8Mindy is both ecstatic and terrified when Mark Watney is confirmed safe on the Hermes.
He's alive and relatively safe and after all the work and trouble Team Mars had to go through she's ready to just find a nice cave somewhere and sleep for days. Unfortunately, the nervous energy stemming from the fact that her maybe soulmate was on the way back to earth was making it hard to be completely relaxed.
" He looks like shit." Annie tells her as they watch the first video the Ares 3 crew sends after getting Mark back," Which really is to be expected, considering."
"It's just something else to see it up close." Mindy adds. "Well as up close as a video can get."
He's so thin and worn down, but he's got the Ares 3, his friends, holding him up and joking around with him. This lessens the heavy feeling in her heart considerably.
Also, despite the weird friendship she's formed with Annie, Mindy doesn't want to start crying it front of the woman. Annie was made of steel and whatever else hard core bad asses were made of.
"Well, you've got a lot of time before you actually meet him." Annie says and it's so weird how she's spent so much time space stalking her soul mate but he has no idea she even exists.
"There will definitely be some words exchanged." Mindy replies because she might not ever be over how lame her soul mark is, seriously Mark? She's gonna get Annie to help her with the outline of her speech.
This of course does not happen.
When the Hermes finally return to Earth and the Ares crew finally walks on earth soil again (Mark actually kisses the ground because well he was Mark and really she would do the same.) Mindy keeps her cool standing beside Venkat. Annie has positioned her in a place where Mark was sure to speak to her, despite all the people and cameras present and Mindy's insistence that she not interfere.
She was starting to think Annie was secretly a big cheese ball sap, which is bad news for her because whatever words she planned to say to Mark are completely forgotten.
Instead, when Venkat shakes Mark's hand and introduces her she says nothing. Absolutely nothing.
She's sure she does a wonderful impersonation of a fish, gaping mouth and all, but she doubts that Mark Watney has that as his soul mark.
Mark gives her a confused smile, probably waiting for a response but all she can do is smile and nod at him before the next person demands his attention.
"Star struck?" Venkat asks her later on. "It's been awhile since shy Mindy Park showed up."
Mindy tries to think of something clever to say but apparently that wasn't happening either so she just shrugs lamely at him while he looks at her oddly.
Annie of course doesn't let her off so easy.
"What the hell was that Park?" She asks her when all the fanfare has died down.
"I…spaced out?" She says lamely and Annie rolls her eyes so hard Mindy is convinced her eyes will get stuck like that. "Maybe it wasn't the right time?"
The right time doesn't come the day after that, or even the week after.
Okay, so she's kind of avoiding him. She keeps telling herself it isn't the right time, he's got a lot on his plate at the moment. She wasn't sure the added excitement of maybe meeting your soul mate was good for him, what with all the interviews and Tv appearances going on. His friends and family are probably enough at the moment.
Work is still a thing that happens despite the celebrations, which helps in her "maybe avoiding speaking to Mark" deal going on. Venkat helps her get two female interns who are a both a gift.
Things start to calm down a bit, of course this calm is put at risk when Annie walks into the office and tells her she has to attend some NASA party or whatever.
"You have to go." Annie tells her. " You are a key member of the group that brought Mark Watney home"
Mindy raises an eyebrow at that, she can tell Annie has more to say.
"Also you have to stop fucking running away."
Mindy makes a noise of disgruntled agreement. Annie was right but that didn't mean Mindy had to be happy about it.
Annie helps her pick an outfit, because Annie was totally a complete sap, and Mindy finds herself in her best clothes in a fancy NASA party hovering by the buffet table.
They had really good shrimp.
"At least the food is good." Rich Purnell tells her, they formed an unlikely friendship on the day the Hermes returned. Tim was lurking around with them too, but Mindy wasn't sure how Tim measured up on the friendship scale. "I never liked fancy parties."
" This is less of a party and more of a Mark meet and greet. " Tim tells them while hoarding the shrimp.
Mindy snorts because, point.
"I bet there's a stall here somewhere selling memorabilia with my face on it." a familiar voice says behind them and the three turn to see Mark there, probably trying to get to the shrimp.
Mindy forgets that she's been kind of avoiding him says the first thing that comes to mind.
"That sounds like a very Mark-etable idea." Tim groans and Rich just gives her a look but all she can focus on is how Mark's face shifts into shock.
"You!" He says and really, he shouldn't smile so much because she'll start smiling and she's still mad about her soul mark.
"Me." She replies, definitely smiling now.
"I've prepared some words for you, words I've forgotten at the moment." He says as he lifts up his right wrist to show her the words written there. " But they were very smart words about how you suck for making me live with this pun on my person."
Mindy lifts her foot up and shows him the words "Aaaay!" written on her left ankle.
"Oops?" Mark says with an expression that manages to be both surprised and clearly not at all sorry.