"Niles," Frasier greeted his brother as he sat down in the seat Roz had just been occupying.
"Frasier, how are things?" Niles asked.
"To tell you the truth, a bit chaotic. There's something going on in my life that requires a bit of mulling. It's about Roz. You haven't seen her since I told you about the absurd antics she pulled last night have you?"
"Of course not," Niles responded automatically.
Frasier nodded. "Right then. I've given this some thought and I can only conclude, Roz is in love with me." He said it with an air of resignation, as if he was regularly plagued by women throwing themselves at him and Roz was just another victim of his masculine prowess.
The ego on this man, Niles thought, as he endeavored to help Roz in the best way he knew how. "Don't you think that conclusion is a little convenient?"
"Convenient?" Frasier repeated.
"And self-serving." Niles added.
"Self-serving?" Frasier repeated again, completely affronted by now.
Niles pushed on. "Is it possible that you want Roz to be in love with you? That you want to be the man who tames the woman who can't be locked down?"
"Oh she doesn't need to be tamed," Frasier muttered.
"What was that?" Niles' curiosity was piqued.
"Nothing," Frasier moved on. "Look, I admit there is a certain . . . allure to Roz, she has a magnetism that makes you want to be in her orbit, a confident charisma, and the scent that follows her is divine- I'm almost getting wafts of it now, are you sure she hasn't been here?" He looked around the café suspiciously.
Niles' eyes bugged. "No, for God's sake Frasier, pull yourself together. This is what I'm talking about. Say your hypothesis is correct, and Roz is in love with you. What then? What does that mean for you?"
Frasier's coffee arrived and he used the opportunity to stir the foam a bit while he considered the question. He had always had a crush of sorts on Roz, and oddly enough seeing her softer side with Alice had only intensified his adulation. She was everything, a rock star producer, amazing mother, dependable friend, and while she didn't have the same educational upbringing as him, she brought a cunning intellect and humor to their conversations. And yes, she was gorgeous, and there were times when his breath would catch just looking across the booth and watching her in action on the phone lines. But she was his friend. He couldn't put that in jeopardy.
"It means nothing, I'm seeing Julia now," Frasier reminded his brother.
"And I was married to Mel," Niles retorted.
Frasier scoffed. "Now that's different, you had been pining for Daphne - shamelessly might I add - for nearly a decade."
"And you and Roz have taken a different path, but that doesn't make her feelings for you any less meaningful – assuming you are even right," he added.
"Assuming of course," Frasier agreed charitably.
Niles sighed. His brother could be so obtuse at times. "I know this may sound strange coming from me, but Roz is a catch. You should be honored if she has any interest in you whatsoever."
Frasier raised his eyebrows at his brother's advocacy. "Over the years she has shown how much she genuinely cares for you. For all of us really. I don't think this is a time for such flippancy. Unless that is a coping mechanism for you of some sort . . ." Niles trailed off, his clinical side taking over. "Do you fear she will toss you aside once you let your guard down?"
Frasier's frustration mounted. "It's not so much a fear as it is an inkling. Roz and I have had our close encounters, and we have always chosen our friendship above all else. For whatever reason, maybe because another woman at the station has shown an interest in me, Roz has it in her head that I am worthy of her affections. But it will pass. It always does. I don't see the point in abandoning a budding connection just because Roz is having one of her passing fancies." His shoulders sagged as he finished his thought with an air of sadness in his voice.
"What happened to her being in love with you?" Niles questioned.
"I think she has deluded herself into believing that, but I can't imagine it being true." Frasier was resolute.
Niles put his hand on Frasier's shoulder, trying to get through to him. "There is a chance this time is different. If Roz is ready to pursue a committed relationship with you, then are you really going to let a woman you barely even know stand in the way of that?"
"But she could be the one!" Frasier responded fervently.
Niles let a beat pass. "Yes, she could." And with that he gathered his things and headed out.
Frasier stood in his kitchen with Julia, tasting the sauce she was cooking while contemplating the meaning of Niles' words from a few hours ago. Was he making a sound decision, allowing Roz to storm out last night just so that he could embark on a tenuous journey with Julia, who was a project at best? He watched as Julia over-salted the sauce. Roz would never, he thought. Because she would know to order take-out from the start. He chuckled at his little joke. Roz was keeping him amused even from afar.
The doorbell rang and he made his way to the peephole. Speak of the devil. "It's Roz."
"What's she doing here?" Julia asked dismissively.
"I don't know. Listen, just give us a moment or two together and I'll get rid of her." Frasier winced at his word choice. Since when did Roz become someone he needed to "get rid" of?
"Fine." Julia returned to cooking.
Frasier opened the door, relieved to see Roz standing before him after threatening to never come back just yesterday. She did look nervous though. Beautiful but nervous.
"Hey Fras."
"Hi Roz."
"Can I come in?" she asked shakily.
"Yes," Frasier stepped aside, all notions of jettisoning her melting away.
Roz gingerly stepped forward, feeling somewhat like she was returning to the scene of the crime. Frasier noticed her trepidation. "Is everything okay?"
Roz decided to jump in. After her conversation with Niles, she went home to spend time with Alice, which helped put things into perspective. Her daughter was her world, and if Frasier wanted to join their unit, she would give it all she had. If not, she would find a way to be his friend again. Part of her was still unsure that Frasier would go for someone like her, a single mother with a tethered history of prior paramours. But she had to try. And she knew he was attracted to her. She just needed to get him alone.
"Look, I know how crazy I've been acting lately. I was thinking, maybe – " She paused after hearing a clattering in the kitchen. "Is someone here?"
"Julia, she's making dinner. Why don't you stay, we have enough for one more." Frasier offered in his good-natured way.
I'd rather share a hot tub with Kenny, Roz thought. This really put a damper on her plans. "Thanks, but I'll pass. I'll leave you to it, we can continue this another time." Roz made her way to the door, knowing she needed to bolt before she made a fool of herself again in front of that woman. She paused at Frasier's voice.
"At least tell me what brought you over here," Frasier coaxed, shifting his weight against the door frame and leaning in towards her.
Roz looked into his blue eyes and wondered how it had taken her this long to realize what was right in front of her all this time. When had she become so smitten with her best friend? The sound of Julia banging another pot brought her back to reality. And now he's taken by the most stuck-up snob. "I was thinking about asking for my job back at KACL. If you're okay with that," Roz came up with on the fly. It was fine. She would make it work. It would be better than going on without seeing him.
Frasier smiled. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"
Roz lowered her voice, not wanting Julia to eavesdrop. "I know that last night I came off a bit . . . unhinged," she started, as she found herself lightly grasping his forearm. Frasier relished the contact and breathed in the heady mix of her perfume and natural aroma. Captivating, like usual, he noted as she continued. "But I would really like to talk, just the two of us, and clear the air so that we can move forward."
"I'd like that too," Frasier said quietly. They stood like that for a moment, just enjoying being in close company. Then Frasier's hand made its way to Roz's hair, twirling a tendril in a way that appeared casual but felt entirely too intimate. A few fingers lingered on her collarbone, prompting Roz to briefly shut her eyes. When she opened them, Frasier saw the emotion washing over her. He questioned why he was fighting this so much. She could be the one.
"I need to go," Roz's voice was tinged with pain. She knew that if she stayed a second longer, she would end up kissing him. Or fighting with him again about Julia. Or both. "Call me when this is done," she tore herself away and rushed to the elevator, not turning back.
Frasier shut the door behind her. Does she mean when the date is done or when my attempt at whatever I'm doing with Julia is done? He pondered silently.
"That looked cozy," Julia commented from just outside of the kitchen, wiping her hands with a dish towel. "Have you slept with her?"
Frasier frowned. "That's none of your concern," he said curtly.
"What am I saying, she's probably slept with half the talent at the station by now. How else could she have gotten to where she is?"
Frasier's eyes grew enraged. He marched over to Julia in a huff. "She's gotten to where she is because she's the best at her job. I won't tolerate anyone attempting to tarnish her reputation."
"No, she does that well enough on her own without my help," Julia sneered. "I didn't realize she made it a habit of dropping in every night."
"Roz is welcome here anytime she wants," Frasier replied, growing exhausted by this conversation.
"Do you want her here every night?" Julia asked pointedly.
Frasier crossed his arms. "I'm confused, are we on a date with each other or with Roz, because she's all you seem to want to talk about."
"And she's all you seem to want to be around. I have been over here all evening and you haven't once gotten as close to me as you did with her when she swooped in. Huddling at the front door like a couple of teenagers, it was obscene."
"I can't have a productive discussion with you if you're going to hyperbolize what amounted to a friendly conversation." Frasier walked to his bar and began pouring himself a glass of wine.
Julia followed him, placing herself in front of Frasier, standing as close to him as Roz was a few minutes ago. "Are you in love with her?" she asked directly.
Frasier looked down at Julia, appearing to search for clues throughout her face. He smelled the air around her. Nothing. He felt nothing. Except an overriding feeling of guilt that once again Roz had departed his home in a state after seeing him with another woman. He found his voice. "I think you should go."
Julia waved her arms at her sides in defeat and began collecting her things. "You know, for what it's worth, I asked Roz the same question yesterday and she also refused to deny it."
Frasier tilted his head. "That's surprising to hear, she usually has no qualms about dealing out the hard truths."
"She told me to go to hell instead," Julia responded as she made her way to the front door.
"Ah, well that sounds more like her," Frasier conceded with a smirk. "Julia, I know you're loath to hear my psycho-babble, so I'll just say, I am sorry for beginning something that I wasn't prepared to see through."
"It's kind of hard to do so when you already have something else started. I'll see you around, Frasier." Julia waved goodbye and made her way to the elevator.