Saturday, November 1st

[beyoncepadthai]

 It's not like it's the first time Mindy's had her heart broken. But it is the first time that Danny Castellano has made her feel this way.

Although she can't even blame him for all of this, as much as she might want to. Because as much as the kiss weighs against her, as much as his refusal to want to be more with her stings, there's the undeniable dilemma of having just discovered all that she's somehow forgotten – an engagement and a trip to Haiti and an almost wedding and more breakups than she can seem to keep track of.

Josh. Brendan. Casey. Cliff. The waves of emotion are all at once too much and Danny's decision to once again drive a wedge between them, this time because he wants to preserve their friendship (what a fucking cliché), pushes her over the edge. So instead of going home she heads for a bar, wondering how many drinks it will take for her to forget. Wondering if there's something she can do to send the memories back from wherever they came.

She's almost hoping for anonymity when she bumps into Luke on her way in, but she manages a smile anyway. "Hey. It's Luke, right?"

Comments

[notaretriever]

"Rugged, sexy man's man thing," Luke echoes and he can't help it, he's laughing. It's funny, it's been a long time since he's laughed like this with anyone and he tries to think back to the last time and he knows it has to have been before Manhattan. That isn't to say he hasn't had fun since moving to New York, since reconnecting with Jocelyn, but nothing has been like this. He hasn't just sat with a woman in a bar and laughed.

"So what you're saying is that we have the most attractive table, so to speak, given that we're at the bar, in this building," he suggests.

[beyoncepadthai]

It's good to see him laugh and not have her attempts at humor fall on deaf or stubborn ears, especially in the wake of such a spectacular failure with Danny, the awkwardness that has befallen their friendship and she's not sure will ever lift. She reaches for her drink, taking a sip. "Oh, hell yes. We look great. The envy of the entire room, for real."

[notaretriever]

Luke glances around, prepared to make a joke, but he's surprised to find there are people looking at them. One woman with a hungry sort of glint in her eye and there are several men who continually steal glances in Mindy's direction.

"Well, you're certainly not short on admirers," he agrees as he turns back toward the bar, then pauses for a sip of his beer. "But I'm sure you're used to that."

[beyoncepadthai]

"Oh, please," Mindy says, rolling her eyes, though totally enjoying the compliment. If that's what it is. Yeah, guys check her out, but usually by the time she opens her mouth they want nothing to do with her. The exceptions, she usually ends up dating "Tell that to the men of New York. Every single one seems to be gay, or taken, or just plain stupid."

[notaretriever]

Luke lets out a snort of laughter at that, surprised into it, but he supposes she isn't wrong. Had she approached him in New York, he would have made a thousand excuses to get out of having a drink with her because he hadn't been able to look past Jocelyn. Behaviour he's certain could be defined as stupid.

"Well, it's a good thing this isn't New York," he says, although he doesn't want to point out the men who are looking at Mindy. He's here with her and he doesn't know if she has any interest in him at all, but he doesn't want to start point out other options either. "Darrow might have a whole new breed of stupidity."

[beyoncepadthai]

"Or New York brought its stupidity with it," Mindy says, although it's more of a murmur, under her breath. She's thinking about Danny, of course, how could she forget? And it's infuriating, actually, to be thinking about his short, sweaty self while face to face with a guy like Luke. How the hell did he ever get under her skin? How the hell does she get him out?

[notaretriever]

Luke wonders at that, wonders if perhaps there's someone from her home here, someone who's been that breed of stupid around her. He doesn't say it, though, just gestures for another drink for the both of them.

"I know it's easier said than done, but maybe forget Manhattan. At least for tonight," he suggests. "I'll try to do the same."

[beyoncepadthai]

Mindy's expression softens, hands reaching for her almost empty glass to lift to his in a toast. "To forgetting Manhattan," Mindy says, though she knows it's an impossibility. It will always be home. Above Darrow, above Boston. "And being the hottest pair in the bar tonight."

[notaretriever]

Luke doesn't know that anyone has ever referred to him as being hot, even if she's applying it to the both of them and he smiles behind his glass, his cheeks growing warm.

"I think you've paid me more compliments tonight than anyone ever has before," he admits.

[beyoncepadthai]

"Oh, god, am I going overboard? I tend to do that," Mindy says, shaking her head. She's never been the best when it comes to flirting, but after all of the BS with Danny, today, she's sure she must be worse. "I can totally insult you, if you prefer that. Or, or, we could skip past the awkward entirely."

[notaretriever]

"No, no, I just... haven't received a lot of compliments," he says with a laugh, his face flushing a little deeper when she suggests they skip the awkward part entirely. Luke's never been particularly good at reading signs and he's never liked making assumptions.

"Skipping the awkward part entails... what, exactly?" he asks, smiling over at her.

[beyoncepadthai]

Mindy's face reflects the disbelief she feels that Luke wouldn't be bombarded with compliments constantly pretty clearly. He's fucking gorgeous, and she's about to say as much when she realises she's already said so three or four times and she's not even that drunk. "Oh, boy," she says, looking at the rim of her glass. "Alright, so I just had what can only be described as the worst night ever. Titanic bad. I mean, hell, even Jack and Rose had each other, you know? But anyway. My point is, I think that we should sleep together. Just, you know, a one time thing. No strings attached. Tonight. If you want."

[notaretriever]

She's far more bold than anyone Luke has ever met and for a second he's stunned into silence, but when he thinks about it, when he really considers it, maybe this is what he needs. Jocelyn isn't here. There's no indication that she'll come here at any point. Even if she did come to Darrow, she's made it very clear that all she wants from Luke is his friendship.

Maybe it's time he learn to accept that. Maybe something like this, no strings attached, can help him.

"Is your place close?" he asks.

[beyoncepadthai]

"Uh, yeah, just a few minutes away," Mindy says, releasing a breath that she hadn't been sure she'd been holding. She's been rejected plenty. And for all of her vanity, it's still a little bit surprising when a man says yes, sometimes, especially in a bar where he's certainly not short of many (she might argue better) other options. "If you need a few more drinks or whatever, first, though, I totally get it."

[notaretriever]

It takes Luke a moment to take her meaning and then he frowns, pushing his glass away. The idea that anyone might need to drink in order to sleep with her is absurd and he leans forward, catching her jaw gently with his hand before he kisses her. It's been a very long time since he's kissed anyone -- Lucy, he remembers, another wolf, the second girlfriend he'd ever had, the attempt at moving on from Jocelyn that he had tried to make over seven years ago -- but it's not an easy thing to forget.

And Mindy's mouth is warm and soft under his. He breathes out against her lips, then nudges the kiss gently deeper, parting her lips with his.

[beyoncepadthai]

The kiss catches Mindy off guard more than maybe it should, especially given that she's the one that's just proposed sex, but not enough to stop her from kissing Luke in turn. "Whoa," she murmurs, smiling against his lips. This is exactly what she wants, not to use or be used but just to lose herself in another for long enough to forget the hellish wave of memories she's just received out of nowhere.

[notaretriever]

There isn't much they can do in the bar, but Luke kisses her deeper for just a moment more, his hand cupping her face, and his thumb sweeps over her cheek once before he pulls away. He doesn't need another drink, not for this, and perhaps he's never done something like this before, but he doesn't need to find courage. It's here in her voice, in the way she kisses him, in the fact that she's asked him to her place. He can find the courage he needs there.