It was a dream come true; an unexpected gift. The kiss, when it happened, took him completely by surprise. And it hadn't happened because neither of them was trying to impress anyone. At the cabin, they were in complete solitude. He didn't think, couldn't think about anything else. All thoughts of the man that Daphne had broken up with, and the man that she'd fallen in love with simply melted away. He pulled her toward him in an attempt to deepen the kiss. But before he could do so, she moved back.
Disappointment shrouded him when he noticed that her eyes now held not a look of love but of penitence.
"D-Dr. Crane, I-."
He swallowed hard. "D-Daphne… Y-you kissed me."
"I-I know... I just…"
His fingers touched his lips, which still burned from the kiss. "I-I don't understand." He said, not certain if he really wanted to understand.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Crane. I wasn't trying to hurt you. I know that you're angry and you have every right to be upset!"
He was dumbfounded. "How could you possibly think that I would be angry? Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I-."
"Of course you're upset!" Daphne yelled. "You have every right to be! You're not free and-."
"Daphne, there's something-."
"Please, Dr. Crane! Let me finish!" She was trembling and he immediately recoiled.
"I-I'm sorry."
"Stop being sorry! You've done nothing wrong! I have!"
"Daphne-."
"If I don't say this now, I never will and I have to say it! You deserve to know the truth!"
"But you already-."
"No! I haven't! There's so much that I haven't old you! SO much that you need to know! You deserve that much, Dr. Crane! But I don't know if I can-."
"Of course you can. You can tell me anything. Anything at all. I promise, whatever it is, I won't be angry."
"But how can you possibly-."
He slipped his hand into hers and squeezed gently. "Because you're my best friend and I hope that I am yours."
"You know you are."
"I care about you, Daphne. I always have and I always will."
"But…"
"Whatever you say is just between us, all right? I'll never tell another soul, I swear it."
She took a deep, shuddering breath, and when she looked away, he took her chin gently in his hand, bringing her gaze to meet his.
"Daphne, do you trust me?"
She ran her tongue across her lips. It was a gesture that made his heart beat faster. How could one simple moment make him feel this way? But he could not ponder it. He needed to know how she felt.
"Yes, of course I trust you. I always have."
He smiled, feeling a strange sense of relief. "All right then. Just take your time. Everything will be okay."
She nodded. He kept holding her hand, fulfilling his promise to wait for her to respond.
"I… The man that I left Donny for…"
He looked away, nodding. He didn't want to hear about that man, but he couldn't just walk away. He was determined to live up to best friend status.
"Right, the man that you're in love with."
"Yes, I-."
"Daphne, does he know how you feel about him?"
"No. I don't…"
"If you really love this man, and I can see by the look in your eyes that you do-."
She blinked back tears and smiled at him. "I do love him. I love him so much."
"Then you need to tell him. Don't wait. He deserves to know that someone loves him. E-especially someone as wonderful as you. And you deserve to be happy. No one deserves it more."
"Thank you, Dr. Crane. That means so much to me." She let go of his hand and reached for his cheek. The touch of her hand was smooth and warm.
"Daphne, this man that you're in love with …"
She stared at him for a moment and then smiled. "It's you. I love you, Niles. I love you so much."