The drive home was silent, save for Daphne's constant chattering about the "lovely evening" they'd had and how they'd "fooled everyone". Ordinarily, hearing her sweet voice would put Niles into a state of euphoria, but not now; not when she'd unknowingly broken his heart.
In the coat pocket of his tuxedo, he could feel the stiffness of the small card; the business card that had been given to him by Claire Barnes, along with the invitation to go dancing. Had he not felt so used and disappointed, he wouldn't have given a woman like Claire Barnes a second thought; not on a night like tonight when he was out with a goddess. But now he couldn't ignore his feelings of hurt. At least Claire saw him for who he really was.
Daphne on the other hand-
Daringly he glanced at her and for a moment their eyes met. "… Don't you, Dr. Crane?"
He blinked in surprise, having no idea what she'd been talking about. But he couldn't let her know that he'd been ignoring her, even if he was, dare he think it, angry with her for shattering his heart. And so he feigned a smile. "I certainly do, Daphne!"
Like an excited child, she clapped her hands in delight. "That's wonderful, Dr. Crane! I'm so happy to hear you say that!"
"Well, thank you Daphne. I meant it."
Her hand was on his shoulder, causing him to shudder at her touch. "I'm glad, Dr. Crane."
Silence fell between them once more and mercifully they soon arrived at the Elliott Bay Towers. His attempt at being a gentleman never wavered, despite his heartache. He climbed out of the car and walked to the passenger side to open the door for her. She took his hand, making him shudder once more. "Thank you. You're such a gentleman, Dr. Crane."
He almost smiled. "Right." He muttered, praying that she hadn't heard him. But to cover his bases, he smiled. "I'll escort you into the condo."
Her arm linked through his and they made their way to the lobby, where he felt a pair of eyes on them.
"Well, don't you look nice? What have you two been up to this evening?"
Niles cringed at the voice of Morrie, the doorman. His evening at the Snow Ball with Daphne was the last thing he wanted to talk about, but of course Daphne had other ideas. She chattered on and on about their evening, describing everything in detail, giving no thought to his feelings on the subject. And why should she?
"Well, it sounds like you two had quite an evening. Goodnight."
He waved dismissively feeling Daphne's hold on his arm increase and they headed toward the elevator.
The doors opened on the nineteenth floor and they stepped out, moving toward condo 1901. They stood face to face, standing at his brother's door step. He wanted to leave, to forget that the evening had even happened, but he couldn't move. He didn't dare. "Well, Daphne I can't thank you enough for filling in as my date and for the dancing lessons."
She smiled and took his hand, stroking it lightly. "It was my pleasure. You're a wonderful dancer, Dr. Crane. Everyone knows it now. You should be proud of yourself!"
"Oh, I am. Um… Dad's probably waiting up for you."
"That's right. Your father did say he was going to wait up, didn't he?" she laughed, filling his ears with the musical sound and then kissed his cheek. "I had a lovely time, Dr. Crane."
"Thank you, Daphne so did-."
Her lips on his cheek caused his heart rate to quicken and for a moment he'd forgotten all about his heartache. Perhaps the Snow Ball was the wrong place to tell her what was in his heart. Perhaps it was best to do it right here, where they were alone. She couldn't call him in actor when they were standing in the hallway.
"Daphne, about tonight, the things I said to you on the dance floor-."
"They were lovely, Dr. Crane. I don't know how you thought of them, but they worked perfectly."
"Well, actually-."
Her lips were on his, ever so softly and she drew back smiling. "I'd best get inside. Goodnight."
"Um, goodnight... Daphne."
On his way down to the lobby, he replayed the evening in his head again and again. How could she possibly have thought for one minute that the words he was saying when they were dancing weren't sincere? How could the words'; "You're a goddess, you're an angel, you're beautiful" been misconstrued?
With a sigh, he walked past Morrie and back to his car where he winced upon seeing the red rose he'd bought for her sitting in the passenger seat, right where she'd left it, tossing it aside as though it meant nothing to her.
At that moment, his heart felt the same way. What was it that they said in baseball? Three strikes you're out? He had no idea what a strike was when it came to the ridiculous sport, but he assumed it meant chances. And his chances of winning Daphne's heart were suddenly starting to fade; that is if he'd ever had any chance at all.