But then again, he had gone to Hell for her. He had set an entire planet to self-destruct when he thought she was dead. Just today, it seemed he had reordered time for her. She was very eager to ask about that last one, but there would be time for that later. For now, The Doctor’s eyes were roving her face, as if seeking the key to a riddle. His generally cool hand was growing warm in hers.
She took a breath and pushed herself forward. “I wouldn’t have minded the morning breath, you know.”
The Doctor blinked down at her. “I’d been in a coffin for 150 years. I thought it was a courtesy.”
“Could have been worse. You could’ve been eating garlic,” she rejoined.
The Doctor’s heavy eyebrows knit. “That hardly seems worse than…”
Clara exhaled loudly. “Oh, you stupid man. Are you going to kiss me or not?”
The Doctor looked taken aback and Clara worried she’d made a mistake by being so flippant. Before she could backtrack, he asked, “Is that… something we do, now?”
Her heart flipped on its axis, hope bubbling up from within. “Since Skaro? Yeah, I’d say so.”
She watched his jaw work as his eyes ran across anything that wasn’t her. “That was just a distraction. A… tactic.” He shrugged, beginning to pull his hand from hers.
Clara held him fast. Now that she’d finally worked up the courage to say it, she was not about to let him walk away from her. “Well, it worked. I’ve been pretty distracted ever since.” She raised an eyebrow at him. If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn he flushed slightly.
“Clara…” his tone was plaintive, just this side of pleading.
Reluctantly, she released him. Her stomach sank into her toes. Perhaps she was still reading this all wrong. If she thought his previous incarnation sent mixed signals, it was nothing compared to the stick insect with whom she was currently and irrevocably in love. They had finally gotten past that touching barrier, and she’d been so hopeful. He hugged her now, on purpose. Even for no apparent reason on one or two recent occasions.