Assignment 7 - Arithmancy - Task Eight: The Powerhouse: write about a person who is considered to be in control feeling insecure

Pinata Challenge - Romance

Auction - (Relationship) Siblings

rated T for swearing

For Sienna- happy early birthday, my love! I hope you enjoy this fic :)

It was merely supposed to be a summer fling.

Petunia had found herself a new boyfriend and rubbed it smugly in her sister's face that she was dating and Lily wasn't. Said boyfriend came over every other day to call on Petunia and Lily learned that he was an overweight, pompous whale who thought highly of himself, so she wasn't all that jealous.

In fact, Lily wasn't interested that much in dating. Sure, there was the occasional cute boy who asked her out, but apart from that Lily's time was spent having fun with her friends. California was rich in beaches and bars and frankly, she didn't care about romance.

Until he came.

Lily was stirring her cereal with a look of pure, unadulterated boredom on her face as Petunia blabbered on about her new boyfriend's exorbitantly-priced car when there was the unpleasant sound of tires squealing. Eager to escape from her sister's bragging, she excused herself to "see what the fuss was about."

There was a moving van parked by the curb between their home and the next-door neighbor's. As Lily observed, several men with thick, muscled arms and mustaches hauled the contents of the van inside the next house. They did this for an unmeasured amount of time, a sheen of sweat glistening on their foreheads.

Lily, who had the choice between listening to her sister's prattling or to watch the men, opted to do the latter, meanwhile scrolling idly through her Instagram feed.

She didn't make much of the event occurring outside her window, except for surmising that her family was going to have a new neighbor.

Lily was chatting with Marlene while spooning yogurt into her mouth, which had earned her innumerable glares of disgust from Petunia. She could care less, though; Petunia's criticisms meant little to her.

The Evans' dining room was situated near the front of the house, with a window positioned indifferently in the very front. It meant that they could see the extramarital affair the neighbor across the street was having. (Thankfully, they closed the curtains before they really went at it.)

(No one bothered to tell his wife, because she was a loathsome creature.)

It also meant Lily knew the precise moment he arrived.

A silver BMW rolled up into the same space the moving van had occupied the day prior. A woman with hair the color of the car stepped out of the passenger's side, surveyed her surroundings, and then strode up the driveway towards the porch.

The BMW was carefully maneuvered into the driveway and then the ignition stopped. Two doors opened, one from the driver's side, the other right behind it.

Lily, who had briefly paused to deposit a spoon of yogurt in her mouth, let her hand go slack as the finest specimen she had ever seen stepped out of the car.

Mesmerizing hazel eyes hidden behind spectacles. Untamed ebony hair. Wiry and tall body. He walked with a confidence reserved only for a select few, and as he did so, his body rippled pleasantly.

"Lily?" Marlene asked on the other end of the line.

Lily, who could not take her eyes off of this fit, fascinating, ogle-worthy boy, uttered, "Code Red. I'll call you back."

And promptly hung up.

M: code red, Lils?

M: is there something about this cute boy i should know?

M: LILLLLLLLS

M: stop snogging cute boy and answer me

L: keep ur pants, on, marls, i'm not snogging him. he's a new neighbor. i don't even know his name.

M: ...

L: what?

M: I'm using caps so you know I'm serious. You haven't used Code Red since your romance with Pedro, and that was two years ago. This boy must be something. You have to ask him out, my dear.

(Indeed, the last time Lily had truly been attracted to someone was during the age of her newfound hormones. She had had a fleeting but passionate tryst with a boy named Pedro, who was swoon-inducing and eventually, a selfish teen.)

L: we'll see. mum's baking them her famous pie to welcome them. i'll volunteer to give it to them.

M: perfect!

Lily had some misgivings about her so-called attraction towards this new boy.

What if he was a closeted gay? What if he was already involved with someone? What if-

There was no use listing what-ifs. If it was there, it was there. Besides, this attraction could die, right?

With unbridled anticipation, Lily dressed in her best casual clothes: jeans, tank-top, and heeled sandals. She applied minimal makeup, because she didn't want it to seem like she was trying too hard.

Lily's mother eyed her clothing choice as she came down the stairs, but did not comment, thankfully. Instead, she handed the pie to her along with a cheerful note explaining the recipe.

Two minutes later, with butterflies acquainting themselves with her stomach, Lily knocked on the door of their new neighbors', steaming pie in her arms and a fixed smile on her face.

She could her footsteps thundering down on what she assumed to be stairs and then the door was thrown open. To her surprise (and her secret gratification) it was the cute boy from yesterday.

"Hello!" he said, with an buoyant grin (Lily almost swooned).

His voice had a British lilt; it instigated a chain of thoughts in her mind. Mentally, she began a catalog.

Cute Boy's Traits

1. Hot

2. British accent

"Hey," she said, struck dumb by his enthusiastic demeanor.

I'm fucked.

It took her a few moments to collect her wits and recall her purpose. As she did, his eyes swept over her, taking her in from head to toe. Heat bloomed in her neck.

She inhaled and exhaled. You can do this, she thought determinedly. Pretend he's Sirius.

That did the trick. As soon as she envisioned her goofy friend, it had an instant effect. She set her jaw and spoke to him as if he weren't someone she had developed an attraction to.

"Is that pie?" he asked, his eyes wandering to the platter in her arms.

Lily couldn't resist. "No, it's jambalaya," she retorted, and immediately clapped a hand on her mouth, a string of curses running through her mind.

Shit, did I offend him?

His hazel eyes sparkled. "Pretty and witty," he commented lightly, though there was a hint of flirtatiousness. Heat exploded in her cheeks.

Stay composed.

"Why, thank you. You're not too bad yourself," she answered coquettishly and gave herself a mental high-five.

There was definitely a red tint on his own cheeks. "Thanks. I try."

Lily opened her mouth, about to offer him the pie, when another voice joined their conversation. "Who's at the door, dear?"

"I don't know," the boy shouted over his shoulder. "I haven't learned her name."

"Haha, very funny," said the voice dryly. "Maybe you should ask, then?"

"I was just about to." The boy turned back to her. "Sorry, what's your name?"

"Lily," she said. "Lily Evans. I live next door."

His wide grin made its reappearance. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm James. James Potter. I just moved here from Britain."

Oh shit. He's smiling. Smile back!

"I love your smile," she blurts aloud.

Fuck, not that!

1204 words

Depending on the response I receive, I may continue this.