Romance was not built off of words. It was not that shallow. "Love" was something anyone could say. It meant nothing to her.
Motions. The simplest of them could express more than words ever could.
Glances.
She sat in the Common Room, her nose buried in a Potions essay. He sat across the room with his friends, laughing and joking by the fire. The back of her neck began to tingle; it crept up her face and tinted her cheeks slightly pink. She looked up and met his eyes, which were alight with laughter and something else. Something she hadn't seen in anyone before.
Contact.
They walked down the corridor side by side, a comfortable silence between them. Although the corridor was wide, they walked close together. Every other step their hands would brush against each other. One step. Brush. One step. Brush. Fingers tingling. One step. Brush. One step. Brush. The rhythm broke. Brush. Brush. Brush. Intertwine.
Kisses.
It had been three weeks. Three, since they had become a couple. Most relationships began with a kiss, and she wondered what he was waiting for. They held hands. He pressed his lips to her forehead. It made her lips itch with anticipation. One morning she had made the mistake of reading the Prophet and excused herself from the table before she lost it completely. Her stomach churned as she raced through the corridors, looking for...something. Anything. He ran after her and encompassed her in his arms. Their kiss was wet from her tears. She knew then why he had waited. He had wanted her to know that he meant it.
She loved him. Those three words were not enough.
Glance. Contact. Kisses.
They were supposed to be studying. The thought popped into her head every so often as they lay on his bed. What was it again? Studying…. He was so captivating, she had to struggle to remember. Before she knew it, their kisses grew deep. Their bodies melted together. Their eyes met.
"Lily Evans."
Those two were.
And their love was genuine. It was unique. It was them. Lily Evans and James Potter.
"I love you" may be worn out, but their names never would be.