As he stood in line waiting to make his purchase, Niles couldn't believe that the moment was real. It was the craziest thing he'd ever done, buying an article of clothing that he'd never considered buying in a million years. But, as he'd discovered, being in love made him do things that baffled him to no end.
Daphne of course had no idea of his love for her and he wasn't quite courageous enough to tell her. And if it hadn't been for a remark that she'd made in passing, he wouldn't be standing in this dreadful store in the first place.
"Thank you Dr. Crane. I hope you'll come again."
He took the bag and his credit card and smiled at the much too friendly sales associate. "Don't count on it." he mumbled, not really caring if she'd heard him or not.
As he made his way home he thought about what Daphne had said/. He'd tried of course to tell her how he felt about her. Frasier of all people had given him the perfect opportunity. They were watching a movie on television and Frasier made a comment about the couple being mismatched and having nothing in common.
"Sometimes that's not such a bad thing." Niles said. He turned to Daphne. "Take us for example."
Her eyebrows rose. "Us?"
He swallowed hard wishing that he could take back his words but of course he could not. "I-."
"Oh Dr. Crane you can't possibly be suggesting that we could possibly be a couple! We're complete opposites! You're suits and ties and I'm blue jeans and t-shirts."
Her words hurt more than she could possibly know but he knew deep down that she was right. When he arrived home, he wasted no time in removing his purchase from the bag and hurried to his room. Grabbing the most casual shirt he owned, he stripped off his suit and tie and then slipped the shirt over his head. The jeans were next. They felt strangely comfortable, something he never imagined possible. Perhaps he could get used to this.
Unexpectedly his doorbell rang and he hurried downstairs to answer it. When he saw his visitor, he froze.
"Daphne-."
"Hello Dr. Crane. I-." Now it was she who was frozen in place.
"What's wrong?"
"Y-you're wearing jeans."
"Um, yes. I…"
She smiled and her eyes lit up as she looked him up and down. "You look very handsome."
He grinned and felt his cheeks flush. "I-I do?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, Daphne.
He had no idea why she had come to see him and he no longer cared. But he knew one thing. He was going to wear blue jeans more often.
