Is it Missy? Is it a stranger? The mystery continues. . .
Thank you guys so much for all your lovely reviews :) Glad you're still enjoying it despite the slow burn.
Chapter 25
"No further questions?" Clara asked, eyeing her class for a moment before clapping her hands together. "Okay, you have 45 minutes. Good luck!"
When her students lowered their heads and started scribbling the answers down on their sheets of paper, Clara decided to take a quick walk through the rows of desks to see that everyone kept to their own test and didn't have secret notes hidden somewhere. During her time as a teacher, Clara had come across a number of cheating methods, some of which were so creative she had almost considered letting it slide. Luckily for her students, Clara couldn't see any of the known tricks, so she walked up to her desk and sat down.
Knowing that she would have 45 minutes to herself, Clara considered reading her book, but when her phone vibrated on her desk, she realized that there was something she would rather do. Quickly, she picked it up to see what her mystery man had said.
NotSantaClaus
Good morning, ClaraOswald86. Last night, I had an idea. I thought about how much we have in common when it comes to music and films and books and I came to the conclusion that it is impossible. There has to be something that you like and I hate or the other way around and until I find what that is, I'm going to call you an impossible girl. Because that is what you are. I'm really starting to question your existence because the alternative would be to admit that I was extremely lucky to have found you.
Clara's heart skipped a little beat when she read his words. She still didn't know who her mystery man was but with every passing day, she became more and more curious to find out. He was perfect. He was the impossible one. Clara smiled at her phone before she replied.
ClaraOswald86
I guess it's only fair for you to call me that, seeing that I either call you Santa or mystery man. However, I'm not sure about your theory because, as far as I can see, you're the one without a name and profile picture. In fact, I don't even know your age or what you do for a living. Maybe you really are a spy and I'll soon be dragged into an Ian Fleming novel. Can I count on you to protect me, mystery man?
"Miss Oswald?" The voice of Clara's least favourite student rang through the air and she looked up to see Courtney Woods smirking in her direction. "I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be on your phone while we're taking a test."
"And I'm pretty sure you aren't done with those questions yet, so why don't you get back to it?" Clara suggested in a pretend friendly manner and looked back down at the phone in her hands. Her mystery man had replied.
NotSantaClaus
I think that if we got trapped in a spy novel, I would have to depend on you to keep us alive. I'm really just an ordinary man in my 50s who works in a shop in London and reads books in his spare time. Or maybe that is my clever cover identity? Who can tell these days?
I'm probably just a paranoid idiot for not wanting to put my photo and name online, but I've read the terms and conditions and the part where MatchMaker employees can read in on your private conversations makes me a little cautious.
Clara realized that he did have a point. She had thought about it, but her photo and name were already on Facebook and she normally didn't trust anyone who didn't at least upload a blurry, unfocused photo of themselves on MatchMaker. Her mystery man, however, was different. She couldn't quite explain it, but there was something familiar about him and there wasn't much he could do to harm her with the information she had shared about herself. No, this was plain, harmless fun.
On the other hand, Clara was curious. Yes, her mystery man was a little older than the type she usually went for, but maybe that had been her mistake. If she had so much in common with him, the age difference shouldn't really matter. It never mattered with the Doctor, so why would this one be different? He seemed shy, but his sense of humour appealed to her, their little exchange made her happy and every day, she found herself looking forward to his messages. Maybe it was time to go a little further. Maybe it was time for them to meet – in a safe, public place.
ClaraOswald86
You know what people in spy novels and movies often do? They dress up in a nice suit or dress and go to a lovely restaurant to have a nice meal in the evening. Whether you're a spy or not, I think this is a wonderful idea. What do you think?
"Miss Oswald, I have a question?" Tobias asked and Clara looked up and noticed that his hand was in the air.
"Don't interrupt her!" Courtney Woods scolded him, giggling while she did. "Can't you see she's texting her crush?"
Clara cleared her throat. Maybe she did have a crush on her mystery man. There was nothing wrong with that. "What is your question, Tobias?"
"I was wondering if we could earn some extra points by writing down the year of publication on question number three."
Clara considered it for a moment. "Okay," she said eventually. "Two correct years will earn you one extra point."
Once her class had calmed down again, Clara decided to focus on her mystery man once again, but the answer she had received in the meantime wasn't the one she had hoped for. Far from it.
NotSantaClaus
Oh, my impossible girl. I know it's probably how things work on this app. You find someone, you get along and you decide to meet them, but I'm afraid I'm more the old-fashioned type. Also, there's the fact that I'm either shy or a spy that complicates this matter a little. I would love to meet you one day, but I don't think we know each other well enough to take that step yet. I've been enjoying our conversations a lot. In fact, they're usually the highlight of my day and I don't want to ruin that by rushing forward. I hope you will understand and give me a little more time to get to know you.
Clara frowned at the phone in her hands. Even though she could understand his reasons and it was actually kind of sweet that he was old-fashioned, she had never really been the most patient person and by now, she was determined to meet him. But how was she going to convince him that it wouldn't ruin anything? Maybe it was time to get some male advice from her best friend. Maybe it was time to tell the Doctor about her mystery man even though she hadn't wanted to do that at all.
Clara still couldn't quite explain it, but maybe it had to do with the fact that she was still thinking about kissing him from time to time. Whenever they were close, the thought just invaded her head like an annoying earworm that she couldn't get of. Maybe it was because she had a tiny little crush on them both.