Chapter 2
The early March weather was cool, and the dark clouds heavy with rain made the day seem later than it was; an oppressive force that seemed to intimidate anyone who passed by.
By contrast, the inside of Persephone was warm and inviting; the flowers that were neatly organized and displayed added a pop of color that the outside world lacked at the moment.
Not that it mattered. Business was slow; barely anyone had come in that morning, and the afternoon was shaping up to be even quieter.
Niles stood behind the counter, reading. He didn't mind the slow days, although he wished there was a few more sales. Money wasn't tight - not yet - but the business teetered on the edge of profitable. His father would have something to say about that, if Niles ever let on that business might be doing less than stellar.
Turning the pages of his novel, he only half absorbed what he was reading. It was all much the same nowadays. Niles found there was an almost zen like quality to being alone. During the day, at least. At night... no, he didn't think about the nights spent alone. Not during the day.
The rain that had been threatening all day suddenly began, a torrential deluge that was as loud as it was heavy. Niles looked up and out the window, watching the rain obscure the world outside, letting his mind go blank.
"Goodness! I was hoping to get back home before the rain hit, but I misjudged that!"
Niles jumped, startled. The sound of the rain had drowned out everything else, so he didn't hear the bell of the front door as it opened to let this cheerful, yet completely drenched person in.
"Do you mind if I wait out the rain for a bit?" The person, who was holding several bags, shivered as water ran off her in rivulets and dripped onto the floor.
Niles stared for a moment at the rapidly forming puddle, before shaking himself into action.
"N-no, not at all. Uh, wait there - I'll get you a towel!" Niles disappeared upstairs before the wet figure could say anything else.
Grabbing a couple of towels, he returned and noticed the woman had put down her bags and removed her wet coat.
"Uh, here's a towel - I'll take your coat and hang it up in the back room for you."
"Oh, thank you so much." The woman traded her coat for the towel and flipped her wet hair forward, drying vigorously. "You would think I'd have learnt my lesson by now - I've lived in Seattle for several months, and England all my life! Always take a brolly!"
She removed the towel, her damp brown hair now frizzy from the brisk toweling she'd just given it. The woman smiled, a bright, genuine smile which suddenly made Niles feel like he needed to sit down. Instead he just stared, holding her dripping coat, transfixed.
Who is this woman?
She continued to attempt to dry herself off, cursing slightly at how damp she was. Niles snapped himself out of his somewhat idiotic stupor.
"Er, I live just upstairs. Would you like to change... That is, I could get you something to wear that isn't so wet. I-I mean - only if you're comfortable! I'm certainly not implying - I mean, ah-"
Dear god, what is wrong with me!?
"I'll hang up your coat." He turned and practically sprinted out of the room, his face red with embarrassment.
What was he doing? He'd just met this woman, and was practically asking her upstairs to get undressed. Granted, his motives were not indecent, although...
Stop it! You know nothing about this woman! She's probably married, in a relationship! Someone that beautiful wouldn't be interested in awkward, pathetic, loser in love Niles Crane.
Niles returned, feeling sheepish. He had made a detour and grabbed a bathrobe from upstairs as a compromise to his ridiculous offer earlier.
The woman smiled at him again as he returned. "Thank you. I'm so sorry - I've just come in and dripped water all over your shop. I'll make sure I buy something before I leave."
"Oh, that's not necessary. I mean... uh..." He held out the bathrobe. "To help keep you warm. I, uh... I feel like what I said before might have sounded forward - that wasn't my intent. I just-"
She laughed, and interrupted his awkward ramblings with the sound. It was so delightful, seeming to drown out the rain and brighten the room. "I'm very grateful for your kindness, er..."
"Oh! Niles - Niles Crane!"
"I'm very grateful, Niles Crane. If you really don't mind, I might take you up on that offer to change upstairs - I'm afraid it's rather cold in these wet clothes."
"Of course, this way!" He showed her upstairs, pointing out the bathroom. "There's a clothes dryer in there too, if you want to put your clothes in to uh... to dry."
"Thank you, Niles."
She went into the bathroom, and was about to shut the door, when Niles realized something.
"Oh, I didn't get your name."
"It's Daphne." She smiled warmly. "Daphne Moon."
Niles shut the store, despite it only being 2pm. With the way the rain was coming down, no one was going to come in. He pulled out a mop, and ran it over the floor. The amount of water Daphne had brought in with her was testament to just how wet she was.
Daphne Moon...
Her name was as beautiful as she was. He didn't know what had come over him. He certainly had never reacted that way to a woman before.
Not that Niles had much luck with women.
He married Maris, but a lot of their relationship - their courtship and marriage, even their divorce - was completely dictated by her.
Niles had dealt with the rumors for years that he only married Maris for her money. He'd strived so hard to prove them all wrong. Successful as a psychiatrist in his own right, showing the upmost devotion and care for his wife. Doing as much as he could to prove to Maris that he was hers, would do anything for her. That his love for her was genuine.
Only for it to be for naught.
Finding Maris in bed with another man, then finding out it was a regular occurrence had hurt. Especially after her constant rejection year after year; spurning almost all the love and affection Niles offered her, to the point they slept in separate rooms.
The friendships Niles thought he had developed over the years, the place in society he thought he had earned through hard work and determination, faded seemingly overnight. Severed from Maris, discarded and no longer wanted, he was of no use to anyone in that circle.
Which was why he'd basically exiled himself to a flower shop in an oft-forgotten corner of Seattle.
Heading back upstairs, mopping water as he went, Niles found Daphne sitting at his dining table, looking a lot warmer now. She had her hair in a towel, and the bathrobe wrapped tightly around her. Niles could hear the clothes dryer going in the bathroom.
"I hope you don't mind, I took a quick shower to get rid of the chill." She looked a little bashful. "I promise to buy a huge bouquet before I leave, as thanks."
"Oh, there's no need. I'm happy to help." Niles felt awkward. It wasn't often that her had someone like Daphne in his home. Actually, he never had someone like Daphne in his home. "Would you like something warm to drink? Tea, coffee?"
"Tea would be lovely, thank you."
Niles busied himself with boiling a kettle, and fished out some teabags from his dwindling supply. Running low. I'll have to pick some up next time I go shopping...
"I actually run a little tea shop not too far from here." It was almost as if she had read his mind. "That's where I was headed - I'd been out buying some groceries when the rainstorm hit. I would have just sprinted the rest of the way home, but I didn't want to ruin what I'd bought."
Niles nodded, remembering the bags she had left downstairs. "I'll have to visit your store, Ms Moon."
"Oh, Daphne - please."
"Daphne." Her name rolled off his tongue in a pleasing manner. "Your accent - you mentioned you were British?"
Niles brought over two cups of tea, and sat down opposite her at the table. Daphne held the cup in both hands, warming them, inhaling the steam. Niles stared at her a moment, mesmerized.
"That's right. I'm from Manchester originally, though I lived for several years in London." She took a long sip of her tea. "Darjeeling?"
"Yes. Though the choices I had were limited. I'm running low on tea."
"Then you absolutely should come to my shop! It's only a block or so away, with the best tea around."
Niles sipped at his own cup, listening to Daphne talk about her store and herself. Her shop was set up like a traditional British tea room, where she served tea and English delicacies - scones, crumpets, and the like. She'd moved to Seattle for a change of scenery and a fresh start - having just gotten out of a long term relationship, and there wasn't much left in England for her.
"What a coincidence. I just left a long term relationship too."
"Oh? I'm sorry to hear that." Daphne gave Niles a sympathetic smile. "It's certainly not easy."
"No, it's not." He'd finished his drink and set the cup aside.
They sat in silence for a moment in their own thoughts. The rain outside had eased considerably, although there was still a steady drizzle. The day outside was dreary, but Niles noticed the women sitting opposite him made his kitchen feel bright and welcoming.
Daphne glanced up at the clock on his wall as she finished her tea. "I really should get going. Thank you again for looking after me."
"It was my pleasure." Niles smiled.
Daphne stood and headed to the bathroom to fetch her clothes from the dryer. "Why don't you put together a large bouquet for me, and I'll meet you downstairs."
"Oh, you really don't need to buy anything." Niles protested again for the third time, but Daphne shook her head defiantly.
"I know, but I would like some flowers for my store. So you're actually doing me a favor."
Niles didn't believe that, but decided to do as she asked. "What flowers would you like?"
"Surprise me." She smiled again, shutting the door.
Niles had discovered quickly he had a bit of a flair for floral arrangements. Years of spending time with the upper crust and a naturally fastidious taste in design, Niles was able to translate a lot of those skills into his work. Luckily, flowers were one of the few things he didn't have any allergies to, which made things a lot easier.
He wished Daphne had given some indication to what she would like. Niles wanted to make a good impression. He wandered about the store, selecting several different flowers, deciding on variety and color. Especially if she was going to use them as display in her shop.
He was putting the final touches on the arrangement when Daphne appeared, fully dressed and dry. She looked around the store admiringly.
"It's such a beautiful shop. Have you been here long?"
"Only six months now. It was a different flower store before I bought it, but I redid the entire interior and décor, and renamed it."
"Persephone. The goddess of spring and fertility."
Niles glanced up, mildly surprised. "That's right. My father thinks the name is too pretentious."
"I think it's perfect. I don't know you very well yet, but owning a store named after a Greek goddess seems to suit you."
Niles blushed, and ducked his head to hide it. Luckily Daphne didn't notice.
Instead, she watched as Niles wrapped a piece of colored paper around the stems, nimbly tying a ribbon to secure the bouquet. "Oh, that looks amazing."
"I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I included several different varieties." He pointed them out as he spoke. "Lilies, orchids, baby's breath, tulips, roses... It's a bit more eclectic than I usually do, but I thought you might like some variety for your store. And you can always come back for more of your favorites."
A brief argument ensued over the price. Daphne insisted on paying full price, while Niles was content with a token payment.
"Nonsense. You're running a business. Because of me you had to shut early, and you opened your home to me." She pressed several bills into his hand. "I insist."
Niles sighed, and not just because he was defeated. Daphne's hand was soft, and warm. He took the money, and put it in the till. "Thank you, Daphne. And it was my pleasure to host this afternoon."
He helped her gather her bags, and she slipped her mostly dry coat back on. Niles handed her an umbrella. "It's still raining outside."
"Thank you, Niles. For the flowers and the umbrella." She smiled warmly again. "I'll see you around."
Niles spent the rest of the afternoon in a blissful daze. Something about Daphne had captured his heart. He had no idea what to do with this feeling. Should he ask her out? She said she'd just ended a serious relationship a few months ago - would that be too soon? Would she even be interested in him?
Don't be silly, a small voice in the back of his mind whispered. No one wants Niles Crane. Maris didn't even want you, and she was the closest thing to love you've ever had.
He sighed. Maybe just being friends would be enough. For now, at least.