, so beautiful," Danny complimented in a hushed tone, no longer willing to keep it to himself. He brought her even closer to him. "You don't think I have cause to be nervous?"
Mindy looked into his eyes and her throat undulated as she swallowed hard. After a few seconds, she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. "Danny. You have no reason to be nervous."
Danny had no idea who moved first. All he knew was that he closed his eyes, inched his head closer to hers, and her soft lips were already claiming his. He gripped her tighter and inhaled her scent, wanting to involve as many senses as he could in an effort to cement this moment into his memory forever. Her skin burned through the thin material of her dress. She smelled of lilac and a little bit like the sea. He relished in the sound of her soft whimper entangled with the lilt of the mandolin through the sound system. He flicked his tongue across her bottom lip and tasted wine and something intangible that could only be described as "uniquely Mindy." Behind his closed eyes, he saw colors so blinding and brilliant that he never wanted to open his eyes again, fearing that once he did, those colors would be gone out of his life forever.
Danny released her hand in order to bury his fingers into her black, silken locks as the arm around her waist pulled her flush against his body. He could feel Mindy cup his cheek before eagerly dragging her hand to the nape of his neck, raking her nails through his thick hair and pulling him close. Danny hungrily nipped and sucked on her bottom lip and could hear how the action caused Mindy's breath to hitch, a sound that nearly caused his heart to beat right out of his chest. Mindy quickly responded with a tilt of her head and a lick of the seam of his lips until his tongue finally met with hers. The kiss became almost furious, fraught clashing tongues and gnashing teeth, until their mouths were almost rendered numb. Their surroundings were nearly forgotten until they heard a gasp from the back of the room.
Startled, Danny and Mindy broke apart with a smack of their lips and turned towards the kitchen door, still entangled in each other. Bettino and his wife stood at the door of the kitchen with Simona, all baring expressions of shock.
Bettino spoke. "Please, young lady. Please tell me you'll finally marry this man."
Mindy and Danny both chuckled breathlessly and turned back towards each other. Danny rested his forehead against Mindy's, his hand still buried in her hair, and thought he was going to melt into a puddle when he heard her say, "Right now, I'd agree to do just about anything he wanted."
A/N: The chapter wasn't supposed to end here originally, but I decided differently at the last minute...for reasons. The original ending of this chapter will start the next chapter.
I hope you all liked this installment. I just wanted to do "the moment" justice. At the same time, I wanted to put this out before the new episodes premiered.
Thank you so much to all those that reviewed! I appreciate it more than you know. I hope you all continue to read on and review, if you feel up to it. :o)
Have a great day, enjoy the new episodes, and Hollaatchyagirl,
Phunky