Eve Knowles had been traveling with the Doctor for quite a while, even before Clara came on board. She knew the Doctor in his Eleventh incarnation, and now, with the Twelve's more calculating demeanor, things had shifted in ways she didn't quite expect.

Clara had been with them for some time now, but the 12th Doctor seemed different around Eve. He was still his usual distant, unpredictable self, but when Clara wasn't looking, there was something softer, a tenderness in the Doctor's eyes that only Eve seemed to notice.

One quiet evening aboard the TARDIS, when the familiar sound of Clara's voice was absent, the Doctor approached Eve, the air feeling different in the vast corridors of the ship. She had been reading in the library, her legs crossed comfortably as she leaned back against the wall. The Doctor, with his signature long coat flapping as he walked, stood there for a moment, studying her.

"You know, you're very good at pretending to be fine," the Doctor said, his voice casual but laced with something she couldn't quite place.

Eve looked up, raising an eyebrow. "I'm fine," she replied, half-smiling, not in the mood for another of his cryptic comments.

"Are you?" The Doctor moved closer, his expression serious. "Because you don't seem fine. You seem..." He paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "Lonely."

She tilted her head, not sure how to respond. "I'm not lonely," she said, although she knew that wasn't entirely true. Not lately. There was something about being around the Doctor that made loneliness seem more present, more impossible to ignore. The constant closeness, but also the distance.

The Doctor was silent for a moment, his eyes softening. "Well, I am," he finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "Lonely without you."

Eve's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

He took a deep breath, stepping closer. "I've been thinking... a lot... since Clara came aboard." His hands twitched at his sides before he reached out, resting them against the nearby wall, caging her in with an almost tentative energy. "I'm not used to... this. Not being honest with you. Not being honest with myself." His eyes met hers, intense and searching. "I've wanted to ask you something for a while, but I didn't want to complicate things."

Eve felt a weight in her chest, anticipation building as the air between them thickened. "What's that?" she whispered.

He didn't respond immediately. For a moment, the Doctor was the one who seemed uncertain, shifting his weight as if battling with his own feelings. Finally, he let out a soft sigh, his voice steady. "Would you... go on a date with me?"

She blinked in surprise. "A date?" she repeated, her voice a mix of disbelief and curiosity.

The Doctor nodded, almost shyly, which was something she never thought she'd witness from him. "Yes. A date. Just the two of us. No running from aliens or jumping through time. Just us."

Eve's heart ached with the simplicity of it. She smiled, though, her eyes softening. "I think I'd like that," she replied.

And so, for the first time in a long time, Eve and the Doctor shared a moment of genuine quiet, something sweet and unexpected. They had been sneaking around, their feelings hidden from Clara and the rest of the universe, but now there was no need for secrecy anymore. For the Doctor, and for Eve, this small, stolen moment was just the beginning.