A/N: I'm back! It's been like years! Sorry for not updating soon. My real life got so hectic I have no time for anything else. Anyway, here's another chapter. I hope you'll like it. I haven't written anything for ages so this might be a bit rough on the edges. Enjoy. Please leave me a review. No Flames!
Thanks to:
Kita(2), Rosey-Dosey, Anmylica, SilverCrystal Tears, cinderella200, Cherry, Slytherin Huntress, Queenofrootloops, aizuhime, PinayAko, Rose13, TamPhuoc, krissyfz, Smiley Mary, Clearbrook, Ti –THE RANDOM CRITIC, SummerRainForever, geckaclark(2), Fanficaddict. Babbling, Swishy Willow Wand, Potterishotter, MeriyA, Potter, angelsflame265, Laurie Broden, Lillianna Rose, TheSkyIsOrange325, Sia, crystaldreams611, Sunny Sammy, Night Tinker Bell, Lady Farevay, Flame of Desire, -Artjuice-, Anonymous Marauder, ciannah, shmokey-bear, summersgirl2526, Rob-girl, Thorn Wilde, essie, thestaganddoe
Summary: Lily hated boys ogling at her and so she asks help from James. James, who also have the same problem agreed to help her. Their solution? They'll have to act steady for 3 whole months. The plan was fine until James starts to have feelings for her…
Chapter 8: First Date
"Oh my God, Lily! What are you going to wear?" Samara Seraph shrieked in panic, tossing every piece of clothing she owns in Lily's bed. Among the two dorm mates, Samara was the most ecstatic of all. She had been dreaming of this day ever since they all became friends.
Lily and Amanda just stared at Samara as she walked past them back and forth, tossing clothes, makeup, and jewelry in a pile in their beds. "Oh no! I can't believe this! We didn't even get to shop for both of you!" she grumbled. "I don't know if my stuff is good enough! I can't believe you guys don't have anything presentable for a date!"
"Sam! Calm down!" Lily pleaded. "You're kind of scaring us!"
Samara ignored them and bombarded Amanda's closet. She shrieked loudly as she tossed sweatpants after sweatpants on the floor. "What's this?!" she demanded, "Amanda! Don't you have anything that isn't pants?!"
"Er, no." Amanda answered quietly. "All I have are pants and shirts. Sorry."
Samara dashed once again to her closet and grabbed some pieces that would fit Amanda. Lily sighed heavily. There's no stopping her. She looked absolutely crazed. She continued mumbling to herself as she matched some of her clothes to the ones Lily owns. She wasn't satisfied at the results though, so she pushed half of the pile in Lily's bed to the floor.
"This isn't working at all!" she growled in frustration. Samara tossed another batch of clothes in Amanda's bed and started matching again. When she didn't find anything again, she threw the clothes on the floor like a crazy person. Lily stood up, grabbed Samara on the shoulder and shook her hard. "Hey, Sam! Snap out of it!" she yelled. Samara ignored her and continued freaking out. She couldn't stop. She expertly maneuvered her way out of Lily's grasp and continued moving around the room compulsively. Lily sighed and decided to give her friend a big wake up call. She rolled her sleeves up to her elbow, readied herself just as Samara was about to walk in front of her and then without warning, slapped her hard on the face.
Samara staggered and was dumbfounded for a bit. The slap seemed to work since she started breathing evenly again and her eyes weren't overly frenzied anymore.
"Are you okay now? Are you back?" Lily asked worriedly. Samara has an obsessive-compulsive disorder. She tends to overcompensate stuff and repetitively do things in order to lessen unwelcomed thoughts or compulsive fears. Lily usually saves Samara from having an anxiety attack. It goes hand in hand with her OCD.
"Yeah. Right. I needed that" Samara stuttered, composing herself. She seemed to have recovered a bit; she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, calming her jagged nerves. Lily helped Samara up and escorted her to her bed.
"Look" Lily started, facing Samara. "You don't have to fuss about this. I'll just wear what I usually wear. James knows me very well so he wouldn't care about my appearance."
Samara frowned, "Please don't say that!" she pouted. "Even if he doesn't care, you should at least dress up a bit!"
Lily sighed. "If it makes you feel better, I'll let you fix our hair and makeup."
Samara looked hopeful and looked at Amanda searchingly. She sighed heavily in response and nodded glumly. Amanda wasn't the biggest fan of makeup but she agreed nonetheless to make Samara happy.
Samara smiled brightly at them, took out her wand and started working on them.
James was now pacing back and forth in his dorm room, feeling nervous. This was weird considering he never felt nervous on a date before.
Sirius chuckled as he watched James' pacing. "This is a first." He observed, "You're nervous aren't you?" he teased.
"No, I'm not!" James said, throwing his pillow at him. "Stop making things up!"
Sirius chuckled more loudly, "You're so in denial."
"Shut up, Sirius! You're not helping" James muttered, ruffling his already messed up hair. He stopped pacing for a bit and looked at his best friend very seriously, causing Sirius to stop laughing immediately.
Sirius looked at James weirdly, "What's with that look?" he asked.
James sighed, "I'm not sure I can do this." He answered truthfully.
Sirius stared in disbelief, "Are you thinking about bailing out?" he demanded.
James looked torn but didn't say anything. Truth be told, he felt really weird. He never thought going out with Lily would feel really awkward. He felt like he was crossing some sort of line… like he's going out with his sister or something.
James sighed heavily. "I shouldn't have agreed to this. What if Lily expects too much? I haven't prepared anything special!" He was angry with himself for being so cocky earlier.
Sirius rolled his eyes, "Why are you so worked up about this anyway?" he asked, "It's not like you've never hanged out with Lily before. You've always been together!" he paused, "well, not 'together together' but still… it'll be like old times, you hanging out and you adding some lovey dovey stuff."
James rolled his eyes at Sirius, "I can't believe you're giving me dating advice right now!" he muttered in disbelief.
Sirius chuckled, "I can't believe you're considering ditching Lily! That's pathetic, man!" he answered.
"I never said I'd ditch!" James said defensively.
"Yeah, but your body language tells me otherwise!" Sirius countered. "You promised Lily! She'll hate you if you ditch her, even if it's all 'acting'."
"I never said I was ditching!" James repeated exasperatedly.
Sirius ignored him, "Yeah. Whatever! It's hard talking to you when you're acting like such a chick!"
James threw another pillow at him but Sirius caught it and threw it right back.
"Look, James! You promised you'd go through with this!" Sirius reminded, "I know I told you to make it LOOK real but that doesn't mean you need to fall in love with her!"
Remus coughed loudly as he entered the room. He looked at Sirius pointedly and he glared right back at him in response. He knew Sirius was bluffing. In all honesty, he REALLY wanted James to fall in love with Lily. That's the sole reason he suggested the whole acting 24/7 thing on them.
"Do you think I look okay wearing this?" Remus asked, uncertain. He hasn't been on a date in ages. He couldn't even remember the last time he did, due to personal, unresolved lunar issues.
James and Sirius both stared at Remus approvingly.
Remus looked quite good for the date. He chose to wear a casual muggle outfit: simple, intricately gratified white shirt underneath an elegantly cut, black tweed jacket.
"Nice choice!" James complimented.
Remus grinned, "Thanks." He answered back, "Are you ready?"
James looked at him, unsure. Remus patted him on the back. "James, just chill out, okay? You and Lily always have fun together!" Remus said with certainty, "Don't dwell too much about it and just hang out!"
"Yeah, James! Just have fun with it!" Sirius added.
"Yeah. You're right!" James agreed, feeling browned off for feeling that way in the first place. He grabbed his lumber jacket and fixed his statement shirt. Remus watched him as he wore his jacket. James then faced Sirius, "So what are you up to tonight?"
Sirius smiled sinisterly, "I'm going out tonight, too."
Remus and James stared questioningly at him.
"Where?" James asked suspiciously.
Sirius sniggered, "It's for me to know and you to find out!"
Remus rolled his eyes, "Are you having a date with some random girl again?" he asked accusingly.
Sirius glared in mock anger, "Is that how you see me, Remus?"
"Am I right?" Remus challenged.
Sirius ignored him and tried changing the subject. "So are you guys set?"
Remus punched Sirius in the arm for ignoring him. "What are you up to, Sirius?" he demanded.
Sirius raised his hands in surrender, "Nothing. Nothing!" he pressed.
Remus looked at him disbelievingly. He knew Sirius so well he could almost see the cogs moving in his head. "If you're planning some sort of scheme, just drop it!" Remus warned, "Your plans always backfire anyway."
James glared at Sirius suspiciously too. "Don't mess this up, Sirius!"
"I won't!" Sirius answered firmly, "You guys are just paranoid!"
"No we're not!" Remus answered, "It's just that we know you too well."
"I'm not going to screw anything up!" Sirius said exasperatedly. "If I do plan to do something, it will benefit both of you, not the other way around!"
Remus and James sighed heavily. So he was REALLY planning to do something.
"For the love of everything holy, please don't do anything!" Remus pleaded fervently.
"I won't do anything out of line." Sirius said with finality.
Remus glared at Sirius. "SEE? You're really planning to do something!" he pointed out.
Sirius smirked, "Believe whatever you want," He replied, grinning. He got up from his bed, opened the door and shoved Remus and James out of the room. "It's no fun arguing with you, it's time to enjoy your dates!"
Remus and James started to reason with Sirius again but he banged the door right at their faces.
"That was rude." Remus muttered silently. "Oh well, we'll just have to handle it if Sirius goes overboard."
James rolled his eyes and led the way towards the stairs, "He always goes overboard! Why does he always like to complicate stuff?" he asked tiredly.
Remus shrugged, "Maybe he doesn't want to be left out." He guessed.
They finally reached the Gryffindor common room and waited near the fireplace. They had the common room by themselves since everyone was in the Great Hall having dinner. They settled on a particularly large sofa that faced the staircase of the girl's dorm rooms.
James and Remus decided to wait in silence. Both were apparently reeling inside but were too embarrassed to admit it. Remus in particular, was freaking out despite the cool vibe he was airing. He never had a date in years. The last date he had ended really badly so he decided to never date again. Remus sighed heavily in defeat, wondering how Sirius can manipulate him so easily.
The door of the girl's dorms opened and they heard footsteps from upstairs.
James stood up as he saw Samara climbing down the stairs exuberantly. She was beaming at them as she approached them, "You guys ready?" she asked.
Both guys nodded and waited as they saw Amanda descend down the steps. Remus stared bewilderedly at Amanda as he saw her looking all girly and neat. She had her hair down for the first time and retired her trademark ponytail. She looked uncomfortable as she approached Remus.
"Sorry about the whole getup" she muttered defensively, she was obviously not fond of her outfit, "It's all Sam's idea, I can't argue with her or she'll go crazy on me." She was wearing a very cute, dark blue, crew-neck mini dress with a bias seam on the drop waist and a draped, ruched overlay at the skirt. She looked really cute in Remus' opinion.
"It looks good on you," Remus said, embarrassed. She blushed scarlet and thanked him quietly.
Samara beamed at Remus' reaction, "I told you so!" she pointed out smugly at Amanda, "You should believe my judgment!"
James looked up anxiously as he waited for Lily. He watched as he saw her descend down the steps. James decided that if Lily looked just a tiny bit uncomfortable, he would call off everything: the date and the whole acting deal. He'd rather have girls clinging on him than feeling uncomfortable around Lily. He'll do everything to save their years of friendship.
James inspected Lily up and down and was taken aback to see her smiling happily back, not a hint of unease in her face. Lily grinned at him when she noticed him staring at her. At the sight of Lily's unworried face, all of James' worries about the date going badly all went out the window. James smiled in relief. He felt really stupid for fretting about the whole date thing earlier. He approached Lily, smiling warmly at her. He noticed she looked really pretty. A fact he never noticed before.
Lily looked at James expectantly, but James didn't notice this and just carried on smiling. Lily cleared her throat and looked at James closely, "Aren't you disappointed with what I'm wearing?" she finally asked, bursting the bubble.
James looked at Lily's getup; she was wearing a cute statement shirt, a jean skirt, scarf, a hoodie jacket and sneakers – very casual – exactly his kind of style.
Lily looked at James' outfit, "I mean, I didn't dress up like I should… Is this okay?" she asked worriedly.
Samara suddenly appeared, fired up. "Tell her to change, James!" she pleaded, hopeful. Apparently, Lily rejected all the clothes Samara suggested earlier. "That outfit she's wearing now is totally NOT appropriate for a date!" she declared dramatically, "I tried to let her dress up a bit but she just let me do her hair and makeup! So unfair!"
James chuckled, "It's okay, Samara. I really like what she's wearing now. It kind of matches with mine to be honest." He then showed Lily the shirt underneath his jacket – a stylized statement shirt. Lily laughed at the coincidence. Samara bowed her head in defeat.
"So where are we heading?" Lily asked, excitedly.
James grinned, "We'll first go to Hogsmeade for dinner then we'll just go with the flow afterwards." He explained.
"Sounds like a plan! Let's go!" Lily said with glee.
All four of them are now seated on a reserved room at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop at Hogsmeade. It was the only room in the shop where there's no frilly decorations, heart shaped themed cups and no golden cherubs flying around. Remus and Amanda chose the seats near the door (so as not to disturb Lily and James) and were now wrapped up in deep conversation. James and Lily on the other hand, decided to settle by the window.
Lily scanned the room in wonder. To be honest, when she found herself standing in front of the sappy looking teashop, she was absolutely skeptical.
She wasn't really the biggest fan of the place since the whole 'mushy' vibe of it really turned her off.
James watched Lily knowingly, "I know what you're thinking." he said, teasing. "You thought I'd let you eat dinner in a room full of mushy crap, didn't you?"
Lily laughed, "No, I didn't!" she said unconvincingly.
James laughed at her obvious cover up, "Admit it!"
Lily stuck her tongue at him. She never thought her reactions were that obvious, "Well, for starters," Lily countered, "I've avoided this place my entire life, okay? So just imagine how I felt when I thought you'd let those annoying cherubs sprinkle me with love!" she said, laughing. "Never expected there's a safe zone here."
James laughed again, "This safe room is limited to Madam Puddifoot's club members. My family has been a member for years." He explained. "She's a friend of my mum. I invited you here because the food and tea here are excellent!"
Lily looked out the window for a bit, "So, you bring a lot of girls here I suppose?" she asked, curious. She always wondered how James could get the girls he wanted without making any effort. She looked at him, waiting.
James raised his brow teasingly, "You jealous?" he asked, laughing.
Lily rolled her eyes, "You wish," she answered in mock anger. "Don't flatter yourself much!"
James laughed, "Don't worry, Lily. You're the first one here. I can't just bring anyone here, you know. Puddifoot might rat me out to my mum if I brought every single girl I dated here. That would be a disaster!"
"You don't mind Puddifoot ratting ME out to your mom?" Lily asked, amused.
"I don't mind" James answered truthfully, "First off, you're not just SOME girl I met Lily, you're my friend so it's safe." He smiled. "And besides, you have all the qualities my mum wants for my so called 'potential partner' so that's another plus for me." He winked. "Don't worry about it." He added, teasing.
Lily coughed, "Your mom has some sort of 'requirement' for your girlfriend?" she asked, shocked. "Is that a pureblood thing?"
James chuckled, "Don't worry about it! The whole requirement thing is for my future wife to worry about. It's not like we're getting married." He grabbed the menu and tapped his wand on a drawing of gingermint tea. A set of cups and a boiling hot pot magically appeared in front of them. "My mum's not like Sirius' mum. She's not into the whole pureblood aristocracy or whatever. What she's after are certain qualities, or so she says, I don't know."
Lily watched as the teapot magically poured itself into the cups. "Have you ever introduced anyone to your mum, yet?" she asked.
James shook his head, "No. I don't think I'm ready for that kind of drama."
Lily looked a bit concerned, "What if Puddifoot says something about me to your mum and wants to meet me? What are we going to do?" she asked.
James considered it for a moment, then looked at Lily thoughtfully, "Then I'll just let you two meet," he said.
Lily stared at James, shocked. "Are you serious!?" she exclaimed, mouthing the part "we're not even dating for real, what are you thinking!" so as not to let Amanda hear their secret deal.
James laughed at her reaction, "You do realize that's just a hypothetical question, right?" he said, amused. "The probability for that to happen is really slim, Lily. Breathe!"
Lily still looked a bit concerned, "But still… I can't believe you're just going to let me meet her if ever that happens for real!" she said in disbelief, "Acting or not, that's a lot of pressure!"
James smiled at her warmly, "If by some weird twist of fate you two were to meet because of me, just be yourself. You don't have to pretend for my sake, you know." He said matter-of-factly. "So enough about me. Any requirements I should know about with your parents?" he asked, jokingly.
Lily rolled her eyes, "Don't be stupid!"
James chuckled, "You don't want them to know about me yet?" he teased.
Lily playfully punched James' arm in response.
Remus and Amanda looked at Lily and James approvingly from where they sat. They've been observing the couple ever since.
"Looks like they're having a lot fun" Amanda observed, smiling.
Remus agreed. "I never saw James that happy with anyone before."
Amanda nodded in agreement, "You know, I've been wondering for a long time why they never hooked up before." She said, honestly. "I'm so glad they're together now. Lily never really looked at anyone after Adam. That had us worried for a while 'coz she never talks about it."
Remus chanced a glance at Lily as he remembered their days with Adam. He was Lily's boyfriend 2 years ago. They dated for a year and were inseparable. Adam Bradley was the most popular guy in school during his time. He just graduated last year and was now a member of the Heidelberg Harriers quidditch team. He was also last year's Head Boy and the former Quidditch captain of the Gryffindor's team. No one really knew why or how Lily and Adam broke up. Some guessed that maybe it was due to the 2-years age difference. They dated when Lily was a 4th year and he was a 6th year.
Amanda sighed, "I always thought she never got over him. Thank goodness I'm wrong!" she said in relief, "I just wished James asked Lily out sooner!"
"Do you know why they broke up?" Remus asked point-blank.
Amanda shook her head, "No idea. She never shared anything. She just came to us one day and said, "we broke up" and then she never talked about it again." She sighed dramatically, "Lily acted all fine the entire time but she was downright depressed. She just didn't show it to anyone. She even tried to fake cheerfulness to our face!"
Remus felt really bad. He didn't know Lily was depressed during that time. She acted so normal with him that he didn't even bother asking her how she was or anything.
"Do you think Adam and Lily still talk to this day?" Remus asked, curious. "I mean, I don't want some sort of drama mixed in now that Lily and James are finally together." He explained.
Amanda looked thoughtfully at him but shook her head in response, "Like I said, she never talks about him at all."
Remus paused for a bit and stared again at his friend. Amanda noticed Remus' worried face, "Look," she started, "If I find out anything about Lily and Adam, I'll let you know." She promised. "The reason I'm here is to keep an eye on her." She grinned, apologetic. "No offense." She added.
Remus chuckled in reply, "None taken. I was not planning to ask you out, either." He said truthfully.
Amanda laughed, "I know," she smiled widely at him, "Sirius got you good this time. I'm sorry he picked me for you." She stuck her tongue at him. "I don't see you as the dating type."
Remus raised a brow at her, "You're not the dating type, either." He countered jokingly.
Amanda smiled. "I guess that's the only common thing we will ever find between us." She said.
Remus looked at her, intrigued, "Enlighten me," he challenged, "Why do you say that?"
Amanda leveled him with a stare, "Well, first off I'm the athletic type," she looked Remus up and down, "and you're so… obviously not."
"Agreed," Remus said, "But that doesn't say much."
"You're a bookworm," Amanda countered, "You're always studying and you're always following teachers like a puppy."
Remus frowned a little, "Like a puppy?"
Amanda nodded, "You always do what you're told."
Remus looked questioningly at her, "And that's a bad thing?" he asked.
Amanda shook her head, "No. That's just it. It's so unnatural. You're too kind!" she explained, "I don't think you're normal."
Remus laughed, "So in a nutshell, since we're not the same, you're saying that you hate studying, you dislike teachers and you don't care about other people… am I right?" He asked.
Amanda nodded, "In short, I'm like a Slytherin and you're like… too good. I don't know." She said. "The only reason I'm enjoying school is because of quidditch. Other than that, I'm not interested."
Remus looked at her sincerely, "You think too highly of me," he muttered, embarrassed. "I'm not even half of the things you've said. Although I admit I'm a boring guy."
Amanda looked at him alarmed, "I never said you're boring." She muttered quickly, defensively.
Remus laughed, "I'm the one who said I'm boring," he clarified. "Anyway, I hope you're not bored talking to me"
Amanda smiled, "Surprisingly, I'm not bored… yet."
Remus chuckled, "Let the boring talks begin." He said, teasing.
Lily and James chanced a glance at Remus and Amanda. They we're surprisingly engaged in a very serious conversation.
James smiled at Lily, "I guess they're finally getting along," he observed.
Lily nodded in agreement. "At least they're making progress. I guess we should move along and talk, too." She said.
James took a sip in his cup and placed it gently on the table, "What do you want to talk about?" he asked.
Lily shrugged, "I don't know. Are there things I should know about you? Like weird hobbies or a list of psychotic exes you have?" she said jokingly.
James laughed, "Weird hobbies?" he asked, "Where did that come from?"
Lily laughed, too. "I don't know. What do you want to talk about then?" she asked.
James paused for a bit and then smiled, "I guess the exes part is a nice topic,"
Lily perked up a bit, "Go ahead then." She said.
"Okay," James agreed. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "Just so you know, I never reveal personal things on a first date but since it's you… here goes…" He paused for dramatic effect. Lily rolled her eyes.
"I've had 2 serious girlfriends." James confessed. "The first one doesn't go to our school but we've been together for a year."
Lily looked impressed, "Wow. Who is she? Do I know her?"
James nodded, "You've met her once when you visited my house 2 years ago."
"Huh? I don't remember meeting any girl…" Lily started but halted mid-sentence when she remembered, "Oh my God, are you talking about Crystal Moreau?" Lily asked, surprised.
James grinned, "Yes. We were together when you and Sirius came to visit me."
Lily was still processing the news. She couldn't believe her ears. Aside from being James' childhood friend, Crystal Moreau was well known for being the brightest and prettiest girl in Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
James laughed at Lily's expression, "Why do you look so shocked?" he asked, "I'm not sure if I should be offended by your reaction"
"What the hell happened? Why aren't you together anymore?" Lily demanded.
Lily and Crystal hit it off the moment they met. Lily's respect for Crystal was kind of idol-like (though she'll never admit that information to James ever).
James shrugged, "Well, long distance relationship doesn't really work," he answered casually, "and besides, she wanted to keep our relationship a secret. Not to mention she was getting a lot clingy to the point of suffocation. We're better off as friends. She's with someone right now so we're good."
Lily felt a little intimidated by this piece of information. Who could ever compete with an ex-girlfriend like that? Lily sighed. That girl was a goddess!
James noticed Lily's reaction, "Hey, Lily! Are you comparing yourself and Crystal in your head?" he asked.
Lily shook her head, defensive. "No, I'm not!" she lied, avoiding his gaze.
James laughed. Lily was really a bad liar. He figured that every time Lily was lying she'd bite her lower lip in frustration and divert her gaze from him like a cute little toddler.
"Do you want to know the identity of the other girl?" he asked, trying to change the topic for her.
"Let me guess," Lily said, taking the bait. "Could it be Rachel Diggory?" she asked, confident.
"Yes. We went out last year." He answered.
"Who ended it?" she asked, curious.
"I did." He answered, "She was fooling around when we were still together. It's insulting, really." He admitted, embarrassed. "I was really serious about her and she took it all for granted" he sighed dramatically.
"She played you?" Lily asked, shocked.
"Well, I was really in love," James answered, "now that I think about it, I don't really know why… " he confessed, apologetic.
"Why did you keep her a secret from me?" Lily asked.
James chuckled, "I didn't keep her a secret, Lily. It was you who didn't keep up with the news. You were too preoccupied with Adam."
Lily's smile faltered a bit when she heard Adam's name. James immediately regretted mentioning him. "I didn't mean to bring him up," James said quickly.
Lily waved a hand to stop him, "Don't worry about it," she said, trying to smile. "I'm over it."
James looked at her seriously, "Are you sure?" he asked, concerned. "Do you want to talk about it? It's okay if you don't want to," he said quickly.
Lily sighed heavily, avoiding James' eyes. She's having a mental debate whether to tell him or not. It was really hard. She slowly took the menu, tapped her wand on a particularly large serving of cake and waited as it magically appeared before them.
James silently watched Lily as she started eating cake in silence. He knew this was a defensive reflex... she was buying herself some time to think about whether she'll spill or not. To be honest, he really wanted to talk to her about Adam. He wanted to know what happened to them and why Lily was being so quiet about it. It was unnatural not to talk about an ex.
"Hey, Lily." James called out suddenly. She looked up from the cake she was eating only to find him staring at her intensely. Lily suddenly felt self-conscious, she watched as James slowly moved towards her. Lily instinctively backed away but James reached for her hand quickly and pulled her back. He then touched Lily's face slowly and wiped her chin with his thumb. James chuckled at her surprised reaction, "You do realize you eat like a child?" he said, jokingly. "You have cake all over your mouth!" He was trying to lighten the mood for her sake.
Lily felt bad; she knew he changed the subject on purpose. She slowly bowed down her head, avoiding James' gaze. "It's not that I don't want to talk about it," she said quietly. She really wanted to tell someone what happened but she feared that when she does, they'd pity her and she didn't want that. "I just don't know how to start. I just can't begin…"
James pulled her in a hug. Lily felt shamefaced. She didn't want him to see her like this. "I'm sorry" she said softly. James chuckled and playfully patted Lily's head, "Don't worry about it." He said, smiling. "Do you honestly think I'd want to hear you talk about another guy on our very first date?!" he demanded playfully. "You're my girlfriend now, you should only talk about ME!" he said in mock seriousness.
Lily looked up and saw him grinning at her. She smiled at him, touched by his sensitivity.
James patted her head again, "If you don't want to talk about it. I won't force you." He smiled gently at her. "You do know that I'm always here for you no matter what, right?"
Lily nodded, "Sorry for being such a mess. I feel bad." She said slowly.
James met her gaze, worried. "Why should you be?" he asked.
Lily smiled sadly, "I mean, my backstory with Adam makes you kind of like my rebound guy!" she said seriously.
James laughed out loud, amused. He pulled back from the hug, "Well, I don't want you to take advantage of that!" he said, chuckling again.
Lily turned beet red, "It came out wrong. I didn't mean it THAT way!" she said, embarrassed.
"I'm joking, Lily!" James said, laughing. "I'm not implying anything and I understood what you meant." He winked at her.
James ruffled her hair with his hand. Lily groaned, "Don't mess with my hair!" she pleaded, covering her head.
James laughed again. "Feel better?" He asked.
Lily nodded. "Thanks, James."
James slowly took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. "Let's get out of here" he suggested.
Lily looked up, confused.
"Do you want to join me for a stroll?" he asked, smiling. "I'll make you forget him" he said grinning but with a hint of a promise.
Lily rolled her eyes, "Aren't you being a little too confident?" she questioned, laughing.
James tilted his head and called out on Remus. "We're taking off!"
Remus looked up and smiled, "You guys can go on ahead. We'll just finish our dinner and follow you." He said. He looked at Amanda, "or we can go, whatever you decide." He said.
Amanda smiled, "yeah. I'm still finishing my food. We'll follow you right after," she said.
James stood up and looked down on Lily, "care to join me?" he asked again.
Lily smiled, taking the offer. "Yes."
She stood up and held on to his arm. Remus and Amanda smiled giddily at them. James smiled. "Let's go then."
A/N: It's been YEARS. I KNOW! I grew up and everything and this story is still not finished! I'm sorry. I've written some drafts for the next chapters. I'll try to update hopefully after a month or sooner. I hope this chapter will compensate the very long break. Thank you for your continued support. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please review. NO FLAMES.