A/N: Finally, the long awaited story SHIRTLESS! Umm… not much else to say about it… the title is kind of self-explanatory.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize, yada, yada, yada.

Claimer: We own the plot. Sort of.

SHIRTLESS

Chapter 1: Sparked Attentions

I have always been a rather self-conscious person. I don't really have a problem with public displays of academic prowess; in fact, I rather enjoy answering every question the teacher poses with 110% of the answer. I am, however, a tad bit insecure when it comes to showing off my body. When I wear skirts, they are at least knee-length, longer if possible. And low-cut tops are definite no-nos. Extremely unfortunately, my co-worker, peer, and roommate certainly does not share this same self-consciousness.

James Potter labors under the sad, sad delusion that he is one of the best-looking males in the school. Sure, he's attractive, but not that attractive. And the sad part is that everyone agrees with him! I'm actually one of the few who doesn't. Anyway, he likes to show off his body. A lot.

So technically, it shouldn't have been a surprise when he just came waltzing into our Head's common room this afternoon with NO SHIRT ON. I mean, really, who does he think he is? The headmaster? Honestly! Have some respect for your poor roommate who has to see these things!

I was lying sideways on one of our squashy armchairs, scribbling away at the Potions essay in my lap, with my inkwell perched (now that I look back on it), rather precariously on my knee. I was perfectly innocent, just doing my homework, when in he walked, SHIRTLESS! So it definitely wasn't my fault that as soon as I caught sight of him, I lost all sense of my surroundings, and turned my body to follow the movement of his across the common room. Of course, once I had turned around the full 180 degrees, I realized that my ink had spilled all over my parchment and myself. That was enough to break me out of my reverie, and once I had my senses about me, I was able to yell at James while also trying to clean up the mess he had caused.

"Potter! What are you doing?"

"Er… Walking?"

"Not that, what are you doing without a shirt?"

"Didn't know you minded Evans! Fancy a date in Hogsmeade this Saturday?"

I rolled my eyes and then started in on him again. "No, I will NOT go out with you. Not THIS Saturday, not NEXT Saturday, not ANY Saturday. Not EVER for that matter." I crossed my arms, and quickly turned around, hiding my face while trying to clean up my robes. I hope he didn't see my blush. Not that I like him or anything, but honestly. PUT SOME CLOTHES ON, PLEASE!

He shrugged his shoulders and kept walking towards his bedroom as if nothing had happened. Which I guess to him, nothing did. I mean, he startles me every day, he asks me out every day, and I say 'No' every day. I've never been this flustered before though! What's gotten into me? I don't know, but whatever it is, Alice can figure it out. Alice Conroy is my personal girl advice giver. She knows everything there is to know about girls and boys, relationships and feelings... even the weird way my face heated up just then. I bet it's nothing... I mean, he was half-naked! But you can never be too certain, so I hopped up and left my Potions homework to go take a visit to my old bedroom.

I hurried to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and quickly slipped inside. I was in luck! Alice sat on a couch with a few of my other friends, Dorcas Meadows, Marlene McKinnon, Remus Lupin, and that other blockhead Sirius Black. Remus and Sirius are friends with James, but only Remus is tolerable. I walked over as calmly possible.

"LILS!" Marlene shouted, grinning widely. "Decided to grace us with your presence, eh? What... finish all your homework?" They all laughed good-naturedly.

"As much as I would love to ditch my Potions essay for your sarcastic wit, I actually have to finish it before class tomorrow, and I still have two feet left. I came by to grab Alice for a minute." Marlene sighed and shook her head theatrically and then turned back to her conversation with Sirius. Alice grinned at me mischievously.

"Hmmmmm. Let me guess. This is about James." She grinned. Remus and Sirius' heads shot up to look at me. I shook my head defiantly.

"It is NOT. If I were to come to anyone about James it would be Marlene." They all looked shocked that I would ever talk about James.

"Because Marley is better with coming up with ideas for torture and death." The boys rolled their eyes, and Alice jumped to her feet.

"C'mon Lils, let's go over to those armchairs and you can tell Auntie Alice all about it."

After we'd settled down, I leaned over and started whispering. "I was doing my Potions essay in the armchair by our fire, with my ink on my knee-cap, and then James comes waltzing in WITHOUT A SHIRT ON!" I looked scandalized. Alice just looked at me.

"So it was about James."

I punched her in the arm.

"That's not all. I yelled at him, he asked me out, I refused..."

"So what's new?"

"WOULD YOU LET ME FINISH?!?! Okay and then he shrugged and went into his room, and that's when I got this funny feeling in my stomach and my face got a bit heated, and I don't know why! James and I have that conversation all the time, but I've never flushed before!" I finished, a tad desperately, and looked up at Alice expectantly. And she was laughing. At me. I growled.

"S-s-sorry, it's j-just th-that you are s-so CLUELESS! D-don't you s-see what this means?"

I was a bit upset. I just told her a very worrying problem and she is laughing at me. "Alice, if I knew what this meant, WOULD I BE SITTING HERE ASKING YOU?!?" She finally calmed down enough to talk without chuckling in between every other word.

"You see Lily, it is quite obvious. You. Are. FINALLY. Falling. For. James. Potter." She smiled.

My eyes flew open and I started to shake my head furiously. "Oh, no. OH, no. There is NO way. James? James POTTER? ME? No, that's not possible!" I kept shaking my head. Alice grinned to herself.

"You see him half-naked and you are embarrassed for no reason." I was about to point out that I get flushed when I see ANYONE half-naked, but Alice seemed to read my mind. "You didn't even notice that Sirius is not wearing a shirt either." I whipped my head around, and sure enough, Sirius wasn't wearing a shirt. I turned and raised an eyebrow at Alice. "They were swimming in the lake." She informed me. I broke in then.

"So I didn't notice Sirius, big deal. I make it a point in my life NOT to notice Sirius. I recognize this as an accomplishment."

"Fine then. Make whatever excuses you will for that. What about that funny feeling in your stomach when he grinned at you?"

"Old chocolate." I immediately responded.

Alice shook her head. "You eat old chocolate all the time. Clearly, the funny feeling is the attraction you are feeling for James." Before I could deny this, she put up a hand. "AND, you were flustered enough that you spilled ink all over yourself and started to blush."

"I am a very flustered person."

"LILY. YOU FOLLOWED HIS HALF NAKED FORM WITH YOUR EYES ACROSS THE ROOM. NORMAL PEOPLE WHO DON'T FEEL ANYTHING FOR CERTAIN OTHER PEOPLE DON'T DO THAT." After this whispered outburst, Alice took a deep breath. "Fine. Don't believe me. Go on being sad and delusional. But when you finally go out on a date, remember. I TOTALLY told you so." She made to stand up, but I threw my arms out.

"Do NOT mention this to anyone else. Well, maybe you can tell Marlene if the topic comes up in conversation, but not where anyone else could possibly overhear... I don't want people believing that I could actually... like James Potter. Because that is a LIE."

Alice rolled her eyes and nodded before going to sit with her friends. Now even more on edge than I was before, I walked back to our room in a daze. I walked into the common room, and I couldn't help but think about what Alice had said. Could I be falling for Potter? JAMES Potter? No. Impossible. But even as I thought this, I felt my eyes drawn to his bedroom door where I could see James' shadow on the floor.

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