Blind Dating

by MPPMaraudergirl

Jily Muggle AU: After being set up on a blind date neither agreed to, Lily and James decide that fake dating and staging a horrendous breakup would be the perfect pay-back for their friends' scheme. But after a while, who can say what's real and what's fake?

Blind Dating

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

Summary: Jily Muggle AU: After being set up on a blind date neither agreed to, Lily and James decide that fake dating and staging a horrendous breakup would be the perfect pay-back for their friends' scheme.

Based on tumblr prompt: our asshole mutual friends set us up on a blind date and didn't tell us it was a blind date, so instead of getting to know each other we spent the entire 'date' scheming against them and decided an awesome way to get back at them would be to pretend to date and then have a horrendous breakup but now that we're two months into this charade we're not sure what's real and what's fake anymore AU

Posted: 03/24/15

Author's Note:This was meant to be a drabble… 16,000 words later, here we are.

---

The only light illuminating the dark living room was from the orange street lamp outside, which shined in through the blinds casting stripes onto the carpet. The pairs of feet shuffled together, occasionally redirected when blocked by the sofa or coffee table, while the limbs of the man and woman interwove in the dark. Their lips thrashed together, nibbling and biting and occasionally traveling to necks and jawlines. Hurried hands began untucking, unbuttoning, and pulling off articles of clothing as the couple stumbled blindly down the hallway to the closed door of a bedroom.

The man, tall and unruly, broke his hand free for the moment it took him to slam the door open behind him and pull her inside. The new setting seemed to drive them further in their fervent movements. Suddenly he found himself sitting on the edge of the bed with the woman straddling one leg over his thigh. His hands found a hold on her backside and she finally came to her senses.

"Wait," she panted, standing back up straight with a small ruffle of her hair, "wait. What are we even doing?"

Two months earlier

Lily Evans arrived at the restaurant fashionably late, spoke the name of the reservation "Black" (Marlene said it was easier giving Sirius' last name than her own) and was led to a small round table in the corner of the restaurant. It was a posh place that had recently opened in one of the richest parts of town; a place usually out of Lily's price-range, but as she and Marlene were celebrating their big bonuses from work, they had decided to splurge. After making the reservation, Marlene told her Sirius Black (a good friend of hers, 'good' in the modern kind of way) and his best friend – Jim or something – would be joining them. Therefore when she arrived, she wasn't surprised to find the table occupied by a man she didn't know; apparently Marlene and Sirius were running even later than she was.

"Hello," she said kindly, after thanking the host. She took the seat across from the man who looked up at her appearance. He looked tall, even from his seated position, and as she spoke, a pair of hazel eyes locked with hers. "I'm Lily."

He shook her outstretched hand, lips curling unevenly, "Hi Lily, nice to meet you. I'm James. I was beginning to think no one else was coming."

"You clearly haven't spent enough time with Marlene. She's late for everything."

"Yeah, Sirius is too. It used to drive me mad because I arrive everywhere early, but I've grown used to it now," he said before casting a look at his mobile. "Anyway, I texted him a few minutes ago but he hasn't responded yet."

"I called Marlene from my car and she didn't answer either…"

Lily and James exchanged uneasy glances as their waiter strolled up to them.

"Can I get you drinks to start out?"

"Oh, let's just wait," Lily said to James before returning her attention to the waiter. "We have two more coming…"

"Two more? The reservation was only for two."

Lily visibly blanched as James asked, "For two? Just two?"

"Oh yes, I am quite sure it was made for two."

James silenced Lily's comment with a look before asking, "Is there a credit card associated with the reservation?"

"Yes, of course. We require a credit card to hold the table. I believe…" – he checked his paper – "ah, yes, a Mr. Black's charge card is on file."

"Splendid," James said kindly to the man before turning to Lily, "Do you prefer white or red wine?"

"Err—white."

"Your finest Chardonnay would be delightful. Charged to the card on file of course."

"Right away."

When he had gone, James turned to Lily. "This is a blind date."

Lily's mouth formed the perfect O shape as she realized James was correct. "I can't believe Marlene! She knows I don't go on blind dates after the last time she arranged one for me."

"Neither do I, but this is clearly a set-up. Though, what is curious to me is how they thought they'd get away with it. It's not as if we wouldn't put it together."

Lily nodded in agreement, "Perhaps they thought we would hit it off well enough that even if we did find out we'd be…" But Lily cut herself off as her mobile lit up with a text message. "Sorry, Marlene just texted me. Says she got caught up at her apartment with a leaky faucet and to 'enjoy time with the boys'. Oh look, she made boys plural as if she didn't know Sirius wasn't here."

James stifled his own laugh as his phone lit up. "Speak of the devil…. He's running late from work and told us to carry on without him, the martyr." James shook his head as he slid his phone back into his trouser pocket. "We have awful friends, haven't we?"

"We really do. I can just imagine them sitting around right now discussing us and what they think we are doing."

They were silenced momentarily as their waiter brought out the large bottle of wine and filled both of their glasses. They sat in a comfortable quiet as they enjoyed the expensive Chardonnay.

After a moment, with his wine glass still sitting near his lips, James mused, "I wonder what they do think."

"Oh, no doubt that we will hit it off instantly and immediately start dating," Lily answered easily, all too aware of how Marlene's mind worked.

"You sound like you know that from experience," James teased, arching an eyebrow at her.

"I think Marlene gets some sick pleasure from setting me up on horrendous blind dates. I don't know how she'd even react if she succeeded. I'm not even sure she would know what to do."

James grinned mischievously back at her, "Let's find out, shall we?"

"What exactly are you saying?" Lily asked, her smooth features twisting in curiosity.

"I'm saying let's pretend we do hit it off and that this goes well. We'll tell Marlene and Sirius about it, and start dating. We can drag it out for a little while, making them think we are making a real go of things, then we will stage a very loud and very embarrassing breakup in public while out to dinner with them."

"That…is brilliant," Lily praised, finishing her glass of wine and reaching to pour another; but James got there first and assisted her. "Thank you. We'll have to sell it properly, all right? We'll need to exchange numbers, and text each other quite a bit. Don't worry about substance or anything, it'll be enough for your name to pop up on my phone, don't you think?"

"Definitely," James nodded, topping off his own glass now. "We'll have to lay it on thick when we are around them. Hand-holding as we walk, sitting next to each other on the sofa, probably a fair amount of kissing each other's cheeks. We should probably be extremely nauseating."

Lily laughed, "Agreed. Nicknames are a must."

"What do you reckon? Lils? Or more generic? Babe or love?"

"'Flower' for me is classic. Classically bad, that is. Blokes at university insisted on that nickname, the geniuses that they were."

James laughed, now reaching for the dinner menu. "Excellent. Now what else should we charge to Sirius' account? Considering this is our first date and all…"

One month and thirty days earlier

"He is amazing, Mar. I'm not even that cross with you, that's how much of an amazing man he is. How'd you know we'd get on so well?"

Marlene sipped her tea wisely from across the small café table. "It's been a long time coming. Sirius always talked about James, or I always talked about you, and it seemed like you two would click. It took me a bit to convince Sirius to do it, I'll have you know. Be sure to give him a hard time for not introducing you sooner."

Lily nodded. She eyed her phone instinctively and noticed a message from James.

Tell her yet?

Lily smirked knowingly, which caught Marlene's eye. "Got a text from lover-boy already, have you? Bloke works quickly, I'll give him that."

"Oh hush. He's just saying hello."

Marlene smiled knowingly – or at least, so she thought – as Lily thumbed back a reply.

Oh yes, she's eating it up. Says it took some time to convince Sirius to set us up and that she was the mastermind behind it. Hope that doesn't soften your resolve for revenge against him.

Lily casually changed the subject to the latest headline from the paper, which kept their discussion away from James for the time being. But while Marlene went into furious detail about her opposition of a particular politician, Lily read the newest message from James, and relished the words.

Not a chance.

---

James set his phone down next to his plate of eggs and from his peripherals he watched Sirius take hesitant steps into the kitchen.

"Good morning," he said quietly.

"Oh good morning, Sirius." James kept the smile from his face with ease.

"I'm just going to go out on a limb and say you're not mad me?"

James laughed, but otherwise kept his face impassive, "No, I'm not mad. We actually hit it off—"

As if cued, his phone buzzed merrily next to him and Lily's named popped up on his screen. He made a show of smiling broadly as he opened the message.

"She's texting you already? You aren't kidding about hitting it off," Sirius said, sliding into the seat across from James, instantly shedding his tentativeness and transforming into the role of intrigued best mate.

"Yeah she's pretty great. Of course, you could've just asked if I wanted to meet up with her—"

"Bollocks. We both know you would have said no. And then you wouldn't be here, would you?" Sirius said smugly through a broad grin.

"I guess not," James agreed, before sending another message on his phone.

He's beside himself with smugness. This is going to be excellent.

One month and twenty eight days earlier

The sound of Lily's fingers clicking along on her keyboard drew her mind into the steady rhythm of her work. Because of this, she only heard Marlene talking when she had said her name multiple, exasperated times.

"Lily!"

"What? Oh, sorry, Mar. Trying to get this assignment done," she said distractedly, still clicking away.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out for lunch today. There's a nice place not far that I'd like to try. And I don't think James works far from here, does he?"

"Err…what? I…I am not sure if he's free. He's very busy, you know," Lily said stupidly, now distracted from her work by Marlene's question.

Her sporadic texting with James over the previous few days had been of little substance which left her unable to answer Marlene's question. She realized, with a creeping blush, that she didn't even know what James did for a living.

"Text him?" Marlene prompted.

"I'm sure he probably can't come, but I'll send him a quick text," Lily told her, pulling her phone out of her bag to placate Marlene.

Hello there. Marlene wanted you to meet us for lunch, because apparently we don't work too far from each other…? Which made me realize I don't even know what you do for a living. I'm not being very convincing right now. Help!

"Writing him a novel, are you?" Marlene teased.

Lily shrugged, "Just saying hello and that I hope I'm not bothering him." She perched her phone hopefully next to her keyboard, then turned back to the work report she was typing up. It took half an hour for James to finally respond.

Sorry for the delay, it's really busy here today. I hope you've managed to fend off Marlene. I work in finance, and not far from you, that's true. Let's meet up for dinner the day after tomorrow and get to know each other better.

Lily read the text twice and was about to reply when a second text from James came through.

I did not mean that as a line, by the way! Realised it might've come off that way after I sent it.

She laughed out loud, drawing Marlene's attention from her own computer. She looked up questioningly at Lily, who just shook her head in response.

I didn't think you meant it that way, no worries. Sounds good, I'll tell Marlene we have a date. ; - )

A few minutes later James sent only wink back in response.

"He's a bit busy today, but he did ask me out to dinner. Sorry, Mar, it didn't seem like the invitation was extended to you."

Marlene simply stuck out her tongue good-naturedly in response, but smiled as she started working once more.

One month and twenty six days earlier

At a quarter past seven, Lily met James at a nearby pizza place, where they split a medium pepperoni pizza. They shared brief conversations about how their mischievous plan was going in regards to Sirius and Marlene, but afterword began talking about themselves.

James told Lily about his childhood, growing up as an only child and going to a private boarding school where he had met Sirius and their other two friends Remus and Peter. After quite a few amusing anecdotes about their school days, and an ambiguous statement about him playing football, he told her about his University experience and his career in the finance field. He worked with clients on liquid assets and investments, and very much enjoyed it.

Interwoven between all his stories, Lily recounted her childhood days with her older sister, Petunia, whom she was no longer close to, and a little about her school life. She had far less interesting stories to tell James, choosing instead to focus on her academics and clubs. She regaled the tale of her meeting Marlene in University, where they both were studying business and English, and how they both got positions at a publishing house.

By the end, their conversation shifted to their interests in music, films, television, hobbies, and the more they talked and laughed, the more Lily felt confident in the success of their ruse.

As they exited the restaurant, Lily turned casually to James, "So where should we tell them we went to dinner?"

"What? I doubt Sirius would care to ask, but in any case what's wrong with saying here?"

Lily laughed, "It's our second date. Marlene would never believe you took me to a cheap pizza place instead of a nice restaurant."

"Fair point," James admitted, and not for the first time since they met, Lily noticed James' fingers interlock with his ebony tresses as he pierced his lips together, thoughtful. "How about Malone's up the street? They aren't as fancy as that posh place from the other night, but they're not so bad."

"That'll work," Lily agreed, prompting them to start walking down the street in the direction of her flat. "Thanks again for dinner. I think we had a successful evening."

"Agreed, and you are welcome," James said before he followed dutifully next to her, despite her curious glance.

"You needn't go out of your way, James."

"Nonsense. We may not really be going out, but I should still make sure you get home all right."

Lily smiled appreciatively at James as they walked on in silence.

One month and twenty five days earlier

"So how was it?" Marlene asked the next morning as she set her belongings down at her desk.

"How was what?" Lily asked distractedly, her eyes hurriedly reading over the document in front of her.

"Your second date, Lily! You've been on two dates in one week, and you've hardly given me any details. Some best friend you are."

Lily laughed, shaking her head. "There's not much to dish about. We've been getting to know each other is all," Lily said, and it dawned on her that this was the first genuine thing she had told Marlene in regards to her time spent with James.

"Sounds horribly boring to me."

"Yes, well, we get to know blokes differently, don't we?"

"Yes, I am not impossibly boring," Marlene said, turning her nose upward in mock protest. And as both girls laughed, Lily changed the subject, her mind barely registering what future comments might arise along those same lines the longer the charade went on.

One month and twenty two days earlier

James stretched his legs luxuriously over the length of his sofa, untightening his tie with a quick shimmy of his hand. He kicked his shoes off before tiredly rubbing his hands under his glasses.

"Long day?" Sirius called as he walked behind the sofa, toward the kitchen.

"Not too bad. Just knackered I suppose."

"Spend too much time texting Lily, do you?" Sirius asked, and the joking edge in his voice awoke James a little.

He shrugged noncommittally, then once realizing Sirius couldn't see him, called, "There's a lot to talk about when you're getting to know someone."

Sirius' bark-like laugh filled the kitchen, "There's also a lot to not talk about."

James was nearly fully awake now as Sirius' meaning hit him. "Nothing like that, mate."

"Why not?" Sirius' head emerged from the doorway of the kitchen. "You've at least kissed her, right?"

"Pah," James sputtered quickly, "Of course we've kissed."

Sirius only responded with a laugh, and as he disappeared back into the kitchen, James unlocked his phone to text a familiar someone.

Sirius just asked about us and I've told him we have kissed… sorry. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

James held the phone loosely in his hand as he leaned his head back on the sofa, closing his eyes. Five minutes earlier this position would have easily put him to sleep, but he waited on edge for Lily to text him. They had never explicitly discussed this part of their plan and he waited silently hoping he hadn't taken it too far. Finally, her name illuminated his phone.

It was only a matter of time. Marlene asked about our date the other day and I told her there wasn't anything to share.

James leaned his head back onto the sofa in relief as he read her words. Just as he was about to get up and shuffle over to his bedroom, his phone lit up again.

Turn the telly on to channel 4. You might enjoy what you find. 'Night : - )

With an eyebrow arched in interest, James flicked the television on and to channel 4. He smiled immediately upon recognizing a syndicated episode of one of his favorite television shows, and incidentally, also one of his favorite episodes. He had told her about his love for the show as they got to know each other over pizza. And before thinking about how it sounded, he texted her again.

Well now I really could kiss you for telling me to turn on the telly. Goodnight Lily.

And because he was thoroughly distracted by the television program, it was nearly thirty minutes later when he finally reread the message he had sent. His cheeks flushed as he realized it was now too late to rectify the grossly worded text, and he worked to cool his face as Sirius plopped joyfully down next to him on the couch to watch the next episode.

One month and twenty one days earlier

Lily woke up groggily the next morning, her eyes determinedly shut as she rolled around her bed to her bedside table. She unhooked her phone from the charger before opening her eyes. A few large blinks later her eyes became accustom to the light emitting from her phone and she unlocked it to read her text messages.

Marlene had texted her a few times to remind her about the presentation they were giving today, with particular notice about the things she needed to bring to it. Lily was hardly the forgetful type but Marlene always felt better if they had reminders just in case.

It wasn't until after she showered that she realized she had an unopened text from James from the previous night that she must have fallen asleep just before he sent. She found herself laughing aloud as she read his words, thinking that he really must love that show.

You can tell Sirius that you really did, if you need to. : - )

One month and eighteen days earlier

Marlene and I are going to the cinema on Fifth. Maybe you can show up unexpectedly?

What time will you be there?

Half-past six, the film starts at seven.

Lily and Marlene shuffled into the queue waiting outside the theatre box office, and Lily worked to keep herself from looking around too much. She threw a glance toward her watch and saw it was just half past six. James had not indicated whether or not he would show up, which only drove her desire to look around for him. But not long after, his voice met her ears.

"Well fancy meeting you here," he said kindly, and Lily and Marlene swung on their heels to look at him.

"James!" Lily called cheerfully, striding to his side to plant a soft kiss on his cheek – and when Marlene wasn't looking, he sent a wink toward Lily. "It's very nice to see you."

"Agreed," he said, planting a kiss to the top of her head just as Sirius came into view.

"Hey, what are you lot doing here?" he asked genuinely.

"We are seeing a film, though you have to undoubtedly know that to just show up here," Marlene told him evenly. Sirius looked blankly back at her.

"I was told nothing about anything," he said, still earnest.

"We just happened to run into each other," James agreed pleasantly. "Fate is funny like that, isn't it?"

James sent a friendly look to Marlene and Sirius before wrapping his arm around Lily's shoulder and leading her forward. Sirius and Marlene exchanged what they thought to be knowing glances. Just ahead of them in the line, Lily and James worked diligently to stifle their laughter.

During the film, James gave Lily a tentative look as he offered his hand to her. She gave him a small encouraging smile as she took it. From either side of them Sirius and Marlene looked on curiously, though the latter had a look of great happiness on her face as their fingers linked. They made a point to only unlock their hands when they shared their mutual favorite theatre snack: red vines.

When exiting the movie, James once again slung his arm around Lily's shoulders, and she nestled into his side as though there was nowhere else she would rather be.

"I thought that was brilliant," Lily was the first to say as they walked down the sidewalk away from the cinema.

"Agreed," James said genuinely, prompting a curious look from Lily: she was unsure if he was being earnest or acting.

"It was all right," Marlene said, side-eying the couple as they continued to walk as though attached by the hip. "Anyone up for ice cream?"

Whether or not they were was inconsequential as Marlene walked purposefully toward the ice cream parlor up ahead of them. Sirius stepped up to catch her stride leaving Lily and James out of earshot.

"Are we one of those couples who always agrees?" she asked him curiously.

"I don't believe so?" he responded, a hint of confusion in his statement. "D'you mean about the film? I did genuinely like it."

"Oh, sorry. Just not sure when you are acting or when you are actually enjoying the things I like."

"No matter. We'll take it in stride," he promised softly as they entered through the clinking glass door. "What's your favorite flavor?"

"Chocolate, of course."

"Excellent," he said, finally wrenching his arm off her shoulder to step forward and pull his wallet out. "I'm partial to vanilla, but chocolate will do."

Lily watched on as James bought them a large ice cream to share. A twinkle in their eyes, they sat across from each other with the big bowl in between them. Lily made a point to feed James a spoonful from her own spoon and Sirius growled in disgust.

"You two are positively nauseating," he informed them as he shoved his ice cream away from him in apparent revulsion.

"Thank you," James told him, throwing a big grin at Lily, who could no longer stifle her laughter.

Marlene teased her about feeding James the entire walk back to Lily's flat. Consequently, Sirius refused to speak to James on the way to their own flat.

One month and fourteen days earlier

Lily had always enjoyed going to the cinema from the moment she went to her first film as a child, and most particularly in her University days when there were many late night movie dates with friends. Now, with her busy work schedule, Lily found it difficult to keep up with the movies in theatre, and often rented them from the nearby video store. As she had no other plans for this particular evening, she found herself inching along the aisles of the store, in search of a new film to watch.

"James?" she asked curiously, as she turned down one of the aisles and noticed the familiar mop of hair.

"Hey," he said as he turned and recognized her. Setting down the movie he was holding, he gave her a quick hug in greeting. "What are you doing here?"

"After going to the cinema the other night, I have been in the mood to watch more films. And I had the evening free and thought I'd pop down here to get one."

James laughed, "What a coincidence. Looking for anything in particular?"

"I have a few things in mind, but I haven't made a decision," Lily said noncommittally. "What about you? Want to come over to my flat and watch something? We could stop and get that pizza again."

"That sounds excellent, actually. Beats watching a film with Sirius at any rate," he said, grinning. "He's expecting me back with something horrible for him to criticize so I'll just shoot him a text."

"Tell him to not wait up," Lily suggested mischievously, as she examined the shelf.

James laughed in response as he sent the message, then went to join in her search for a suitable movie. It didn't take long for them to agree on a comedy they both didn't get a chance to see in theatres, and they gave no thought to their similar taste in films as Sirius' response came in.

I'm torn between nauseated and proud. And I will certainly be waiting up, young man.

One month and twelve days earlier

"Excuse me, but are one of you Lily Evans?"

Lily looked up from her desk at the sound of her name. Standing at the threshold of the office was a freckly seventeen year old delivery boy. He held a large vase of roses in his arms.

"She's Lily," Marlene told the boy, pointing toward her friend before she could react.

Relief swept over the delivery boy as he walked into their office and set the vase at Lily's desk. "Been looking for you for ages. Enjoy." Without another word the boy exited the office, leaving Marlene and Lily alone once again.

"Roses? So glad I've finally found you a bloke who doesn't default to getting you lilies. James has original thoughts, then? Or did you hammer it into his head?"

Lily cleared her throat as she pulled the card out of the bundled flowers. "We've never discussed flowers," she said offhandedly before opening the card.

Flowers for my flower.

Lily worked to keep her eyebrow from rising, forcing herself to smile, and suddenly Marlene's hand came from the other side of the desk and swiped the card away.

"'Flowers for my flower'? Please tell me this is a joke," Marlene said, stifling her giggle.

Lily narrowed her eyes, grabbing the card back from her friend. "He's sweet. Don't be a jerk about it!"

Marlene simply laughed in response, continuing to mutter the phrase under her breath, while Lily pulled her phone out and scrolled to James' name.

Just got your flowers…

She hoped to express her uncertainty through the succinct yet ambiguous set of words, and was pleased to see her message conveyed properly.

Sickening message, right? Sirius was lingering over my shoulder when I was at the shop, so I felt like being particularly nauseating. In fact, he swallowed a bit of bile after reading that, I'm proud to tell you.

The reservation washed from Lily's face, to be replaced by a smile outwardly, and a feeling of idiocy internally. Of course it was part of the ruse, and she was particularly slow on the uptake today, it appeared – especially because of the other night when she and James hung out without much discussion about their 'dating'. Lily's renewed confidence carried her through the rest of the day, even with Marlene's more-than-occasional teasing.

One month and nine days earlier

When Marlene texted Lily inviting her down to the small café they frequented, for lunch with James and Sirius, Lily felt the feigned enthusiasm for seeing James turn into a bout of genuine excitement. She rationalized to herself that James and her were mates, and she would be a bint to not enjoy spending time with him. She hoped he felt similarly, and that once they had figured out how long the ruse would go, they'd find a way to recover from the devastating 'breakup' and remain friends.

So as she arrived to the café, she didn't need to force a smile when her eyes found their table. As she approached, James rose from his seat and pulled her into hug, brushing his lips quickly upon the top of her head.

"Hi," she breathed into his chest.

"Hello," he whispered back, and once they pulled apart she could see his smile.

She made it a point to smile back at him and keep her hand over top of his as she sat down next to him. He caught her eye after a moment and she pulled her hand away.

"Let's keep the public displays to a minimum, okay, you two?" Sirius begged, flicking his fork between the two of them. "I know it'll be terribly difficult, but please try at least."

Lily rolled her eyes as James said, "Simmer down, mate. I haven't seen my flower in a few days, you're lucky I didn't grab her for a proper snog right in front of your face—"

"Thank goodness—"

"Why don't you?" Marlene goaded, looking smugly between James and Lily, despite Sirius' protests. "You know, Lily's been particularly prude about your relationship, James. I'm starting to think she doesn't even like you."

"Bugger off," Lily commanded, trying to keep her voice teasing as she swatted at Marlene. "I like James well enough, and I don't think we need to prove that by snogging at a dining establishment—"

"By all means, I didn't suggest you two shag," Marlene said laughing, "Don't get so bent about it, Lil."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw James give her a small nod, which Lily understood instantly.

"All right, fine. But don't blame me when Sirius vomits his lunch up."

"And I might!" Sirius added helpfully, turning his attention back to his plate as though uninterested in their plans, though Lily expected he would look up for the kiss despite what he said.

Lily turned to look at James, who had scooted his chair closer to hers. His hand cupped the side of her cheek as he leaned in to her ear. His whispered breath tickled her ear as he promised her, "I assure you, I don't bite. At least not in public with my fake girlfriend."

Lily was barely aware of laughing as James brought their lips together. The kiss was brief – not even long enough for Sirius to let out a disgruntled noise – but when they broke apart, Lily looked over to find Marlene smiling broadly back at her. Marlene's delight served as inspiration and Lily turned back to place her hand on James'.

"I think I'll keep you around for a while," she told him.

He grinned happily back at her, as if to say, 'good one'. "Nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Really? 'Cause I would rather be anywhere but here," Sirius cut in, breaking Lily and James' eye-contact and driving them into a state of laughter.

One month and eight days earlier

Lily, lying sprawled out on her sofa, mindlessly clicking through the channels of her television, illuminated her phone for the third time in the last thirty seconds. She couldn't rationalize why she kept checking the stupid device as though she were expecting something or, more specifically, someone to contact her.

The lunch the previous day had gone well enough, and even Marlene seemed satisfied with the small kiss she and James had shared, but for some reason the kiss lingered on her mind. Or perhaps it wasn't that kiss that enraptured her mind, but the second one he had nonchalantly given her when they parted ways at the end of lunch. Neither kiss was particularly affectionate, both chaste and short, but the casual way in which he kissed her compounded with their quiet departure stuck in Lily's mind.

And the fact that he probably hadn't thought twice about it made it seem even worse.

---

James, sitting idly on his bed, kept locking and unlocking his phone as if contemplating what to do next – or really, what to say next. After sharing a kiss the previous day, Lily had been peculiarly quiet, and James wondered if she was upset with him about the kiss. After all, she seemed averse to the idea as Marlene pestered her about it – it was his prompting that caused her to even give in to the request. Then to make matters worse, he had kissed her again at the end of the lunch. What had he received in return?

Quiet. Nothing. No comment.

James wondered if he was blowing things out of proportion. Lily was probably not even thinking about the kiss – or kisses, really. And what good would it do for him to bring it up if she didn't even care that it happened?

Locking the phone once more and tossing it to the other side of his bed, he rolled off the side and out into the kitchen to talk to Sirius.

One month and three days earlier

"Lily's got a boyfriend," Marlene proclaimed proudly to Mrs. Rose Evans.

Marlene and Lily regularly met up with Lily's mom for lunch, to catch up on life and share newsworthy happenings. James appeared, in Marlene's opinion at least, to fall under the latter category as evident from the fact that Marlene had declared this information to Mrs. Evans without prompting.

"Lily, you've got a boyfriend?" her mother reiterated, turning in her chair to look at her daughter.

Lily stared resentfully at Marlene. She and James had hardly spoken since their last encounter – neither in text or person – and though she knew she had been busy, and assumed James probably had been too, it still made her uneasy. She wouldn't go as far as saying she missed him, though her feelings leaned in that direction.

"We aren't officially a couple, per se," Lily told her mother, continuing to send Marlene a narrowed gaze. "Marlene's only wanted to tell you this because she is the one who set us up and she's quite pleased with herself."

"Mrs. Evans, they are perfect together. James is great, far better than any of her previous boyfriends. And though they've only been dating for about a month, they are nauseating. Don't know why she is playing it down."

"I am not playing it down, Mar. We aren't engaged –"

"Well when do I get to meet him?" Mrs. Evans cut in, unfazed by their discussion. "James, was it? Very handsome name, that is. If you would've had a brother I'd've strongly considered James."

"That's exactly what I want to hear," Lily mumbled, through Marlene's laughter. "I don't know when he'll be free, Mum, he's quite busy at work."

"That's true," Marlene confirmed, "he's the finance type. Bloke's always at work or off courting your daughter."

"Well, no excuses. I want to meet him - he sounds like a lovely boy."

"Can we change the subject now? You'll meet him if you meet him," Lily said with an air of finality, which Marlene gratefully heeded and began discussing work.

Finally, Lily couldn't take the silence between her and James any longer – their recent text messages of cordial 'hellos' and 'how are yous' were over.

Just having lunch with my mum and Marlene and she's spilled the beans about us. My mum cannot wait to meet you. I've told her you're busy and it's unlikely to happen.

Lily couldn't even bring herself to feign interest in her mother and Marlene's conversation as she waited for James to answer.

Thanks for that. I'm not really the meeting-parents kind of bloke.

Lily's brow furrowed despite herself as she read the words, and, as she couldn't think of anything nice to say in response, she tried to pay attention to what her mother was saying but was interrupted by another text.

All right, that was a lie. I don't mind meeting parents, and I think they actually quite like me when I do meet them. But no reason to pull your mum into this, yeah?

Relief, stupid impetuous relief overcame her and she wasn't sure why.

I agree. You're likeable, and I'm quite confident my mum really would enjoy meeting you, but this ruse isn't meant to drag her along. Glad we agree on this.

Me too. Sorry we haven't talked much lately. To be honest, I wasn't sure if you wanted to talk after I kissed you the other day. This fake dating business is a little tricky.

Lily nearly sighed aloud. It really was.

That it is. I wasn't sure what you thought about it, either. We didn't really map the rules out clearly when it comes to physical contact, did we?

No, we didn't. Sorry if you felt ambushed. Also sorry if I'm a rubbish kisser.

He wasn't – he isn't. He has to know that, Lily thought as she read the words. Suddenly she realized she was gazing down fondly at the words and Marlene and her mother were staring at her curiously.

"That'll be him," Marlene told Mrs. Evans sagely. "She gets that look on her face when he texts her. Sweetest thing, isn't it? Once you get over the overwhelming urge to vomit of course."

"Har, har," was all Lily felt inclined to say as she threw a contemptuous look to Marlene. But this only prompted laughter from her and Mrs. Evans.

Unsure of what to say in response to James' recent text, but also equally confident that leaving him without a response would be cruel, she told him the only reasonable thing she could think of.

You aren't rubbish. And I think we both know that, Mister-fishing-for-compliments.

Ouch. Well don't worry, Lily, I swear I'll never kiss you again.

To this, Lily thought of no suitable response.

Thirty days earlier

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"You're pathetic, mate."

"What? I said I'm doing nothing, how does that make me pathetic?"

"You're thinking about her. I can just tell."

"Mind reader, are you?"

"Doesn't take a mind reader to tell. You get this pathetic look on your face when you're thinking about her."

"Oh sod off, Sirius," James told him, chucking a pillow hard at his friend's retreating back. Sirius swung around quickly and caught it with ease, his laughter growing stronger at James' indignation.

Of course James wasn't going to admit that he had been thinking about Lily. They had texted infrequently over the previous few days, even after James had promised to never kiss her again. Apparently that had been the wrong thing to say because she didn't respond immediately, and when she did, it was on a different subject. He wasn't sure why this made him uneasy, for Lily had indicated she wasn't mad or upset with him about the kiss – she had even gone so far as to say he wasn't a rubbish kisser, not that he really thought about that.

Or at least, he tried to not think about it.

"Text her if you're missing her so badly," Sirius said, startling James, who had failed to realize Sirius lingered leaning against the doorway watching him.

"I'm not missing her, you prat. Can't a bloke just sit in silence without being badgered about his girlfriend?"

"So she is your girlfriend, then? Might want to inform her of that."

"What do you mean?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Marlene told me Lily said you weren't officially together," Sirius told him, shrugging. "Doubt it's a big deal, but you might want to clarify your commitment to her. Considering you fancy her so much."

James rolled his eyes, keeping his face calm easily. "Lily plays things down in front of Marlene, you know. Probably doesn't want Marlene making a big fuss of it. We're exclusive."

Sirius laughed, "Whatever you say, mate. Want some crisps? The match'll be on soon."

"Yeah, all right," James said off-handedly, sitting up straight on the couch now and reaching for his phone. But before he could scroll to Lily's name, a text from her popped up on his screen.

Are you a size medium or large in shirts?

James blinked, confusion pursing his lips close together.

Large, usually. Why?

It's a surprise! Also, can you send me your address? I'd like to stop by this weekend if you're free. She responded quickly.

All right. That'll be fine. By the way, Sirius informed me that you're not my girlfriend. Apparently Marlene said you'd said as much…

It sounded stupid and pathetic to say, even as he pushed send. But he couldn't think of a segue, and felt there needed to be clarification for the sake of their plan. Yes, the plan required communication.

Sorry I'd forgotten to mention it. I was downplaying it for my mum, you know. Didn't think Marlene would make anything of it, but that was rather silly on my part I suppose. I assure you, you are my exclusive fake-boyfriend. With no real prospects on the horizon.

For some reason, this text was pleasing to read, and James allowed himself to grin, unaware of Sirius plopping down next to him on the couch with a large bowl of crisps. When James grew cognizant of Sirius' eyes watching him, he quickly typed Lily their address before adding,

Sounds good, girlfriend. I'll see you soon.

Twenty eight days earlier

In preparation for Lily's arrival, James cleaned their flat, despite mocking and lack of help from Sirius, who opted for lounging on the couch as James moved about vacuuming, dusting, and scrubbing the kitchen spotless.

"So when's the Queen arriving? You are cleaning because the Queen of England is visiting, aren't you?"

"Very funny, Sirius. If you ever had a girlfriend, you might put some effort into keeping our flat clean. But since you are incapable of serious romantic attachments, do try to be courteous to those of us with normal human emotions."

"Oy, I'm capable of a relationship, thank you very much—"

"With Marlene?"

But Sirius was saved from answering by a precise knock on the front door. James hastily slammed closed the kitchen pantry and made his way to the door.

"Hello," he greeted, brightly, aware of Sirius' eyes on his back. He leaned down to hug Lily, and she reciprocated easily with a plump kiss on his cheek.

"Hi Lily," Sirius called from the sofa.

"Hello, Sirius. Nice to see you, again."

"Of course, I can make myself scarce if you need it," Sirius offered pointedly.

"That won't be necessary," James told him firmly, as he hung Lily's coat for her.

"Yeah, I won't bother you for long," Lily promised, pulling a bag out of the coat pocket and handing it to James. "I was out shopping and I thought of you when I saw it…"

James looked at her curiously, opening the bag enough to peer inside.

"I know they're your favorite band, and I didn't know if you'd like it. It's a silly t-shirt and all… I can return it if you don't," Lily rambled, but then was silenced by James' embrace.

"This is brilliant," he told her, and though she was often unsure of his sincerity versus his acting in front of their friends, she was left with little doubt that he actually liked the gift. "Thanks, flower."

"You're welcome," she told him earnestly. From her peripherals she could see Sirius watching them curiously, and prompted by his interest, she leaned up to give James a quick kiss on the lips. When she dropped back down on her heels, James' lips found hers again for another short kiss.

"You staying for dinner?" Sirius interrupted before they could kiss again, because Sirius sincerely believed that they would. And Lily found herself wondering about it, too.

"Oh no, I didn't plan on staying long. Though I don't need to leave just yet."

But Lily did end up staying for dinner, watching Sirius and James work together to magnificently burn the chicken they were cooking.

"Are you excited about the work party?" Sirius asked Lily over dinner.

"Work party?" Lily asked, vocalizing James' thoughts, before realization dawned on her. "I completely forgot about that. You're going with Marlene this year, again?"

"Yeah, she invited me, despite last year."

"Oh please," Lily laughed, "You were the life of the party last year if I remember correctly."

"Though I'm not sure how you could considering how sloshed you were."

"Hey now," Lily said indignantly, though she was still laughing. "I'll be on my best behavior this year, because James will be there. Right, James?"

Quick on the uptake, James nodded. "Yeah, I'll keep you in line like I always do," he vowed, sending a wink her way.

Lily caught his eye and smiled once Sirius had turned the subject to something else and was not paying close attention to them. They spent the rest of the evening in casual discussion, though Lily made a mental note to clarify the party plans with James. By the time she was leaving, James offered to walk her home but she found herself declining before she even considered the offer. When she arrived home, she unlocked her phone to text James about her safe arrival and found he had already texted her.

Thanks again for the shirt. You really didn't have to get me anything, though I appreciate your dedication to the bit.

I didn't get it for the bit. I got it because we're mates, right? Besides I guess I've learned a lot about you over the last month or so.

You have, have you?

Yeah. Not least of all: you're a liar.

I'm a liar?

Yeah… so much for swearing to never kiss me again.

And Lily, smiling to herself as she curled up in bed, wasn't surprised to not get a response back from James.

Twenty four days earlier

The days following Lily visiting James' apartment went by without much consequence. Both she and James were learning to take their affection in stride. It seemed necessary at this point to remain affectionate in front of their friends. At any rate, a kiss was just a kiss.

Still, as James and Lily dressed for the party at Lily's work, both couldn't help but put extra care into their appearance, even though they didn't think much about why. Though the office party was one of many her boss put on throughout the year, Lily took it as a great opportunity to dress up and this time wouldn't be any different – though her having a date, fake or otherwise, was different.

James, however, gauged what to wear based on Sirius and ended up sporting a dark-green sweater vest over a cream-colored button down. He stood in front of the mirror, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose before ruffling both hands through his hair.

"Nervous?" Sirius called from the doorway, which he leaned on with a casual elegance that James could never, try-as-he-may, accomplish.

"Nervous? Nah. Why would I be nervous?"

Sirius laughed, "No reason at all, mate. Are you ready?"

James nodded, turning from the mirror and grabbing the blazer he had tossed onto his bed, before following Sirius out of their flat.

The trip to the publishing house was short and inconsequential. He and Sirius took up their typical conversation about football before the discussion of whether they'd paid their rent on time or not came up. Sirius was still insisting that they had – though James knew they had not – when he led James out of the lift and through the glass-paneled doors of Lily and Marlene's employer.

James' annoyance evaporated upon seeing Lily; she was standing next to Marlene talking to three other women James didn't know. Once Sirius was within feet of them, Lily looked around and saw him. Her face broke into a large smile as she waved at him and it was then James noticed her dress: black, fitted only enough to showcase her curves, but conservative enough to wear around colleagues.

Suddenly James found himself at her side, an arm around her shoulders as he leaned in to kiss her hairline.

"Flower, you look absolutely beautiful."

Luckily Lily was on her game and though the comment caught her off guard, she didn't show it. "Well thank you, love. But you needn't remind me every time we see each other."

"I most certainly do, if it's true. Which it always is," James insisted, aware that they were speaking loudly enough for the group around them to hear.

Lily swatted his arm playfully, but she beamed at him. "Girls, this is James. James these are Marlene and I's colleagues: Mary-Ann, Emma, and Janet."

James shook their hands, and once he turned his attention to say hello to Marlene, he became aware of the pointed looks all three girls sent Lily. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lily shaking her hand in their direction, her cheeks reddening in apparent pleasure.

Dutifully, James remained a fixture at Lily's side throughout the evening, leaving only to venture to the refreshment table for them. He felt rather fortunate that things with Lily seemed so natural – the ruse was simple and therefore convincing. He had no way of knowing if Lily felt the same, though he grew confident that the feeling might be mutual as the night drew on and she frequently reached out to touch him when laughing.

"Oh James, that's so eerily similar to what happened to you at University, isn't it?" Lily asked, as the night was winding down, and they stood in discussion with two of Lily's coworkers: Seamus and Bertram. "That story is brilliant, you should tell them."

James, quick on the uptake, nodded his assent. "Now that you mention it, Lil, that does remind me of the Leaky Tavern. When we were in second year of University, we wandered into this rundown pub. Real foul place, it was..."

Twenty one days earlier

"You know, I think I've outdone myself," Marlene told Lily, as she nosed through the newspaper sipping her tea.

"Oh you have, have you?" Lily teased, her eyes torn away from gazing out of the café's window.

"Certainly. When I discussed setting you and James up, I had no idea you two would hit it off this well. Mary-Ann and Janet won't shut-up about you two. And they keep texting me asking to set them up on dates as well."

"Do they now?" Lily mused, grinning into the cup of tea she held near her lips. "Can't blame them, really. James and I are pretty great together."

"Great? More like perfectly matched," Marlene spouted excitedly. "You should've seen the looks on people's faces after I told them you two have only been going out for a little over a month. They thought you must've been hiding James for years, the way you two are around each other."

Lily cocked an eyebrow at Marlene, "I thought we disgusted you. I mean, not as much as we disgust Sirius, mind."

Marlene shrugged. "Some of it is a bit much, yeah. But who am I to stand in the way of love?"

Lily snorted into her tea, but quickly turned it into a cough. "Yeah, no one in their right mind would," she said flippantly, but Marlene nodded in agreement, turning her attention back to the newspaper.

Lily casually slipped her mobile out of her purse and scrolled to James' name.

Marlene is absolutely convinced we are the perfect match. Says the girls from work won't shut up about us. She's beginning to throw around the L-word. How have things been going on your end?

---

"Your phone's going off," Sirius informed James from the kitchen.

James, who hadn't realized he'd left the phone on the kitchen table scrambled off the sofa to get it. He had to stifle a laugh as he read Lily's words.

"How's she doing?" Sirius asked knowingly, as he stirred the pot of noodles on the stove-top.

"Fine as usual."

"Just fine?"

"Yes, Sirius. If you hadn't noticed, things are going rather well between us."

"Oh, I've noticed. I mean, it's going well, but not that well, right?" Sirius muttered, cryptically.

James' eyebrows shot up. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you've met some of Lily's mates… But you haven't even tried to arrange her meeting Remus and Peter, have you? Can't be that serious, can it?"

James bit his lip, shrugging, before noticing Sirius still had his back to him. "We've only just started dating, Sirius."

"Yeah, yeah, all right," Sirius said, and there was an unsettling amusement to his tone. "You want some of these noodles? I accidentally opened both boxes."

"Yeah, sure," James said, distractedly, as he pulled out his phone.

Got a ways to go with Sirius, I think. But glad to hear Marlene is eating it all up.

A ways to go yet? Meet me for lunch day after tomorrow, yeah?

Okay, yeah. I'll see you then Flower.

Nineteen days earlier

"Hello," Lily greeted cheerfully, sliding onto the booth bench across from James. "Have I kept you waiting long?"

"Oh, no, not at all. How are you doing?" James asked, passing his menu over to her.

"Oh thanks. I'm good, James. How are you? You said Sirius has a ways to go? What's that mean?"

"Straight to business, then?" James teased, then, upon seeing Lily's face tense, laughed. "Only joking. It was nothing important, mind. Sirius just mentioned that we can't be too serious because I haven't introduced you to the other lads yet."

"Ah," Lily breathed out, busying herself with the menu, and James hid his smirk behind his glass.

"I have no problem with you meeting them," James began, drawing Lily's eyes to his. "I don't think it's necessary to involve them, but it wouldn't bother me to involve them in the charade. I'll be seeing them this weekend. Sirius is getting us tickets to a football match."

"Really? Which one?"

"Puddlemere is hosting the Cannons. Should be a good match… for Puddlemere, hopefully."

Lily's eyes lit up, and James thought she inched forward to the edge of her seat. "Has he gotten the tickets already?"

"No I don't think he has." James watched with amusement as Lily sat back in her seat, her face growing casual. "Do you want to come with us?"

"Yes! Of course, if you don't have the tickets and it's no bother. If not, don't make a big fuss over it."

James grinned, "I'll talk to Sirius. In the mean-time, why don't you order some food?"

Lily smiled broadly in return, forcing herself to review the menu. Once the waiter came around to take their orders, Lily spoke again. "You were the life of the party the other night, I'll have you know. Everyone was mad about you – but don't tell Sirius about it, okay? Otherwise you'll have to compete with him next party."

James laughed, before her words finally sunk in. "Next party?" he asked casually.

"Yeah," Lily answered swiftly, having realized her words now as well. "If you'd like to come… I mean… I just figured we'd be friends by then, wouldn't we? Next time a party comes 'round we'll have made up from the devastating breakup and we'd be mates…"

James grinned, "Oh, definitely. I don't suppose it'll be much longer before we have the breakup. After the football match we can make the arrangements for the breakup."

"That sounds good to me," Lily agreed, just as the waiter returned to their table with their appetizer. The subject of the ruse didn't come back up again for the rest of the lunch.

Fifteen days earlier

Despite many offers from James to pick Lily up for the football match, Lily assured him she would be fine meeting him and his friends in front of the arena. Nevertheless, James found himself pacing in between his friends as he waited for Lily's arrival.

"James, calm down, will you? You look a little high strung," his friend Remus told him, a smirk on his lips.

"Yeah, why is that? It's not like we've never met your past girlfriends before. Granted it's rather unusual you'd invite her to a match with us. Most birds you've dated in the past couldn't give a rat's arse about football."

James shrugged, stopping his pacing as he faced his friends. "She seemed pretty enthusiastic about coming to the match, Pete."

"Hope it's not disappointing," Sirius interjected. "With how we've been playing recently, I wouldn't be surprised if we lose."

James nodded at this, Lily falling from his mind. "Agreed. I don't know why they even keep Wilks, he's, at best, a sub-par goal-keep. And with all the money we spend on him, we could really improve our mid-fielders. Our left side has always been the weakest."

He and Sirius had had this discussion for weeks, and Remus was inclined to agree, even as Peter argued that Wilks' save percentage was in the top twenty percent of goal-keeps in the league. In the middle of Sirius and Peter's heated debate about Wilks, James' eyes were drawn across the lawn where a flash of red caught his eye.

"There she is," James interrupted, his face breaking into a smile as he waved to Lily. He was pleased to see her donning a rather worn looking Puddlemere jersey. "Hey!"

"Hello," she called back, once she was close enough to the four men. She smiled, giving James a quick hug as she reached him, before turning to the others. "Hi Sirius. You two must be Remus and Peter. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Whatever James has told you about us is not true," Remus assured, extending his hand. "I'm Remus, it's great to meet you Lily."

"Yes, definitely. It's not often James brings a girl to a football match," Peter added, reaching his own hand out to her. "Are you excited?"

"Oh definitely," Lily said, sidling between James and Sirius as the group started walking to the gates of the arena. "Though if Wilks keeps performing as he has been, I might jump down to the side-lines to fire him myself. Do you know he's the third highest paid player on the team and his save percentage is barely in the top twenty percent in the league? If I managed the team, I'd cut him and invest his salary into getting us more support for mid-field."

Only Lily's excitement at stepping into the arena stopped her from noticing the awed looks shared between James' friends. They were all slow to recover from the shock, though no-one recuperated slower than James himself.

Fourteen days earlier

"You didn't rehearse that, did you?" Remus asked James the next day. James' mouth babbled open and closed like a goldfish. "I mean, that was rather strange, wasn't it? You and Lily having the exact same opinion about the team?"

"Strange?" Sirius scoffed, "More like, frightening."

James was inclined to agree, but then remembering he was not allowed to agree, he recovered: "Lily and I are a good match," he said, before shrugging. "The more I've gotten to know her, the better we seem to fit."

Startlingly true words, prompting dangerous thoughts, and James wanted nothing more than to change the subject away from Lily. But he couldn't without raising suspicion, as it was ritual for his friends to give their opinions on his girlfriend; and he very well couldn't avoid this conversation after the previous day – after Lily came storming into the football match, appearing to be his perfect girlfriend.

"I like her," Peter added helpfully, from the threshold of the kitchen. "I mean, she's rather harsh on Wilks, but other than that…"

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Wilks is rubbish, Pete."

And, miraculously, the argument from the previous day came back around in full force, successfully ending their conversation about Lily and how well they seemed to fit. James internally shook his head. Just because Lily and he felt similarly about the management of their football team, didn't mean they were meant to be together, meant to fall in love. If anything, it meant they were well suited to be friends. He could sit around the pub with Lily watching matches, or go to them together as mates. This revelation shouldn't be shocking or scary – he should be thrilled to have befriended such a level-headed and well educated football fan.

Surely they were a good fit. But you can be a good fit as mates, right? his mind thought.

Right, he answered himself, forcing his attention back to Peter and Sirius. But his concentration shifted back to Lily when his phone lit up.

So how did I do?

James looked between his friends, Sirius and Peter both now red in the face from arguing, with Remus between them mediating, and smiled.

You were fantastic.

Ten days earlier

Lily stifled a yawn, rubbing her eyes with her palms before leaning closer to her computer screen. It was now approaching six and she was nowhere near where she wanted to be on the assignment, but her eyes were no longer willing to cooperate. She leaned back from the screen, sighing, just as her mobile buzzed. She knew it was James – they had been texting frequently over the previous few days, ever since they went to the football match together. She couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face when she thought about it.

James often texted her at work, though the contents of the messages were sometimes not particularly interesting – sometimes they agreed their names needed to appear on each other's phones, regardless of the content. But lately she and James spent their days discussing the football league and most particularly Puddlemere. Marlene was overjoyed by the happy coincidence that Lily and James rooted for the same football team.

Match is on at seven. You going to get home in time for it?

I hope so. Still at the office but I'm pretty useless at this point.

Head home. Make yourself something delicious. Watch Puddlemere squeak by to another victory on Wilks' very over-paid back.

Lily laughed aloud, preparing a reply when a second text came through.

That's an order.

Okay, okay. Packing up my things now. But I have to stop by the grocers for some food so I might miss the beginning of the match.

That won't do. Just go home, I'm sure you have plenty to eat there… Worse comes to worse, you can order something.

It wasn't the worst idea she had heard all day. Excited at the prospect of ordering in something fabulous from the nearby deli, she locked up her office and left.

By the time the short journey to her flat was over, Lily's stomach was rumbling. Kicking off her shoes at the door, she made her way over to the kitchen drawer where she kept her menus and shuffled through them. Finally extracting the one she wanted, she tossed the rest on the counter before walking over to turn on her television. Her perusing of the deli menu was interrupted by three loud knocks on the door. She opened it, coming face-to-face with a large brown-sack grocery bag.

"Hello," James greeted cheerfully, popping out from the side of the bag. "Did I make it in time?"

Overcoming her shock, Lily moved sideways to grant James entrance. "In time for what?"

James placed the brown bag on her counter before swinging around to look at her. He gestured to the menu in her hand. "Did you order yet or did I make it in time?"

"Oh," Lily exhaled, realizing the menu was still in her hand. "I was just about to order when you showed up."

"Timing is everything," James told her, a broad smile on his face as he began emptying the contents of the sack. "I should be able to get this done by the time the match starts."

"James, you didn't have to do all of this," Lily said, blushing. She tried to collect all the menus scattered around her counter and shove them back into the drawer before he noticed them.

"What are fake-boyfriends for?" James grinned over his shoulder at her, and she smiled back.

Eight days earlier

She received the text message early in the morning – it was whiny and little boy-ish but these realities didn't negate Lily's sympathy. James had awoken to a sore throat and runny nose, and as most men tend to feel when sick, he felt completely helpless. Still, Lily didn't mind. It had been ages since she had thrown together her mother's famous chicken soup recipe, and she had most of the ingredients already sitting in her pantry. Mrs. Jones, her next door neighbor, ended up having the last two ingredients needed and the results were a large vat of chicken soup that Lily happily trudged over to James' apartment carrying.

Sirius answered the door, his eyes growing wide in surprise as he offered to take the large pot of soup from her hands.

"Thanks," she told him, as he placed the pot on the stove top. "Is he as helpless as he appears to be?"

Sirius grimaced lightheartedly, "Even more so. Can't believe you did all of this for him."

"I'll take that 'Best Girlfriend Ever' award as a plaque, instead of a trophy, if you don't mind. Haven't got much room for it on my desk," she said, coyly. Sirius matched her smirk, shaking his head as handed her a large bowl from one of their top cabinets.

Once she had ladled a large helping of soup into the bowl and grabbed a spoon and a stack of napkins, Lily bustled over to James' room, Sirius at her heels.

A bleary voice granted them entrance and Lily couldn't hold the broad smile off her face from James' shocked reaction.

"Lily! Flower… What are you doing here?"

"Oh please don't act so shocked," she chided lightly. "Your text made it sound as if you were on your death bed. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't come to sit at your bedside?"

"An awful one," James supplied, the melodramatics of his voice prompting Sirius to roll his eyes. "You've picked me up some soup?"

"Made it, actually. It's my mum's best recipe. Guaranteed to bring a dying man back to full health."

"Thank goodness. I'm too young and handsome to die," James moaned, before he succumbed to a coughing fit.

"Are you sure you even want to save him?" Sirius muttered, clearly unconcerned.

"Well, seeing as I've come all this way, may as well. But next time…"

"Har, har," was all James could get out before coughing again.

"Okay, love. Time to sit up a little," Lily instructed, running the spoon through the soup as James propped himself up on his elbows.

Lily deftly slid the spoon into James' mouth, and his joyful 'mm' was drowned out by an agonized noise form Sirius' mouth. "I thought we were done with you two feeding each other."

"Now, now, Sirius, don't be jealous because you don't have anyone to care for you when you're ill," Lily teased, scooping more soup into the spoon and moving it to James' grinning mouth.

Sirius' scoff fell on deaf ears, as Lily brought a napkin up to James' lips. The emerald and hazel locked, before Lily once again filled the spoon and brought it to his mouth. After a few more, James peered beyond Lily's shoulder and noticed Sirius was gone. Lily brought one last spoonful to his lips before he cleared his throat.

"We've lost our audience."

"Ooh," Lily said, now looking over her shoulder, her cheeks reddening. "Sorry about that. Got a little carried away."

He smirked, waving away her apology. "You won't find many men who will be upset that a beautiful bird is caring for them." James pushed himself up straight to continue his meal; Lily placed the spoon in his outstretched hand. "Besides, I think Sirius is finally convinced, don't you?"

"Huh?" Lily mumbled, distracted by James' own deft hand now. "Oh, yes. I'm sure me at your sickbed is proof enough of our affection."

James nodded, "So… Once I'm better, yeah?"

Lily forced a nod herself, "Yeah. Once you are better… We'll breakup."

"Good," James said, his own smile forced.

Six days earlier

From a wellness standpoint, James would have to say he was feeling better. His throat certainly felt less scratchy, and his sinuses cleared. And it was just as well, as he had a major client to meet with, and he didn't fancy having to stay home sick or even worse, be off his game when meeting with the client. He had finished the large pot of soup Lily had left for him, which was fortunate for his health, but unfortunate for his craving. He thought twice about texting her asking for more, but ended up swinging by the grocers on the way to work and picking up the nearest substitute in the canned soup aisle.

He knew it wouldn't compare, but he couldn't rationalize asking Lily to make him more soup when he didn't really need it. And as much as he wanted to see her, he couldn't justify it: they had made it clear that a breakup was coming soon. And though he had never fake-broken-up before, he was certain it would involve he and Lily not spending as much time together, and it would definitely mean she wouldn't make him more soup just because he wasn't feeling well. At least not at first. And he had no idea how long they would have to wait after the 'breakup' before they could finally become mates.

The thought made him frown. But the arrival of his client drove Lily from his mind.

---

"Is everything all right, Lily? You're being very quiet. Are you and James…?"

"I'm fine. We are fine. He's been sick this weekend and I just hope he's feeling better," Lily assured Marlene, before turning back to her computer screen.

Not entirely a lie, Lily knew. But the part of it that was a lie was troublesome. She knew she was probably being ridiculous. And over-thinking things. James was probably sitting in his office, pouring over financial reports, on the phone with clients or being berated with hundreds of emails – she was probably the furthest thing from his mind. No, she was definitely the furthest thing. She could curse herself for even worrying about it. It was natural to worry about his health, knowing how sick he had been over the weekend. But this was beyond that.

She looked over at Marlene, who was so obliviously happy for her. So certain that she had the golden touch of matchmaking. Lily wouldn't be surprised if Marlene had already considered the possibility of her and James marrying. It was more than what Lily could've hoped for, when she and James decided to play this joke on her. They had both her and Sirius convinced of their compatibility and happiness, and logically the next step was the breakup. It would push the whole ruse over the edge, and hopefully put a stopper in any of Marlene's future matchmaking plans. But Lily had to admit it was wearing. She didn't particularly enjoy lying to Marlene about the nature of their relationship. Even if it were all for a purpose, and even though Marlene might even deserve being put in her place.

But then why did Lily find no joy in the thought of their impending 'breakup'?

"We better go now so we won't be late for the meeting," Marlene said, from somewhere far away.

"Right." And thankfully, James was driven from her thoughts.

Three days earlier

To Lily, the work-week was dragging. Partially because she had a major account she was working on and also because she had a lot on her mind, which didn't bode well for the work she was doing on the major account. She and James hadn't talked much since she went over to his apartment with soup. Apart from him texting her repeated thank-yous and her checking up on his health, the remainder of their text messages revolved around football matches and other safe, trivial subjects.

She waited, albeit half-heartedly, for James to bring up the breakup again, now that he was well, but it never came. And she felt no inclination to mention it either, even though it made her feel stupid. The situation reminded her of her early relationships at University – where they sat in limbo, and she sat agonizing about the future of her relationships, but remained unwilling to bring them up in case it triggered the ending. She tried quite a few times to text James about it, even going so far as saving a text in her draft folder, but couldn't find the strength or desire to press send.

She tried to drive out these thoughts as she left her office in mid-morning to get a sandwich and a cup of coffee from the shop near her work. Unfortunately – or fortunately, really – as she rounded the street corner near the shop, she looked up the sidewalk to see James, dressed in a suit and tie, marching purposefully toward her.

"Hey!" she called, once James had seen her and waved. They paused, face-to-face in front of the coffee shop door. Subconsciously running her hands down to flatten her skirt, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Just popped out of the office for some coffee," he answered, smiling. "Been dragging a bit this morning. You?"

"As am I," Lily said, nodding, trying to keep her eyes on James' face and not on the suit he was wearing; the green in his tie matched the flecks in his eyes – not something a friend usually notices.

"Shall we?" James asked, pulling the door open and gesturing for her to go inside.

She smiled gratefully at him before leading him into the shop and straight to the counter for ordering. Rocking on her feet slightly, she gave her order to the college-aged girl behind the counter and then pulled out her wallet. But before she could pay, James had come to her side, giving his own order, and pressed his card into the cashier's out-stretched hand.

"That was wholly unnecessary," she told him as they walked to a nearby table to wait for their order to come up. "But thank you, James."

"You're welcome. Really, I don't mind."

During the time it took for their coffees and sandwiches to be made, Lily and James discussed how their work day was going, and James expressed his gratitude, once more, for Lily's kindness when he was ill. Still, neither James nor Lily brought up their future breakup plans. When their names were finally called by the cashier, James grabbed his sandwich and coffee and looked toward the door.

"I'd really like to spend lunch here but I can't," he told her, apologetically but firmly.

"Oh, no matter. I didn't really have the time to sit around here either. I'll be working during lunch today."

"Same," James nodded, before leading Lily out of the shop and onto the sidewalk. "It was nice running into you. Wish we could've stayed longer."

"Me too, James," Lily replied, a small smile on her lips. "Talk to you later?"

"Definitely," James said, grinning.

They both turned away from each other and began walking in opposite directions to their work. James threw a look over his shoulder, then paused to watch Lily just before she walked around the street corner and out of sight.

He'd been wondering if it was the right time to bring up their breakup plans. After all, they had agreed to breakup once he felt better. But he couldn't find it within him to say it, and Lily appeared too busy with work to give the subject much thought. He knew they couldn't remain this way forever, regardless of his personal unwillingness. Lily didn't appear overly concerned, so why should he feel like they should rush into the unpleasantness? He shrugged to himself before taking a sip of his coffee. It burnt his tongue.

Two days earlier

Unfortunately for both James and Lily, the universe seemed keen on presenting them the opportunity to breakup. Both Marlene and Sirius wanted go to dinner on the following Monday night and were set on double-dating with James and Lily, which they separately informed the couple over lunch on this sun-lit Friday afternoon. Without so much as consulting the other via text, Lily and James both agreed to the dinner. And though he intended to text Lily about the dinner, the thought was driven from James' mind as he received an email reminding him of the Sunday-evening dinner his company was hosting that he had forgotten about months before.

"At least Lily can go with you," Sirius said, helpfully, once James had read the email aloud to him. "Bit last minute, but I'm sure she'd clear her schedule for you."

James nodded absently, scrolling to her name on his phone.

Sorry this is a bit last minute, but I just realized I have a work party on Sunday night. Is there any possibility you can accompany me?

He waited on the edge of his seat for the five minutes it took Lily to reply. Sirius didn't seem to notice.

Of course... Did you hear about our dinner plans the next night?

James quietly exhaled in relief, as Sirius spouted on about meeting up with Remus and Peter later that evening.

Thanks very much. I wouldn't typically bother you but Sirius suggested I do… Yes, I heard all about it. Hope you won't mind having dinner with me two nights in a row.

I think I'll manage all right. : - ) Lily was about to send, before being interrupted by another text from James.

Besides, there will be some blokes at the party, and you'll be single soon, right? Maybe you'll meet someone at the dinner.

Distracted by Sirius, he sent the text message, then immediately hated himself for it. This was not at all what he wanted.

Once the message appeared on Lily's screen, her eyes widened, then narrowed. She frowned. It was nothing to get mad about, she told herself. She knew all along this was just a game they were playing. It was only a matter of time before James set her free. And maybe there would be someone at the dinner worth meeting.

That sounds great.

But she didn't mean it.

One day earlier

'That sounds great' – the three words echoed in James' mind, as if Lily herself had said them. He only forced himself to reply out of necessity – she needed to know the time and place of the event and when he would pick her up. But then after that message left his phone, he had nothing else to say. There was nothing else he could say. It was his inane suggestion that had prompted those three words; but even then, that's what Lily deserved, wasn't it?

It wouldn't be the first time James had introduced a girl friend to one of his coworkers. In fact, his friend Hestia was still dating this bloke Davey Gudgeon who worked in accounts receivable, and he was nothing if not happy for them. So introducing Lily to another bloke shouldn't bother him, he should be happy to be such a good friend. But he wasn't. He wasn't happy thinking about Lily with another boyfriend, fake-or-real. And it wasn't until he laid down for bed that he realized why.

---

Lily, who had spent the better part of the day out shopping with Marlene, was pleased at the new dress she had purchased. Getting Marlene to go shopping with her was always a simple task – but telling Marlene she wanted a new dress for a dinner date with James made Marlene jump at the chance to go, though Lily left out the part where the dress wasn't for James.

As much as she wanted to get past James' suggestion, it nagged at the back of her mind. The rational part of her knew there was no reason for James to want to keep the charade going. Even she considered that the perfect opportunity arose when Marlene suggested they all go out for dinner. Two months ago when she and James discussed their plan, this was always supposed to be the ending. And the fact that she didn't want that ending anymore didn't force James to not want it too. So if she was going to be set free, she was going to enjoy the rest of the ride and look fabulous while doing it.

The day of

Despite herself, Lily couldn't help but feel excited to spend the evening with James. She wasted away the hours of the day until she could rationalize getting ready for the dinner. Taking her time, she fixed her hair to lay in soft wavy curls, and applied a light coat of make-up on her face, before finally sliding into her newest black dress and heels. And though James arrived impeccably on-time, she still had managed to be ready for an hour before his arrival.

"Hi," he greeted, as she opened the door. His hair was in a disarray as usual, but otherwise he was immaculate; a well-fitting tuxedo clung to his shoulders, and a thin black tie with a perfect double Windsor knot hung down his starch-white shirt. "Wow."

Lily was pleased to see him give her a polite look-over. "Wow yourself. You clean up nicely."

He lingered at the door-way, his hands shoved into his pockets now. "Thank you. My mum made me take etiquette classes as a boy. You… you look stunning." He cleared his throat as one hand flew from his pocket into his messy tresses.

"Thank you. Should we leave now?"

"If you're ready," James said, nodding. He cleared his throat as he forced his hand out of his hair and gestured out the door.

Lily grabbed her purse off her small living room table and led James outside. When they arrived to the sidewalk outside her apartment building, James led her to a taxi waiting for them.

"It's not far," Lily commented, though she allowed James to open the door for her and she sat herself down as gracefully as possible.

"No need to walk," he dismissed before closing her door and walking around to the other side.

For the duration of their short ride to James' office, he filled Lily in about the dinner she was about to attend. While it would not be as large as the work event he accompanied her to, this event, though low-key, had some of the firm's biggest clients in attendance.

"Shall I sweet talk your boss into giving you a raise?" Lily teased, as the taxi pulled to the curb.

"Well you can try. But I don't think her husband will be too keen on it," James said, grinning, as he paid the driver.

Lily barely finished laughing by the time they made their way into the building and up to the firm's floor. James threw her grins as they walked, and hardly contained himself when they got into the lift with some of his coworkers and Lily was still stifling her laughter. It was a beautiful laugh. He held out his hand when the lift stopped, and as Lily took it, both pretended to not feel a surge of energy at the touch. She was not sure if she was glad or not when James released her hand once they entered the large boardroom where the dinner was being held.

Throughout the evening, Lily stayed dutifully next to James, just as he had during their time at her work party. She did her best to casually converse with James' coworkers, and tried to be especially charming when James introduced her to a couple of the clients who headed some of his accounts. This was particularly easy when Lily was introduced to James' client and long-time friend Amos Diggory.

"Hello Amos. Glad you made it," James said, clasping Amos' hand. "Lily this is Amos Diggory, an old friend. Amos, this is Lily Evans."

"Pleasure," Lily recited, extending her own hand.

"Nice to meet you, Lily," Amos said kindly. His hair was light brown, and combed over to the side, and there were small lines around his eyes as he smiled but that didn't diminish his good-looks, it suited him well. Clasping James on the shoulder, Amos told Lily, "James has never brought a date to one of these before."

Lily looked at James, the edge of her lips curving at the end and James gave her a quick side-glance. "It's a long story, Amos, but Lily and I are just friends."

Amos pursed his lips, as if considering what James meant, but then smiled. "Ah, I see. Well then Miss Lily Evans, can I freshen your drink?"

"That would be great," Lily said, handing her glass to Amos. "Thanks very much Mr. Diggory."

"Please, call me Amos. Mr. Diggory is that wobbly old codger over there – my father," Amos said, gesturing behind him to a man talking quietly with one of James' supervisors. He smiled at her before excusing himself to the bar.

"He's nice," Lily commented to James when Amos was out of ear-shot.

"Mmhm," James mumbled, before finishing the rest of his drink with a large gulp. Lily didn't seem to notice, having been distracted by a beautiful pair of heels one of the waitresses setting up the dinner tables was wearing.

A moment later when Amos returned, James excused himself and made his way over to the bar. Lily watched him go out of the corner of her eye as Amos began asking her about her own career.

"Double whiskey," James told the bartender sharply, as he slammed the empty glass on the counter with a thud.

"Yes sir," the bartender said, apparently unperturbed by James. As he slid the glass to James, he asked, "Not enjoying yourself, sir?"

James shrugged, casting a look over his shoulder at Lily and Amos before turning back around to face the bar. "Not particularly."

The bartender nodded kindly, having followed where James' eyes went. "Ah, I see. That's birds for ya."

James felt disinclined to correct him – as nice as it would be to tell the bartender about his problems, that just wasn't a cliché he was willing to do tonight. He did really want to talk to someone; but Sirius wouldn't understand, though Remus might be sympathetic to him. Problem was, it would take too long for James to explain his situation, and what he needed was an idea for the present. He'd have to be an idiot to not see the way Amos was looking at Lily – especially in that dress – and really he had no one to blame but himself. He practically pushed her away, instead of just putting himself out there. At least then if she wasn't interested, he wouldn't feel like he'd blown his shot.

"Sir," the bartender said, interrupting his thoughts. "Dinner's about to be served. I can top that off for you if you'd like."

James gulped the rest of his drink and set it down on the counter, much gentler than previously. "That won't be necessary. Thanks very much," he said before pulling out his wallet and tipping the bartender.

"Hope your evening turns around," the bartender said sincerely, gracious after the tip.

James nodded, forcing a smile, before beginning to walk toward Lily and Amos. He was determined to turn it around himself.

It was this mindset that got James through the rest of the dinner, he sitting at Lily's right while Amos sat on her left. Though Lily attempted to bring James into their conversations a few times, he remained reserved, forcing himself to smile kindly at the duo, as if he wasn't boiling inside. By the time dinner was cleared and his bosses had concluded their speeches and toasts, James' resolve was built.

"This was a lovely evening," Amos commented, rising from his seat after dinner to put on his jacket.

Lily, who had also stood up, nodded. "Yes, it was very nice for James to invite me."

"I must agree," Amos said, casting a side-along glance over to James, who was standing a few feet away, pretending to say goodbye to Hestia. "I'd love to see you again, Lily."

"Oh," Lily said, taken aback, her cheeks flushing. She had a feeling Amos might be interested in dating, but didn't think he would be so frank about it. "That… would be nice."

"Great. I'll get your number from James," Amos said, his eyes crinkling from his large smile. Fat chance, James thought, smirking despite himself. "It was very nice meeting you."

"You as well, Amos," Lily said, reaching her hand out; Amos grabbed it lightly in his and brushed a quick kiss over her knuckles before standing up straight.

"James, it was great to see you. I'll be in touch this week, all right, mate?"

"Sounds great," James said, grinning. He shook Amos' outstretched hand. "Enjoy the rest of your night."

"You, as well. Get this one home safe, eh?" Amos said, gesturing to Lily.

"Of course," James nodded.

Lily and James stood there silently as they watched Amos make his way around the table toward a few other executives for pleasantries.

"Shall we go?"

"Yes," Lily said, nodding.

James led her through the boardroom, waving goodbye to people as he went, his nerves beginning to rise with every step. When they reached the lobby, James pulled his cell phone out of his pocket before turning to Lily.

"Shall I ring us a cab or would you like to walk home?"

"Walking sounds nice," Lily answered, before pressing the lobby door open and stepping out into the cool air. The lights surrounding the street twinkled in the sky like stars. Without warning, Lily felt James' jacket surround her shoulders. She looked over at him fondly, happily tugging the jacket around her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," James said, smiling himself. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arm around her shoulder and have her nuzzle into his side like she had once before during their fake movie date. Instead, he walked with his hands tucked into his pockets and watched the cracks on the sidewalk.

"Amos is nice," Lily said casually, as they walked to the street corner where they had to cross to get to the road her apartment was on.

"Yeah," James answered, noncommittally.

"You don't like him?" Lily asked, as they stood on the edge of the curb waiting for the traffic to clear.

"I like him enough."

Lily bit her lip, but didn't say anything more until they had reached her front door. "I had a great time tonight."

"I'm glad. Thank you for clearing your schedule, I know it was last minute," James said sincerely.

Lily stood with her back to her front door, unsure of what to do. It was getting late, and James probably wouldn't want to come inside, but she didn't want to say goodnight just yet. Though part of her thought if she waited long enough James would bring up their plans to breakup the next evening, and she didn't want that either. Feeling silly, she finally unlocked her front door and stepped inside. James lingered, looking unsure himself, at the threshold. It was then Lily realized he was probably waiting for her to take off his jacket, and her face reddened at the realization.

"Oh sorry. I appreciate you letting me wear it," Lily said, her voice flustered, as she took off his jacket and stepped toward him.

"Lily… I…" James began, sheepishly.

"Yes?" Lily prompted, still holding the jacket toward him.

But James, not knowing what to say, did the only thing he could think of. He stepped forward, cupping her face in his hands and kissed her hard on the mouth. Immediately tossing his jacket away from her, Lily threw her arms around James' neck in fervor. As they tangled together, James kicked closed her front door and they began fumbling through her apartment. Their lips and hands worked feverishly together, James being loosely aware of Lily kicking her heels off before she pulled his tie up from around his neck and onto the floor.

When they finally made their way through the living room, James picked Lily up by her waist and hastily opened the door to her bedroom. As James backed into the room, Lily regained her footing and pushed him toward the edge of her bed. Their lips broke apart as he sat down but before he could even breathe, Lily was back, straddling his thigh. The feel of her over top of him prompted his hands to grasp at her dress, and suddenly she pulled away.

"Wait… wait. What are we even doing?"

"Sorry," James panted in response, falling back on her bed, covering his face with his hands. "I'm such a blighter. I'm so sorry, Lily."

Lily, who still had her hands running through her hair, tentatively sat on the edge of her bed near him. But before she could say anything James began again.

"I should've just told you what I was feeling instead of kissing you. I…just… Seeing you talking to Amos… I just snapped, you know? But I should have told you how I felt days ago."

Lily's heart was clamoring rapidly behind her ribcage, and she took a moment to compose her voice before saying, "And how do you feel?"

James sat up, turning to face her on the bed; she could barely see his face through the dim light pouring in through her window. "I know this was supposed to be a charade but…at some point… I stopped wanting it to be."

Lily sighed, relief flushing over her, and she reached out to grab him by the collar and kissed him hard on the mouth. James suddenly felt stupid for a whole different reason as he returned her affection.

Pulling away finally, Lily said, "So did I."

James smiled at her, running a hand down the side of her cheek before kissing her softly on the lips. She returned his smile easily, her eyes traveling from his hair to his full lips then down to his untucked shirt. Keeping her eyes locked with his, she lied down on the bed pulling him down with her. He looked at her questioningly before she undid the next button on his shirt.

"We have two months to catch up on," she informed him, her smile growing mischievous.

James grinned, "That we do."