Thank you guys so much for the comments! Uh-oh, how can those two find back together? Let's find out!

Chapter 30

With his fingers John drummed a nervous rhythm on the café table, waiting for Clara to show up. It might still take her a while because he had come here early and was now on his third cup of coffee already – which didn't really help with the nervousness at all. How would she react? Would she be mad? Happy? Wary? John couldn't wait to find out.

He wasn't quite sure why he had chosen the little café next to Kensington Palace, but it was cute and he had always liked it, so he was certain that Clara would like it, too.

Then finally John spotted her familiar face as she turned around the corner and even now that he saw her John couldn't say what kind of mood she was in. She looked insecure, maybe even sad and all of a sudden he felt worried. Would she even forgive him for moving out at all?

John rose from his seat immediately and Clara came to a halt right in front of him. All of a sudden he felt a little lost for words when she looked at him, so John did the only thing he could think of: he bent down and placed a soft kiss close to her lips. It was a simple gesture, a sweet one, and to his relief he earned a smile for it.

"Hello Clara," he greeted her, "I'm so glad you came."

"I'm glad you called," she replied.

John moved to hold the chair for her and Clara sat down while he wasn't quite sure what do to. Then it suddenly dawned on him again.

"I'll get us some cake, alright? And a coffee? Or tea? Or both? What would you like?" he stammered nervously.

Then, to his surprise, Clara chuckled. "You are certainly not having coffee. But tea and cake sounds nice."

"Be right back," he beamed at her and vanished into the café.

John picked the most delicious looking cake for them both and two cups of Clara's favourite tea before he headed back outside. Clara was still sitting exactly where he had left her and John's heart started racing the closer he came to their table. What would she say to him? Would she forgive him? He needed to know because he had missed her so terribly much.

"So, uhm," he began, "How have you been?"

Clara sighed and lowered her gaze to her cake. She didn't seem all too eager to eat it. "Not so well, I'm afraid. But I get it. I get why you did it. Doesn't mean I like it, but I think I understand."

"I'm sorry," he replied sincerely, "I haven't been so well either. I've missed you. A lot."

Clara's head shot up and she wore a strange frown on her face when she looked at him. "You found a distraction though," she said in a tone that sounded quite harsh.

John raised his eyebrows. "A distraction?"

"Apparently she's called Bill and you love that she follows you around like a puppy," Clara snapped at him and quickly lowered her gaze again.

He needed a moment to understand what Clara was getting at or how she even knew about Bill in the first place, but slowly it began to dawn on him.

"Bill is a med school student who is shadowing me this week," he explained, "I helped her out with some questions she had."

"I bet you did," she mumbled, "And you took her to lunch."

"Hang on, you're not mad that I went to lunch with her, are you?" John asked in disbelief, "Bill is a nice kid and she's smart."

Clara looked back up, glaring at him. "Yes, I am mad!" she hissed, "I'm mad that you left. I'm mad that you didn't call immediately and I'm mad that you're taking other women out to lunch!"

"I have lunch with Missy all the time," John argued.

"That's different. That's Missy, not some random woman you've only just met that probably fancies you."

The moment John realized that Clara was jealous of Bill he couldn't hold it back any longer, he simply started to laugh.

"What's so funny about that?" Clara demanded angrily.

"Everything," he chuckled, "Clara, Bill would flirt with a plant before she'd flirt with me. Actually, I think she fancies you. Had to place your photo so she couldn't see it because it kept distracting her."

"You kept the photo on your desk?" she asked, the surprise written all over her face. Apparently that was all it took to make her forget all about Bill.

John inhaled deeply and leaned forward, reaching out to take her hand across the desk. Oh, he had missed touching her. He had missed the feeling of her small hand in his own.

"Of course I kept it," he told her, all the while gently caressing the back of her hand, "I smile every time I look at it."

When Clara didn't reply, John raised his head and took a look around the place and suddenly it gave him an odd feeling, almost like a deja vu. He could have sworn that this had happened before, he could almost remember. No. He did remember.

"We've been here," he blurted out and his heart suddenly skipped a beat when he realized that he knew, that he actually recalled it. He turned to look at Clara. "Our first date."

Clara gasped and her face turned into a smile. "You remember that?" she asked him instantly.

"Yes," he confirmed, "Not all. Just this. Us, sitting here. I was so nervous that day and you, your hair was longer."

John didn't know what was happening when Clara suddenly rose from her seat and scooted over to sit right next to him, but then she cupped his face in both her hands and pulled him closer for a kiss. Yes, he had missed the kisses, too, but right now John wasn't even sure what to think first. He remembered their date. He remembered her, he wanted to focus on that, scared that the memory would slip his mind again if he didn't try his best to hold onto it. But he also wanted to focus on the kiss as well.

Then Clara pulled away, beaming at him.

"You remember," she whispered happily.

John smiled at her in reply. "I'm starting to."

Then, to his surprise, Clara's face turned serious again.

"What does that mean? For us?" she asked him, "Will you move back in?"

John sighed and reached for her hand once more, squeezing it in his own. "Not right now," he told her calmly, "I need to relive it, Clara, all of it. I think that's the only way this will work. But I want to spend time with you, lots of it. We could visit museums and cook together, go to the cinema. I want to do this properly because. . . because I think I'm in love with you."

When Clara smiled at him in reply John thought that his heart might burst with joy. He had truly married the most amazing woman in the entire world and he couldn't wait fall in love with her more and more with each passing day. And he didn't have a single doubt that that was exactly what was going to happen.