The fact that she could drive him crazy by just sitting there, in the desk, made him mad. Mad at her, for being so damn irresistible, and mad at himself for letting her proximity get to his head.

The way she let her fingers absently travel through her hair, pausing in the clump of red when she came to a problem she didn't quite understand made him want to rip his own hair out. The way she sat, her back perfectly straight, or—occasionally—the sight of her body hunched over, a quill tickling at her face as she scribbled down last minute thoughts from that incredible brain of hers. The clothes she wore made him insane. Standard skirts and knee-high socks were required for every girl at school, but on her they just seemed so much more desirable.

He didn't know if he liked her better with the outfit on or off.

Off. Definitely off.

But most of all, it was her. It was just everything about Lily Evans that drove him up the wall. From her snarky comments said in undertone, to her intelligent answers she somehow always managed to spew whenever a professor called on her, hoping to catch her unprepared. From the way she always tapped her quill three times before taking a test, to the way she crossed her ankles, heels digging into the ground, whenever she was upset. The way she smiled with all of her face instead of half of it, like Peter. The way she laughed at his jokes. The way she said his name— the words "James Potter" never sounding better than when they rolled off her tongue. The way her eyebrows crinkled whenever someone said something she didn't understand, the way she always smelled like cinnamon, even if cinnamon-flavored things weren't being served for breakfast, the way she let her hair down, curling over her milky white skin and brushing at her collarbones. The way she laughed—

"Mr. Potter, could you kindly stop ogling at Miss Evans? I'd, personally, like to keep my lunch in my stomach. And, I apologize, but seeing you drooling over her doesn't make matters better!"

James jumped, his knees slamming against the underside of his desk, throat sticking. Lily glanced over her shoulder at him, her red hair nearly smacking Sirius in the face.

She narrowed her eyes at him. Her nose was slightly crooked from when the stray bludger whizzed into the crowd at the Slytherin vs Gryffindor Quidditch match, throwing her features off. He never would've noticed it if it hadn't been for his, er, ogling.

Lily Evans wasn't perfect. She snored too loudly and ate her dessert first before her actual meal, and even though she was a fan of impromptu studying sessions and grinding her teeth, he still found it enjoyable to be next to her.

And the fact in itself drove him crazy.

"Like what you see, James?" Lily breathed in an undertone, her voice ranging to the sound of bells to the tenor of a drum, sending shivers up his spine.

"Almost never," he quipped in a similar tone. Too harsh. He'd send her away. But she laughed anyways, a beautiful sound, and he didn't feel as bad about himself.

"Mr. Potter! We are TRYING to have a class, here. If you and Miss Evans would kindly shut it, I'm sure the—"

"Sorry, sir," Lily mumbled, a delicious flush creeping up the side of her neck.

"She's sorry," James added, tossing a hand into his hair and leaning back on his chair. "But I'm not. I like looking at beautiful things—"

Lily blushed harder.

"—and that quill she's using is just divine."

The class sighed. Here it was. Remus looked at a notebook, yes—World War X was about to begin.

"Excuse me?" Lily demanded, her voice raising in pitch. The professor tried to reign her in, but he didn't account for Sirius Black.

"That's tough, Evans. Looks like Prongs is over you and is now showing his affections to an actual bird—"

The class erupted into fits of laughter, and James tried to stifle the grin flitting across his face.

Lily attempted to respond, opening her mouth like a fish to try and get a word in, but the laughter was still overpowering and the professor was having no luck with anything. Peter looked at James, confused. Why was he acting like this? Lily and James were getting along so well….
Remus watched the scenario like it was a train wreck, flinching at the sight.

"That's enough!" The professor growled, slamming his book shut. He looked at James and called, "Detention for disruption of the learning enviornment!" James shrugged. The class sniggered, and Lily mumbled something incoherent under her breath, but the professor was not finished.

"Miss Evans, you too. I don't need you to be a distraction to Mr. Potter!"

Her jaw dropped. James flushed.

"During the feast tonight, I expect the two of you down here, scraping the gum off of the bottom of the desks." He huffed a breath and held up a hand to Lily's protests. It was Halloween—how could he do this? "Now, due to that unfortunate interruption, class is dismissed. Finish the chapter. I'll see you tomorrow." The class filed out, muttering about how unfair the assignment was, sending death looks at the infamous almost-couple, James and Lily.

She smacked his arm when they spilled out into the hallway, gnawing on her lip. "Really? You're attracted to the quill, now?"

James grinned. "Hey, if you want me to start something, you can't dislike the topic on which I start it on."

"Still, you're pigheaded," she said in an air of superiority as they began the walk to Charms.

"And you love it," he teased, winking at her in the way he knew she hated but secretly liked.

"Bug off," she retorted, glancing over her shoulder. When she saw the coast was clear, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his jaw line. James's stomach swirled at the contact, feeling her fingers fist into his shirt.

Merlin, he was in love.

"See you in detention," he smirked, eyeing her skirt.

She smacked him again, although lighter this time. "You're impossible."

"And you're annoying."

He swept down to kiss her, absently tugging on a curl of her hair.

"This is going to be the best Halloween ever," he murmured.

And Lily, envisioning an empty classroom with just her and James, with everyone else attending the Halloween Feast, couldn't help but agree.