You said you were done with students,” Clara tried to reason with him.
“I thought I was. I meant every word I said to you. I haven't been this happy in a really long time. I really thought you enjoyed it as well, but apparently I was wrong.”
“I did. I did enjoy it,” she told him, “But I'm not ready to start anything.”
She could have told him the truth. She could have told him that her boyfriend had died and he would have understood. But she didn't. Instead she grabbed her bag, said she was sorry and stormed out of the room.
Clara was glad to be back in her own apartment that evening. She imagined that closing the door behind her meant locking out all of her problems and worries, but tonight it just wouldn't work. The Doctor wouldn't leave her alone.
If she was being perfectly honest with herself she had to admit that she indeed found him attractive in some way that she couldn't fully comprehend. Yet it didn't matter. She didn't want to be a second Eileen. She wasn't ready to get over Danny's death and become the Doctor's. . . whatever it would be. Affair? Girlfriend? All she truly wanted was to cling to and wrap herself in her dead boyfriend's memory.
Clara threw her coat aside and prepared herself a cup of tea, still having some homework to do for the following day. She sat down at her desk, opened her laptop and spotted a new e-mail in her university account. She opened it without taking a look at the sender and soon realized that no other than the Doctor had sent it to her.
“Dear Clara,
I am sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I promise to respect your wishes and leave you alone from now on. Please don't drop this class because of our little encounter the other night. Your education is more important than any personal problems we might have.
The Doctor.”
Clara was about to close the mail and carry on with her homework, but it seemed a little rude to leave it unanswered. After all, the Doctor had only expressed his feelings for her and was now apologizing sincerely. She didn't really know what to reply, so she typed a simple “Thank you” before turning her attention back to her homework, glad that this problem appeared to be solved.