Hey guys! There will be one last chapter after this one, and then I'm afraid there might be a bit of a break (a few weeks, not months, hopefully!). BUT, after that break, there'll be a new story I'm starting! I'm very thankful for all the love these past couple of months, and I can't wait to start our next adventure.
Ten
How To Build a Snowman and Fall in Love
Clara smiled at the snow beginning to fall from the white sky. The year was going by so fast and the holidays would soon be sending her home.
Her smile faltered.
She had told her father most of the details of their night in prison. She, Nardole, and John had virtually gotten off with a warning when the constables heard the whole story. Missy was fined heavily, and earned a lifetime ban from the university and half of the surrounding neighborhoods.
Overall, it was the best outcome Clara could hope for. Except that her dad now probably hated her boyfriend.
The boyfriend she was on her way to see right now.
The smile returned to her face as his lanky figure appeared in the distance. He wore gloves and a heavy woollen coat to equal her mittens and puffy jacket. When he saw her, his face lit up as well.
That made her smile even wider.
"Hey, John!" She gave a small wave as they neared each other, approaching from opposite ends of the campus square.
"Clara, you look like you're freezing."
He pulled her into a hug a rubbed her back, thwarted only by her bulky backpack. She smiled into his chest, cheeks blushing from more than just the cold.
"How is your revision going?" He asked, pulling away but leaving his hands on her shoulders.
"Alright. I have tons to memorize for a medieval literature exam next Monday."
John grimaced.
"I know how you feel. Physics is eating me alive right now," he admitted.
Clara shook her head.
"My rocket scientist."
John smiled at the idea of being hers. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before he hastily released her arms from his grip.
"Hey, I have an idea."
He knelt on the ground suddenly, pushing the snow around with his gloves. Clara chuckled.
"What are we doing?"
He looked up with a smirk.
"I think we need a study buddy."
Clara's face lit up.
"A snowman?" She said excitedly, kneeling down beside him.
He nodded, tamping the base down with a few strong whacks.
"This'll be the bottom layer," he explained. "Can you start making the middle?"
They worked at their respective jobs, building up the man of snow with care and precision. When Clara's portion was finished, they both stood on opposite sides of the giant torso and got their hands beneath it.
"Alright, on three," John said. "One...two...three!"
Together, they raised the snowy sphere and placed it heavily on the base he'd built up. When it was seated on top, they pulled their hands slowly away, waiting for it to come crashing down.
Somehow, though wobbly and off balanced, it stayed.
"Perfect!" Clara cheered. "Now it just needs a head."
She and John worked together on the head, adding snow and ice until it was roughly the shape of an oval. For its face, they added little rocks and pebbles to make out the eyes and mouth. The nose came in the form of a pencil.
Clara took a step back and surveyed their work.
"Okay." She clapped her hands together. "You go grab a couple branches for its arms. I'll add some finishing touches."
John went off to look for the perfect snowman arms as Clara dug into her bag. When she found what she was looking for, she grinned ear to ear.
"John! Come look; it's perfect!"
He hurried back to her side carrying two long branches with wishbone-like ends. The scarf now wrapped around the snowman's neck put a wide smile on his face.
"Where did you get that?" He asked as he stuck the arms into the torso. "It must be two meters long."
Clara zipped up her bag.
"I got it from the Renaissance Faire we went to."
John's eyes gleamed into hers.
"Our first date."
"Exactly," she replied with a small voice, focused more intently on his face than their conversation. Just when it looked like she was about to kiss the smiling goof beside her, Clara knelt down and grabbed a handful of snow.
"What are you doing with-"
Before he could finish, John was being pelted with snow from a much too excited future English teacher.
"Oi!" He called, throwing a hand up in defense.
Clara giggled, but John got to work. He scooped up a large batch of snow.
Clara's giggled stopped abruptly.
"No," she said with a finger held up, backing away swiftly. John approached with a mad look in his eye.
"No you don't John Smith!" Clara shouted, a smile betraying her.
He threw the snow and she spun around, letting most of it hit her back and shoulders. When she had recovered and he was properly laughing, Clara set her bag down on the snowy ground and rubbed her mittens together.
"Okay, I see how you're going to play."
Clara grabbed another handful of snow, pelting it at John before he could react. It hit his arm, exploding into a dusting of white that covered half of his body.
Before he could respond with a snowball of his own, Clara was already sending another wave of small snow piles, firing madly.
During the assault, John took to hiding his head below his arms. Even without the constant stream of attacks, he was laughing too hard to make a snowball of his own. Slowly, he tried to approach her, the shining white snow flying through the air making it almost impossible to see.
Clara's chuckling voice was his only guide as he waded through the storm. That, and the closeness of the snowballs. As he neared, the snow hit him almost constantly.
He was almost choking on his giddy laughter when he raised his arms and grabbed her into a hug to stop her attacks. She laughed, too, and let him take her in his arms. As her momentum suddenly changed direction, her boots slid on the snow.
Suddenly, they found themselves on the ground, Clara practically on top of John. She sat up, making sure he was alright. Once that was confirmed, she launched into another series of laughs.
He was on his back below her, smiling that big, goofy smile. A dusting of snow made his black clothing look flour-covered. She chuckled at the sight of him, and then helped him sit up.
They drank in the moment, sitting on the campus greens (now white with the snow) together, not a care in the world beyond each other. As a snowflake landed on Clara's nose, John couldn't help but smile wide, his pupils dilating.
He laughed as she crinkled her nose and wiped the snow off of her face. He couldn't help but laugh and smile when he was in her presence.
"I love you," he said casually, wiping some snow off of her shoulder.
He didn't realize what he'd said until he met Clara's wide eyes. His jaw dropped.
"I...I, er...I…"
Clara grabbed his lapels and pulled him in to a kiss, putting a stop to his stammering.
They leaned into each other, Clara with her fingers still latched onto his jacket and John holding her freezing face between his hands. The wind howled around them, students passed, exams crept closer. But Clara and John only knew of each other in that moment.
When at last they pulled away, faces shining and red, Clara smiled an anxious smile.
"I already knew, John."
She massaged his cheek with her thumb, looking into his eyes to know he believed her.
"And I love you, too," she said firmly. His eyes darted down and she held more firmly onto his lapel. "I love you, John Smith."
His shy eyes met hers again and lit up.
Finally, he believed her. Finally he accepted that his life was indeed just beginning.
And finally he could start to move on and make a new future, hopefully with this short, amazing, impossible English student by his side.