A/N: I'm not all that happy with the tone of this chapter. It feels subpar to me, but I'm impatient, and I wanted to post this asap. Comments and suggestions are always welcome (:
Danny woke up the next morning around 8 am. He stiffened, realizing his surroundings and how Mindy was snuggled into him. He wanted to keep his arms around her, but he didn't want her to wake up to this awkward and somewhat compromising position. He slowly and carefully extricated himself from her legs. As soon as he got up from the couch, he heard Mindy let out an annoyed mumble. It weakened his resolve, and he yearned to lie beside her and hold her again, but he wasn't sure if that would be a good idea.
He wasn't sure about almost anything with Mindy anymore. He knew they were good friends, but he battled with himself from time to time. Over the past few months, he started to feel differently, like something shifted inside of him. He had been fine with being friends for a while, and if he was being honest with himself, it wasn't until Mindy moved in with Tom that he started to feel unnerved and territorial.
Danny always thought Tom wasn't good enough for Mindy. More so now that Mindy told him that Tom accused her of cheating. And every so often, he had felt like he was losing her. It wasn't right or fair to think she was his to have, but he didn't like Tom taking her away from him. He wasn't sure if his emotions meant jealously, protectiveness, love, or what. But one thing is for sure, he missed her and her presence.
In spite of his uncertainty over his feelings, he did his best to be there for her as her friend and as her co-worker, helping her through fights with Tom, keeping her company like he did last night, or helping her with patients.
He snapped out of his reverie when Mindy muttered in her sleep again. He looked around her apartment wondering what to do next. He didn't want to just leave her here and have her wake up alone. He thought about carrying her back to her bedroom, but he wasn't sure if that was crossing a line.
He let out a heavy sigh and headed for the kitchen, settling on making french toast, her favorite.
When Mindy woke up again, the sunlight coming in through her apartment windows was hitting her in the face. "Ugh, no. Too. Early," she groaned and pulled the throw over her head.
"Hey, you're awake."
At the sound of his voice, Mindy remembered what she had woken up to last night. She threw her eyes open, dramatically flapped the throw out of her face and sat up, eyes scanning her apartment for the voice. Her eyes landed on Danny, who was sitting at the kitchen island with a cup of coffee in one hand, morning newspaper in the other.
Danny flashed a big smile and said, "Good morning."
Mindy tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes and fix her bed head hair. "Uh? Oh, yeah, um, good morning."
"Want some breakfast? I made french toast."
"Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks. Let me just, uh, freshen up." Mindy scrambled off the couch, sped-walked to her bathroom, and closed the door behind her. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and was mildly taken aback. Man, I look like hell. She grabbed her hairbrush, tugging at the knots. She continued with her routine, brushing her teeth and washing her face, feeling refreshed.
When she was done, she clutched the edge of the sink with her palms and looked down. What are you doing, Lahiri? Nothing happened last night. There's nothing to worry about. Don't freak out about this! You and Danny just slept on the same couch. No big deal. Friends always sleep together on the same couch. Pretend like it never happened. She looked at her reflection again and nodded to herself. You got this. Just act normal. She huffed out a breath of satisfaction and then turned around to exit the bathroom.
Danny was caught off guard by Mindy's avoidance. He wondered why she was acting so weird, but then he thought about last night. Maybe she woke up last night and noticed my embrace, legs tangled in mine. That's the only explanation. He groaned and buried his face in his hands, embarrassed of his involuntarily embrace. He was planning on playing it cool the whole day, but now he wasn't so sure.
Mindy stepped out of the bathroom before he could think about this any further. Playing it cool it is.
"Hey! French toast?" Danny held out a plate in her direction.
"Yeah, that sounds great. Thanks." She took the plate and sat down at the opposite side of the island. She looked down at her food and started eating, feeling Danny's eyes on her.
"So, how ya feeling?"
"Hm, me? Oh, yeah, I feel okay, considering the circumstances, you know? But, uh, I'll be fine." She looked up at him and gave him a small smile.
"That's great, Min." Danny got up and placed the dirty dishes in the sink. "Well, I'm going to head off."
"Wait, you're leaving?" Mindy silently kicked herself for sounding so desperate.
Danny laughed. "Well, yeah. I mean I assume you have errands to run or want to be alone. I don't want to bother you. I mean, unless you want me to stay."
Mindy fiddled with her food with the fork. "Could you? If I'm left alone, I'll just drink, pass out on the couch and wake up with red wine all over myself. Remember that one time I thought I've been shot after waking up with wine all over me. I cannot have a repeat of that night." She didn't like asking him to stay with her, but she couldn't bear to be alone either. "I'll even take you out to lunch as a thank you!"
Danny chuckled. "Sure, Min."
Mindy beamed. "Great! Where do you want to go?"
"How 'bout that sushi place a few blocks from here?"
"Sounds great! Let's go!"
He heartily laughed. "Let's go? Min, you're still eating breakfast, number one. And number two, you're barely properly dressed to go out."
"Uh, how dare you? I'm adorable. I look like Keira Knightly running errands."
He let out a small chuckle. "Okay. Well, I have a couple of things to take care of, but I'll be back in a couple of hours to pick you up for lunch. Sound good?"
"Yeah, sounds great." She walked him to the door. "Thanks, again, Danny. I really appreciate this."
"Of course, Min. Anytime." He kissed her on the cheek, itching to touch her again, opened the door and left, closing the door behind him.
Mindy brought her hand up to touch the spot on her cheek where he had kissed her. She felt a smile forming and her stomach fluttered in excitement. She let herself smile as she headed towards her bathroom to get ready.
She didn't act weird at all. Maybe I was just imagining it. He pushed the thought out of his head as he walked out of her apartment building. He smiled, inhaling the crisp New York air. They had been seeing less of each other lately because of Tom, and he'd been feeling empty and incomplete. Just thinking about their day ahead warmed his entire body with happiness. She made him happy. Really happy. His smile continued to grow as he continued to walk down her street, feeling the warmth radiating from his skin.
He returned to her apartment two hours later. He stopped squarely in front of her door, took a deep breath, and knocked. Mindy swung the door open. "Hey, Danny. Come on in." Damn, he looks good.
He had to take a moment to gather himself. She looks so beautiful. Even in a pair of jeans and a denim button down shirt, she looks great. He took a breath and walked in. "You ready?"
"Yeah, I just need to grab a couple of things." Mindy retreated into the bedroom.
Danny shifted in his stance and looked around her apartment, unsure with what to do with himself while she was away. She quickly reappeared. "Ready!"
"Great!" Danny held the door open for her and let her walk out first.
Mindy walked out with Danny trailing behind her. It was a silent walk to the elevator and a silent elevator ride. It wasn't until they exited the building did they talk.
"So you gonna be okay, Min?"
"Yeah, I will be eventually." Mindy slid her right arm into Danny's left. "I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. I don't know. Maybe I'll take a break from dating or something. But let's talk about less depressing things like my dating life. What's new with you, Danny?"
"Nothing much. You know me, Min. Same routine of a life."
"Seriously? Not even a date or anyone you wanna tell me about?"
Danny smirked. "Well, there is someone."
"A-ha! I knew it. Spill."
"There's nothing to spill...and, hey! What do you mean you knew it?"
"I don't know. You just seem happier than usual. I figured there was someone." She looked at him and smiled. "So, tell me about her. What's she like?" Mindy wasn't sure if she wanted to know. She felt this unfamiliar jealousy knowing that he had someone in his life he didn't tell her about, but she was his friend. She wanted to support him, and she wanted him to be happy.
"What's she like?" He rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. He was getting nervous."Well, she makes me happy, that's for sure. She's….bright, optimistic, caring, unapologetically herself, and completely in love with pop culture, romantic comedies, and gossip." Mindy unlinked her arm from Danny's.
He slowed down to a stop and turned to face her. She was confused yet hopeful, wondering if he was talking about her. He is talking about me, right? "She's my best friend, but I want something more. I'm kind of in with love her." Danny stared at her intensely, hoping it would clue her in.
Mindy couldn't believe what she was hearing. She looked at him incredulously. "In-in love...with her?" She swallowed hard, her mind going a hundred miles a minute.
"Yeah, and I know this is sudden and moving pretty fast, so she may not be ready...but I couldn't wait any longer, and I need her to know." He let out a small chuckle, hoping to ease the tension.
Whoa. She was speechless. Of course, she loved him as a friend, as a best friend. But as something more like a boyfriend? She wasn't sure. There were times when she questioned their borderline non-platonic exchanges, but nothing ever went beyond that. She looked at him, really looked at him. She saw the sincerity, happiness, and most importantly, love in his eyes. It scared her.
"I-I don't know, Danny. I love you, you know that I do, but…," she sighed and looked down at her hands. "As more than just friends? I'm not sure. I mean, Tom just broke up with me, I'm an emotional wreck already. Please, just give me some time."
Danny nodded. He was certainly disappointed, but he didn't expect Mindy to accept it right away. "Of course." He turned to look at the restaurant down the street. "Come on. Let's go get some lunch."