Josh headed towards the bullpen after CJ's performance. Buoyed by the
euphoric atmosphere, not to mention the champagne he'd drank, he
peered into the meeting room searching for Donna.

Not only did he want to continue teasing her about her "distinctive
penmanship," but he also had misplaced his beeper. Knowing Donna she
would have picked it up from wherever he'd laid it down. He also
wanted to talk to her about Leo's assignment. He was nervous about
talking to Jeff Breckenridge tomorrow and he wanted to bounce some
ideas off Donna.

He wound his way through the bullpen, but stopped short when he heard
Donna say, "So that leads me to believe that my date will be of the
short, ugly and without any social skills variety."

A date? Donna has a date? His stomach felt like it dropped to the
floor. I've got to remember not to drink champagne on an empty
stomach, he thought.

He heard Margaret's reply and snorted to himself. Hamilton? Donna
would never agree to go out with a guy named Hamilton.

Josh continued to listen to their private conversation, though his
conscience pricked him.

As Donna recounted her previous blind dates with Margaret, Josh found
himself amazed that these men didn't find her as amazing as he did.
What was wrong with them? He laughed silently when he imagined Donna
trying to keep her temper in check during a date with a non-English
speaking man.

Josh waited to hear about her next blind date experience, but was not
as amused by this one. Some guy pawing Donna? He felt his face flush
as he though about what he'd like to do to this guy who tried to
force himself on Donna. God, he was happy just to sit next to her
sometimes and smell the light scent of her perfume. Why couldn't
other guys be as contented?

His reverie was silence when he head Donna declare, "Maybe I'm tired
of dating. Maybe it's time 'the one' tried to find me!"

Yeah, he shook his head. How come these losers couldn't see all the
wonderful things he saw in her. The way she could juggle several
projects at once and still keep him in line. The way her hair always
smelled so good. The way their eyes would meet across a meeting table
and he knew exactly what she was thinking and he knew she was reading
his mind too. The way she always looked put together regardless of
how late he'd kept her at the office. The way.... He stopped
suddenly. Oh God. If I see her this way, does that mean what I think
it means?

Nah, he shook his head again. I can't possibly be interested in
Donna. And I'm sure I would have picked up on some kind of signal if
she was interested in me. No, I'm sure this is just concern for a
friend.

But his stomach dropped again when he heard Donna agree to the date.
He let out a small groan. He peeked around the bullpen corner to see
Donna heading out for the night. The realization hit him full in the
face: He was in love with Donna.