Daphne could hardly contain her excitement as she waited outside of the fast food restaurant for her friend Kate. It was, perhaps, the most unconventional place to meet, because Daphne wasn't a big fan of burgers and fries, but when Kate suggested meeting there, Daphne didn't hesitate to say yes.
It had been years since she'd last seen Kate, even more before she'd left Manchester and when her mum had mentioned that Kate had gotten a job as a professor at the University of Washington, Daphne immediately set to work on tracking her friend down. Her mum could be completely insufferable, but at times like this Daphne was reminded of how much she loved her. She made a mental note to call her mum and thank her and perhaps even invite her to Seattle for a visit. Or better yet, schedule a visit back to England. She did miss her home, but her real home was here, in Seattle.
She glanced at her watch and smoothed the sides of her shirt, happy that she was dressed appropriately in a purple blouse with a hem that barely hit the waistband of her jeans. The weather had been unseasonably warm in Seattle and when her heavy sweaters proved to be too suffocating, she was forced to dig in her closet for cooler clothes. She just hoped that she looked presentable. Not that Kate would care, but Daphne still felt self-conscious at times. Perhaps Niles and Frasier's pretentiousness had rubbed off on her in a very small way.
She sat, glancing at her watch; even though there were still a few minutes before Kate was due to arrive. And the second she looked up, she saw the unmistakable silhouette of her friend.
Daphne jumped up from the bench and hurried to greet her friend, who, to her relief, was dressed just a casually, if not more so. She was wearing a University of Washington sweatshirt and jeans… and she looked incredible, like no time at all had passed since they'd last seen each other. How was that possible?
Kate paused, her eyes widening. "Daphne?"
"Oh my God, Kate! Is that really you?"
They ran toward one another, coming together in a huge bear hug.
"Oh my God, I can't believe it!" Kate said. "I've missed you so much!"
"I missed you too!" Daphne said. Her emotions overcame her and she felt tears springing to her eyes. And that made her hug Kate even tighter.
Eventually Kate drew back and brushed the tears from her cheeks. "Come on, let's get inside before someone sees us and thinks we've gone mad!"
Daphne grinned. "Would that be such a bad thing?"
They broke into laughter and with their arms around each other, headed into the restaurant. Daphne couldn't wait to catch up on old (and new) times. It had been much too long.