After a fitful and mostly sleepless night, Niles woke early-much earlier than usual-and looked out the window. February was gone and March had arrived. But the memory of two nights ago still burned in his mind as though it planned to stay there forever. He would remember every detail of his night with Daphne always, no matter how hard he tried to forget it.
His heart raced. While he should have been getting ready to head to his lawyer's office, he had a more pressing engagement. He put on his best casual slacks, his favorite dress shirt and his favorite tie; the light blue one with the tiny green triangles. It wasn't a tie that he would pick out for himself, but it meant the world to him because it was a gift… from Daphne.
The memory came again, more vividly….
The moment he'd opened the box, his mouth fell open in surprise. His eyes rose to meet hers and she wore a smile of anticipation.
"Do you like it? I know it's not really your style, but I saw it in the store and-."
Unable to stop himself, he hugged her tightly and daringly kissed her cheek. It was just a brief, feather-light kiss, but one that surprised him so much that he quickly drew back.
The scent of her lingered and he smiled. "I-I couldn't love anything more.
She had no idea that he was speaking about her.
When he was satisfied with his appearance, he grabbed his keys and walked out of his home. He could hardly wait to see her again.
It was a strange feeling, sitting in the Elliott Bay Towers parking garage with no recollection of how he'd gotten there. But his heart sang with the prospect of knowing that he'd soon be face to face with his angel. Oh how he loved her. He just hoped that their meeting would go according to plan.
With a trembling finger he rang the doorbell. And then he waited… and waited… Damn, he knew that he should have called before he came over. It was just his luck that no one was home. But before he could turn on his heels to leave, the door opened. He whirled around, his breath catching in his throat.
"Daphne…"
She smiled shyly and the faintest hint of a flush moved to her cheeks. Clearly she was as nervous as he. The brief seconds that followed were awkward to say the least. He had no idea what he should say, or what he was supposed to do. Their relationship had changed dramatically and the fact that she was smiling (albeit rather shyly)
spoke volumes. It was clear that she'd forgiven him for leaving so abruptly, but his next move had to be perfect. If he said or did the wrong thing, he was in danger of losing her forever.
The pressure inside of him began to build. This was it, the moment of truth.