Chapter 15

'Are you okay?'

'Yeah.'

'Does it still hurt?'

'A little bit.'

Clara dropped her head at his tone, so uneventful and empty than usual, when he was in the studio.

'I'm sorry.'

'Stop saying you're sorry. It wasn't your fault at all.'

Clara admitted she still felt bad, age should have realised when John had asked her to take a break that he needed it as much as she did. It seemed she thought John was as invincible as he did.

'Are you alright by yourself?'

'I'm fine, Clara.'

'Three weeks.' She sighed into the phone.

'I can't stop thinking about it. I've messed the whole schedule up.'

'John, don't start worrying about that again.'

She knew she had caught the bad side of his changeable idiosyncrasies. Clara had to try take his mind off it.

'What are you doing right now?'

'I'm in bed. It's wearing me down.'

'Are you completely immovable or able to walk?'

'Why?'

'Should I come round or do you want to come to me?'

'You seriously want to see me?'

'Yeah.'

'You're crazy,' he laughed, 'I can't think of anyone else who wants to spend time with me outside the studio.'

'Good. Now, should I come to you?'

'Don't come here.'

'Why not?' She teased.

'It's fine, I'll walk to yours.'

'You sure?'

'No, I'm just saying it for the sake of saying it.' He deadpanned.

'Shut up. See you in 10.'

'More like 20.'

He hung up, and she suddenly started to feel very pleased with herself. Shuffling out of bed, she grabbed a croissant from the kitchen and took a shower. The water calmed her down, like it was draining away every problem and worry she held. All she wanted to do was make his day better, give him some company. As she wrapped a towel round herself she heard a knock at the door.

'Shit.' She cursed, securing it tightly as she opened the door with a nervous smile. John's eyebrows shot upwards and he gave her an embarrassing grin.

'I'm sorry, shower overrun. I didn't know you'd be here so soon.'

'It's okay.' He stepped inside, taking his coat off. This time he was wearing a t-shirt and hoodie.

'Wait a second, I'll just get dressed.'

He nodded politely, laughing a little, and she left him in her bedroom. As soon as she started dressing she realised she'd left her clean top in her room. She felt incredibly awkward grabbing her t-shirt as his eyes widened and she quickly apologised.

'Uh, sorry. I left this here.'

John was still staring and Clara started to feel insecure as she was only wearing a bra and jeans. He seemed fazed for a moment and she wondered where his thoughts were taking him that second.

'John.' She snapped her fingers in front of his face, body closer to his than she had intended. For a moment he looked at her dreamily and she could imagine his arms pulling her closer, yet it was only an illusion. They both noticed only then that she was still in her bra and his face turned red as he quickly turned away. Clara raced off towards the bathroom bashfully and quickly changed, tying her hair up into a messy bun.

'I'm, uh, really sorry about that,' She said when she had returned, 'I should have told you to wait in the living room. I'm an idiot.'

'No, it's okay.' He said, scratching the back of his head. For some reason she had the urge to ruffle his delightfully fluffy hair. What was she doing? This wasn't going too well so far.

'So, why did you want me here?' He asked her.

'Wanted to keep you company. Why don't you want me round your house? You've been round here already.'

'I like this place, it's much better than mine, trust me. What do you intend to do, then?'

She sat down next to him, unable to think of anything else but his long eyelashes and iridescent eyes.

'Watch TV.'

'Well, it seems better than being stuck at home.'

'Its not crap TV though, it's TV shows.' She clarified.

'Sounds even better. I don't watch many of them, but I guess it's worthwhile only if I get to watch them with you.' He laughed.

Despite their embarrassing ordeal they were back to normal now, and Clara could tell he was in a good mood now. She propped up pillows and turned her TV on, leaning on him heavily, which he didn't seem to mind.

'Do you want a pillow for your foot?'

'Nah, it'll be fine.'

'I hope it gets better soon. Can't wait to start dancing again.'

'Me neither.'

For an hour or two they lay there together, John making her smile and laugh more than she actually watched the show. He ran a comical commentary throughout the program which had her in stitches, and John seemed pretty pleased he had gotten her attention. As the credits rolled he started punching her lightly and making her laugh uncontrollably.

'Stop!' She giggled, batting his hands away from her body. He didn't relent, finally discovering her weakness from being tickled. She almost got kicked and fell off her own bed from his antics, the third episode now forgotten.

'Leave me alone!' She laughed mockingly, climbing out and walking away from him.

'No, come back!' He called, following her out to the kitchen.

'Do you want something to eat?' She asked, and as she looked up she shook her head, 'Why are you recording me?' She looked up at the red light and stuck her tongue out at it.

'Because you are worth recording.' He followed her round the small kitchen, recording her making tea, accompanied by her every aspect of personality. He caught her smile, her laugh, her terrible jokes, even her hitting his arm away when he got too close with his phone. They were like two teenagers mucking around.

It had only just struck Clara after he replayed the video back how domestic they looked, like an old married couple acting like 19 year olds. Everything about it made her look upon their friendship fondly, something to be treasured along with the video.

'You're such a 5 year old kid.' She told him, as he started flicking her nose.

'I'm ill. I'm allowed to act weirdly.'

'You act weirdly anyway,' She giggled, 'stop flicking my nose!'

She retaliated by messing up his hair, finally smiling triumphantly.

'Hey, hey, hey, leave the hair alone. It's precious to me.'

'I don't care.'

'Your nose is so funny.'

'Your whole face is. Have you been drinking, John?' She chuckled.

'No.'

'What's gotten into you? On the phone you sounded still really grouchy and stressed with your foot and the dances and the competition and Missy. What's changed?'

'You have. You've made me forget about it for the first time. Don't bring it up.'

'Alright then.'

'Clara.' he said, suddenly taking her cup away from her mid sip, to which she stared at him angrily. Now he was breaking out of bounds. No one touched Clara Oswald's tea.

'You're such a good dance partner, I was wondering...you won't move on to another dance academy, will you? You'll stay with me as my partner, won't you?'

She could tell he had gone serious now, his tone steady and unwavering. She had to remind herself of his ever-changing behaviour, Jack's words entering her mind.

Clara had to consider for a moment on what he'd said. She'd already moved on from one dance group, what was stopping her from moving on again in a couple of years? Only this time she knew the answer to the question. John. He was so invested in her as a person and dancer already, to let him go would be like immigrating to another galaxy. She had only known him a few months yet she couldn't even remember what her life had been like before him. All her past memories, her touring, her childhood, her school experiences, all seemed blurred and unimportant. Since John had entered her life she had seen him almost every day and it was beginning to dawn on her that she couldn't let him go either. Just the thought made her heart drop like a stone. Would she stay John's dance partner forever? The answer was already inevitable in her mind.

'I promise,' she said sincerely, 'I don't think I could ever find a better dancer than you, John. So, I'm giving you my word: I won't move on, I won't leave. I'll stay your dance partner forever, if that's alright with you.'

He broke out into a smile, as he replied happily, 'It certainly is.'

As she began to truly think about what she'd said and how irreversible it now was, she cursed herself. Saying that was like a vow, a contract, that she couldn't back down on. For a millisecond she told herself her decision had been too brash, but another look into his smile and hearing his Scottish accent made her override any rebellious protests in her mind. She was too content with what she had, that never changing from it didn't seem like a big deal. Clara was slowly becoming more attached.