Again Clara saw very little of the Doctor for the rest of the day and somehow she got the impression that he was avoiding her. When Amy announced they would all be gathering outside by the fire and have a little barbecue Clara immediately volunteered to go looking for the Doctor. She found him soon enough, in his music room in the basement.
Clara looked around the room and counted no less than eight guitars, nine if she included the electric guitar he was currently playing at a low volume.
“You're good at that,” she said with a smile after she had listened to him play for a long moment.
The Doctor looked up and by the expression on his face she could tell that he had been oblivious to her presence until a second ago.
“Amy has a different opinion on that,” he said simply.
“I'm pretty sure she just wants to tease you,” Clara chuckled, “You should bring one of the acoustics out to the fire with you. We decided to have a little barbecue. That's why I came looking for you.”
The Doctor rose to his feet and placed the electric guitar back in its stand before he crossed the room and picked another one. They soon joined everyone else in the back garden where Rory was almost ready with their dinner.
The night was a little cooler and Clara wrapped herself in a blanket and sat down by the fire while the Doctor took the seat next to her and started playing a simple melody. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair.
Clara hadn't even been living here for two weeks and she knew that one day everyday life would probably catch up with her, especially once she had started working and it would feel less like a holiday but for now it was simply magical. She loved it with all her heart. The house, the people, the entire spirit of it and it made her feel more alive than she had ever felt before.
A short while later Rory handed her one of the hamburgers and Clara ate it hungrily, only now remembering that she hadn't really eaten anything since breakfast. When Martha had finished her meal she announced that it was time for her to unwind a little and vanished inside the house, only to return with something that Clara should have seen coming but somehow hadn't. In her hand Martha was holding something that looked suspiciously like a joint. She lit it and took a long drag before handing it over to Amy.