Mending Hearts

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will shortly be arriving at platform 4 and this service terminates here. Please make sure you have all your belongings with you when leaving the train. Thank you."

The announcement made by the ticket officer could be heard loud and clear despite the noise of the train slowing down as it gets into its designated platform. A number of passengers had already stood up from their seats and paced toward the doors regardless of the coach still being in motion.

Some people carried nothing, some had a small bag while others had a suitcase or two with them. It was an unusually bright and sunny afternoon and the train station wasn't all too packed but the lovely weather did prompt people to go outside.

There were a number of people in platform 2 waiting for their train. Clara Oswald could see them clearly from the windows and she stood up as soon as the coach was still. Pushing her rather large suitcase, she got off the train and proceeded to the lift. There was no way she was going to carry her luggage up the stairs just to reach the entrance on the other side of the platform.

"The train now approaching platform 2 is the 15:45 Southern service to Brighton. Customers wishing to travel to London Victoria can change at Brighton."

She couldn't help but think that the town seems lovely even though she had only moved in a few days ago. The large suitcase she was dragging contained the last of her belongings she had cleared from her flat in London. She made an impulse decision to move away from the city when she received an offer from her new school and surprisingly enough, her family had been supportive of her decision.

The walk from the train station to her new flat took about twenty minutes, fifteen if she didn't have to drag her luggage up the hill but eventually, she made it to her new home. In a way, a bigger flat just seemed like a breath of fresh air compared to her old one which was small and compact.

A new home, a new town and a new beginning. She was sure that was all she needed. And so far, things look promising. Her landlady who lives on the top floor, Donna, was very welcoming and kind when Clara first moved in.

Donna was at her doorstep the moment Clara had finished unpacking her items, holding a box of cake in her hands. Clara couldn't remember the last time her neighbours had been so friendly and warm but then again, London was full of people who tend to mind their own business and not care much about other people so she was more than happy to accept the change.

The two got on well and as it turns out, Donna owns a bookshop in old town.

Yes, Clara could see herself get settled in quickly. Lovely town, lovely people.

The moment Clara had unpacked the last of her belongings, her phone rang. The name of the person who was phoning her flashed on screen and she smiled before answering the call.

"Hello, Clara Oswald speaking!"

"Clara dear," a woman on the other end began. "How are you? Did you manage to reach your flat without too much hassle?" her grandmother joked.

"Just barely, nan," she chuckled.

The day went by fairly quickly and before Clara knew it, was already dark outside and she could barely make out the surroundings thanks to a lamp post situated on the other side of the road. She could still several people walking about but much less compared to when the sun was still up.

The weekend passed and as much as she enjoyed exploring the new town, Clara was looking forward to start teaching again.

"… And this is where the science labs are," the headmaster explained as he showed Clara around the school on Monday morning. "Most classes are located on the first floor," he continued explaining, walking up the stairs until they stood right in front of a class room. "Right, I think I've explained all that you need to know and thank you so much for accepting the offer, Miss Oswald. We have been short on staff since the start of term."

Clara flashed a smile. "I'm happy to be here, Mr Napier."

Mr Napier nodded. "I shall let you get to know your students and inspire them, then."

Her first lesson with the Year 8 students went without a hitch. Her students were definitely lovely but one particular student reminded her of Courtney Woods and Clara hoped that it wasn't the case on the long term. Another Courtney Woods in her new school was the last thing she needed.

On her way back to her flat at the end of the day, Clara stopped by at a café to get herself a cup of tea. It was getting darker by the minute and as she held the cup in one hand and her phone in the other, replying a message from her father, she bumped into a man and nearly spilled her drink on him. Luckily, the man was fast enough to keep her hand steady by gripping her arm.

"I'm so sorry!" she apologized and looked up, locking eyes with what she would have described as piercing and he looked rather annoyed. But it was mostly the eyebrows that terrified her a bit.

The man pursed his lips and glanced at her phone before glancing back at her. "Yes, well," he said. The man is Scottish judging by the accent. "Watch where you're going next time. Maybe not having your eyes glued to the phone would help," he then let go of her arm before walking in the opposite direction.

Clara was too stunned by his rudeness to have said anything and by the time she had recovered, she glared at the man and uttered, "Jerk."

Her change of mood did not go unnoticed when she returned home. Donna, who was walking down the staircase saw Clara attempting to unlock the door and greeted her. "Hello, Clara! How was your first day at your new school?" her smile dropped when she saw the look of annoyance on her new tenant's face. "What's the matter? Did something happen?"

"Oh yes, school was fine. Lovely students. It's just that I bumped into a rude arse just now and nearly spilled my tea on him and he said I shouldn't have my eyes glued to my phone."

"Was this so called 'rude arse' wearing a black coat and around six foot tall and sports a Scottish accent?"

Clara blinked a couple of times before asking, "How did you know?"

"You've met the martian then!"

"I'm sorry, who?"

Donna grinned. "I tend to call him a martian since he's so quiet and reserved and yes, a bit rude. The man, he's the Doctor and he moved in just a month ago. Lives just around the corner. I'm not sure what he does for a living but he does visit my bookshop often."

"The Doctor?" Clara repeated, finally unlocking the door to her flat.

"Yes."

"What does he have a PhD on? Rudeness?"

"Probably, but you shouldn't let it get to you. That's just how he is I guess," Donna reasoned.

"I hope I don't see him or bump into him ever again," Clara snorted before entering her flat.

She meant what she said. While she was used to rude behaviour since he had lived in London for quite some time, Clara couldn't help but think the Doctor is on a completely different level so avoiding him is a must.

The funny thing is, when the universe wants to bring two people together, things will start to fall into place.

Hello! :)

So here's a new multi-chapter story that I came up with - I actually had this idea for a while now but wasn't entirely sure if it's any good to begin with and eventually, I decided to give it a try. And yes, I deliberately left out the name of the town and made fun of Southern Railway a bit ;)

I cannot promise lightning fast updates with this story (like last time) unfortunately, but I will try to publish a new chapter whenever I can. Thanks for your support and see you in the next chapter! :)