unfortunate ➸ primeval

Chapter 9

Clara lay contentedly within the jumble of soft white sheets, her head rested on Nick's chest as she watched his fingers toy with hers. Light was beginning to filter through the curtains, causing Clara to close her eyes happily, comfortable with the knowledge that Nick was underneath her.

"What do you think Stephen would make of this?" Nick asked suddenly, breaking the silence and making Clara snap her eyes open again.

"I don't know," she answered after a moment, not looking at him. She could feel his eyes on her, and it made her uncomfortable when they were talking about Stephen. "But I don't care, either."

"Why not?" He dared to ask, dropping his arm so it lay around her.

"Stephen's been gone for six, nearly seven, weeks now, and he hasn't phoned me to tell me he's okay once," she explained, anger seeping into her veins at the thought of it. She was furious with Stephen at the moment. "If he can't be bothered to care about my feelings, then I don't see a reason why I should be bothered about his." She paused, finally looking up at him. "And you shouldn't either."

Nick chuckled, and Clara felt it rumble in his chest under her head. "Trust me, I'm not," he assured. He paused. "But, there is something we need to talk about."

"What is it?"

"Do you think we should really continue this?" He questioned. Clara frowned up at him. "And I'm not just talking about Stephen, here. There are other factors we need to consider."

"You mean the fact that you're in love with Jenny Lewis?" Clara raised an eyebrow.

Nick stuttered for a moment. "No, that's not what I meant." Clara chuckled, and he sighed.

"I know what you mean, Nick," she admitted after a brief pause, refusing to look at him. "And I am talking about Stephen. I say I don't care about him, but he's all I ever think about. I just miss him." She swallowed away a sob and buried herself deeper into Nick.

"I know," he shushed, stroking her hair. "Although," he sighed, gently pulling away and checking his watch. "I do think we should go to work."

"Do we have to?" Clara mock-pouted, knowing he was right. "I'm comfy."

"Me too," Nick agreed, though he still shifted himself so Clara would sit up. She did, and he got out of his bed, beginning to get dressed. "But if we don't show up to work, Lester might fire us both."

"He wouldn't fire you," she replied in a mutter, slowly starting to remove herself from the inviting warmth of the bed. "But I see your point."

"Come on," Nick smirked, turning to face her. "We can pick up breakfast on the way." That sentence made Clara get ready a lot faster.

——

Nick and Clara arrived at the ARC earlier than most, despite picking up pancakes and fruit for breakfast on the way. They instantly made their way to the matrix room, at which Nick took his position at his desk while Clara took hers at the shared whiteboard containing all their research equations.

Sarah and Connor occasionally flitted in and out of the room collecting and leaving things as time went on, but their most surprising visit was from Lester, who stepped into the room with his hands professionally behind his back and his expression neutral.

"You know, I've always liked modern art," he remarked sarcastically, eyeing the model. Clara turned at his presence, as did Nick in his swivel chair. "So uncompromising."

"It's a very complex model of the exact locations and dates—" Nick corrected.

"Of anomaly appearances throughout recorded history," Lester cut him off. "Yes, I know." He glanced at Sarah as she entered and corrected something on the matrix. He then stepped closer, and Nick held his hand up.