In the darkness, Niles lay in his bed, unable to sleep. How could he, when his dream had finally come true? He had kissed his angel; the one woman he loved above all others. Oh, he knew it was a meaningless kiss; one that had occurred during a drunken state. But it was real...
It had been hours since he'd left Frasier's, but the touch of Daphne's lips on his still lingered in his mind.
And once more the rational thoughts filled his head. They were the same words that he was sure would be echoed by Frasier and his dad if they knew what had transpired last night.
Daphne was tipsy from too much wine and in the midst of asking Niles to help her into bed; she had confessed her love for him and then kissed him deeply.
He sighed, knowing that the confession was all in his mind. She hadn't really meant it. But even so, the words meant a lot to him. Those three little words were all he needed to hear that night as he drove home to his cold, unfriendly mansion and a wife who clearly hadn't really loved him in years.
How else to explain their separate living quarters? True, she snored notoriously and sharing a bed was completely impossible, but over time they grew accustomed to living separate lives under one roof.
And through it all, he loved her. Or, at least he had...
Now he wasn't so sure.
He sighed deeply and turned on the light that sat on his nightstand. Sleep was a long ago hope and since it was still dark outside his bedroom window, he decided to catch up on some reading.
Determined to take his mind off of Daphne, he opened the book and began to read about the brilliant Cambridge University professor and his journeys through the wilds of Africa.
Ever since he was a kid, Niles loved to read about far away places; places that he would surely never go. True, he and Maris took several trips to Europe, but those were her dreams, not his. He'd learned long ago that his wife's dreams took precedence, no matter what.
It was only when he rubbed his tired eyes that he realized he'd read the same paragraph three times.
And once more, thoughts of his perfect angel consumed him; the most vivid images were those in which she was wearing that short red satin nightgown.
The image caused him to shiver and he didn't have to think twice to know that it had nothing to do with the temperature.