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Chapter 15
Clara took a deep breath before she followed Danny into the jewellery shop and sighed. Ring shopping was the last thing on her mind right now, especially after what had happened earlier. She had kissed the Doctor.
She had kissed the Doctor.
Oh God, how could she have made such a fool of herself? Clara hadn't meant to do it, but she had already been emotional after her little breakdown and the Doctor had been his usual self and he had been so close and she had just kissed him in the spur of the moment. He would never be able to look at her the same way now. Their friendship would be ruined for sure. Even though he had tried his best to hide his confusion while they had started on her students' essays, Clara had still noticed him avoiding her gaze and keeping his distance. Stupid, stupid Clara, she scolded herself internally. And the worst thing about her situation was that right now her fiancé was taking her to choose an engagement ring after she kissed another man and Clara couldn't even bring herself to feel guilty about it. She knew in her heart that she should feel bad, but her thoughts were with the Doctor and how she had made a mess out of their friendship simply because Danny had nothing to worry about. The Doctor would never see her in that way.
"Hello, we're here about returning a ring," Danny told the woman behind the counter and Clara decided to focus on the task at hand – choosing a ring that she didn't hate.
"Of course," the woman smiled at him, "Was it the wrong size?"
"No, unfortunately my fiancé developed a rash. I think we will go with a different material this time," Danny explained and handed over the small box that held Clara's most hated object. She wasn't sad to see it go back to where it had come from at all.
Again the seller smiled and unlocked the glass cupboard under the counter to retrieve a selection of rings, placing them right in front of Clara. "Here is a selection of our platinum rings, which are all hypoallergenic. I'm sure the lady won't have problems with these."
Clara bent forward to have a look and the first thing that caught her attention were the tiny price tags attached to them – the numbers printed on them, however, weren't tiny at all. "Your wallet might have a problem with them," she commented.
Danny placed his arm around her shoulder. "It's a good investment."
"No, it isn't," she argued instantly, glaring at Danny.
The seller responded before Danny even had a chance. "Perhaps you would like to have a look at our white gold rings. Or maybe rose gold? Rose gold is the latest fashion, trust me," she told them and bent down to retrieve more rings before Clara could protest.
She wanted to leave. Clara didn't feel like she could choose a ring she would wear for the rest of her life when she was already feeling miserable and emotional.
"Maybe we should wait until after we've bought the house," Clara suggested carefully, "The ring will wait and just because I don't have one doesn't make our engagement less valid."
That was a lie and Clara knew it and to her own dismay Clara realized that Danny wouldn't give up so easily.
"I just want you to have a nice ring that you can wear and show off with pride, darling," he told her, "Isn't there anything that you like in there?"
With a sigh Clara turned her attention back to the ring selection and considered the display for a moment. "That one looks cute," she said, pointing at a small ring with a stone, a rather classic design and the seller immediately handed it to her.
However, when Clara put it on her finger, she instantly became aware of the nagging, tight feeling that she had already felt with the previous model.
"It fits perfectly," the lady behind the counter told her with a bright smile.
Clara frowned at the piece of jewellery. "Are you sure? It feels weird. Like it's too tight."
She ripped it from her hand and put it back in its place, only to realize that the seller was looking at her in a strange, almost knowing way.
"How about we go to the back and measure your size once more?" she asked Clara and then turned towards Danny, "Would you like a cup of coffee while you wait?"
Danny seemed a little taken aback to be excluded from the process and Clara considered it to be a little strange as well, but when he shook his head, the seller was already starting to make her way into the back and Clara had no other choice but to follow.
As soon as the curtain was closed behind them, Clara wanted to ask why they couldn't measure her size back at the counter, but then the knowing smile of the shop assistant told her that it had been very much on purpose.
"I know it's none of my business, but I get customers like yourself a lot more often than you would think," she said kindly.
Clara raised her eyebrows. "Customers like me?"
There was nothing but kindness in the seller's comforting voice. "Usually, when a woman thinks the rings feel odd or funny, they still need a bit of time to make up their mind about what exactly they want. Or they need time to get used to the idea of getting married. That's nothing to feel bad about."
She sighed in defeat, knowing that the seller had seen right through her. "Doesn't change the fact that my fiancé expects me to pick a ring today."
The seller shrugged. "We could tell him that there's a new collection coming in in a few weeks. In the meantime you can browse some of our catalogues and see if there's anything in particular that you like. You can come back together once you have a clearer idea about what you want."
"You are a lifesaver," Clara laughed in relief, "Thank you. Thank you so much."
"You're going to wear that ring for the rest of your life," the seller told her, "The decision shouldn't be rushed. Take all the time you need."
When Clara left the shop ten minutes later, she felt a lot happier than she had upon entering. The pressure of choosing a ring was taken off her shoulders for the time being and Danny was more than okay with the seller's explanation as well, vowing that he only wanted the best for his bride to be. Now she only wished that the issue with the Doctor could be solved so easily.
The Doctor slumped down on the sofa and took a large sip from his beer bottle right before Missy interrupted his first peaceful moment of the day.
"I think you forgot something in the bathroom," she said in passing, "One day I will start throwing out every pair of underpants I find just to see when you run out."
He growled in response. "I'm having a really bad day here, okay? I just want 10 minutes to drown in self pity. Is that too much to ask?"
Missy turned around instantly, eyeing him closely. "Oh dear," she said, "What happened?"
"I don't wanna talk about it," he muttered, sipping his beer.
With a sigh Missy plopped down next to him. "Actually, I think you're desperate to get this off your chest, so spill it," she coaxed him.
"Fine," the Doctor spat, "Clara kissed me and then she went on and on about what a stupid mistake that had been."
"What?!"
"Yeah," he breathed. Just the memory of that look on her face hurt his heart. "She's not into me. You were wrong."
"Hang on," Missy's head appeared in his field of vision, "She kissed you and you think she's not into you?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes in annoyance. He didn't really feel like going over the pain again just so Missy could know every detail. "She kissed me and then she said it was a mistake. Mistakes happen, now leave me in peace."
"You don't just accidentally kiss someone without wanting to," Missy argued.
He turned his head, frowning at his best friend. "I kissed you at our graduation party."
"That doesn't count," Missy made a waving gesture with her hand, "You got stoned for the first time in your life and confused me with your crush and, to be honest, we wore similar dresses."
The Doctor simply glared at her in response. He couldn't really imagine Clara confusing him with Danny.
However Missy left him no time to think. "You are an idiot, Doctor. And also a slob. But that girl is into you, trust me. I have no idea why, but that's beside the point. I think you should just go for it. You've got nothing to lose. Hit on her like there's no tomorrow and if she says no, you will know for sure, but I sincerely doubt that."
"She is engaged," the Doctor reminded her.
Missy shrugged. "I could run him over with my car."
He frowned at her in reply, sincerely hoping that Missy had just made one of her jokes. Although, with Missy, the Doctor could never quite tell.
"I was kidding," his friend gave him a soft nudge in the ribs, "You've been pining after that girl for years. Go get her!"
When Missy rose from her seat, leaving the Doctor on his own once more, he considered her words. Accidental kisses really didn't happen so often. And even though his best friend was quite insane, maybe it was time he practised some insanity as well. And trying to steal Clara Oswald away from her fiancé was maybe the most insane idea he had ever had.