Once Upon a Moon pt 3
Niles pulled the car into a street he'd never been in
before. There were run down apartment buildings on each side , he checked the
numbers and pulled the car up by the curb next to the address she had given him.
He glanced around as he locked the car , the area was dank and dingy and he ,
for a fleeting second worried about the safety of his Mercedes. When he climbed
the few steps which took him to the main door he reached for the buzzer labelled
3A.
"Hello" came the now familiar voice from the
intercom
"Hi Daphne , It's Niles" he said trying to sound casual.
He heard the dull click of the door's lock and pushing it he entered the
apartment building's communal hall way. The inside of the building was no more
inviting than the outside had been , the corridor was so narrow as to make it
claustrophobic and the walls were a stained yellow which Niles assumed had at
one stage been white. Her apartment was on the third floor and after a brief
glance into the elevator Niles decided to take the stairs.
It had been four weeks since their first meeting and as
he walked Niles thought of how his life had changed in that time. They seemed to
be seeing each other more and more , to begin with it was short meetings for
coffee or lunch or sometimes a drink , Niles would spend the time complaining
about Maris , work ,his father , anything really she was always prepared to
listen. Then gradually over the weeks they had reached the stage where they
spoke every day and seen each other several times a week. He found himself
looking forward to hearing her voice and counting the minutes to their ever more
frequent meetings. This was the first time they hadn't met in a public place and
Niles was plagued by twinges of guilt . When he was with her it was as if Maris
didn't exist and somewhere in the back of his mind , in a place he was
frightened to acknowledge he thought he may be falling in love.
He was in front of her door now and his stomach was full
of butterflies he knocked quietly and waited listening to the padding foot steps
as they drew near the door. When she opened the door and smiled at him Niles he
felt like his heart might stop she was stunning.
********************
The inside of the apartment was like no where else he had
seen and it was , in stark contrast to the out side , warm and homely. The
living area was one large room with a small kitchen divided from the rest of the
room by a breakfast bar. By the window sat a small table with two chairs set for
dinner and the room was dimly lit by small lamps in the four corners.
"Did you have any trouble finding it" Daphne asked smiling at him once more as she took his coat.
"No , No I was fine , I haven't ever been this side of
town but once I was here your directions were perfect"
"Good , well why don't you sit down and I'll get you a
glass of wine , dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes"
Niles sank into the worn sofa in the centre of the room
and looked around once more as she disappeared with his coat into what he could
only assume was the bedroom. When she returned she poured them both a glass of
wine and joined him.
"So how are things going" she asked with genuine interest
in her voice "Has your brother settled in ok ?"
"Yes he's doing great , he had his first show yesterday
as I told you and I think he managed to get through it alright. Actually we had
quite a long chat about Dad yesterday. I think Frasier is going to have him live
with him. He really is getting to the stage where he can't manage on his own and
Maris wouldn't have him with in a hundred miles of our house. He wouldn't fit
with her image."
"Well that's a good news anyhow , it will be weight off
your mind knowing he's safe at Frasier's instead of alone , you must be very
relieved"
Niles looked at her , she had herself positioned on one
end of the sofa her legs under her and her wine glass resting on her knee. For
the first time in his life he felt that there was someone he could be completely
honest with , someone he would never feel was judging him. "Yes" he said simply
"I am"
********************
As they ate dinner Niles watched from the window as the
world speed past in cars and busses everyone in a hurry to get to somewhere and
listen as she told him more about herself , her slightly unusual family and the
events that had lead her to be in Seattle. The food she served was earthy and
somehow comforting, not like the nouvelle cuisine he was used to at home. When
the dishes had been cleared and they had laughed and joked there way through the
washing up they retook their positions on the couch.
Daphne stared for a moment into her glass then without
looking up she spoke "Were does she think you are?" she asked quietly
Niles was taken off guard and for a moment he didn't understand what she was referring to , then it hit him. He froze for a moment , worried about the possible reasons for her question , she had never asked before. "She didn't ask , we don't communicate a lot , she's playing bridge tonight ad when she gets home she'll go straight to her room , even if I had been at home I wouldn't have seen her."
"That must be awful ,to live in a marriage that has so
little feeling. Do you love her?"
Again Niles was taken a back by her question but he
somehow found it so easy to be honest with her. He sighed "I thought I did, when
I married her I thought we'd be together forever that she was the one person I
was meant to be with, But now , I don't know. I feel lonely and trapped most of
the time. Then lately....." he hesitated for a second "Well lately, since I've
been spending so much time with you I don't think I ever knew what love was"
She looked at him , her turn to be shocked , then as if
his body were acting beyond the control of his mind he lent towards her , slowly
at first waiting for her to move away. Then as he drew near he took her hand and
pulling her close he kissed her , a kiss filled with a passion her had never
experienced before. In a slit second he had crossed the line and then in a
moment of panic he pulled away
"I'm so sorry I shouldn't have done that" he said
beginning to move "I took advantage I'm sorry I should go"
She stood up beside him and took both of his hands in
hers "Do you want to go?" she whispered
He shook his head in answer and she put her arms around him pulling him towards her , "Then don't" she continued as her lips touched his once more. The only sound was the traffic from the road outside and the moon shone in on them as they dissolved in each others arms.