Just Friends

Remus had always said there was too much tension between the two of them. 'Maybe he was right.' James mused as he looked at the girl sat in front of him, studiously concentrating on finishing the work they had abandoned a few hours ago.

They had been going through the schedules for the prefect's rounds, it was late at night and both of them were tired. All he had done was sigh at how long and tedious the task was. He didn't even think she'd heard, but she looked up a glare on her face.

"What?" she asked testily

"Nothing"

"It must have been something, otherwise you wouldn't have sighed."

"Well, it's just that this schedule is taking forever, can't we do it tomorrow instead?"

From her facial expression James could tell that perhaps that wasn't the best thing to have said.

"Do it tomorrow? What about all the other things we have to do? McGonagall wants it in by the end of the week anyway, if we don't do it now, it will never get done. If you can't handle the responsibility, perhaps you shouldn't be head boy James!"

James couldn't help but argue back, it was an automatic reaction to argue with Lily, and she always looked so pretty when she shouted, her cheeks got all red and her eyes would shine brightly with anger.

"Who said I wanted to be head boy! I didn't get a choice in the matter, if you're going to complain about it go to Dumbledore. I didn't pick this Lily so don't yell at me for it!"

"You may not have picked it, but you were chosen, so live up to what Dumbledore expects of you."

"Well what if I don't want to?"

"Then you're still the same immature git I always knew you were, instead of the mature responsible adult I thought you'd become!"

"Don't even say that Lily! You know I've changed, stop trying to lie to yourself just so you still have an excuse not to like me. Merlin Lily! I do one little thing wrong and you act like I never changed. I'm sick of it!

"What is so bad about me becoming a better person? Are you scared of what everyone would say if we actually got together? Because who cares what they bloody think! I don't and you shouldn't, all that matters is the truth."

"It matters to me Potter! I've worked so hard to get to this point, to be head girl, to be respected, to show that I'm not some worthless little mudblood! I can't throw that all away to just go out with you for a couple of weeks."

"A couple of weeks! Lily do you really think that's all it would be, just look at us, we bring out so much emotion in each other. Without you I could never be truly happy. Even now, screaming our heads of at each other you can surely see the passion between us. You won't be throwing anything away at all, you'll still be liked and respected, and you'll never be a worthless mudblood!"

"James… I can't, I'm sorry; I just don't like you like that."

"Don't lie Lily! Your only lying to yourself, everyone else can see how perfect we are for each other. Even you can Lily; you're just too bloody scared to admit it."

"Who the hell are you to tell me I'm scared Potter, you hardly even know me, we've only been friends for a month!"

"I know you better than you know yourself Lily Evans." He said quietly

"Stop trying to tell yourself I'll like you James, it won't happen, the most we can ever be is friends and it doesn't even look like we can do that properly."

"Do you know why we can't ever be just friends Lily? There's too much between us, too much passion and emotion, you're just too god damn stubborn to let anything happen. But I'm sick of it Lily, I really am. I thought I'd wait for you forever, but I can't. It's tearing me up inside, all we ever do is fight or speak civilly. And I can't cope with the constant fighting, it hurts me so much when you look at me with hatred in your eyes, but the speaking civilly is worse, there's just no emotion, we're like badly rehearsed actors reading from a script, and the nothingness just eats me up. So Lily… I'm done; I just can't do this anymore."

"I knew we could never be friends James, I just knew it wouldn't work. I'll always hate you, and you'll always hate me, that's just how it's meant to-"

He cut her off as his lips forcefully crashed into hers. As she gasped he deepened the kiss and her hands found their way into his hair. But instead of pulling at his hair, trying to push him away as he thought she would she pulled herself closer to him.

Eventually they both pulled away gasping, fighting for oxygen. She looked up at him with swollen red lips and bright green eyes and said,

"You were right, we can't just be friends." Before pulling him back for another kiss.