Thank you so much for your amazing support! Let's see how things will go for John and Clara. Enjoy! :)


While they were waiting in line since the checkout machine was broken, John had offered to pay for her meal. She declined. However, after much persisting, he won and now they were standing in front of the cashier who smiled at them when he looked down at the shopping basket.

"Dinner date?" he asked.

Clara and John blushed and said nothing as the cashier began scanning the items. They quickly made their way out as soon as the items were paid for.

No more than five minutes later, the two were in a small and cosy café, enjoying a croissant each.

John smiled when he remembered the times he and Oswin used to dine here after work. "I hope your day has improved slightly," he commented.

Clara hadn't eaten that much during lunch, so the croissant and coffee were a nice energy booster. She beamed. "Absolutely," she replied in an awkward manner. The school teacher wasn't so sure about talking about what happened earlier in the day now.

John looked down at his meal before he thought it wouldn't hurt to ask again. "So, you mentioned the trouble you had at school?"

"Oh, yeah, that," she said nervously, playing with her hair. "I may have told off a co-worker and slapped him."

He raised his eyebrows. "He must have said something stupid, then."

"That," she confirmed, choosing the details where Danny accused her of sleeping with the man sitting in front of her right now. "And because of the talk, I had with Max."

"He hasn't been misbehaving, has he?"

She shook her head. "Quite the opposite – I wanted to get to the bottom of why he hated Danny, I mean, Mr Pink so much."

John paused as he reached for his cup of tea. She couldn't possibly know. "What did he tell you?" he asked warily.

"He didn't like how Mr Pink kept treating everyone like a soldier."

He relaxed a bit. "Oh, yes."

Clara had promised that the conversation about Max's mother was only between them, so she was going to keep it that way. "I confronted Danny and he stepped out of his bounds so before I knew it, I had slapped him."

In John's opinion, PE deserved every ounce of pain he experienced from the slap. "I guess he deserved it."

"Mr Smith," she began.

"Please, call me John – Mr Smith sounds too formal and boring," he said, smiling.

Clara felt her heart skip a bit. "If you don't mind me asking, is there more to it why Max doesn't like Mr Pink?"

John broke eye contact and played with his tea before he quietly said, "It's a personal matter."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

He looked up. The same sadness she saw in his eyes the first time they met was back again. "No, it's my fault," he stated.

She found his comment odd.

Clara placed a comforting hand on his. "You don't have to give an explanation – I'm sorry I asked."

He stared at her hand, tempted to place it in his palm. He pulled back his hand. "I'm sorry… it's a difficult subject to talk about."

She nodded, mentally kicking herself for crossing the line.

"I don't think Max will have any issues with his maths teacher again after this," she said, changing the subject as she was unable to bear the silence.

John's face lit up. "You didn't threaten to make him write a thousand-word essay, did you?" he asked jokingly.

She chuckled. "No, but he's going to take part in a text analysis tutorial on Friday."

He beamed. It was nice to know the rest of Max's teachers were genuinely trying to help him.

They finished their light dinner and got into another argument since John insisted on paying.

"I'm starting to feel as if I took advantage of you," Clara said once they were outside.

"There's nothing to feel bad about – just consider it as a thank you for teaching my son," he replied, standing in front of her before he remembered the food she bought. He reached into the bag and handed her the sandwich and crisps. "Almost forgot to give you these."

"Thanks," she said, smiling.

"You're very welcome, Miss Oswald."

"It's only fair if you call me Clara."

John stared at his two feet for a brief moment. "You're very welcome, Clara."

She definitely likes the way he pronounces her name, especially the way he rolls the 'r'.

Clara got on her toes and placed a quick kiss on John's cheek. He looked at her with wide eyes, stunned.

"Thank you," she murmured before walking away.

He placed a hand on his cheek, on the spot where she placed her lips. The last time a woman kissed him was 12 years ago. It brought back plenty of memories.

While he remained in his spot, Clara was unable to prevent herself from smiling. John was such a gentleman. She was also amused at his reaction. He certainly looked like a startled owl with those eyebrows of his. It only fuelled her attraction to him. He wasn't like other men.


The next day, Clara Oswald's jolly mood didn't go unnoticed. Everyone from her colleagues to her students couldn't help but notice that there was in a spring in her step.

"Miss, can we not submit the essay?" asked one of her students. The whole classroom began laughing.

Clara smirked. "Very funny, James, and to answer your question, no."

Again, her students were in stitches. The bell rang, and Clara waited until everyone had vacated the classroom before she left, making her way to the teacher's lounge.

As soon as she saw the sight of her desk, Clara gasped in her surprise. On her work surface was a bouquet of flowers. A rather large one.

It was then she realised her colleagues were grinning at her.

Slowly, she approached the desk and set down her belongings before reaching for the small note attached to the red tulips. She flipped the card over which read:

Hope you're feeling better

-John

She bit her bottom lip as she read the short message and then quietly giggled to herself. How on earth did he manage to deliver a bouquet of flowers to her so quickly? And how was she going to take this home on her bike?

"Who's the secret admirer?" Barbara asked, startling Clara.

The English teacher immediately hid the card. "I have a pretty good idea who it is," she answered, admiring the beautiful flowers. "Do you have any idea how it got here – I didn't these sitting on my desk this morning."

Ian, who was marking, replied, "Somebody from a delivery company asked where your desk was about an hour ago."

"Did he tell you who sent it?" Barbara asked.

The teacher looked up. "No, he just said he's delivering flowers for Clara."

"Looks like you got somebody who's romantic," Clara heard her colleague say. "I just wish Ian would do something like this."

"Hey, I heard that."

The two women laughed before Barbara left as she was going to be late for her lesson.

Clara sat down, eyes glued to the flowers. John is a such a sweetheart. A thought then occurred. He was her student's father. The idea of fancying a parent never crossed her mind but she never objected to the idea for as long she took the necessary steps. Besides, Max is in Year 13 and he would finish school in two months. Would he be fine with the idea of his father dating his English teacher? It was hard to tell.

Nonetheless, she hoped to see John again so that she could thank him for his sweet gesture.

As she was preparing for her next lesson, the school teacher felt a pair of eyes staring at her. She turned to her right and saw Danny looking in her direction. His facial expression screamed jealousy.

Clara decided to ignore him. They were no longer a couple so why should be bothered, anyway? She hoped he wouldn't want to talk to her right now since she certainly didn't want to hear anything but an apology from him.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw him walking towards her, so she set down her pen and locked eyes. "Can I help you?" she asked coldly.

Danny cleared his throat. "Could I talk to you in private?"

She pondered for a second before nodding and rising to her feet.

Ian and Clara exchanged looks before she gave him a reassuring look.

The moment they stepped into the breakroom, Danny said, "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday."

She remained silent, eyes stone cold.

"I took it too far and I shouldn't have said some things."

She still continued to give him the silent treatment.

"And I took your advice," he added. "You were right, I still had my soldier cap on when teaching the kids."

Clara's facial features softened. "I'm glad to hear that," she replied. The school teacher made a mental note to ask Max if this was true.

"I'm really sorry."

"Apology accepted, Danny," she said. There was nothing else that needed to be said so she decided to leave.

"Clara."

She turned around. "Yes?"

"Could I make it up to you by taking you out for dinner?"

She wouldn't say yes, even if he took her to dinner in outer space. "I'm sorry, Danny, but I have plans tonight."

Danny knew it was his fault their relationship ended, and he was hoping they could reconcile. He could make the effort to become a better person. "I know it was my fault that our relationship didn't-"

"Danny, I don't think this is the place to discuss it," Clara cut-off, facing him properly now. "Besides, the past is in the past."

He nodded silently as she left the break room.

"Everything alright?" Ian asked once she returned to her desk.

"Yep," she replied. The smile returned when she saw the flowers again as Danny Pink was completely forgotten. Instead, John Smith plagued her mind.


A black Mercedes drove past the school gates before heading to the parking area. The driver of the vehicle slowed down as he searched for an empty spot. It was fifteen minutes before school ended so there wasn't a whole lot of free space left. After a few moments, he spotted an empty one and parked there.

John killed the engine and rolled down the window a bit to let a bit of air in. He was picking up Max and Bill as he had promised to take them to Subway today.

While waiting, he checked his emails and browsed the web until somebody tapped the window next to him. He looked away from the phone and saw Clara smiling at him with the bouquet of flowers he had sent in her arms.

She stepped aside as he got out.

"Miss, I mean, Clara," he greeted.

"I got your flowers," she said, holding them up.

"Do you like them?" he asked anxiously. His wife had always told him women love receiving flowers.

The English teacher beamed. "Of course, I do – they're lovely."

John finally smiled. "That's a relief."

"As a matter of fact, I'm taking half these tulips home."

Looks like he made the right call choosing that particular type of flower. "Why just half?"

She laughed. "I don't think I can carry the whole thing on my bike and I think it's nice to have some on my work desk."

"Do you want me to give you a lift?"

"No, that won't be necessary."

Maybe he shouldn't have gone overboard and chosen the largest bouquet. "Sorry, I should choose a smaller one next time."

Clara arched her brow. "There's a next time?" she teased, causing John to blush.

"If you want to," he said quietly.

"What brings you here today?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, I'm here to pick up Max and Bill – promised them we'd have fast food today."

The saw students walking out of the main building as the bell rang.

"Well, have fun," she murmured before walking away. Just then, Clara paused, and she turned around.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "This is probably the nicest thing I've received in a while."

John watched her walk to her bike and waved at her when she drove off. He didn't really know why but she looked extremely attractive riding the bike.

"Dad," he heard Max and Bill call him.

He collected him. "Yes."

"Why were you staring at nothing?" Max asked as he entered the vehicle.

"No, just waiting for the both of you and making sure you saw me."

The two teenagers exchanged looks.

He started the engine. "Anyway, how was your day?" he asked, as the car began moving.

"Fine," Max answered. "Surprisingly enough, Mr Pink was acting normally."

"Yeah," Bill confirmed. "He wasn't barking orders or yelling like a sergeant."

John smiled. Looks like Clara solved the issue. "Brilliant, so, Subway?"

"Subway," the two kids confirmed.

The father wasn't able to resist from smiling. When he decided to park inside the school area, there was a small part of him that hoped he would see Clara again and he did. He was glad she loved the flowers. Oswin did say red tulips were the way to a woman's heart.