Chapter 18: Daphne
Daphne woke first. It was still dark, but there was a hint of light indicating dawn was near. She checked the time: 4:45am. Rolling over, Daphne faced Niles. Even asleep, he still looked like he had gone through the wringer emotionally. Niles stirred slightly, and muttered something under his breath as he rolled over. Daphne wasn't sure what he said, but it might have been her name. For some reason, the thought of him dreaming about her made Daphne's stomach flutter pleasantly.
Last night was hard. Daphne had found herself more upset about Niles' situation with Maris than she thought she should have been. She kept telling herself that she was just upset her friend was being treated so poorly, but little thoughts in the back of her mind kept trying to tell her otherwise. She was quick to push them down and lock them away, however.
Nothing good could come from entertaining them.
Daphne and Niles didn't have sex last night, even though they slept in the same bed. Instead they just laid together and talked. The subject of Maris was pushed aside again for the most part, and they discussed little things; likes, dislikes, interests - mundane everyday things. They had kissed a little, snuggled together in bed, but didn't go further than that. Niles seemed too emotionally drained. Daphne, not wanting to take advantage, found herself just content to hold him, listen, and keep his mind off the things that troubled him.
So the two of them just laid there, drank a few more glasses of wine, and talked. Eventually they fell asleep cuddled up to each other, still mostly dressed in the clothes they were wearing earlier that evening. In a lot of ways, it was a more intimate night than the times they did have sex, and that seemed to bring up a lot of thoughts and feelings that Daphne was now playing whack-a-mole with. Like the realisation of just how much she was starting to enjoy waking up next to Niles.
Daphne watched him a little longer as he lay there, sleeping peacefully, breathing softly. Not wanting to wake him up. But she couldn't help the surge of affection she suddenly felt for him, so she leaned over and kissed him. He woke up, slightly groggy.
"Mmm, Daphne." He smiled sleepily at her, and she felt her chest tighten.
She returned the smile, and pushed a piece of his hair back off his face.
"Good morning, Niles. I'm going to head back now, I want to be home before your father and brother wake up." She looked at him, still slightly concerned. "How are you doing this morning?"
"I'm okay. Everything still feels weird. Scary, but it also like it's the right decision."
Daphne kissed his forehead. Niles grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace. Daphne laid there with him, enjoying the closeness.
"Thank you for staying last night," he murmured into her hair. "I really don't know what I would do without you."
"I'm happy I was able to help." She pulled back, and looked at Niles. "Please, reach out if you need to. I'm here for you."
Despite the emotion on his face, he seemed to have come to some sort of peace now a decision had been made. He sighed.
"I'm sure today will be interesting, but it's a positive step forward, I think." He paused for a moment. "I'd like to see you again, but I think I'll come over to Frasier's for dinner tonight. I'm sure he and Dad would like to know how I'm doing."
"All right. I'll see you tonight at your brother's." She considered arranging another get together, but now wasn't the time. Niles needed to clear this hurdle first.
Daphne finally got up, reluctant to leave the warm bed. She felt safe and comfortable in it, next to Niles. Daphne wanted to climb back in, and fall back to sleep. But she needed to get home, not wanting to raise questions she'd have trouble answering. She pulled her dress back on; having just slept in her slip, and found her shoes.
Once dressed, she walked back over to where Niles was lying. He had been watching her with a smile on his still sleepy face. Daphne sat on the bed and kissed him again, running her hand through his hair, before saying goodbye and heading to her car.
You're more affectionate to him than you would be if this was just about the sex. That voice in the back of her head whispered to her again, trying to be heard. Another thought she pushed down.
It's fun to kiss him. Nothing more.
She drove back home. Daphne opened the apartment door quietly, peeking around. The living room was dark and empty - Frasier and Martin were still asleep. She move quickly to her bedroom.
Safe.
She released the breath she had been holding, and went about putting on her nightdress and hopping back into bed. She might be able to sneak in another hour of sleep before she had to get up for the day. Instead, Daphne found herself just lying in bed, thinking about Niles and the previous night. It was confusing. Daphne felt like there was something more there, just under the surface, but whenever she started to try and examine it, that feeling moved out of reach again. Eventually, Daphne gave up on her extra hour of sleep, and got up for breakfast.
Frasier and Martin woke shortly after, and joined her at the table.
"Good date last night, Daphne?" Martin had barely said good morning before he was asking, a sly grin on his face. "I don't think I heard you come in last night."
Daphne shot Martin a look. Frasier didn't look up as he read the paper, not wanting to engage in conversation before his coffee, but Daphne could tell that he was listening, curious.
"Well, I must have come home last night because I'm here now, aren't I?" She paused, considering Martin's question before continuing.
Was it a good date?
"Last night was... not quite what I expected, but the time we spent together was quite special. I feel like we are a lot closer now." Daphne nodded, as she answered the question, for herself as much as for Martin. "Yes. It was a good date."
