A/N - Thanks for all the lovely comments - you guys are the best. And now, bring on some sexual tension!
Chapter Five
The restaurant was just what Clara imagined. Small tables with red tablecloths, soft accordion music, low lighting and candles on the tables, lots of amazing smelling pasta and good wine. The Doctor had chosen well. They were sitting opposite each other at a small table in the window, undisturbed by other diners. The Doctor looked extremely handsome in candlelight. He shrugged off his blazer, leaving him in just a dark blue button-up shirt, which hugged him in all the right places and brought out the steely colour in his eyes. His cuffs were undone and slightly rolled up, exposing his forearms. If only he knew what a simple act like taking his jacket off was doing to her.
As they waited for their meals to arrive, they talked a little about the restaurant, the wine and the Doctor's work at the hospital. Then he leaned forward, both his elbows on the table, pinning her with a glance.
"Enough about me," he said "Tell me about you, Clara Oswald."
She smiled, enjoying the way her full name rolled off his Scottish tongue.
"Ok, well, I was born in Blackpool - my Dad and Gran still live there - but I moved south to study Literature at University all those years ago. Now I work at a small publishing house in the City editing science journals - I sort of fell into it after I left University, but I've come to love it. There's something about space and stars and the vastness of science that I find wholly fascinating."
The Doctor smiled softly. "Me too. If I hadn't gone into medicine, I would have chosen physics. Though I believe they're practically the same thing…"
"I think ever since I was kid I've known there's something greater out there - something magical in the stars and planets and solar systems; the unknown. Don't you think?"
He looked at her, sinking into her eyes, and smiled. "Definitely."
Their food arrived and Clara groaned when she took a first bite of her lasagne, which made the Doctor chuckle. It was the best pasta she'd ever eaten. They ate and drank and talked about their student days, books they were reading and places they've travelled. Clara didn't want the night to end. She felt so utterly comfortable in the Doctor's company; it was as if they'd known each other years rather than weeks.
As they were finishing their wine, the Doctor was talking animatedly about when he first knew he wanted to be a doctor- about his pretend stethoscope when he was a little boy, about how in awe of doctors he was when he visited his Grandmother in the hospital as a young teenager, about how he never failed to be overwhelmed by the intricacies and mechanics of the human body.
"Did you know," he started, reaching out to take Clara's hand across the table, his warms fingers wrapping around her wrist, "that the wrist is the most complex joint in the body?"
For a moment, Clara forgot how to breathe. She held her breath and held his gaze as he cradled her hand and delicately traced the inside of her sensitive wrist with the tips of his fingers.
"All those tendons and nerves and blood vessels in such a small space."
His voice was low and quiet and Clara felt her heart flutter with arousal. Did he know what he was doing to her? This handsome man with his grey curls and his deep Scottish voice and his delicate fingers; he'd only touched her wrist and she felt like she was on fire.
"And then there's the pulse," he said, moving his long fingers to the outside of her wrist, pressing down a little. "The radial artery is close to the surface, allowing the pulse to be palpated and cardiac performance measured with just…two…fingers."
Clara gasped quietly, heart racing and arousal pooling quickly. She bit her lip and looked at him. He was looking up at her from under his eyebrows with a smouldering glare, like he wanted to rip all of her clothes off that second. Maybe it was the wine, but Clara quite liked this side of him.
"Doctor, are you flirting with me?" she said, sounding much more calm and collected than she felt.
"Most definitely," he whispered in reply, his gaze never leaving hers.
Then he looked down at her wrist. "Your pulse is very quick, Clara, are you feeling ok?"
Clara breathed a laugh. The bastard knew exactly what he was doing.
"It might be the wine," she teased. Then she slid her hand up, tangling their fingers together "Or it might be the company."
He smirked and then asked the waiter for the bill.
They ambled back to the station together. Clara had her arm looped through the Doctor's in both an effort to be close to him and to stay upright.
She groaned. "I should not have had so much wine on a school night. I've got to be on that train in the morning."
The Doctor laughed. "Sorry, I didn't think about that - I have the day off tomorrow."
"Oh, do you now?! So I won't even have anyone to share my pain with on the 7:37?"
"'Fraid not. Sorry!"
Clara laughed and gave him a light shove. "You don't sound very sorry!"
Then he looked at his watch.
"Damn, we're going to miss the last train - can you run?"
Clara grinned. "Of course" she said, loosening herself from him and jogging off ahead. The Doctor laughed in surprise.
"Keep up, old man," she called out teasingly.
"Old man?" he mumbled to himself. Then he ran after her.
They arrived at the station just in time. The Doctor grabbed her hand tightly and weaved them through the other people and towards the platform. Just as the guard blew his whistle, the pair darted onto the train in fits of laughter, the doors closing behind them. The last train was always busy and they were forced to stand close together by the doors.
"I can't believe how quick you are," said the Doctor, trying to catch his breath. "You've got such little legs!"
"Oi, mister! Enough of the little legs, thank you," laughed Clara, leaning back against the doors. "You kept up pretty well, although you do run a bit like a penguin!"
"I'll have you know, Miss Oswald," he said "that I used to run cross country when I was a lad,"
"Well when I need to run long distances through some Scottish fields, I'll know who to call."
The Doctor shook his head and laughed, smoothing a hand through his hair, his breathing finally back to normal. He stood in front of her, toying with the buttons of his coat again, unable to meet her eye. Clara marvelled at how he could go from this confident guy, making her squirm with arousal in a restaurant, to this adorable shy teenager so quickly. He was so beautifully complicated and Clara wanted to be the one to unravel him.
"I had a really lovely time tonight," he said softly, finally tilting his chin up to look at her again, "It's been a long time since I've laughed so much."
Clara smiled. "Me too,"
Then the train lurched to the side and the Doctor stumbled into her a bit, his hand resting on the door beside her head to catch his fall. Rather than move, the Doctor looked at her, their faces suddenly a whisper away and the sexual tension thick, and moved his other hand to her waist, thumb stroking her hip bone. God, she wanted him. His eyes darted towards her lips and his hand curled around her waist a bit more, head lowering to hers. Clara reached up and touched his cheek, almost tipping his chin towards her. Their noses brushed softly, eyes slipping closes.
"Doctor," she whispered, encouraging him, begging him to kiss her.
"Is this ok?" he breathed, the words tickling her face and he pressed her against him a little more.
She smiled. "Most definitely."
Without another second passing, the Doctor closed the gap and brushed his lips against hers slowly; testing the waters, being a gentleman. As he pulled back an inch, Clara felt his ragged breath on her lips. She smiled and nudged him with her nose, silently telling him it was ok. Clara sunk her hand into his thick hair and brought his head back down to hers, kissing him properly like she'd wanted to since she first saw him on the train. His mouth opened under hers and he completely took her breath away. Clara firmly decided that he was the best kisser she'd ever had, before she stopped thinking altogether.
As some of the other passengers started wolf-whistling, the pair broke apart and looked at each other sheepishly before bursting out laughing. The Doctor did a little bow to the rest of the carriage, but Clara swatted his arm playfully and pulled him back to her, hiding her face in his warm neck, embarrassed but filled with all the joy of a first kiss. She pulled back and he was looking at her carefully.
"Sorry," he murmured, looking down at his feet.
She looked confused. "Why are you apologising?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, I…I guess I forgot where we were and now everyone has seen you kiss a daft old man like me, but I had such a nice time tonight and-"
Clara stopped him by pulling him towards her by the edges of his coat again, kissing him softly. She pulled back and he still had his eyes closed. When they fluttered open, she smiled at him.
"Doctor," she whispered "I've been waiting for you to kiss me all night."
He seemed to relax a little bit after that. Clara wished he could see himself as she saw him - funny, intelligent, sexy as hell. One day, she'd make him realise how special he was.
More soon!