It was a lot hotter in Florida than back home. She said it coming off the plane, walking the long distance to the baggage claim, and again getting into the taxi that took them to the hotel. Clara told her parents when they stepped out in front of the brightly colored buildings after checking in and she said it again as they took a boat across the lake to the park. And by the time they were standing in front of the castle in the middle of Disney World, her father was giving her a stern look and handing her five American dollars to buy herself an ice cream.
"Maybe putting something cold in her mouth will cool her down and shut her up," she heard the man mumble to her mother as she drifted away, passing a frustrated look back at the duo wearing clothes that definitely made them look like wayward tourists.
"Yours too, huh," came the deep soft voice from just beside her and she jerked away from it before finding herself staring into shy green eyes and a small smirk that sat on a smug square jaw almost a foot above her. "My parents threatened to take me over to the Antarctic exhibit at Sea World, toss me in with the penguins."
She inched closer because he was British and somehow it comforted her as she nodded, "I've been pushed towards a pool – but they're heated. It's like everything in this place wants to be that much closer to the sun."
"You know," he gestured upward, squinting his eyes, "We're actually closer to the sun here than back home… two Mickey heads," he told the cheerful attendant.
Clara smiled as she stood just beside him, holding the bill in her hand and tugging at it nervously "Would have preferred Euro Disney. Closer to home and, undoubtedly, cooler."
He laughed lightly, and handed her the second yellow package, "Definitely cooler."
She raised her money towards him, but he simply shook his head and walked away, back towards two adults who smiled in his direction as he broke into a jog towards them.
Slowly making her way up, down, and around the ramp inside Space Mountain, Clara glanced sideways at the glowing buttons that others were slapping absently as they made their way up. Of course her parents didn't want to ride the indoor roller coaster. In truth, she didn't really want to ride it herself, but she wasn't about to sit through the Carousel of Progress – she'd been warned about the songs that get stuck in one's head and it was either the Mountain, or line up behind the children to shoot things with Buzz Lightyear.
"Escaping the parents?"
Clara turned swiftly and stumbled, feeling his hands grasp at her sides, stopping her from an embarrassing fall and she shifted back, red in the face and thankful for the darkness as they rounded a corner and came to a stop behind other visitors. "Carousel."
"Oh," he made a face of disgust, "Just got stuck in there myself. Song really does get stuck in your head," he began to hum and Clara raised a finger.
"Don't you dare," she smiled, "I avoided it for that very reason."
He nodded, "You don't look too thrilled to be here either."
She shrugged, "Not fond of roller coasters."
With a nod, he pushed his bottom lip out and then offered, "I'll ride with you then, you can find amusement in the notion that the female screaming behind you is actually me." He smiled proudly when she laughed and gave him a hesitant nod of her head just before he raised two fingers at the employee asking how many.
Clara stepped to the gate and felt his hands at her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze and she turned her head to ask, "You always this forward with strangers?"
Chuckling, he tilted into her and supplied, "Not generally."
The gate opened and they climbed in, his hands resuming their comforting caress atop her shoulders as soon as they were buckled and she laughed once they started because it wasn't quite the feminine shout she was expecting, but his constant cries – mockingly so – for his mummy did amuse her greatly. They staggered away from the ride and worked their way out to the gift shop where Clara's parents were waiting, and she turned to ask him his name, but he'd already gone.
The next day she expected him to be just around every corner. It was irrational, really, how two small encounters would have had the impact they did, but, she sort of wanted him to be around every corner. Rushing into the Tree of Life, sprinting towards Everest, eagerly searching the line on the Safari. Clara found herself pouting at the crowds around her as her parents discussed an evening Downtown and she spent it watching the Characters balloon launch into the night sky and then retreat again until her father gave her a twenty and told her if she was so interested, she should ride it.
She'd smiled, as politely as she could, and moved towards it slowly, making the line and knowing it was better than sitting with meddling parents who wanted her to explain her university options. "Thank God," she heard his voice shout out, "I didn't know if you'd hold my place in line, bathroom took longer to find than I thought it would."
He slipped into the line beside her and she passed a nervous glance at the couple behind them before asking brightly, "So that's where you've been all day."
"All day," he teased, grinning, "Have you been looking?"
Her cheeks went pink and he chuckled because he knew she had. "Animal Kingdom."
"Oh, I do hope you saw the sleeping lions."
She pointed, "Saw a tail."
Frowning, "Saw a rock; took a photo."
"Hope it was a good one."
"Alas," he shrugged before looking up at her, "Blurry." He nodded as they were ushered onto and around the platform just underneath the large red and yellow balloon and when it hoisted up into the air, he gripped her arm, giving her a sheepish grin and admitting, "Not terribly good with heights."
Clara scoffed, "Mock me for my roller coaster fear and you're rubbish about heights?"
"We could fall," he whispered.
"We're in a balloon," she gestured up.
"Balloon filled with helium," he explained, "One good pop around one bad spark and boom – down we go, into the water, or into the crowds, a blazing ball of fire. Pity the news reporter who has to cover it. Tinkerbell's fairy dust fails explosively. Details at eleven."
Laughing, Clara gave him a small shove and he backed into the edge of the railing behind them before pushing forward, hands coming up to grip the netting on either side of her head to look out over her shoulder at the city. In the early evening, with the last bits of sunlight burning the sky pink, Clara sighed, "Breathtaking view."
"I agree," he sighed.
She turned to catch him staring at her and Clara smiled awkwardly, immediately turning back as the balloon began to descend and once they'd landed, her parents were waiting at the exit, shouting something about Cuban food in the pineapple. Feeling him drifting away, she reached back, but caught air, turning again to find an empty space.
"What is your name?" The question came out in a burst of excitement as he jumped into the clamshell of the Finding Nemo ride in Epcot and she giggled because her parents' clam had turned before they could see him land in hers. It was beginning to feel like some sort of fairy tale – he was beginning to feel like a fairy tale and she had half a mind to grab his hand and not let go once the ride ended.
"The Doctor," he told her seductively. Then he grinned foolishly and shrugged, "Sorry, what my friends call me – though I would like to be a doctor one day. Pediatrician… but when I'm in trouble, it's Colin. Colin Fitzgerald Hughes."
"I'm so sorry," Clara replied, shaking her head.
He frowned, "Well, you could just call me the Doctor if it's so offensive." Then he waited.
She gave a small bounce, "Clara. Just Clara Oswald."
"And now we're properly acquainted," he nodded.
"That we are." Clara glanced around him, "Are your parents in the next car?"
"Are your parents in the one ahead?"
They both nodded slowly.
He grinned deviously, "Mind if I hold your hand?"
Clara watched him a moment before asking, "Does the missing fish scare you?"
"It's the sharks, being honest with you," he reached out to wrap his fingers around hers. "They're quite bite-y… all the teeth. It's a wonder they mate so happily."
She shook her head at him and they settled into the clam, shifting into one another to enjoy the silliness of it all and when the clamshell dropped them off, Clara did as she'd planned, she held tightly to him and lead him through the maze of aquariums on two floors, listening as he made up fish names and stories for each and then offered to buy her a Nemo keychain.
"So the unlucky bloke'll never get lost again."
And, of course, the moment she let him go… he was gone.
"My Clara!" His voice brought a smile instantly to her face as she reached the bottom of a slide in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground. Glancing up, she watched him plant his hands at his waist, squinting against the sunlight striking him in the eyes and she shouted out, but it was too late, he was drenched by the oversized Super Soaker sitting just behind him.
"You alright? Can you swim?" She teased as he shook the water out of his floppy brown hair and then smiled at her and nodded.
"Right as rain," he shrugged, "Poor choice of words, I suppose."
"Find anything interesting?" Clara asked, "Haven't had a chance to explore."
"Dog's nose," he pointed, reaching out to take her hand, leading her around mushrooms and up a set of steps to find a large black snout sniffing at them. "Stick your face in."
Clara eyed him, "I'm not sticking my face in a dog's nose."
He shrugged, "Suite yourself, I need a good blow dry." Standing directly in front of the nostril, he waited, turning slightly to give her a smile and a nod, and then the dog exhaled, shooting a blast of air that sent his hair awry. He stepped away and she reached up, fingers running over the thick hair until she straightened it as he waited, tranquil expression on his face.
"You're ridiculous," she told him.
"You're…" he stopped himself, turning away with a small sigh. Clara nudged his foot with her own and he bent forward, whispering in her ear, "Beautiful." She began to laugh, but he kissed her, quickly, shyly, and then shifted back with a mumbled, "I'm sorry, that was terribly…" Clara stopped him with her lips, feeling her heart thudding in her chest as his hand reached out for her waist.
"Really," a woman called out, "This is a children's park."
They jerked away from one another with a set of shouted apologies and ran towards the exit, but Clara lost him in the crowd. She waited, glancing around because she figured if she just stood still… she'd find him – or he'd find her, but instead she was met by her parents asking her if she'd like to see the stunt show. And she begrudgingly left with them.
For the next three days she searched him out, trying to have the best time she could with her parents. She imagined he'd probably gone home. Every so often she imagined that she'd simply imagined him. Impossible boy randomly showing up out of the blue with his silly face and his funny words. She rubbed the keychain now firmly attached to her bag as they sat on the plane and she detached it to hold on the drive back to their house.
Clara sighed looking up at the old home as her parents began to lug baggage through the front door. It seemed different and, for some odd reason, it seemed cold. Rubbing at her arms, she walked towards her mother, who brushed a hand over her hair and cupped her cheek, "You alright, sweetheart?" The woman asked lightly.
With a nod, she responded, "Bit hungry, bit tired – mind if I walk down to the corner market, pick up something to eat?"
"Could drive you," her mother offered.
She shook her head, "Legs feel like jelly after that flight, think the walk would be good."
Listening to her mother laugh as she nodded, Clara walked the few blocks and entered the store, smiling at the jingle above her head. She walked casually, tossing a nod at the store clerk who greeted her by name and then she rounded the aisles, finger lazily stroking over bags of crisps and boxes of cookies.
"Jammie Dodgers are the best."
Whipping her head around, her lips broke into an easy grin as she stared at him, now in a proper jumper and jeans, hair matted slightly by the drizzle of rain outside and she exclaimed, "You're real. Actually, properly, real."
"Confirmed," he smiled, giving her a poke, "Actually, properly, real."
Then she edged back, "Are you following me?"
"Was about to ask you the same question," he responded, narrowing his eyes playfully at her before gesturing at the door, "Live just up the street."
Clara raised a hand and pointed towards the door as well, "I live just up the street as well."
Plucking a box of the aforementioned cookies off the shelf and going to retrieve two fizzy drinks from a cooler, the Doctor nodded to the register and smiled, "Walk you home then? And then walk past? And then maybe sneak away for an actually, properly real conversation?"
Following him, she nodded, curling her arm around his as he waited.