Even as the lights glittered and shimmered, even as the stars shone brightly against the pitch black sky, even as traffic noises rang about, he never took his eyes off the beauty next to him. Her brunette hair, the curious glitter and hopeful shimmer of her big, brown eyes, how she swung her legs off the rooftops, not even flinching. How her pink lips were smiling ever so brightly, like she always did. He dare not ever let her know. He couldn't. He wouldn't, rather. He wanted to, oh how he wanted to, but never in a million lives would he.
New York was probably his favorite place now.
"Doctor?" Her voice rang in his ears, and he snapped to focus himself. "Doctor?"
"Yes?"
"Are you alright? You were staring at me..." She trailed off.
"I was? No, I wasn't," he quickly lied, but it was smooth. "I was looking at that." He pointed off in the distance. What he was pointing at was truly magnificent. A few fireworks were going off. It'd just started. She gasped, murmuring "ooh" s and "ah" s, only for fun. "Clara." He said suddenly. Even he'd not expected that to come from his own mouth. What was he even planning to say? What was he thinking?
"Yeah, Doctor?" She said, not taking her eyes off of the fireworks. When he failed to respond, she turned around, a look of confusion and concern etched onto her features.
And that's when he realized, even as the lights glittered and shimmered against the bustling city, even as the stars shone brightly in the pitch black sky, even as the fireworks blazed in the air, there was something-or, someone, rather-that was much more beautiful to him.
The woman sitting next to him.