He offered her his arm and she took it willingly, letting him guide her around the corner to the quaintest little restaurant she'd ever seen.
From the outside it looked so romantic that she couldn't believe that she'd never noticed it before. And once they went inside, she saw just how romantic it was. Dim lighting and warm colors complimented the wonderful aroma and they were seated almost immediately. Three hours later they were still sitting at the same secluded table, their wine glasses nearly empty as they stared into each other's eyes. They'd been talking constantly since their arrival, discovering each other's likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams. And by the time they were ready to leave, she held his hand tightly, never wanting to let go.
They returned to his car and the streets were all but deserted. She considered inviting him over but she wasn't sure how Frasier would feel about it, not that she needed his approval, but this man was different and she didn't want anything to ruin this beautiful moment. Instead she accepted his offer for a drink and they went to a nearby bar where they talked even more, sitting a little closer to one another. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol she'd consumed or the deep attraction that she felt for this handsome man, but she simply could not stop placing feather-light kisses on his soft lips. It was a bit foreword, kissing a man she barely knew, but it felt so natural… so right. And she hoped with all of her heart that there would be even more intimate kisses later that evening.
Hours into the night… and into the next morning, they left the bar and he walked her to her car. It was there that they said their goodnights, and as they stood facing one another, Daphne felt like a schoolgirl, experiencing her first deep love for a boy.
"Well, thank you for dinner and the drinks, John. And thank you for the book. You're so sweet."
He moved closer and smiled, cradling her face in his hands. "And you're beautiful, Daphne Moon. May I kiss you?"
The question surprised her, for no man had ever asked her permission before. Yes! Yes, please! I want you to kiss me till the end of time! Her mind shouted. But her voice was much softer, whispering only "Yes."
Her breath caught in her throat as he kissed her deeply, more intimately and passionately than any man had ever dared, and the feeling it produced resonated through her entire body as her lips burned with desire for him. She could give herself to this man… this wonderful, sensitive and beautiful man and she could picture herself spending her life with him. She wanted to share herself with him so intensely that the feeling burned in her soul. She'd never thought such things before (even in her dreams), and she shouldn't be thinking them now, but she'd never felt this way and the feeling was so wonderful that she couldn't let it go. And when the most incredible kiss in the history of kisses ended, there was nothing to do but to kiss him again.
She'd only met him hours before, but there was no doubt in her mind that she was in love with him. And then he said the words that she longed to hear.
"I'd like to see you again, Daphne. If that's all right with you."
"I'd like that too… very much." She replied, again without hesitation.
"I'll call you tomorrow… or rather, later today." He whispered. "Goodnight, sweet Daphne Moon."
They kissed once, no… twice more as though making up for lost time, or perhaps savoring the feeling until they were to meet again. But it didn't stop the tears from filing her eyes. He'd only been gone but for a moment, and already she missed him terribly.
She couldn't bear the loneliness that would surely follow until their next encounter. But it came almost less than twenty-four hours later, and nearly every day after that as they rekindled their new found passion over and over for three hundred and sixty five blissful days and nights. And on the very last day, it came to a sudden end, shattering her heart into a thousand pieces.