Disclaimer: if i owned it, you wouldn't be reading it here.

A/N: to the people who read/have been reading my fics, thanks for your feedback, support, and patience for this one. i hope it doesn't disappoint. this is my last generic fluff i think before i focus on "An Almost Love Story"

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."

– Herm Albright

tap

tap tap tap

tap . . . tap

"Ack! Stop that!"

"whaa?"

James came out of his trance to look at Lily. Only this time, he was actually focusing instead of absentmindedly contemplating her freckles. Unfortunately for James, Lily was fixing a cold stare in his direction.

"Your quill and all that noise is driving me bloody bonkers," she grumbled out.

Your smile drives me bonkers, especially your lips, when they lift up and . . .

James stopped himself before he spaced-out again. Setting off Lily Evans was generally not a good idea.

"Sorry." he quipped before looking down at the notes on Charms he was supposed to be reviewing. Lily was really good at Charms. Her hands were so graceful and they would just twirl and swish and flick . . . kind of like her hair. I really like her hair, the way it's so long and so red. It matches perfectly with her face when she's angry or when she blushes . . . I wish I could make Lily blush, and then make her. . .

Tap tap

"AHH!"

James jumped out of his chair, startled by the scream. He looked curiously back to Lily to see if she had heard it too, only to find her face the exact shade of red he was just thinking about.

"That. is. it! I'm leaving. You can practice your charms alone, I'll be in my dorm, away from you and your . . . your noises!" she huffed.

"huh?" James let out, rather stupidly.

Instead of dignifying his lack of understanding with a response, Lily merely narrowed her eyes at James before storming out the library, leaving him behind.

Now, it was a generally accepted fact around Hogwarts that, while James Potter had indeed grown up a bit in the last few months, he was still never seen openly studying in public while not under the influence of the Head Girl and her, shall we say, feminine wiles.

It was this fact, coupled with the thought that Lily Evans, apple of his eye, was currently fleeing his presence, that made James exit the library lucidly. He spotted Lily's red hair whipping around a corner and ran to catch up with her.

Slowing to a brisk walk beside her, James frowned heavily upon realizing that Lily was ignoring him. They walked in silence. Wanting to be alone, Lily kept increasing the speed and length of her strides in an attempt to give James a clue. It was really too bad that James was clueless, and Lily really should have known that by then.

As the unlikely (or 'quite likely, thank you very much,' as James would correct) pair neared the portrait hole, James said reflectively, "Well, look at the bright side."

Lily stopped so abruptly that James had to walk a few steps backward to reach her when he noticed.

"Bright side?!! And what exactly is this oh-so-bright side to your complete and utter moronic behavior?"

"First off, I'm willing to overlook your overreaction to the tapping of a quill." Here, Lily's eyes sent daggers to James. He didn't notice. "Second, this time I didn't do anything bad enough for you to hex me or swear at me profusely before leaving." James looked rather proud of himself at this recent development. Things like that can give any guy hope, you know. Okay, so not so much any guy as a specific guy like James that was so pathetically infatuated with Lily Evans.

Meanwhile, Lily just stared, dumbfounded at his sense of accomplishment, as James Potter quirked his lips upwards. If she ignored Potter's general idiocy, she might be willing to admit to an empty room that this possibly made him look something that might resemble endearing.

Shit, she thought, and snapped back to attention. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Potter, but I believe a few of the words I used previously included 'you are driving me bloody bonkers. Besides, I swore at you in my mind just now. So that makes two times."

Frustrated that Lily failed to acknowledge his progress, James replied a little too loudly, "No no no. You said the tapping was driving you mad. So, per se, you were swearing at the noise. It's"

"The same."

"--not the same--"

"Must you be so irritating?!!" She screamed before taking the few steps to the portrait and disappearing behind it.

James, as usual, followed. However, not being as graceful as Lily, he banged his knee on the way. In the process of hopping on one foot in the common room, he tripped over the rug and ended up on the floor, still clutching his knee.

"Owwww," moaned James. "My knee. Fucking bloody portrait hole . . . ahhh . . . damn rug." He tried to get up from his position on the floor by rolling off his back and onto all fours. "Holy hell, the pain!"

Poor James, he must really be hurt. I should see if he's okay.

"Who's swearing now, Potter?" She asked smugly.

Oops, not quite the sympathetic statement I meant to make. Ah well.

James was still caught up with the ache in his knee. "C'mon Evans. Help me up?" He gave her puppy dog eyes. "It hurts."

"Oh, fine." She grabbed a hold of his forearm and hauled him up, almost falling over in the process. She had to lean forward and hold on to James for a moment to steady herself. Of course, once she found her center of balance, she immediately pushed him away. James looked at floor, embarrassed, and brushed off his pants. As his hand touched his injured knee, he winced .

Lily smirked. "Care to fill me in on the bright side of this one?"

"Erm . . . " James rubbed the back of his neck and then ran the same hand through his hair. He looked at the ceiling and then down at floor again. Why was he always so sheepish around Lily? It wasn't as if she didn't anger him, as well. In fact, just the other day, she . . . made me stay late in library to make a plans for the prefect rounds over the holidays. She was wearing this great shirt, but that doesn't matter. I was late to see Sirius about Remus. Yeah, and her knee touched my leg a few times, and . . . and, yeah. I was mad.

"Well?" Lily asked impatiently.

"Well, okay. " He began, taking a step towards her and collecting his wits. "You just willingly supplied skin-to-skin contact that lasted more than two seconds. And you clung to my chest for a single, blissful moment. Ravishing beauty that you are, that made for an extremely blinding bright side." He finished with that rogueish grin of his.

Lily stepped back. Whatever nervousness and warmth she felt at his proximity was effectively smothered by his words.

James leaned closer. "I only just wish that those two things happened more often. Maybe then you'd feel this . . . this warm, odd buzzing in your chest the way I do."

Oh no. Lily tried to stop him before anything big happened or before she felt that feeling again.

"James . . . "

But he took a step towards her to cover the distance she previously put between them.

"I wish you felt it too, Lily. I really do. Maybe if you did, It wouldn't . . . ache so much. I'd be okay again, you know? " he said desperately.

Lily gasped. I didn't . . . know. I just wish my stomach would stop tingling.

"Maybe I'll get better in a little while. I hope so, for your sake as much as mine." James whispered to the floor, though not minding that Lily heard him. He raised his eyes to look at hers, breathing coming in shorter breaths.

Lily's eyes widened as she felt air fan across her nose. Oh god . . . oh god-oh-god-oh-god-oh-god-oh--

She closed her eyes. Then, she felt . . .

she felt . . .

. . . the tip of James' quill tap her nose. She blinked her eyes open to see James Potter's back as he walked, or limped rather, up the stairs to his dorm.

"Bloody tapping," she sighed aloud and promptly sat down on the floor to collect herself.

James, upon reaching the top of his staircase, turned around to look at Lily. He had almost lost all self control. He knew Lily wouldn't have appreciated that, though.

But when he saw her mouth something to herself on the floor, he grinned a wide grin. Oh yeah, she wants me now.

A/N: Don't hate me. any kind of review is welcome