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Chapter 4

The walk to the café took them about 15 minutes and Clara became more and more grateful for the warm coat with every step and when they finally arrived the Doctor chose a spot by the window in a remote corner of the café, far away from the other customers. After ordering coffee and pancakes the Doctor opened his sketchbook and immediately started scribbling away on one of the pages.

"You're drawing me again?" Clara asked, slightly amused.

"If you don't mind," he looked up, that smile on his face again that made her so weak, "The light in here is perfect."

"Was Amelia your muse, too?"

His pencil immediately stopped but this time the Doctor didn't look at her. Once more he hesitated before he spoke to her.

"Yes."

Clara knew she should stop there, she could feel that he didn't want to talk about her, she had felt it earlier when she had asked about her name but after telling him basically her entire life story Clara somehow felt like he owed her at least a bit.

"What happened to her?" Clara asked, trying to sound casual.

Finally the Doctor looked up but the expression on his face was not the one she had expected. He didn't seem sad now, he seemed mad.

"Can we not talk about Amelia?" the Doctor spat angrily, his voice sharp all of a sudden but then took a deep breath and his features softened again, "I'm sorry. Amelia is well, if you must know. She's married. Last thing I've heard was that they were trying to adopt."

She wanted to know so much more now, wanted to know how they had met and what happened that Amelia wasn't his muse any longer but Clara decided to drop the matter. It definitely was a touchy subject for him.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quietly, "I was just curious. I won't ask any more. Just, the things you painted of her are really lovely. I like them."

"It's okay. I can't blame you for being curious," he paused, "Nothing bad happened between me and Amelia if that's what you're worried about. She got married and she decided that in her life there wasn't enough room for both her marriage and our friendship. She still comes to see my paintings at the gallery when there's an event."

Clara raised an eyebrow but before she could ask her next question the waiter arrived with their coffee and breakfast. The Doctor placed his sketchbook aside and replaced the pencil with a fork and knife. Clara took a huge sip from her coffee.

"So, when you say muse you actually mean friend, right?"

Finally the smile was back on the Doctor's face and Clara was glad to see it. A moment ago when he had talked about Amelia he had looked downright miserable and the smile suited him so much better.

"You could say that, yes," he agreed, "I've had some great friendships with my muses. I like company when I paint and I like having someone to paint. Speaking of which, what are you doing tonight?"

"Oh, uhm," Clara hesitated, "I've actually got some markings to do."

"Oh," he muttered and looked down at his food.

Seeing him so disappointed Clara suddenly started to feel bad. She actually wanted to spend time with him, she wanted to get closer to him although by now she had realized that it would take more than just one day. It was just that all of it was very unusual and Clara felt like the Doctor was so far out of her control that she couldn't predict a thing about him. It confused and excited her at the same time. But then again, she had started his class because she had been looking for a challenge.

"But," she paused, "I could come back to your place after I've finished my markings."

The Doctor's eyes lit up. "Or you could do them at my place. I wouldn't mind. Just you being there helps my inspiration."

"Good," Clara smiled back at him, "We'll do that:"

OOO

Only when she was already halfway at her apartment Clara realized that she was still wearing the Doctor's coat. She smiled when she did and once again inhaled his scent from its collar. The Doctor. The Doctor. That man was simply a mystery to her and somehow Clara couldn't wait to unravel it and yet there was this tiny alarm bell ringing inside her head. The one that said Clara had only met him yesterday and here she was, practically spending the weekend with him – because Clara was very certain that was what would happen. She would definitely not only bring her school work but also a toothbrush because somehow she knew that this night would end up being like the night before and this time Clara would be prepared. She wasn't even sure why she was doing it. Of course, at some point Clara hoped to seduce him as she was still so very much attracted to him but that wasn't the only reason. Somehow the Doctor made her feel special. He had picked her out of a group that was filled with pretty women, he had probably picked her out of the whole population of London because Clara was sure he wouldn't shy away from speaking to a random person on the street. But the Doctor had chosen her to be his muse. She wasn't going to pass up that opportunity whatever was going to happen next.

However when Clara arrived at home there was an unpleasant surprise waiting for her on her doorstep.

"Danny," she tried not to sound too annoyed at the sight of him, "What are you doing here?"

He beamed at her excitedly. "I was about to go for a run and thought you might want to join me. I wanted to ring the bell but then I saw you down the street."

"I can't. I've got plans," Clara told him as she stuck the keys into the keyhole.

"You always have plans," Danny complained, sounding a little sour, "I thought we agreed that we wanted to stay friends."

"We are friends, Danny but that doesn't mean you're my only friend. I really don't have time this weekend. Let's do something after school next week, okay?" she asked him as she opened the door even though she wasn't really keen on actually doing something with him. Hanging out with Danny with a group of people was alright but one on one still felt too much like a date and Clara had no intentions of picking up that habit again.

"Clara," he started but suddenly his sentence stopped. His eyes wandered from her head to her toes and back up, "Whose coat is that?"

She frowned at him. "That really is nothing of your concern anymore, Danny."

In defeat Danny sighed. "I know. I know. Sorry."

"It's nothing," Clara didn't know why she had the urge to make him feel better, "It's just for painting class. A sort of project."

"I didn't realize this was an all-weekend thing."

"It's not," she said, "This is just extra and it's fun. I don't want to pass up this opportunity. I'm sorry, Danny. I promise we'll do something next week. Okay?"

She looked at him hopefully and finally Danny crooked a smile. "Okay," he agreed, "Go and hang out with artists. Just don't become a snob, okay?"

Clara started laughing, her thoughts wandering back to the Doctor and his messy bachelor pad. "I won't become a snob. I seriously won't. I'll see you on Monday."

"See you," Danny said right before Clara closed the door between the two of them. Just how she had managed to be his girlfriend for six whole months was beyond Clara. Especially now, after meeting the Doctor Clara was more and more sure that if she ever decided to be in a relationship again the one thing her boyfriend shouldn't be was ordinary.