Niles sighed, unable to concentrate on his reading. Instead, his mind was filled with memories from the previous evening.
He had to admit that when he'd gone to his colleague's party, he wasn't looking for romance of any sort. After all, his history in that department had been less than stellar.
And with Maris out of his life, he was content to be a carefree bachelor for the time being.
Of course there was no denying that the object of his desire was never far from his thoughts, but he realized that he'd simply have to face reality. She'd never love him the way he loved her.
So when he saw Robin standing alone that night, he forced himself to strike up a conversation. To his amazement they hit it off right away, and he found himself in a full fledged relationship. And he was finally able to say that he was truly happy.
Suddenly the phone rang, bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Niles Crane here. Oh, Robin! I was just thinking about you! I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed having dinner with you last night! Yes, the restaurant was wonderful. I'll definitely recommend it to Frasier!"
"Now I know you hate surprises, but I couldn't help myself. I know we've only been going out for a few months but I have tickets for... Wait... what are you saying?"
There was a long pause as he listened intently.
"But Robin, I thought... Oh... I see... No... I suppose you're right. I was just... optimistic. I'll be all right. You too, Robin. Goodbye."
He hung up the phone, fully aware of his trembling fingers and the lump in his throat. As he glanced sadly at the envelope in his hand, he thought about the wonderful moments he'd experienced in the last few months and how he'd hoped for so many more.
Now all that was left was a handful of painful memories.
So much for happiness.
But he shouldn't have been surprised. As with all good things that came his way, this too turned out to be short lived.
With a sigh he returned his attention to his reading, knowing full well that his thoughts wouldn't be on the story printed between the pages.
Instead, all he could think about was his broken heart.