A/N: This chapter is pretty short, but the next chapters up ahead are fairly long. Hope you like it! Thanks for reading everyone. I really appreciate your reviews. It means a lot to me! (:

Again, I don't own The Mindy Project nor its characters

Lunch went well given the slightly tense and awkward exchange they'd had. It was normal and easy, ribbing each other like they always did. They talked about work and how Morgan was still trying to get Tamra to go out with him, about a couple of worrisome patients, and about Richie and Rishi. They laughed and had a good time.

When they reached Mindy's stoop, Mindy paused before unlocking the door to her building. "Danny, I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you an answer before." She started shaking her head. "You must hate me."

"Hey, don't say that. I don't hate you. I'll always be here for you, Min. No matter what, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Danny...For everything." She gave him a smile and walked inside, not looking back to see Danny's look of disappointment on his face.

As soon as Mindy closed the door to her apartment, she leaned against the door and slid down. She sighed heavily and put her head in her hands, letting the tears stream down her face. The past two days had been an emotional roller coaster. Her ex-boyfriend broke up with her, Danny was in love with her now, and now she could see what Tom had meant when he said there might be someone else. She was so overwhelmed and felt emotionally drained.

She leaned her head back against the door and wiped her cheeks with her fingers. She started to imagine what it would be like to be in a relationship with him. She could see it; she could definitely see it. An overwhelming sense of contentment overcame her as she imagined them coming home, having dinner together, and waking up next to him.

Being with him was also easy. She never had to change who she was or struggle to make conversation with him, and she knew him so well. He accepted her for who she is. She hadn't realized that in spite of everything she's been through, he had always been there for her. He was like her rock, a constant in her life, his rationality against her impulsivity.

She was happy with him. She felt like herself around him.

However, the idea of a romantic relationship with him scared the hell out of her. If it didn't work out for whatever reason, she couldn't live with herself. Losing Danny as a best friend was simply not an option for her. He meant way too much to her.

Am I willing to put it all on the line?

It's been two weeks since the breakup and the lunch with Mindy. Seeing her on a daily basis was awkward, but he respected her and gave her space. It didn't mean he liked it though. He had worn his heart on his sleeve that day, opening up to her, putting his feelings out there, and he'd gotten rejected. Well, not completely rejected, but it sure felt like it.

Seeing her every day at work just reminded him of what had happened. Sometimes he wanted to stay home or hide in his office just so he didn't have to face her. Every time she barged into his office to talk to him about a worrisome patient or a work related issue, he tensed up. With each passing day, he felt a sense of emptiness and coldness looming over him, like their friendship was on pause or something. He couldn't stand it. He had originally hated Mindy barging into his office to talk about the latest gossip, but now, he craved it.

Three weeks after his declaration, Danny was relieved of his anticipation. It was a Friday night, and Danny heard a knock on his apartment door. Who's that? He looked through his peephole.

Mindy.

He paused in front of the door, unsure if he could handle what she was here to say to him. If she completely rejected him, he wouldn't know what he would do.

Mindy knocked again, yelling through the door, "Danny! Danny, open up. I know you're in there. I can hear you breathing through the door."

He sighed. No point in avoiding her. He unlocked the door and swung It open. He didn't know what to say, so he just stood there.

"Hey," Mindy breathed.

"Hey."

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, of course." Danny moved aside for her to come in. She swiftly walked in and headed towards the couch. He caught a trace of the perfume she was wearing. She's going to be the death of me, I just know it.

He shut the door, turning around to see Mindy pacing back and forth, eyebrows wrinkled together, breathing heavily. He cautiously walked closer to her. "So…Are you here for what I think you're here for?"

Mindy nodded. "Yeah. Danny, listen. I'm just gonna be honest with you."

He bent his head down and stiffened his posture, preparing himself for the rejection he was sure was coming next. "I think if we were in a relationship, it'd be great. I'm sure we'll annoy each other to no end. I mean we do that anyway, but I can see it. I can really see it. You're my best friend."

He darted his head up to look at Mindy to see if she was serious, to see if she was really saying these words. He saw her holding back tears, and it worried him. Mindy's voice softened as she struggled to speak. "But if it somehow didn't work out, I couldn't deal with mean too much to me. I don't want to lose you, Danny." Her voice cracked, tears threatening to escape her eyes.

He took her in to embrace and comfort her, and she immediately began to cry. She desperately clutched onto the front of his shirt, and her tears started to dampen his shirt.

"Min. To be honest, I'm scared too. I don't want to lose you either, but if we did this, it could be the best thing that could happen. We're so damn good together, Min...but if you don't want to do this, then fine. We'll continue to be friends, and I'll find a way to move on. But if there's some part of you that wants this too, I think we should at least try it."

Mindy sniffled and nodded into his shirt. "I do. I do want this."

"Okay, then that's it." Danny kissed the top of her head. "We'll just take it slow and see how it goes. No pressure, no expectations, okay?"

Mindy pulled away, arms still wrapped around him. She smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Danny cupped her face, thumb grazing the side of her cheek. He leaned forward to capture her lips. Mindy grasped his shirt and sighed into him, relaxing in his embrace. He pulled back to rest his forehead on Mindy's. "We're gonna be fine."

Mindy's smile grew and a sense of completeness and happiness washed over her as she simply nodded when he kissed her again.