beyoncepadthai | i'll have what she's having

So, Mindy's last birthday went uncharacteristically uncelebrated. Of course, she shopped and drank and all of that, but this year she's more than in a partying mood and has more than enough invitees to put something on without seeming like a total loser.

Deciding to mix things up, Mindy's rented out a cool seat-reclining, wine and dine theater at High Street mall, splurged on snacks and booze and arranged for a viewing of her favorite film. Of course there are a bunch of cool new releases she could let her guests enjoy, but it's her birthday, and this is one way she can force everyone she knows to watch the wonder that is literally anything Nora Ephron.

She can hear Danny's whining already, and she couldn't care less.

What she can't help but care about is what Danny once said to her back in New York, his cruel reminder to her that she wasn't getting any younger, the promise of a hot husband and adorable children ticking away. She's all the more conscious of it this week, especially after freaking out momentarily thinking that Luke might have already moved on.

The right decision or not, a real relationship or not, it's one more shot at a future that she's managed to screw up.

Hence, the alcohol. Dressed to impress, Mindy arrives early to get her start on a super strong and super fruity cocktail while she waits for her first guests to turn up.

[Set to the night of the 20th of June at one of the fancier theaters at High Street Mall. From 8-ish cocktails (+ beer and wine) and finger food will be served in the bar area, and then the movie (viewable on YT, if you are so inclined) will be starting at 8:30. Tag Mindy, tag around, before or after the film. ENJOY.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh, thank you," Mindy says, and she flushes a little in spite of her smile, something she'll put down to the super strong cocktail already in her veins. Absolutely nothing else.

She nudges him slightly with her shoulder, encouraging him to sit down. "I'm kind of surprised you made it. You hate this movie," she says, then grins even more broadly. "Am I allowed to open it, yet?"

"I do," Danny agrees because he has no desire to pretend otherwise. "But I've come prepared." At that, he reveals the book, sliding it onto the bar and flagging down a drink. He leaves the earplugs and headlamp in his pockets for later. "Knock yourself out."

"Okay, you're not reading your dad novel during my movie," Mindy says, making a face that's short lived as soon as she searches through the tissue paper excitedly. Admittedly she was just thinking that her friends are her favorite part of any party, but this is definitely second.

Her expression turns baffled as she plucks out a stuffed animal, turning it over in her hands. "A turtle?"

"No, it's a, it's a tortoise," Danny explains, leaning over to twist the plush around so she can see the tag attached to a foot. If Mindy can't even tell the difference, then he feels a hundred percent legitimized for not getting her the real thing. They might be notoriously difficult to kill but they haven't met her before. "Look inside the bag again."

Mindy reads the tag and, sure enough, it's a tortoise. She's pretty sure the difference is superficial, but she'll have to take Danny's word for it. She's not so much about the nature documentaries, unless it's Built For The Kill, and these guys are clearly not.

She fishes around until she comes across the paperwork and a photograph, and suddenly remembers their conversation in the lounge. One of so many.

It's not a gift she can wear or Instagram, but somehow it's so much sweeter. They're yours forever, Mindy remembers him saying, and she catches his gaze again with another smile. "This is so cool," she says. "Assuming I don't have to, like, go to its tortoise recitals."

"Yeah?" Danny hates how for that split second he sounds so unsure of himself, but the smile he receives goes a long way to making the feeling fade. When he'd thought of the gift, it had been with the hope that Mindy understood what he was trying to say without risking actually saying it. That she doesn't have to worry about being alone as long as he's there.

It's stupid, he knows that. Picking up the stuffed tortoise, he holds it up beside his head, giving it a squeeze. "Even though he's not on the list?"

"I don't want to advocate picking things that aren't on my list," Mindy starts lightly, clearly teasing. "But, yes. It's perfect."

She carefully slips the paperwork back into the bag but keeps the tortoise in her arms, already having decided it's going to be perfect for cuddling during the movie. "I need to rebuild my stuffed animal collection, anyway," she adds. God, she misses Brown Bear.

"I'm sorry, I thought this was a party for your 33rd birthday, not your 13th," Danny teases, though he suspects as soon as he says it that she might take it as a compliment instead. Mindy certainly isn't one to miss an opportunity.

"Give him a good name. None of your celebrity reality star famous pop person mumbo jumbo either."

"Don't just blurt my age out. And I could totally pass for thirteen," Mindy says, though even she sounds skeptical in her tone. Why anyone would want to be thirteen, she has no idea, it was a terrible age for her like most pre-25. The point is, no one should rule it out. "Do you know how hard it was to convince them to serve me alcohol tonight?"

Not at all, but beside the point.

She glances down at the tortoise and makes a face at Danny's comment. She'd really been planning on Jay-Z, and maybe finding a matching one she could call Beyoncé. "Okay, I don't know how to do that. Basically every name I know is from the Forbes 100 list."

i'll have what she's having

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject