Chapter 6: Playing House And One Realization

Up next came the moment Danny realized he could no longer deny his un-lamp like feelings for Mindy to himself any longer. A realization that would lead him on a straight path to everything changing for him and Mindy.

Mindy had, had a long busy work week, and would be heading to the hospital for a C-section. She bumped into Morgan, Cliff, and Cliff's model date in the elevator. Without realizing it she'd made a fool of herself, going on about allergy hives on her chest. That, and her overall blah appearance, caused Morgan to chastise her. She later found herself back at the hospital in search of her purse and phone. Running up to the cleaning lady she found out the guy in charge of the lost and and found was already gone. Luckily she bumped into Danny.

"Why don't you stay at a hotel, you like dropping towels on the floor . You tweeted that yesterday ." Danny said with smug smile.

"I can't pay, because I don't have my wallet. You know what?"

"Yeah." Danny said looking up from a chart.

" You live around here, I should just spend the night at your place."

"No, no, no, no, call one of your friends ."

"The only number I've memorized is my Thai place. They're not gonna let me spend the night . Which is so unfair, because I know they have mattresses back there. Please Danny."

"No."

In the end Danny gave in, like he always did when it came to Mindy. They found themselves walking to Danny's place, he listed a set of rules, while Mindy barely listened, something else, or rather someone else on her mind. She couldn't help but notice all the happy elderly couple, a younger couple with a baby. It reminded her of the fact that she was a thirty something , still single, unmarried and childless.

"You can't get on my computer because the last time you changed my WiFi network name to' leave Miley alone' ,and I don't know how to change it back . Rule number 2 coaster, coasters, coasters. I don't want to see your drinks just laying about, ok. Hey whats wrong with you?" Danny said stopping his rant, when he noticed how quiet Mindy was being. Usually at this point in one of his rants, she would have already had several comebacks and possibly a mini rant of her own.

"What!"

"You're all dreamy."

"You know I was just thinking about how when my mom was my age she was already married and I was like five years old ."

"Don't worry , she was probably just a child bride, its all messed up over there."

"Hey, hey, that's very offensive."

"Sorry, sorry." Danny said , he hadn't meant for it to be offensive, he was just trying to cheer her up , not upset her more. He couldn't stand seeing her upset.

"Danny, what am I going to do? If I had a boyfriend or a husband, he would have picked me up tonight and I wouldn't be in this situation . I'm never gonna find anyone. I just hope my parents don't mind that our blood line is gonna die with me . Family is so important to us."

"What about your brother Rishi?"

"Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, I forgot about him...I forgot about him."

"Yeah. You did."

"It's so much better being single. No commitment , no long hair in the drain. No finding my toothbrush wet, because someone used it and thought I wouldn't notice." Danny said as they crossed the street, taking the time to touch Mindy's back as they crossed while not missing a beat on his rant.

"But Danny, if you rinse a toothbrush after you use it, its like no one used it."

"What about you, you're always crushing on some cheese ball." Danny said looking down as he asked so to seem nonchalant.

"There is someone , but..."

"But, what, who's the next victim?"

" I feel a little weird telling you actually. Cause we work in the same place ,and hes out of my league, he'd never be interested in me . Morgan thinks we would be good together, but whenever we see each other, we fight and argue. Ah, it doesn't matter , lets just go to your place, I'm cold Danny." Mindy said then picked up her pace.

"Yeah...oh boy." Danny said. He quickly replayed Mindy's words. She had to be talking about him right? They worked together and they fought all the time. They were two of Morgans favorite people, so it would make sense that he'd want them to be together. Mindy had , had no qualms about telling him about her previous love interest, why would she start now. Unless she was testing the waters. He didn't know why, but the thought started to make him panic.

"Danny you smell good, is it cologne ." Mindy said sniffing him as she stood really close to him, while he sorted his mail.

" What! No, no, no, no, no, no, I don't smell good, its deodorant, whatever, leave me alone." Danny said, then quickly returned to his mail. A task that was interrupted by a female voice calling his name.

"Danny?"

"Heyy. Oh my God its my crazy neighbor , I hooked up with her , shes obsessed with me. Do me a favor , hold my hand, ok." Danny said turning around quickly and facing the women, before turning back around and whispering to Mindy.

"You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?" Mindy said enthusiastically.

"NO, not, yeah, no , yeah ,I mean just for a second." Danny said stumbling over his words.

"Ok." Mindy said as he turned them so that they were facing the woman, him holding Mindy's hand.

"Hey!."

"Hi." Mindy and Danny both said at the same time, a fake smile plastered on Danny's face.

"I feel like you've been avoiding me. Did you lose your phone, your computer, your ability to hear your doorbell?" The woman asked, and at each question Danny shook his head no.

"No, he found true love with his fiancee,which is me ." Mindy said, resting her head against Danny's shoulder. While Danny gave the woman another slightly nervous fake smile.

"So you're engaged, how long have you guys been together, then?" They woman asked clearly surprised.

'Short version we met in St. Barths . We met through mutual friends, the resorts communal dinning table. First night, we wanted to kill each other. Second night I told the maitre d' to seat me anywhere, except next to this jerk. Call it fate, but that night we found love, and we made love."

"Wow." The woman said.

"And that's where we came up with this guy. Yeah I'm with child, its a boy. It's too early to tell people but we're just so excited." Mindy said placing Danny's hand on her upper abdomen as she said the part about being pregnant.

"I'm so happy for you guys! It's such a romantic story , but where's your ring? "

"It was a blood diamond and we had to give it back to Africa."

"We gave it back, what are you gonna do." Danny chimed in.

"So..." Both he and Mindy said at the same time looking at each other than back at the neighbor.

"Lets go, we're gonna head up, upstairs, we'll see you later." Danny said starting to walk away, Mindy following behind him.

"Gotta go get started on baby number two , if you know what I mean."

"I do...I'm sorry I never got your name?" The neighbor asked after nervously laughing.

"It's Chloe, Chloe Silverado." Mindy said before walking away.

Later inside Danny's apartment, the two were settled on Danny's couch, Mindy laying on the couch reading a random book about how things work. While Danny read his own book, he was seated with his legs stretched out and resting on an ottoman.

"I can't believe the only snack you had is sugar cubes. Danny..Danny, do you know how the windmill works. It's unbelievable, its so messed up." Mindy said poking Danny in the neck and shoulders ,with her feet.

"Ok, alright. Look, I think it'd be better if you read your book in here, and I'll go into the other room with my Ludlow ." Danny said inching away from her. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Sure he'd admit he was attracted to Mindy and he cared about her, but for some reason the thought of her setting her sights on him scared the crap out of him. Plus he wasn't entirely sure he was ready to finally confront the fact that since she'd returned from Haiti, they'd gotten closer and closer.

"Actually Danny, can we just go to bed now please." Mindy said continuing to touch him with her feet.

"Yeah. Different beds, sure. I'm gonna go grab you a pillow for the couch." Danny said practically jumping even further from her, before calming himself. He didn't want to think about Mindy and him being in the same bed together , lest his body betray him. If she kept touching him, it probably would.

"That's interesting because when my cousin comes to visit me. I give her my bed , and then like I sleep on the couch."

"Great so you have experience sleeping on couches." Danny said.

Danny had left Mindy on the couch, and was laying on his bed in his boxers watching the nature channel when Mindy peeked her head in, she had a baseball mitt in her hand and was wearing his Columbia hoodie.

"Danny..."

"Hey, what are you, what are you doing in here, come on." Danny said, quickly grabbing a sheet to cover himself.

"Are you watching the nature channel? I love this, it makes me so happy I don't live in those places."

"Yeah. No, don't, I like the side smooth...great" Danny said as Mindy fully entered the room jumped onto his bed and was now sitting up back against the headboard on the unoccupied side of the bed.

"Cozy." Mindy said getting comfortable.

The program playing on the TV was about frogs, and as the narrator started to describe the sexual aspect, Danny could feel his palms sweat, and his irrational fear as he started to feel uncomfortable. It was bad enough when they were on the couch, now she was sitting right beside him in his bed, he didn't know how much more he could take.

"Oh boy.." Danny said, and Mindy giggled, and playful nudged Danny's in his side with her elbow.

"Ok, don't , no stop. Of all the things frogs do . All the very interesting things they do, you're gonna show me this, no." Danny side quickly changing the channel.

"OK, here we go, creature feature ." Danny said relaxing. A scary movie shouldn't bring up anything sexual.

"This looks...I really don't like scary movies. Oh god don't go in there..I can't stop talking when I'm scared. Ahhh, Danny, Danny, I'm so scared, I'm so scared! Why'd you make me watch that!" Mindy said arm clinging around Danny's, her face buried in his shoulder. She was so close and he could practically inhale the scent of her conditioner, it smelled so sweet. He had to get her off of him before his body reacted to her proximity and scent, he didn't want her to think he was a perv.

"Alright, ok, let go, let go. Ok, that's enough, that's enough . Get your legs off me now, this has gone far enough. We need to talk." Danny said grabbing the roommate turning off the TV and facing her a serious expression on his face. He wasn't sure exactly what he was gonna say, but before he could start, Mindy spoke first.

"I think you're right , I admit it, I farted, I did it because I was scared and it was wrong and we should talk about it." Mindy said in serious tone. which was not what Danny was expecting. He thought she was gonna admit that it was indeed him she was referring to earlier, that she had been testing the waters to see if Danny felt the same.

"No, not about that." Danny said frustrated.

"Ok, I spilled red wine on your sofa cushion, and yes I turned it over, and then I got chocolate syrup on that ,and I wrapped it up in blankets and I thought you'd just blame it on your maid."

"Ok, stop admitting things to me." Danny said getting increasingly frustrated.

"I farted again..."

"Stop, and stop farting , ok. We need to talk about this, you and me, ok."

"Yeah, ok."

"No, not here, not in my bed, out there."

"I was really comfortable lying on your bed, I don't understand why we have to come out here." Mindy said as Danny ushered here out of his bedroom.

"Ok, that's inappropriate , alright." Danny said in response.

" But, why?" Mindy asked. But before Danny could answer the they both were shocked to see Danny's crazy neighbor sitting in his living room on the couch a wine bottle in hand.

"So Chloe...How much do you know about your fiancee?"

"So Danny probably told you I was crazy,right?" Danny's neighbor said, clearly drunk, bottle still in her hand.

"I would never say that." Danny said

"Yes, he did." Mindy said speaking at the same time as Danny.

"Look, I did the math, Danny had sex with me while you were pregnant."

"What!" Mindy said.

"A lot."

"Daniel is this true?" Mindy said facing Danny.

"It is possible, could be possible." Danny half whispered.

"Bastard!" Mindy said after slapping him hard across the face causing him to yell out in pain.

"That was a lot harder then it needed to be." Danny said clutching his face like a wounded animal.

"I feel like I must hear every detail, although it will be painful to hear it." Mindy said, making her voice shake like she was fighting the urge to cry, but really she was fighting the urge to laugh.

"So Danny was kind of a sex freak, huh?" Mindy said as she sat on the couch with Danny's neighbor, whose name she now knew to be Amy.

" Yeah, and then there were times when he didn't even want to have sex. You know he just wanted to eat melted chocolate off my butt."

"OK, its getting late I think my fiancee has heard about as much as she can handle." Danny said, having had enough, it was embarrassing enough having Amy here. The fact that Amy and Mindy were talking about his sexual encounters with the former, like those female characters from that Sex in the Village show Mindy was always going on about, made it even worse.

"Amy, I want to thank you for your honesty , and while deeply saddened by this, I think I'm gonna stick with Danny. Like Hillary ,Puma, or Cilda, or briefly Maria Shriver. Right before she was like , why am I doing this, I'm the rich one."

"Ok, Amy I'm gonna need my key back now."

"She had your key?" Mindy said surprised

"Yeah." Danny admitted .

"Well yeah, we were spending most nights together ." Amy explained.

"So you were spending most nights together?" Mindy said.

"Yeah, and in the morning , he'd make pancakes."

"Pancakes!" Mindy said starting to get a little angry.

"Blueberry." Amy said.

"Ok, I'm sorry Amy. Do you mind waiting here for a second." Mindy said sensing there was more to the story then an obsession after a few hookups. Mindy then made Danny follow her to his bathroom, closing the door, before saying what she had to say.

"Hey buddy, guess what? There is a sociopath here and its not Amy , Danny its you."

"What!" Danny said.

"You do not make pancakes for someone who is just a hookup. I've been told that by like ten different guys."

"Ok, I'm Italian, I like to cook." Danny said going on the defensive and trying to walk away, but Mindy stopped him.

" Come back here. Admit to me that you are not this cool player who can just hook up with whomever.

"Fine . Yes, I guess I get a little lonely sometimes. You know if its a little drizzly out, or if I see photos of the first family doing that Easter egg hunt ."

"Aw Danny, do you get lonely sometimes." Mindy said a bit patronizingly .

"Yes, that's what I just said!

"Ok, you don't have to scream at me "

" OK ,can we go back out there and tell her to go please." Danny said , ready for this whole ordeal to be over with .

"Yes, but first you need to make this right . Come." Mindy said .

"Amy, Danny has something he would like to tell you." Mindy said. The three of them sat at Danny's dinning room table.

"How ya been?" Danny said, having no idea where to start.

"Come on, just , will you please." Mindy said hitting him.

"Fine. So, I definitely liked you, but I guess I kept it going on so long because...sigh...maybe I was a little lonely." Danny admitted.

"He was lonely." Mindy chipped in.

" Thank you for saying that Danny. " Amy said taking it pretty well.

"You welcome." Danny said.

"Actually, I realize that, she has a lot more to be angry about then I do." Amy said referring to Mindy.

"I do." Mindy said slapping Danny a second time.

" I'm so sorry angel." Danny said grinding his teeth, forcing himself to be calm after the slap.

"Apologize to our baby." Mindy said.

"I'm sorry baby." Danny said.

"Tell it to him." Mindy said grabbing Danny's hand and making him get closer so that he could talk to her stomach.

"I'm so sorry buddy."

"So we have a lot we need to work on, I can almost say that I'm happy you came by. It was painful for sure, but ultimately it was worth it. " Mindy standing up.

" It was very painful for sure...but it was good" Danny began speaking as Mindy spoke.

"So we're gonna call it a night ." Mindy said.

"Yeah, we're gonna call it a night and, and maybe we'll get a bite to eat sometime. You know, me you and Mindy, we'll just do our thing." Danny said.

"Who, who's Mindy?" Amy asked confused.

"Her." Danny said pointing to Mindy.

"Chloe, I'm Chloe, my name is Chloe, Danny. Mindy is someone he works with ." Mindy said trying to explain Danny's slip up.

"Yeah, Chloe." Danny said.

"He gets confused all the time." Mindy explained further.

"Yeah, Chloe, Chloe, Chloe , Mindy. " Danny said.

"What is going on here?" Amy asked starting to get suspicious .

"What, what!" Danny said.

"Nothing, nothing, we're just a couple in love with each other ." Mindy said

"Are you in a relationship together or not?" Amy said, at this point not knowing what to believe.

"Of course , yes." Danny said, rather unconvincingly

"Look, of course,this is what..." Mindy said wrapping her arms around Danny's waist ,as he wrapped both arms around her, pulling her close against him .

" Yes, Yeah." Danny said rubbing his hands up and down her back, pulling her even closer to him. Placing a kiss on her head as she leaned against him. He could smell her conditioner again, and something about the way she felt in his arms just felt right. He looked at her, and she looked just as beautiful in his hoodie and sweats, as she did when she wore one of her flashy outfits.

"Oh, yeah. Ok, this is real, Danny never looked at me like that. Plus you are clearly very pregnant, so. You're a very lucky woman Chloe Silverado." Amy said, before making her way out of Danny's apartment.

"I don't know if very pregnant, is how I would describe me..." Mindy said.

Danny though barely heard her after that. He was too caught up in his thoughts. Wondering how exactly had he been looking at Mindy. That's when it hit him, was Amy right? Was he in love with Mindy? Of course he had feelings for her, he cared about her, couldn't stand seeing her hurt, always wanted her to be happy. He never thought anyone she ever dated was good enough for her, he was miserable when she left for Haiti. Hell he was ready to kiss her not too long ago, he thought she was beautiful inside and out. Yup, he was a man in love, oh boy.

Danny ended up letting Mindy have the bed. After getting him out of that situation with Amy,albeit with an elaborate out of control lie, he owed her at least a good nights sleep on a comfy bed. After setting up some blankets for himself on the couch, he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

He couldn't help but smile after feeling the wetness of his tooth brush, flashing back to their conversation earlier about using another persons tooth brush. He thought about all the things he'd said earlier that he liked about being single and he realized dealing with all that stuff would be worth it if he were dating Mindy.

THE NEXT MORNING

"You know Danny, at this point if we pulled our money together we could buy Greece. I'd have to share Greece with you though..enh we'll figure it out " Mindy said her mouth half full of french toast as she read the paper. Danny stood at the stove making more french toast.

" You know that guy you were telling me about, the one you work with. I think you should know hes not out of your league. You're great." Danny said.

"That's very nice of you to say."

"I mean it ." Danny said placing a piece of french toast on her plate.

"Hey, I love that you said that." Mindy said grabbing his arm and smiling sweetly at him.

"And I'm gonna do it. When I get home, I'm gonna call Cliff and ask him out." Mindy said.

" Wait, what?" Danny said confused.

"Cliff Gilbert, your friend, the attorney . Wait, who'd you think I was talking about?"

"Cliff Gilbert, from, from down the hall, he's like fifty?"

"No, I think hes younger than you."

"Oh he is. His eyes are kinda , they're close together, aren't they?"

"His beautiful perfect blue eyes, I don't think so."

"Cliff Gilbert, how bout that." Danny said, bringing his attention back to the task at hand, making french toast, while also recovering from his disappointment.