Chapter 25: Niles
Niles sat on his couch, trying to focus on his book. Baby, his cockatoo, sat on his shoulder, playing with his hair. It had been about a week since Niles had accidentally revealed how he felt about Daphne.
And it was quite the week. Everything seemed to have happened all at once.
Maris, true to her word had frozen their joint accounts, so money was tight. Niles had to scramble to cancel several subscriptions and juggle other payments to keep afloat. Maris also had his car repossessed about a day after their lunch. Niles only realised when he went to drive home after work and it was gone. He needed a car, so he ended up having to buy something affordable on short notice, which ended up being an old red hatchback. He hated that car with every fibre of his being.
Niles had been trying to get his lawyers to set up a preliminary meeting with Maris so they could get the divorce moving, but so far they had been unsuccessful with pinning something down with Maris' legal team. Niles could already feel that this might be a long, drawn out process. A lot of his current cash flow went to paying the retainer to his lawyers, and he was struggling to see the value yet, despite them being a highly regarded firm.
And, worst of all, Niles hadn't seen or heard from Daphne since that night he accidentally confessed his feelings. He had a sinking feeling that things between them were ruined, that she wouldn't want to see him again. He found his mind on it constantly, and he would teeter between extremes – from being mostly okay and trusting that things would work out, to having a small panic attack about his entire situation.
It was absolute hell.
He saw Frasier the day before, who had seen him driving that red embarrassment. Niles lamented his financial situation to him, garnering a little sympathy from his brother. They talked about it a little, and the result of their conversation was less than hopeful. The prospect of moving somewhere else to save money was daunting and felt like a huge step backwards for the life that Niles had been able to carve out for himself since he originally separated from Maris.
Niles had asked Frasier about Daphne as casually as he could, but he hadn't been able to give him any sort of useful information. Daphne seemed mostly the same from what Frasier could tell. Niles couldn't pry too much without risking suspicion or a lecture from Frasier.
In any case, Niles didn't know how to interpret the little he had learned from Frasier. Maybe Daphne was still working things out, whether she had feelings for him. Or, she just wanted to put it all behind her, and forget it ever happened. Daphne had said she would contact Niles when she was ready to speak about it, but Niles wasn't expecting it to take this long, and each passing day had him feeling less confident about what she would eventually say. That is, if Daphne hadn't already decided to never speak to him again.
Daphne wouldn't do that. She said she would speak to you when she's ready. Trust her.
Baby pulled at his hair a bit too hard, pulling Niles out of his self-destructive train of thought.
"Ow. Baby, go to your perch." He took the bird and placed her on the stand in the corner of his room, and she started to eat some of the birdseed that was left for her in a bowl. Niles checked his watch. It was early evening, and he was feeling restless, cooped up in his apartment. Niles grabbed his coat and headed out.
When Niles walked into Nervosa, he saw Roz sitting at a table by herself. He paused, loitering in the doorway of the café, wondering if he should join her.
"Hi, Niles." She had spotted him.
"Oh, hi Roz."
"Here, come join me."
Roz pushed a chair out for him with her foot. Niles took out his handkerchief, and gave the chair a quick wipe before sitting down. The waiter came over and took his order.
He turned back to Roz.
"So, Roz. What brings you here on this fine Friday evening?"
"My date cancelled. So, I'm just killing time before date number two gets off work."
Niles raised his eyebrows. He wanted to think of some acerbic retort, but his spirit wasn't into it. Roz noticed.
"Hey, you okay? Usually you would have some smartass reply to that."
Niles shrugged.
"Oh, sorry Roz. I'm not really in the mood. I'm sure Frasier has already told you about my divorce and current financial situation."
"And Daphne filled me in on the two of you as well."
Niles was slightly stunned at this revelation.
"Ah. I see. Well, guess I'm an easy target for you then. Go ahead."
Roz shook her head.
"Nah, it's not sporting to kick a man when he's down."
"Well, thank you. I appreciate that."
They sat there for a little while in silence, sipping their coffee.
Niles' friendship with Roz might seem odd for people looking in. It has developed slowly, and from the outside didn't really resemble one; they were usually throwing quick witted barbs or mean sounding retorts at each other. But truth be told, they had developed a mutual respect for one another, and Niles enjoyed what they had. And he knew she did as well.
Roz started the conversation again.
"So, you're in love with Daphne? Wow, I never would have guessed."
Oh great. We're still talking about this.
"Um, yes. Look, I'm not sure how much Daphne has told you-"
"Everything." Roz smirked, clearly enjoying herself. Niles felt a bit annoyed by that.
"All right. But, yes. I've had... feelings for Daphne for quite a while. But, all this came to light at the worst possible time for both of us. I'm afraid I've ruined everything." He looked down at his coffee and sighed.
Roz looked at him sympathetically.
"You haven't ruined everything."
Niles looked back at Roz, feeling hope for the first time in days.
"You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"
"Of course not. Niles, it's me. You know I wouldn't go out of my way to make you feel better."
She smirked at him briefly before continuing.
"Daphne has a lot to work through. She's been talking to me about it – and I'm not going to tell you anything, so don't ask." Niles closed his mouth, disappointed. "But, she will reach out to you when she's ready. As you said, this wasn't the most ideal time. She just needs a little longer to get her feelings sorted."
Niles absorbed this new information.
"Thank you, Roz. I really needed to hear that."
He finished his coffee and said goodbye, walking slowly back to his car and heading home.
