Chapter 6

As they pulled away from the venue, Daphne felt like a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. She didn't even know she had been carrying it until now, but it had been there for several months, maybe even before she knew how Niles felt about her.

Maybe she really was that uncertain about marrying Donny. While it wasn't as rushed as Niles marriage to Mel, it was something that she felt went too quickly. Daphne leaned back in her seat, and looked at Niles. He had a small smile on his tired face, and that smile tied knots in Daphne's stomach. She'd been finding the last few months that anytime she looked at Niles, she'd get the same giddy feeling.

I can't believe it took me so long to realize that it was love.

Niles glanced at Daphne, and noticed her looking at him. His smile got bigger, and Daphne wondered if he also got the same butterflies in his stomach that she did when he looked at her.

"I love you."
"I love you too, Niles."

He sighed, happily.

"Are you hungry? I haven't eaten yet, and it's getting close to midday."

Daphne nodded.

"I hadn't even thought about eating yet. But now you mention it, I am hungry. I guess we might have to wait until we get back to Seattle though."

Niles pointed to the glovebox.

"There's a couple of brochures I picked up from the Wayside Inn lobby. They've got a map and a couple of highly reviewed bistros around here. Pick one, and we can stop there."

Daphne pulled them out, and read over the brochures out loud, before selecting one that sounded good to the both of them. Daphne navigated Niles there using the directions the brochure provided. The drive was pleasant; the road shaded by tall trees, sunlight dappled light through the leaves, the car alternating between shade and light as they travelled along the winding road. Niles had reached over and held Daphne's hand as he drove, the same smile from earlier still on his face. They didn't talk much, just sitting in contented silence, only interrupted by Daphne providing the next set of directions. They let the events of the morning wash over them.

They finally pulled up to the restaurant located in a small town just off the main road. There seemed to be a lot of the usual touristy shopfronts that were found in these kinds of towns, and a couple of bed and breakfasts. The town itself was busy and given the location, it was easy to see why. Daphne had taken Niles hand again after they exited the car, almost shyly. The small gesture thrilled Niles. He hadn't been able to stop smiling since they left the inn. They entered the restaurant, and happily found that the maître d' was able to accommodate them without a reservation. Niles double checked that his outfit was okay without a jacket, and they were led to a table, ordering drinks before looking over the menu.

"I guess this is our first date..." Daphne smiled at Niles over the top of her menu.
"Yes, I suppose it is." Niles smiled back.

He was a little nervous when he suggested lunch. It seemed a little presumptuous to have their first date (and how his heart soared at the thought) on the day she was supposed to be married to someone else. But Daphne didn't seem too bothered. If anything, she looked happier right now than he had seen her for the last few weeks.

"Um, Daphne?" She looked back up at him, still smiling. "I know we said we needed to talk about some things but... I'd like to wait until we're back in Seattle before we broach anything about this morning. I just want to enjoy my time with you, and not think about that for a while."

She nodded.

"I feel the same. I feel sick thinking about what happened, and I don't want to feel that way right now. Not while I'm with you."

The waiter returned with their drinks, and took their food orders. Niles raised his glass towards Daphne.

"To us."

Daphne raised hers in the same gesture.

"To us." They sipped at the wine, still staring at each other. "You know, I'm usually so nervous on first dates. But not today."
"I know what you mean." Niles glanced down at himself. "I'm sorry. I'm usually a bit more well dressed when I go out. I just didn't have a jacket to wear. Luckily they don't seem to be too stringent on the dress code here."

Daphne looked at Niles. He was wearing a dress shirt, and suspenders, but no jacket as they were all either covered in coffee or cologne from earlier that morning. Not that it mattered to Daphne. If anything, there was something sexy about seeing Niles like this. She reached out and took his hand.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't mind this look. Makes you look a bit rakish. Kind of attractive, if you ask me." She gave a suggestive smile, which had the intended effect of making Niles blush and laugh giddily. Daphne loved that sound. Niles looked across the table adoringly at Daphne.

"I love you, Daphne."
"I love you too, Niles."

Niles stood, and leaned across the table. Daphne did the same, and they kissed, before sitting back down.

"You know, I think I've imagined what our first date would look like dozens of times. I wanted to make sure that it would be perfect. I never would have thought it would be like this."

His fantasies always planned for a dinner, where the anticipation of their date had been building all day, rather than a lunch after an emotionally difficult morning. Niles had noticed that this restaurant had a more casual dress code, as evidenced by themselves and other people wearing shorts and t-shirts. Not the fine dining establishment he had envisioned, where such casualness wouldn't have been permitted.

And with Daphne wearing a red dress, similar to the night we danced the tango...

"Well, sometimes the best moments aren't perfect." Daphne looked around. "I think this is close enough."

Niles looked around as well. A large picture window to the side afforded a view of the mountainous landscape, a soaring vista of greenery. The restaurant was filling up with people for lunch, a murmur of happy diners and light music serving as background noise. And of course, there was the vision sitting across from him, smiling at him, on a date with him. This time yesterday, Niles was getting ready to drive up and witness the worst day of his life, mentally preparing himself to lose the woman he had loved so deeply. And now, they were here, together.

Daphne is right. This actually is a perfect first date.

Daphne's voice brought him back from his thoughts.

"So, what did you imagine our first date being like?" She was looking at him, curiously.
"Well, I would have taken you out for dinner, at one of Seattle's finest restaurants. Then dancing." Niles found his mind drifting at the thought. "I know how much you love dancing. And I love to dance with you. After that, the night is ours..."
"Sounds like a perfect idea for a second date..."

Niles chuckled happily again at the thought of an evening with Daphne. Their food arrived, and they lapsed into silence for a moment while they ate, hungrier than they realized. Shortly, conversation continued.

"You know, we can avoid a lot of those tedious first date questions. We already know so much about each other."
"That's true." Niles agreed. "It was always something that seemed so daunting to me. Almost like an interview. Feeling like you need to answer the questions with the correct answers."
"Oh, yes. But, it could be exciting in its own way, but I don't think I will miss answering the mundane ones. Especially for me." Daphne looked somewhat frustrated as she recounted some questions. "For instance; 'What accent is that?' or 'Where are you from?' - those were the first ones I'm always asked. Along with the usual 'What do you do for a living?'-"
"I'm a concert pianist with the Seattle Philharmonic." Niles looked at Daphne with a deadpan expression, the only thing giving him away was the glint of mischief in his eye. "How about you?"

Daphne laughed at Niles' response.

"I'm a runway model in Milan, but that's just a cover. I'm actually an international spy." Daphne tried to wink conspiratorially, but the effect was lost as she failed to stifle a giggle.

Niles chuckled again, clearing enjoying the conversation.

"Oh my, that sounds fascinating. But, should you be telling me that? What if I'm also a spy, working against you?
"Well, I'll just have to find some way to make sure you stay quiet."

Her tone was suggestive, and Daphne nudged his leg with her foot. Niles looked like he was going to explode. He once again dissolved into an elated giggle, blushing at the thought. Daphne had let her mind travel, to where Niles' mind had just seeming leapt, often over the last few months. And those thoughts had only intensified over the last few weeks once she had realized what she actually felt for Niles. The thought of sleeping with Niles was exciting, but it also terrified her.

What if I'm not good enough for him? Or live up to his expectations?

The thought was quiet, but intrusive. Daphne pushed it away, and returned to her meal with Niles, feeling relaxed and happy in his company.

After lunch, they took a short stroll around the town, holding hands. They poked about the small touristy shops, and Niles insisted on wandering through a local art gallery. A lot of the commentary that Niles was making about the artwork - referencing the use of medium, brush strokes, shading choices - was lost on Daphne, but the paintings were nice to look at. Niles glanced at Daphne, suddenly worried she might be bored.

"You know, I sometimes like to play a game when I'm looking at art."

Daphne looked at him, curious.

"Really? How do you play this game?"
"Well, I pretend that I am allowed to pick one piece, any piece to take with me. Doesn't matter cost, or the artist, or the medium. I choose the one that speaks to me the most." Niles suddenly felt embarrassed. "Sorry, it's not a very exciting game-"
"No, it sounds interesting. Let's split up, and choose our artwork. Then we can show them to each other."

Niles was pleased Daphne wanted to play. They split up. Niles walked around, staring at each painting, until he found the one he liked best. He found Daphne shortly after, who had found hers. They looked at Niles' chosen artwork first. It was a landscape, of Puget Sound. It was raining, and the entire artwork was different shades of greys, from the dark, cloudy sky to the rolling waves on a grey and white sea. The only other color was a red fishing boat in the middle distance. The two of them stared at the painting for a while.

"What drew you to this one?" Daphne asked.
"The boat, I think. It draws the eye. The whole painting by itself, while beautiful, is void of color, except for this lone fishing boat, out during a storm. It's almost like a metaphor, evoking an emotion about being adrift in life. Tossed about like the fishing boat, we're tossed about in the tempest of our emotions."

Daphne hummed in agreement.

"I like it."

They went to look at Daphne's choice next.

Hers was a portrait of a woman. A watercolor, the woman's eyes were painted with incredible detail, but the further the artwork travelled from her eyes, the less detailed it became; the edges barely more than sketches. The colors blended around the face and the centre of the piece immaculately, but there was less blending and color used, until they were singular strokes and monotone as they radiated out to the sketched edges, if color was used there at all. There was something haunting about the eyes of the woman, and Niles could see why Daphne was drawn to this one.

"It feels like she knows what she wants, what her dreams are, but that she's lost her sense of self outside of that..." Daphne murmured as she looked at the portrait.

Niles thought that was an astute observation. He told Daphne that.

"Oh, I don't know. That's just the feeling I get from it. I don't know much about art, really. But this one drew me to it. I kept coming back to look at when I was walking around."
"Well, that's the point of the game. It's not really about which is the best piece, or what you know about art. It's about finding which one speaks to you the most."

Niles hesitated a second, before putting his arm around Daphne's waist and pulling her against him. Niles could hear his heart pounding in his ears at their closeness. Daphne leaned into his embrace, seemingly comfortable. He honestly couldn't believe how much things had changed for him in such a short span of time. Less than two days ago, Niles would have thought an embrace like this, a moment like this, would be impossible with Daphne.

And yet, here we are...

"I can see why you were drawn to this painting, Daphne."
"Mmm. That was fun. I think I wouldn't mind going to art galleries if we can do this again."

Niles liked the sound of that. This was a game he only played with himself, always a bit too self conscious to share it with Maris or Mel, in case they judged him for it. But with Daphne... He felt like he could share that part of himself.

They returned to the car, and drove back to Seattle. They still didn't broach anything about what had occurred that morning. Niles didn't want to break Daphne's good mood. He'd seen her upset enough that morning to last him a lifetime. Eventually he pulled into the carpark of the Elliott Bay Towers. He looked over at Daphne.

"I had a wonderful time with you today, Daphne."
"So did I. Thank you for a wonderful first date."

They kissed, lingering on each other's lips, exploring the sensation as it deepened. They broke apart, and looked at each other.

"I love you, Niles."
"I love you, too."

They parted shortly after. Niles promising to come over first thing in the morning to see her.

Daphne excused herself to her room when she entered the apartment, not really wanting to talk or answer any questions Frasier or Martin might have right now. They seemed to understand. Entering her room, she was greeted with the sight of her unopened wedding gifts, and her wedding dress, slightly creased, but still unworn. Despite the wonderful afternoon she spent with Niles, a lot of the emotions of earlier that day came flooding back, and Daphne found herself calling Roz to see if she would help her with returning the gifts tomorrow, knowing she'll need the support.

Niles however, upon returning to the Montana, found himself unable to sit still. His mind drifted back to Daphne, over and over, and the wonderful afternoon they spent together. When Niles entered his bedroom, he noticed that Mel must have come by and let herself in using her copy of the apartment's keys. Mel's clothes and other things she had left for when she stayed over were now gone, and a cruel note was left by his bedside. Niles' good mood abated, and he found himself checking the rest of his apartment, making sure nothing was taken or damaged in Mel's anger. Luckily, she was above doing anything that petty.

The rest of Daphne's evening was uneventful. She ate dinner with Frasier and Martin, and ended up speaking to them a little about her afternoon with Niles, although they didn't pry too much. Simon came upstairs just before they finished dinner, after successfully dropping of their family at the airport. He helped himself to some dinner from the kitchen, before disappearing again. Daphne realized, with some annoyance, that Simon had taken some of the gifts from her room, smuggling them back to the Winnebago. She didn't have the energy to go yell at him tonight, and decided to fight that battle in the morning. Instead, she watched a movie with Frasier and Martin, but her mind kept drifting back to Niles, although she also found herself thinking about Donny, and how he must be feeling that night.

Niles ate alone. He missed Daphne, and wished he had her for company. Sometimes, while he enjoyed his own space, Niles would feel lonely. Especially at dinner time. Often, Niles would go to Frasier's house for dinner. Even when he was married to Maris, who rarely ate with him, because he liked the company. But also because it allowed him to spend time with Daphne. While dating Mel, Niles had been over to Frasier's less for dinner, but now, Niles realized how much he missed it. Missed spending dinner with Daphne. Niles looked over the note Mel left again more, the insults in the short paragraph now burned into his mind. Niles crumpled it up and threw it away before heading to bed, his thoughts of Daphne now shadowed by his guilt about Mel.

Both Daphne and Niles looked forward to the morning, when they would see each other again.