Niles began to hyperventilate as he listened to his brother's message. He'd been listening to some of his favorite classical music, to take his mind off the argument with Frasier. By the time he realized the phone was ringing, the machine had already picked up.
Instinctively, he felt the breast pocket of his suit, where he always kept his phone. It wasn't there. It took several moments for Niles to calm himself enough to drive over to Elliot Bay. The entire way there, all he could do was pray that Daphne wasn't the one to find the phone.
When the elevator reached the nineteenth floor, Niles once again began to hyperventilate. He couldn't lose control of his emotions now. Whatever happened, happened. It was too late to change things now. He rang the bell.
Daphne froze when she heard the doorbell. "That'll be your brother," she said to Frasier.
"Do you want me to stay, or...?" Frasier asked.
"I don't think this is a conversation that needs an audience!"
"Right. Well, I'll just be in my room. You go and let Niles in. Just remember, whatever happens, we love you. All of us."
Daphne smiled at him gratefully. She watched her boss leave before answering the door. "Hello." She found that she was nervous all of a sudden.
"Frasier said I left my phone here," Niles said, trying to be calm.
"Yes. Here it is." Daphne handed it back to him.
"Thank you. I don't know what I'd ever do if I lost this thing. My whole life is on here!" He laughed nervously.
"I tried to turn your phone off. Honest. I didn't mean to look through your private business. I know what it's like to have people snooping around in your things."
"Daphne, what exactly did you see on here?" Niles could feel his heart beginning to race.
"Well, when I tried to turn the bloody thing off, I accidentally saw your camera. All those pictures..."
"I know how it looks. When I bought the phone, I had no idea it had a built-in camera. But once I realized it was there, I just began taking pictures."
"But why did you take so many of me?"
Niles desperately tried to come up with an explanation that wouldn't make him sound crazy. Then he caught a glimpse of the Space Needle through the balcony window. "Did you ever see a sunset so breathtaking, you just knew you wanted to remember it forever?"
Daphne followed his gaze. She often admired the view from out there, whenever she had a moment to herself. "Yes," she admitted. "But I'm hardly -"
"Daphne, no matter what you may think, you are beautiful. To me, anyway." Niles took a step toward her. He was nervous, but somehow he felt like this was the right thing to do.
For a moment, Daphne was speechless. She was not used to men describing her this way. All she could do was look at the floor in embarrassment.
Niles gently tipped her chin back up so that he could see her eyes. "I knew I shouldn't have taken so may photos. I was like a child with a new toy. It was nice to have pictures of you handy when you weren't around. But it certainly isn't like I need a photograph to know what you look like."
"You think about me when I'm not around?" Daphne asked in disbelief.
"All the time," Niles replied, nodding. "Ever since we met, I've been thinking about your smile, your eyes, your kindness..."
"I hardly know what to say," Daphne said. "This is all rather overwhelming."
"I wanted to tell you how I felt. I've imagined the moment a thousand times. I wanted to sweep you off your feet. But I've probably scared you off, now that you've seen how lovesick I've been." He laughed nervously.
"Well, this is rather a surprise for me. I've noticed the way you hang around here so much. I thought you were just lonely. Anybody would be, after the way Mrs. Crane has treated you."
"Maris and I are over. We have been for years. I just didn't want to admit it until now. It does hurt, but I'd much rather think about my future instead of my past." He reached out, gently tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
Daphne gasped at his touch. No man had ever treated her this way before. She looked at him, for the first time, not seeing him as her boss' brother. He was so much more than that. He was also her friend. But there was still something more here. She could feel it. "Maybe it is time for you to move on from Mrs. Crane. It won't be easy, and you should probably do it slowly. But would it help if I were with you?" she asked.
"'Help'?" Niles asked. "It would be wonderful. I would like nothing better." He realized once again that he'd come on a bit too strongly. "I mean, if that's what you want," he stammered.
"It is," she whispered. She hugged him, resting her head on his chest.
Niles took a moment to inhale the scent of her shampoo. He realized he'd never smelled – or seen – something so beautiful in his life. He automatically reached for his phone to snap a picture. But, on second thought, he put it back. He would not need anything to remind him of this moment.
The End
