A Formal Affair by Patrick Councilor

Fisherman's Warf had many things to see and experience. When Niles bought Daphne an ice cream cone, the vendor asked them if they had just flown into San Francisco. "No," Daphne answered. "Why do you ask?"

"If you don't mind me saying, you two look really tired."

Niles and Daphne shot each other a look and couldn't fight back playful smiles. They weren't about to diverge the reason why they didn't get a lot of sleep last night.

When the vendor handed the ice cream cone to Daphne, the vendor commented, "You two make a very nice looking couple."

"Thank you," Niles' beamed with a big smile.

"Wait a minute," Daphne said. "Aren't you going to get one?"

"No, I really don't want one."

She took him by the arm. "Come along. We'll share."

"Alright." This was like a dream; the kind of dream that you don't forget for an entire lifetime. Life with Daphne was rich, warm, and beautiful, not to mention the wonderful view from cloud nine.

She pulled him over to the rail of the pier and gently caressed his lips with her "ice cream" cold lips. She kissed him with passion and brought her free hand around to the back of his head.

His hands slipped around her waist.

She pulled away to look deep into his eyes. She wanted to spend the next thirty minutes telling him just how much she loved him, but she could tell that he could see it in her eyes. Their noses touched as they stared into each other's eyes.

Daphne leaned back and held up her ice cream. "Here, have some of me Rocky Road."

"No, I'm fine."

"Come one now," she coaxed.

"No, thank you."

She put her cone on his nose, leaving some ice cream there. He first looked surprised and then a warm look crossed his face and they both laughed together. He tickled her and she ended up dropping her cone.

"I'm so sorry Daphne. Here, let me buy you a new one."

She responded by wrapping her arms around him and kissing the ice cream off of his nose. "I've got a better idea of how you can make it up to me." With a tilt of her head, she pressed her lips firmly into his.

He had waited his whole life for Daphne. She was the one. He had to hold onto her for balance. When she kissed him like that, she made his head swim. She may not have gotten a lot of sleep, but it surely didn't show in the passion behind her kiss.

Before they continued to walk, Niles insisted on picking up the ice cream cone with his handkerchief to toss it in the trash.

They went by The Pearl Factory. "Hold on a minute." Niles brought her back into the establishment. He waited for the clerk and paid the $15 to get an oyster. He had Daphne pick one out. The clerk said a few lucky words over it before cracking it open. Inside it was a beautiful blue pear. The clerk told them how rare blue pears were. Niles told Daphne, "That's because it was bought with love."

The clerk drilled the pear for free to mount it onto a pendant. That's where the cost came in, but Niles insisted on getting her the pendant of her choice and a quality necklace.

When they left the shop, Daphne was looking at her dolphin pendant holding the blue peal on the chain around her neck.

"Do you like it?" Niles asked.

"I love it," she said in a half skip to turn and show him while they walked.

At the market on the pier, Daphne couldn't believe the size of strawberries they had. They were like small apples. They bought a bag to take home as well as a bag of candy coated almonds.

Then they found the Ghirardelli Chocolate store where they bought some milk chocolates. As the elder gentleman behind the counter bagged up their chocolates, he asked, "Are you two newlyweds?"

"We've been married a few years now," Daphne replied.

"If there's one thing and old gentlemen can do, is spot young people in love."

Daphne and Niles shot each other looks and smiles. "Thank you very much," Niles paid him.

When they made it back out to the sidewalk, Daphne placed her arm inside his.

He checked his watch. "It's about time we head back to the hotel to check out. We have a plane to catch."

"Alright," she said, "I hate to see this weekend end thought." She leaned and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked along. "I love being in love with you Niles."

He responded by turning to kiss the top of her head. As they walked down the walk with a song in their hearts, Niles snuck a smell of the wonderful perfume that she had sprayed into her hairbrush and combed into her hair.

~ fin ~

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I want to GREATLY thank you all for the wonderful reviews: MensaCat, Andrea (iloveromance), Kristen, Leighann, lfc4ever, JFCiam, samanddianefan. I also want to specially thank Kristen and Andrea for their opinions that helped this story along. I am blessed to have friends like you.