Niles sat stone faced on the fainting couch. After Frasier told him that Daphne had been dating Donny, he was stunned.
"I don't know what to do, Frasier. What did she say about that man...Donny? Is she in love with him?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Niles. She hasn't said anything like that. Things have been going slowly, but he calls often, and I can see that she enjoys his company."
Niles' mind raced. How could he have been such a coward! He should have told her. Lord knows he thought about it, and the romantic settings of the galas, balls, and events would have been perfect. He felt like a failure. He had let the love of his life slip through his fingers. He was free, and she sued to be free. What happened? He was so afraid of losing her friendship if she did not reciprocate his feelings that his chest ached at the thought. The memories of the Snow Ball flooded his mind. She thought he was an actor. That was a major hurdle to get over, but he should have at least tried during all of their time together. He hated himself at that moment.
"What should I do? I love her, Frasier!"
"I know you do, but there is a reason you never told her."
"I'm a coward, that's why!" he shouted.
"Niles, you needn't be so hard on yourself. If you truly love her, you have to let her be happy, and you have to look within yourself to understand why you didn't have the confidence to tell her."
"I need to be alone."
Alright, Niles, but you know I am only a phone call away. This will get better."
"Thank you Frasier."
With Frasier gone, Niles poured himself a sherry, and sat on the fainting couch. He needed to think and think quickly. He did not want Daphne to fall in love with that, that...oaf.
Why was he so scared? It was more than the potential loss of her friendship, although he didn't know how he could ever recover if she cut him out of her life completely. It was also Maris. Damn Maris She eroded his confidence and ruined his self-esteem. He tried so hard to make that marriage work, but it was doomed. He could not make that woman love him, and he had not fully recovered from all the rejections from her over the years.
His mind raced. He could just show up at Frasier's apartment with his heart in his hand. There could be flowers, a poem...No, that was too much. He could write her a long letter explaining everything...No, that would be too humiliating. He could just kiss her...No, she might slap him.
He got up to pace when he saw his stack of mail that the housekeeper brought in. As he looked through the random magazine offers and bills, he saw an invitation to a party hosted by a colleague in another practice. There would be cocktails and hors d'oeuvres before an opera performance later that evening. It would be perfect! It was his chance to do what he should have done before. He wanted to be honest and open with Daphne. After all, she deserved that. She had been his friend and his supporter. She defended him when he had that dreadful encounter with Maris. The thought made him simultaneously shudder and smile. She was his angel, and she had shown him true happiness. Why could he not do the same for her?
It was settled. The party was going to take place in two weeks, so he was going to go to Frasier's apartment tomorrow and ask her to attend. Then, he would plan a romantic evening and tell her his deepest secret. He just hoped he wasn't too late. Daphne's heart was open, and it wouldn't surprise him if Donny had already weaseled his way in. That damned Donny.