Thank you for the sweet comments :) I'm glad we all agree on Danny. But how is the Doctor going to win her over?

Chapter 8

The Doctor had planned to get some actual work done and not improvise yet another class, but when he stepped inside his office he found that the light was already on next door. Carefully he peeked around the corner and spotted Clara at her desk, bent over several books. She looked sad somehow, stressed, and the Doctor feared that maybe she didn't enjoy her new job as much as she had thought she would – which was rubbish. Clara was born to teach at a university. She just needed a bit of time to get used to it and the Doctor was determined to help her as best as he could. Because he didn't want her to leave. Because he wanted to keep her around. Just looking at her made his heart beat a little faster and he would give about anything to put a smile on her face. She just couldn't leave.

The Doctor knocked hesitantly and finally Clara looked up, smiling when she saw him.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" he asked her quietly and in response Clara nodded towards a mug on her table. "Oh, okay."

"You can join me though," she suggested happily and suddenly reached under her table, producing a big box of biscuits, "Brought you some sweets as thanks for lending me your jumper yesterday. You still like biscuits, right?"

The Doctor didn't even hesitate or try to hide the big grin on his face when he stepped into her office and pulled up a chair. He instantly opened one of the packages and bit heartily into one of the chocolate chip biscuits.

"I'm surprised you no longer stack them in your office. You always had some. Unless you're no longer eager to share," Clara cocked an eyebrow at him while the Doctor swallowed.

"Uhm, well, I did," he replied, "I just. . . ate them all."

Clara laughed at his answer and the sound of that made his entire body tingle. He felt jittery all of a sudden. Damn, why couldn't she just be his? Why did she have to be engaged?

Because why wouldn't she? Clara was smart and beautiful. Any man who knew that would try his best to keep her.

"What are you working on?" the Doctor decided to ask in an attempt to stop thinking about how pretty she was, but soon the smile faded from Clara's face.

With a sigh she looked down at her book. "Trying to think of a good essay question. I want to follow your advice. They don't respect me, so I'm going to make them."

"Would you like some help with that?" he asked even though the Doctor knew that he had his own classes to prepare for. But then again, he could always improvise. The smile that appeared on Clara's face once more seemed to be worth it at this moment.

"I'd love some help," she admitted.

"Great. Let me grab a cup of tea and we can get started."

He made an attempt to rise from his seat when suddenly he felt Clara's hand on his own. His heart skipped a beat.

"Thank you," she replied sincerely, still smiling, "You have no idea how happy it makes me that you're back. I feel a little less lost when you're here."

The Doctor smiled at her in reply, but he couldn't find the words to actually say something, not while she was touching him. His thoughts were running haywire and he needed all of his willpower to keep himself from leaning forward and kissing her. Yep, he was so, so doomed.

Clara took a huge bite off her pizza slice while the Doctor went on telling her about his early days at university and she listened intently, trying to learn as much as she could. The Doctor was a great teacher and even better company. Maybe he was a little crazy, but, if Clara was quite honest, she loved that about him, and she hated to see that they had almost finished their dinner. This time Clara had insisted on Italian and the Doctor hadn't protested at all.

"That is a really mean essay question," Clara commented with a frown when he had finished his story, "You're a very mean professor."

He chuckled. "No, they were just an exceptionally lazy class."

"My Shakespeare class wasn't lazy and you still gave us mean essay questions."

"Yes, but you got an A if I remember correctly," he smiled at her, that sweet, boyish smile. Clara didn't even want to tear her eyes away from him.

Danny had said that the Doctor was too old for her, but if it hadn't been for Danny, Clara wouldn't even care. Yet Danny was real and he was her perfect fiancé. Technically she was doing something wrong by just going out to dinner with the Doctor. She liked him a little too much and being around him seemed like dangerous territory. But then again, she hardly knew anything about him. Not even his name.

"Question," Clara began, beaming at him, "What do I have to do before you tell me your name?"

The Doctor scoffed. "That's never going to happen."

"Is it Dick?" she asked.

"No," the Doctor growled in reply.

"Elmo?"

"No."

"Gaylord?"

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Gaylord? Jesus, where did you get that from?"

Clara laughed in reply and once she had started, she found it hard to stop. It didn't take the Doctor very long to join in and a moment later they were both howling with laughter in the middle of an Italian restaurant. Clara couldn't possibly stop hanging out with the Doctor, not when he made it so easy for her to laugh and just be happy.

Once they had finished their dinner, the Doctor paid for them both, despite Clara's protest, and also offered to call them a taxi – which Clara declined vehemently. A taxi would bring her to her flat in a matter of minutes and she didn't want the evening to end just yet. Once she was at home, the doubts would come back and she would continue to worry about her classes. She just wanted a few more moments of carefree happiness. So instead they decided to walk part of the way.

The Doctor was eerily quiet, just walking next to her, and in a moment of bravery Clara simply reached for his arm. "Thank you," she said.

The Doctor turned to look at her. "For what?"

"I don't know. Everything. Helping me out. Cheering me up. Dinner. Did I mention how glad I am that you're back?" Clara giggled and looked up at him. Again there was something in his gaze that she didn't quite understand, but right now Clara didn't want to waste any time thinking about it.

"I could cheer you up a little more," the Doctor suddenly suggested.

"Oh?" Clara cocked her eyebrow at him.

He cleared his throat and tore his gaze away from her, staring at the pavement ahead of them. "You'll probably think it's silly."

"Try me," she prompted him.

She heard him take a deep breath before he finally spoke. "Well, there's this event at the Dungeon called Midnight Horror. And, to be honest, I've never been to the Dungeon before. It sounds fun. But if you're not into getting scared, then-"

"I'd love to go," Clara interrupted him before he had even finished his sentence. She had no idea what the event was about, but she liked the Dungeon and above all she liked the thought of going there with the Doctor. Anywhere with the Doctor. "When is it?"

"A week from Friday," he explained.

She felt a little pang of guilt even though she hadn't even agreed to it yet. Friday night was her date night with Danny and she really shouldn't cancel on him. But she saw Danny every Friday and on other days of the week as well. Midnight Horror was a one time event. Surely he wouldn't be mad?

"Sounds great," Clara heard herself agreeing, "We'll do that."

She tightened her grip around the Doctor's arm as they walked and Clara sighed happily. If only life could be as easy as it felt at this moment.