Hi guys,
Another HP fic- I tried to get this up in time for the royal wedding but no joy!
Hope you all enjoy :)
Please review!
SP7
Installing a little gold bell above the door of her shop had been the best decision she'd made yet, Lily believed, as she gazed up at the small object and enjoyed it's shiny appearance.
She'd always worried that her idea of a coffee shop and bakery in Knightsbridge was too unoriginal and uninspired to attract customers or, more importantly, repeat customers. But, knowing that her father had left her the premises to do what she wanted with and knowing that, if she failed, she could still sell the building for a decent amount, gave her a certain freedom when deciding on her business.
Lily could always bake. And at uni, she'd tried to learn about coffee. At the very least, she knew what she liked and didn't like. And more importantly, she adored tea. She would never have believed that trying 300 different flavours of herbal tea would give her such joy but here she was. Out of each of the 300 cups of tea floated the steam and the scent that let Lily know she was making the correct choice in opening her little shop.
She'd tried to make 'Lily's' as like it's owner as possible. The lower level at the back kept the shelves that had previously housed most of her father's bookshop offerings. She'd filled these shelves with books again - not the precious, original edition or leather-bound books that her father sold - but lighter, yellower and flakier paperbacks that you could put a coffee ring on or dog-ear the page and no one would care. She chose books that she hoped would cater to every taste but kept a small section for herself near the corner wall on the right hand side. At least, if no one came in, she could read.
Near the front of the shop, Lily had a bar bench and stools by the window as well as a few tables and chairs. One table and two chairs sat directly beside her counter. Behind the counter there was a coffee machine, her hot water dispenser and her refrigerated glass cabinet which housed the baked goods she made each morning in the kitchen behind the counter. If they didn't look completely professional, they tasted as good and that was all Lily cared about. She kept the frosted glass that her father had installed, if for no other reason than it was too expensive to replace just yet.
She had only been open one month and business had been steady. She still hadn't taken down the 'congratulations' cards from Mary, Emmeline and Dorcas that she'd decorated the top of the shelves with. She enjoyed looking at them every day, reminding herself of what she had accomplished just by getting the place up and running. And the main reason she adored that little bell was because every time it rang, she knew that someone else was coming into her shop. What she knew now, and what she didn't know when she installed the bell, was that she had never truly expected anyone to want to come into her cafe and that bell proved her wrong every time it sang.
Her opening hours were usual for a business but seeing as how it was she was the only staff member and could run the place for a minimum during daylight hours, Lily also opened the shop at 8am on a Sunday morning. She baked some fresh pastries and doughnuts but also sold any leftovers from Saturday at a discount.
Most Sunday mornings she didn't see anyone before 11am. Except for this one. This Sunday morning, the little bell rang at 8.30am.
Lily started as a tall young man with impossibly messy black hair and glasses came into her cafe. He hadn't exactly ran in the door but the way in which he arrived made her think he had been running. The man shut the door behind him and eyed the shop front for a few seconds, seemingly completely oblivious to Lily's presence as she leant against the counter.
"Hi," she said in what she hoped was a friendly manner although it was more to get his attention than anything else.
The man span around on his heel, eyes wide at first as though she had scared him and then calmer almost instantly as he finally took her in.
"Hello," he replied, giving her a half-hearted smile. And then a long pause whilst he just looked at her expectantly. What he was expecting Lily to do, she wasn't in the slightest aware.
He finally spoke again after Lily was silent, "Are you open? I can leave if not."
"Yes, we're open," Lily informed him, watching him closely as he took in the cafe. "Sit in or take-away?" "Sitting in, please," he said a little unsurely, lowering himself into the seat beside her counter and facing the door of the shop. "What can I get you?" she asked, as her customer finally looked back at her again.
The man looked around a bit helplessly - Lily wondered if he was searching for a menu - before addressing her again. "Um...a coffee and...and whatever you'd recommend."
"Well, I have a few discounted pastries, they're still pretty good from yesterday and some fresh doughnuts," Lily replied. "Jam, chocolate, hazelnut and a new lemon meringue recipe I'm trying out. You can taste test if you'd like," she joked lightly, trying to get rid of whatever nervous energy had infiltrated her shop along with this man.
"Sounds great," he said, checking over his shoulder to look into the back area of the cafe. "Thank you."
Lily moved behind the counter again, still watching the man out of the corner of her eye as she worked. She removed the doughnut from the cabinet and plated it up before getting to work on the coffee. He hadn't asked for anything specifically so she just stuck with a plain black coffee. On the table there was a little booklet detailing the types of beans and tea she offered but, given his demeanour, Lily didn't bother suggesting it to him.
As she put the order together, Lily observed the man just sitting at the table. He seemed somewhat more relaxed than he had been - he had settled a little more into the chair - but he was still oddly upright. He was also just sitting in his chair...it was only odd to Lily because she knew that most people would be on their mobile phone straight away. But he just sat there, looking into space until she approached with his coffee and doughnut.
"Here we are," Lily announced pleasantly, setting the tray down and lifting the coffee, milk and plate off for him. "Enjoy. Let me know what you think of the lemon meringue."
"Thank you, I will," he said blandly, not really looking at her.
Lily retreated back to her counter and cleaned up the little mess she had made. She then resumed putting out the rest of the morning's pastries. When she had finished tidying she thought she might wipe down the tables in the back one more time, until her eyes fell on her customer again.
He was eating at least, if slowly. He had eaten some of the doughnut and drank some of the coffee. But he was still sitting there basically motionless apart from the odd fidget with his fingers.
"Can I get you a book?" Lily asked, grabbing his attention. "We have lots in the back so if there's something you'd like..."
"Yes, that'd would be nice," he replied evenly, now looking at her again but this time she knew he was studying her. Again, with that same strange intensity that made her feel like he was expecting her to do something.
"Okay," Lily said, as he trailed off. She moved towards the back of the shop. He hadn't asked for anything in particular so she brought him The Count of Monte Cristo. It was a favourite of hers and a book she had never heard anyone raise any serious objections to. "Here," she said, setting the book down on the corner of the table.
The man took in the book and then looked up at her. "Brilliant choice," he said gently, taking it from the table and then starting to read.
Satisfied, Lily went back to the counter and pottered around, fixing little bits and pieces that didn't require much effort. They passed an hour this way and without much conversation at all.
Suddenly, as Lily noticed it had gone 9.45am, her customer stood up and dawdled over to the counter.
"The doughnut was delicious," he said congenially, as she processed his receipt.
"Not too tangy?"
"Yes, but I liked it," he went on, smiling a bit now. "A little bit of sweetness in the meringue but sharp everywhere else."
Inwardly pleased but not in any way trying to conceal it, Lily watched as he pulled out a card from his back pocket, although no wallet.
"This is a lovely cafe," he closed, replacing the card in his pocket after he had paid and moved towards the door.
Lily was about to say thanks when she remembered she was running a business.
"Wait!" she called, stalling him at the door. Running to him quickly, she presented him with a small loyalty card, pre-stamped with one dot. "For your next visit."
He took the card from her and looked at it intently.
An awkward silence settled before he looked at her again, "are you Lily?"
Lily nodded, "yes."
He gazed at her intently for a few moments, almost appearing as though he was about to say something to her. After a moment, he obviously decided against it and exited the shop with a small smile.
Lily stared at the door for a few moments, wondering what had just happened and why. She didn't linger much longer however, putting it out of her mind and continuing with work.
Lily didn't expect to see her oddest customer to date again and had altogether forgotten his visit completely by the time the next Sunday rolled around. She was hunched down, arranging food in the glass cabinet, when the bell rang at 8.30am.
"Hello," Lily sang from the floor, standing up with a tray of pastries in her hand, however she was so transfixed by the appearance of the man with the messy black hair that she hit the tray off the counter and threw the pastries everywhere. "Shit, sorry," she said wearily, feeling her cheeks grow red as she stared down at the pastry coated floor.
She looked back up, expecting to see the usual strange look on his face, only to find that he had his head towards the floor, hand over his mouth and shoulders shaking in barely controlled laughter.
"Sorry," he managed through his hilarity, when he saw she was looking at him with a mixture of shock and indignation. "That was excellent." And with that, he didn't bother holding back his laughter anymore.
Lily didn't think yelling at a possible repeat customer was in the textbook she had bought on good customer service but she was seriously considering it at the moment. Ignoring the urge, instead, she got down onto the floor and started to gather the ruined goods back onto the tray.
She was so engrossed in keeping her temper under control that she jumped again to find that her customer had followed her onto the floor.
"Sorry," he said again, this time more seriously though he cheeks were still tinged with red. "I didn't mean to scare you," he added, now picking up bits of pastry and shoving them onto the tray. "I can pay for these."
"No need," Lily replied, finding her anger lessened by the sight of him on the floor helping her. "You just..."
"You weren't expecting me back," he suggested softly, eyes still diverted to the pastries. "I can understand that," he went on lightly, "I should also apologise for being so..."
"Strange?" Lily interjected, causing him to look up and smile at her.
He nodded, "yes, 'strange', the last time. I'm not usually strange, I promise."
"That's okay," she reassured, standing up and brushing the pastry crumbs off her tights and onto the tray as he followed suit. "It wasn't 'bad' strange...just 'odd'."
He smiled again, this time a lopsided grin that caused Lily to consider how good-looking he was for the first occasion. His behaviour previously had been so out of the ordinary that she hadn't a chance to properly look at him. But now that she did, she found that he was rather beautiful. A face she could picture photographing well - all angles and bone but then soft and sparkling in his eyes. His smile lit up his face with colour and mischief and caused her to smile as well.
"Well, I'll try to avoid that again," he promised, "I'm James, by the way," he said and assuredly put out his hand for her to shake.
She took his hand and was about to re-introduce herself when she recognised that same intense, expectant look taking over his eyes as he gazed at her waiting for her response.
Lily slowed the handshake considerably, "you're doing it again."
"What?" he asked, snapping back to normal, his eyes now clear.
"Giving me that look," she advised steadily, withdrawing her hand. "Like you're waiting for me to say something and I have no idea what."
James looked at her a little guiltily, "Yes, sorry...again," he said, clenching his hands. "I honestly don't mean to do that. I'm going to stop," he assured her, although he didn't look as though he believed himself. "I'm going to try to stop," he corrected.
"Okay," Lily replied hesitantly, taking a moment to look him over. "What are you expecting me to say?" she couldn't help ask.
The question clearly caused James some amount of discomfort as his face went paler and he was no longer meeting her eye. "I...uh...I..."
"You know what?" Lily interrupted, deciding against an awkward conversation. "I don't need to know. What would you like?"
James seemed surprised, if not instantly relieved by her change of heart.
"A coffee, please," he confirmed, placing himself into the seat by the counter and still looking at her as though he expected her to question him again. "And another doughnut...if I didn't destroy them all."
Lily laughed lightly, "no, that was just yesterday's pastries." She moved to the coffee machine. "Any particular kind of doughnut?"
"What do you have today?"
"The usual strawberry, chocolate and hazelnut, lemon meringue and this week's experiment: raspberry and white choc..."
Lily trailed off to peer over her shoulder as at the word 'raspberry', James had made a little noise.
"You like raspberries?" she queried teasingly, looking at his wide eyes and screwed-up mouth.
"Not that it matters but fresh raspberries or raspberry jam?" he asked, not in any way able to hide the excitement simmering under the surface.
Wanting to enjoy his reaction, Lily turned around and leant against the counter.
"Both," she answered shortly.
James let out a long breath, "oh my God," he hummed, standing up and striding round to the front of the cabinet quickly. He hunkered down in front of it and gazed into the cabinet like a child in front of a sweet shop. "Is it going to ruin your business if I buy all of these?" he asked, as Lily came over to the cabinet and bent over the top to look down at him.
"No," she replied, "although will you eat six of them here or shall I pack some to go?"
Looking up at her, he grinned happily, again causing Lily to inwardly observe how handsome he was. "Two here, the rest to go," he instructed efficiently, making his way back to the table.
Plating up two of the doughnuts, (filled with raspberry jam, iced with white chocolate and topped with raspberries and shaved chocolate), Lily brought them to James. She felt very satisfied when he literally licked his lips at the sight of them.
Expecting him to devour them, Lily moved back to the coffee machine although James continued to sit and stare at the doughnuts as though they were untouchable.
"Are you going to eat them?" she asked lightly, bringing him his coffee.
"Yes, I was just waiting until everything was here," he replied as though this was obvious. "These are the prettiest doughnuts I have ever seen."
"I hope they taste as good as they look then," Lily added in her best customer service voice, moving back behind the counter and grabbing a dustpan and brush to sweep up the rest of the pastry debris.
She was contentedly sweeping the floor on her knees, when she heard a sound from the table that let her know that James had eaten some of the doughnut. The sound itself caused her to blush and giggle at the same time as it wasn't exactly innocent.
"Stop laughing at me," James protested with a whine in his voice, sounding very aggrieved. "You can't make doughnuts that taste like that and then laugh at me when I enjoy them."
Lily was just about to stand up and apologise for being such a terrible host when he put his head over the top of the counter and looked down at her.
"I mean, seriously, have you tasted these?" he asked incredulously.
Lily made the mistake of looking up at him. His mouth was completely covered in raspberry jam as he gazed down at her, messy hair all over the place and eyes full of sincerity.
Unable to control herself, she felt the laughter sweep out of her. She started to giggle so hard that her throat started to hurt and tears pooled in her eyes.
"What?" James asked, a little indignantly.
"I'm sorry," she struggled to get out through the laughter and tears, wiping at her face. "You just...," she looked at him again and was struck by another fit." You just..."
"I just what?" he queried, coming around behind the counter to stand over her as she howled from the floor.
"You have..." she breathed, now cackling into her knees. "You have..."
"What?" he asked again, sliding down onto the floor beside her.
"You have jam all over your face," she managed to get out before the laughter overtook her again.
Wiping at his mouth, James looked at the red jelly on his hand and grinned the same lopsided grin as before at her. "Ah," he said, "what a waste," and popped the finger in his mouth.
Feeling up on to the counter for some kitchen roll, Lily just about grabbed the cone and handed it to him, now somewhat less paralysed by laughter.
"I'm sorry," she said a little more steadily, watching as he half-licked, half-wiped the jam off his face.
"Don't be," James replied happily, "you have a lovely laugh."
Suddenly very aware of their close proximity behind the counter, Lily smiled hesitantly before getting to her feet.
"If I continue to eat doughnuts like they're ambrosia, are you going to keep laughing at me?" James asked, following her lead and returning to the table.
"I promise to keep myself under control," Lily said, hoping she was being truthful. "Can I get you The Count of Monte Cristo again?"
"I'll probably get jam all over the pages."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Lily said pleasantly, moving to the back level of the café. "I specifically chose books that could be ruined and replaced easily enough."
"Thanks," James said, wiping his hands on a napkin before taking the book off her.
As before, Lily went back behind her counter and busied herself with smaller tasks whilst James read. The cafe remained empty other than James and Lily periodically checked in to offer him more coffee, which he always declined. Again, at 9.45am, James stood.
"It's always quiet on Sunday mornings?" he asked casually, again bringing out a card from his back pocket.
"Yes," Lily replied, taking the card and then handing him his take-away doughnuts. "I probably shouldn't bother opening but I like Sunday mornings here for some reason."
"It's peaceful," James suggested. "Or it probably is when I'm not knocking over pastries and devouring doughnuts."
Lily laughed lightly, "I'm not going to complain about having a customer who buys doughnuts by the box."
"Well, good," he agreed, "and here," he added, handing her the loyalty card, "I remembered."
"You get two stamps for all the doughnuts," Lily said, stamping the card with vigour.
Grinning at her, James swept up the box and moved towards the door. "Bye, Lily," he called as he left, causing Lily to briefly reflect on how nicely he said her name.
Not taking too long to reflect, Lily got on with clearing the table before the next customer arrived.
It was the middle of the next week before James entered Lily's thoughts again.
She wasn't in the habit of thinking of him but on Wednesday evening, one of her new customers brought him into her head. It was just after her evening rush, which was when the business crowd exiting work stopped by for a coffee, and she was clearing some of the tables, when the bell rang. Turning on her heel, Lily made her way behind the counter as she observed a tall, thin man in an oversized leather jacket coming towards her. His hair was long and black and fell effortlessly around his face and sunglasses.
Lily had had a few models come into the café – her impression was they liked their coffee strong and extra hot. This man reminded her of a model with his good looks and haughty expression: he lifted his sunglasses off his face and placed them on his head as he surveyed the café briefly – she couldn't tell if he was pleased with it or not – before his striking eyes fell on her.
"What can I get you?" she asked as nicely as she could, thinking that perhaps the modelling community was small and she didn't want to get a reputation as an unfriendly place.
The man now did a sweep of her, before leaning casually against the counter. "Double espresso to go," he ordered, eyes drifting upwards to survey the beans she had listed on the wall. "The French heavy roast."
Lily moved away to make his order, whilst her customer continued to peer around the café and pick3ed up bits and pieces from the counter to inspect.
"Are you on instagram?" he droned casually, now viewing her loyalty cards. "The café," he clarified.
"Um….no," Lily replied, turning around in feigned politeness. Definitely a model.
"Twitter?"
"No," Lily answered again, now preparing the take away cup.
"Surely you're on Facebook?"
"Again, no," she said simply, "I'm not really into social media," she went on.
The customer nodded, although she could tell he was sceptical.
"You're not planning to use social media for your business?" he asked, finally turning his attention fully back to her.
"Maybe," Lily conceded with a smile, keeping her tone light as his was decidedly not. "Once I've been open a while longer…and figure out how they all work."
She passed him the coffee and he tapped his phone against the contactless reader.
"Ever have anyone famous in here?" he asked, taking the cup but when he looked up at her, the look he gave her brought James sweeping back into her mind. It was the same look. The same expectant, intense gaze that caused her to lose her composure and blanche somewhat.
"No," she retorted, almost rudely, wondering why he was asking and still half-thinking of James.
The gaze faded away quickly. He smiled, sighed and gave her a wink.
"You have now," he quipped, replacing his sunglasses with a flourish and sauntering to the door as Lily watched him the whole way.
"Maybe a musician," Lily revised to herself as he let the shop door swing shut.
"You have a lot of different tea varieties," James observed the next Sunday whilst Lily was making his coffee. She turned around to see him inspecting the small menu intently.
"There are lots of different kinds of tea," she replied with a shrug. "And buyers kept offering me different varieties to taste and I sort of got carried away."
He laughed a little, "what's your favourite flavour?"
"The jasmine silver tip," Lily answered, "it's a white tea but unlike most jasmine teas that only smell amazing but taste of nothing, this one actually has a flavour."
"I feel like I'm going to have to find my favourite flavour of tea in order to continue coming here," he joked, replacing the menu.
"Boring old black coffee is a fine order," Lily ribbed, bringing him his usual along with another raspberry doughnut.
James looked down at the doughnut for a moment and then back at her.
"You usually make a new flavour every week, right?"
"Yup," Lily said.
"But…you made raspberry and white chocolate again this week?"
"Yes," she said again, knowing his next question before he asked it, smiling a little all the same.
"Did you…" he hesitated a little, "…sorry if this sounds pompous but did you make the raspberry ones again…"
"Just for you?" she filled in wryly when he trailed off again.
"Eh, yeah," James confirmed, with an awkward ruffle of his hair.
Somewhat shyly but with a little pride that she couldn't help, Lily nodded slowly and moved back behind the counter. "You liked them so much the last time and raspberries are in season so…"
It was her turn to trail off and she was about to get on with some admin when she looked back at James. He was watching her with a new look that she hadn't seen on his face before; soft eyes and his mouth crooked up into the merest hint of a smile. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Thanks," he said quietly, as he looked away from her quickly.
Swallowing, Lily looked away too, grabbing the pile of receipts and moving into the kitchen. As she settled herself onto her stool, she reminded her skipping heart that fancying a customer probably wasn't the best plan for lots of reasons, the main one being that she knew nothing about him and he probably had a whole life, including a girlfriend, outside of the hour and a half he spent in her café on a Sunday. It wasn't possible for someone to look like that and not have a girlfriend, she thought a little miserably as she sorted through the small sheets of paper. Suddenly, already sick of the receipts, Lily grabbed her phone and texted Mary.
Remind me why sleeping with customers would be a bad idea? she typed out quickly, before throwing the phone down again, not expecting a response. Mary was American and lived in Pennsylvania, so their friendship was sustained by somewhat regular FaceTiming and periodic text messages whilst at least one of them was asleep. Occasionally, they wrote each other letters to try and mimic Jane Austen heroines but life generally got in the way of that. Every so often, Mary would come visit her and they'd aim to sort each other's lives out over their week together. When her father had passed away, Mary's insistent presence in her apartment was what kept Lily going. She hadn't realised it at the time but without her, she wasn't sure the café would ever have opened.
Letting that thought go and taking one last moment to internally hate James's girlfriend, Lily started on the receipts and worked steadily. When she next looked up to check her phone for a response, she noticed it was approaching 9.45am and moved back to the front of the shop to take James's payment.
"I'm starting to feel very predictable," he said at the sight of her, standing up, still holding onto his usual book.
"Oh?"
"Yes, mainly the book being on the table before I got here," James went on, approaching the counter.
Choosing not to say anything, Lily simply smiled and went about processing the payment.
"Is your boyfriend a big fan of your doughnuts?"
Not quite believing that she had heard him correctly, Lily's eyes snapped upwards. James was looking at the counter and fidgeting a bit. Lily wasn't a serial dater by any means but she'd seen enough romcoms to know there was only one reason anyone asked that question.
"My boyfriend?" she let out.
"Eh, yeah," he confirmed, gesturing to the shelf behind her, still filled with cards and one, in particular, that was shaped like a giant red heart.
"Oh," Lily laughed slightly, "that's…that's not from a boyfriend. That's from my friend, Mary. We…we're weird like that," she managed with an awkward laugh.
"Oh," he repeated, handing her his debit and loyalty cards.
Lily couldn't tell whether this information made him happy or not as his face remained impassively blank.
She handed him back the cards and watched as he walked towards the door. She couldn't understand it: wasn't this the part where he was supposed to ask her on a date?
"James," she called out, stopping him as he reached the door. He looked at her expectantly.
"I'm…I'm sort of having a…a restaurant night."
"A restaurant night?"
"Yeah, a night where I cook a full dinner. I'm thinking of doing it once a month and this is a test run," she told him. "It's this Friday night and it's mostly just friends coming but, if you could make it…"
His face lit up and, at least this time, she could tell he was genuinely pleased.
"You want me to come?" he asked, sounding surprised and delighted.
"Well, you're my best customer," Lily joked. "And it'd be nice to have someone there who'll tell me the truth and not just say everything's great like my friends will."
"I'd love to," James said honestly and Lily's stomach twisted again, now knowing she was fighting a losing battle against liking him.
"Great," she replied, still feeling very stupid. "It'll start at 7.30 but you can show up anytime. It's bring your own," she told him.
"Okay," he said, "I might be a little late but I'll definitely come."
Knowing she was smiling ridiculously but completely unable to help it, Lily watched as he left with a spring in his step. The only problem now was going to be attempting to look half-decent whilst cooking for 30 people.
As it turned out, James didn't show up that Friday night. If she thought about it too long, she had to admit it did cause a sting of embarrassment that he didn't come, but with her café full of her close friends and their friends and other halves, Lily soon forgot.
She'd asked Emmeline to give her a hand as a waitress for the night and that had allowed her to cook without too much distraction. As the clock had struck midnight, Emmeline had ordered them all out, knowing that Lily had to get up to open the café again that morning.
As the last of her customers filtered out of the café, complimenting her all the way, Lily smiled tiredly with pride. The tables were covered with dirty plates, cushions everywhere and the smell of wine hung in the air but she had managed it. She had managed to serve them all; no one had complained, all the plates were clear and the café had buzzed with laughter and conversation all evening. Still looking over the café, she thought that, maybe, she could do this once a month, if Emmeline could continue to help her out.
Not letting her eyes drift to the table she had unconsciously named 'James's table', Lily heard her phone ringing from back in the kitchen and knew it was probably Mary calling to ask how it went. She was wandering back to answer the phone, when behind her, the bell rang.
Lily turned around to see James land into the café, breathless and red cheeked – this time he had definitely been running.
"Hi," he breathed heavily, looking at her with what she recognised as guilt. "I know I'm incredibly late. I'm sorry."
"That's alright," Lily replied, still taking him in. "You clearly had somewhere much more important to be," she added teasingly, looking over her customer who had arrived into the café dressed in a full tuxedo.
"Yes," he agreed and then, "I mean no! I had this thing that I had to be at and I couldn't get away and I kept trying to leave but…"
"James, it's fine," she cut in reassuringly, "I was only joking. Are you hungry? I still have some food if you'd…"
"Yes, please," he groaned happily, "all the food at this thing was tiny. Tiny quiches and tiny asparagus and you can never eat more than a few or everyone notices and then you seem greedy. No one ever eats more than a few bites in case they burst out of their ballgowns," he complained, moving to his usual seat. "I'm starving," he finished, throwing himself into the chair.
"Well, I left my ballgown at home, but I can put on some ermine and pearls if you give me a few minutes," Lily called from the kitchen, grabbing a plate of still warm food.
"Har har," he answered sarcastically, though she spied him smiling when she came back into room.
"It's not plated in the most elegant manner but…" Lily began to explain guiltily, arriving before him.
"Lily," he cut in knowingly, "was this supposed to be your dinner?"
"Not at all," she lied, setting the plate down in front of James. "I was just…"
"You're a terrible liar," he interrupted, shaking his head. "And you're not giving me your food. Not after you've worked all night – you're probably dead on your feet."
"Technically, this was supposed to be your dinner, but I decided to eat it when I thought you weren't coming," she explained, "so, if you think about it, this food is actually rightfully yours."
James considered for a moment. "Eat with me," he said finally, gesturing to the seat in front of him.
"James, I'm the owner, I'm not…"
"Yes, you are," he ruled, standing and taking the plate with him as he disappeared behind the counter and into the kitchen.
"I have a 'no customers in the kitchen' rule, you know," Lily called after him, listening as he made a lot of noise opening and closing cupboards.
"I have it on good authority that doesn't apply to your best customer," he grinned, returning with two plates and the food equally divided between both. He placed the plates down on the table and seated himself. "Lily, please," he said, again nodding to the seat in front of him.
Relenting at his persistence, Lily sat opposite him and tried to direct her mind away from thoughts of how good he looked and how undoubtedly sweaty, frizzy-haired and manic she did. If he had shown up four hours ago, she would have looked somewhat presentable.
She'd chosen a simple red dress to wear – one she knew she could get a few stains on when cooking – thinking that at least when he arrived she'd look good.
"Are you alright?" he asked, obviously sensing her discomfort.
Lily paused thinking of how best to explain. "I'm feeling very underdressed at this table," she said after a while, hoping she managed to sound like she was joking a little.
"Oh," James replied, "okay, I can fix that," he went on, clearly not hearing the joke as he stood, shrugged off his jacket, undid his bow tie and opened the first couple of buttons on his shirt. "How's that?" he asked, sitting down again.
Lily laughed at the irony and misfortune of her situation. In trying to make himself less formal, James had somehow managed to turn himself into a GQ cover contender. Now that she looked at him, Lily couldn't stop her mind from appreciating how handsome he was. In fact, had she been feeling a little more confident about herself, she might have jumped him then and there.
"That's not exactly…" she started, before deciding to just be truthful. "You look like a bloody movie star and I've got coconut milk stains all over me," she joked bashfully, feeling worse when he didn't smile. "That's all I meant."
She watched as the same lovely look as before came over James's face: his mouth slightly turned upwards in a half-smile.
"I can't see any stains," he replied, eyes soft and appreciative, and as before Lily's heart skipped.
Just as her heart started to hammer against her chest, Lily changed the subject. "I think Dorcas left some wine around here…" she announced, craning around James to look into the back restaurant.
"No need," he interrupted cheerfully, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a quarter bottle of champagne. "I grabbed this before I left."
Lily couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. He was in the process of opening it when she caught sight of the label on the bottle.
"That must've been quite the event," she said, nodding her head towards the bottle when he looked at her quizzically. When he didn't answer, she pressed further, "what was it for?"
"Some movie thing," he replied, pouring champagne into her glass as Lily noted that the champagne may have cost more than the glass. "I was there for a work."
"You're not actually a movie star, are you?" she jested, taking a sip afterwards.
"No," he laughed, "the firm I work for was invited. We do management and things like that. All very boring. What?" he asked, seeing her face scrunch.
"It's nothing," she dismissed.
"No, what?" he persisted.
"It turns out even expensive champagne still tastes like washing up liquid," she relented, hoping she did sound too ungrateful. "Sorry," she went on, "not my drink."
"That's fine," James chuckled, "it's definitely no jasmine white tea," he teased, causing her to simper at him. "So, what do we have here?" he asked, looking down at the plate.
"Well, we have what should have been a couple of separate dishes that I just mashed onto the plate together," Lily told him reluctantly. "But you look like you have hake in coconut sauce, cod with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil and various bits of potatoes and salads. Oh, and some regular sized asparagus with mint."
"Excellent," James grinned, beginning to tuck in. "And food all mashed together is my preferred method of dining. Has been since I was born."
They chatted for the rest of their meal, which Lily had to admit was odd if acceptable. James was full of questions as to how the evening had went and laughed through all her stories about how many mistakes she'd made and how she'd probably given everyone food poisoning. They were still talking, showing no signs of slowing down, when a small beeping rang around their table. It turned out to be an alarm on James's watch.
"It's 2am," he said, turning the alarm off. "I should probably get going."
"That's fair enough," she said, standing as he did. "If you don't come in on Sunday, can you at least call to let me know you're still alive and not dying of salmonella?"
"Lily, the food was amazing," James replied earnestly, "not quite your raspberry doughnuts but pretty close."
"Thank you," Lily smiled, then starting to shake her head when she saw him take out his debit card as usual. "James, there is no way you are paying for that meal!"
"Why not?" he objected as emphatically.
"Because it was leftovers presented like a dog's dinner! I will cut your card in half before I let you pay."
James seemed to take a moment to assess her determination before relenting and putting his card away.
Lily cleared the plates away to the kitchen whilst James put on his jacket again.
"I was in Scotland this week…for work," he told her abruptly as she returned to the counter.
"I saw this and well, it made me think of you," he said, taking a small round and white jar out of his jacket pocket, before handing it to her. Lily read the label: Dalreoch Scottish Smoked White Tea above which stood a proud stag. "I wanted to get you something to say congratulations on your first restaurant night," he added, whilst she looked at the jar. "I don't think that's on your menu."
"It isn't," Lily said softly, knowing inwardly that she didn't buy it because it was too expensive to bulk buy. "You bought this for me?" she asked, in somewhat of a disbelief, looking up at him.
James nodded, "what's the point of knowing a tea obsessive if you can't buy her rare tea's when you get the chance?" he joked quietly, shoving his hands in his pockets.
She reacted with a small laugh of her own but was too busy processing what she had decided to do the moment he had handed her the tea.
With a brief smile, James walked towards the door and Lily followed.
"James," she murmured, causing him to stop and turn around. "Thank you," she said, moving in closer to him. When he didn't move away from her, she tilted her head upwards, pressing her lips to his lightly. She didn't kiss him long, pulling away soon after to make sure she hadn't embarrassed herself.
James's eyes opened slowly and he swallowed. He hadn't moved at all as she kissed him, hadn't reacted at all and Lily winced to see the look he was now unmistakably giving her: one of disappointment.
Without a further word, he exited the café, door swinging shut behind him.
Seven weeks went by during which Lily heard and saw nothing of James.
Immediately after she had kissed him, Lily was swamped with a cold feeling of regret and panic hoping she hadn't offended him. He was her customer: she wasn't supposed to be kissing him.
Her group chats with Emmeline, Mary and Dorcas were filled with their reassurances that, although he could report her to the police for kissing him, she probably wouldn't go to jail for it. Mary had also promised to defend her in court if she was being charged by the time of her next visit in a few weeks.
When the first Sunday morning came around and he didn't appear, Lily spent the time miserably cursing her own idiocy and promising never to be so stupid again. She repeated this pattern for the next few Sunday's, still disappointed each time when he was nowhere to be seen.
After a month and a half passed, Lily had managed to put the incident out of her head… a bit. If she thought of it, she cringed to remember his face after she'd kissed him but apart from that, she could get on with her Sunday morning's without too many thoughts of him.
Two months later, she was closing up the café on a Friday night, sweeping behind the counter and putting away the pastries when she received a set back in letting it go.
The bell rang.
Her stomach jumped furiously as James appeared in her café again and she couldn't help but ramble from the moment turned around.
"James," she let out at the sight of him, "I am so sorry about…" she started, not paying any attention to how he was striding towards her, "…I've been wanting to apologise for ages… I was so inappropriate the last time and…"
By the time Lily realised James was moving towards her, he had her in his grasp. The look in his eyes silenced her completely.
This time, Lily's eyes fluttered closed as his lips lowered to hers and his arms pulled her upwards to meet him. His hands roving through her hair, Lily looped her arms around his neck, trying to pull him closer, body shivering with the scent of him. James kissed her hard for what felt like forever, suddenly pulling away in a rush of hot air that warmed Lily all over.
"Don't apologise," he said seriously, lips still lightly peppering over hers, hands still holding onto her firmly. "I'm sorry. For leaving like that."
She wanted to reassure him but found it impossible to do without asking him all the questions that had been swimming in her head for weeks.
"Why did you?" she whispered, looking into his eyes.
"Because I'm ridiculous," he answered gruffly, taking another moment to kiss her again. "I've been wanting you from the moment I walked in here," he went on, "I've tried to stop thinking about you, to stop this from happening but I keep coming here, I keep doing everything I can to get your attention and I'm so ridiculous, trying to stop myself falling for you when I refuse to stop seeing you."
Lily tried to take this all in. "Why do you want to stop yourself?" she asked, suddenly scared to hear his answer.
"I don't….," he started weakly, "…I can't…I can't date, Lily," he finally told her, still holding onto her tightly. "I should be stopping myself because I can't be in a normal relationship and this isn't going to be fair on you."
"I don't understand," she replied.
"My job stops me from dating…from being in a normal relationship," he went on, hands rubbing at her sides. "I can't tell you what I do either and this…being with me…well it wouldn't be easy."
Lily tried to take this all in.
"I'll understand if you don't want to be with someone like that," James continued when she was still quiet. "Few sensible people would want to be. But I couldn't not see you again and leave you thinking you'd done something wrong."
At this, he let go of her and moved away to lean against the counter, eyes still watching her all the time.
"Can I ask you a question?" she eventually said, already missing being in his arms but knowing she had to resist for at least a while. James nodded. "Would it always have to be like that?"
His forehead crinkled suggesting to her that he didn't understand the question.
"If…if we were together…for a long time, would it always be like that? Would you never be able to tell me what it is you do?"
"That wouldn't be possible either," James conceded with a small smile, "if you wanted to be with me, eventually I'd tell you everything. But, at the moment…at the moment that's not possible."
"Because?"
He sighed deeply, "I can't tell you that either. There is nothing about being with me that would be normal. I could take you on dates in your café. I don't have a phone number to give you. I could see you once a week, probably always at the same time. There would be weeks, maybe months at a time when I couldn't see you or even talk to you."
Lily continued to watch him as he talked and wondered if she was mad for not being more hesitant or put off by what he saying. She was never a pathetic girl that fell for anyone who gave her some attention. She was and always had been happy single. For the past few years of her life, her café had been the only thing that had occupied her mind and she hadn't looked twice at any guy. But, for whatever reason, she couldn't stop thinking about this one.
"You're smiling," he told her a little oddly, sounding amazed at the fact but not unhappy.
"I am," she admitted, "you're going to think I'm crazy. I think I'm probably crazy. I should care about everything you just said…but I don't. I just want to…"
Lily was cut off as James started to kiss her again. He kissed her until all further questions went flying out of her head. He kissed her until she didn't care about anything but the way he murmured her name.
It was 9.40am on a Sunday morning and for once, Lily's café was closed.
"You know, when I put this bench in, I never thought I'd have sex on it," Lily mused, half-wondering if she was squashing James as she lay on top of him. The thought quickly disappeared as his hands ghosted up and down her bare frame.
"You know, the first time I saw you, all I thought about was having sex on this bench," he replied lightly, nipping at her neck as she pinched him on his thigh.
"And here I was naively thinking you kept coming back because you liked my baking," she fake-huffed as James grinned.
"Your baking and your butt," he teased, yelping when she pinched him again.
"Aren't you uncomfortable like this?" Lily asked, changing the subject and wriggling about a bit, noticing that his whole left shoulder was hanging over the edge of the bench.
"Don't you dare move," he chastised, locking his arms around her waist. "This is the most comfortable I've been all week," he added, reaching upwards to kiss her. "In fact, this is all I've thought about all week."
"Me too," Lily replied against his lips. "You're very distracting. I can't even look at raspberries now."
Laughing into her mouth, James kissed her again. "Good," he replied firmly, "I hope they're all you bake with then."
Knowing she would regret what she was about to say, Lily spoke anyways, "it's getting late," she said quietly, nudging her nose against his.
"Yeah," James agreed, sounding reluctant and sitting up a little, causing her to do the same. "I mentioned last week…"
"That you'd be gone for a while after this," Lily cut in quietly. "I remember."
"Around four or five weeks," he continued apologetically.
"Somewhere fun?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Nowhere near as fun as being here with you."
"James, it's okay," Lily told him, unconsciously scanned the floor for her underwear. "You said it would be like this. It's fine. Mary is coming for a bit during that time, so I'll have lots of company. Five weeks isn't that long."
"It's as long as we've been doing this," he returned lowly, hand coming to rest on her thigh. "I'm going to miss you."
She couldn't help but kiss him again. "I'll miss you too."
He seemed to accept this and started to look for his clothes.
"Hang on," she started, "I've figured out who you are!"
James turned around, seeming a little surprised.
"Your second name isn't Bond is it?"
Rolling his eyes, James tackled her into the seat.
"Bond, James Bond, with an unsuspecting café owner in every city," Lily went on playfully, shrieking with laughter when he started to tickle her.
"Bond, James Bond, with one café owner who is going to all he thinks about for the next month," James corrected softly, after he had finished tickling her. "There are no other café owners, Lily," he went on, pushing her hair behind her ears.
Smiling softly, Lily handed him his shirt, "get dressed," she advised, "and I'll go tell other the other secret agents I'm sleeping with it's over."
James left a little late that morning, choosing to spend the extra time tickling her instead.
Mary appeared in a whirl of enthusiasm and franticness four weeks later, showering Lily with hugs and kisses. She was also delighted to see Lily's café and to marvel over the place she had heard so much about in real life.
Lily was more than happy to update Mary on all the dramas and successes of her first business but she decided to leave out the biggest development in her life. She wasn't really sure how to tell people about James and more than anything, knew that there would be a flurry of questions about him and why he was so secretive, especially from Mary. Lily wasn't prepared to deal with those questions yet – either in her head or to anyone else – and so hadn't brought the subject up.
Unfortunately, that meant Mary hadn't plenty of silence to fill with her own plans.
"Pleaseeeeee," she pleaded, running after Lily around the café as she cleared up. "I've never been and I'm only here for a week!"
"I've never been and I've lived here my whole life!" Lily retorted, sweeping up plates and cups as she went. "No one who lives here actually bothers to go."
"But it's Buckingham Palace!" Mary persisted emphatically, "your head of State lives there. It has so much historical importance. How can you never have been?"
"My parents weren't really into that stuff," Lily shrugged, coming to rest against the counter. "Some people are, some aren't."
"Well, I am," Mary replied, "and you said we could do tourist-y stuff this time, so you have to take me!"
Never one to be denied, Lily of course, took Mary to Buckingham Palace three days later.
The queues weren't as bad as Lily had been anticipating and she had to admit, it was interesting to see inside the place, although she knew next to nothing about the Royal Family. She just barely remembered the King dying a little over a year ago. Mainly because she was dealing with the death of her own father and everything was a little fuzzy from that time.
"It's so beautiful," Mary marvelled, as they walked around slowly after the tour guide. "I can't believe we can actually come in here."
"Me neither," Lily whispered, taking in the very fancy furniture and making a mental note to stay away from it, "we should leave soon before I break anything."
"…and here we have the newest addition to the Palace's gallery," Lily could hear the tour guide in the distance, "a portrait of His Majesty shortly after his coronation. I'm sure you'll agree it's an excellent likeness."
"Your King is hot," Mary whispered in Lily's ear as she was admiring the view out of the windows onto Buckingham Palace Road, not looking at any of the portraits which in Lily's opinion all looked the same.
"Hmm?" Lily let out, still not paying much attention.
"The new King," Mary explained, grabbing Lily by the elbow, insisting she turn, "he's super hot."
Giving in and turning around to see the portrait, the noise around Lily completely exited the room as she found she couldn't hear. In the ensuing quiet, all she could hear was her own rapid heartbeat and air being sucked out of her lungs. Looking up at the painting, the bottom dropped out of her stomach as she found a familiar pair of hazel eyes staring back at her.
"…Lil…Lil," she was suddenly jolted back to consciousness again by Mary's voice in her ear.
"His Majesty, in a somewhat unusual move, did not take a new name upon his coronation, instead choosing to retain his Christian name. He was therefore crowned King James III."
"Lily, are you alright?" She heard Mary's voice echo from around her.
"I…I can't….I can't breathe," Lily managed, holding onto Mary's arm, unable to remove her eyes from the portrait. Very aware that she was starting to hyperventilate, Lily could do nothing to stop Mary from making a scene and gesturing for help to the tour guide. She also could do nothing to stop the need to sit down as her knees reached the floor. Very aware that people were suddenly crowding around her, Lily tried to get a grip on herself but was unable to think properly or see past anything other than the portrait of the man who had been naked in her café four weeks ago.
"Lily," said a different voice and Lily looked up to see a man with sandy brown hair and green eyes staring down at her, "would you like some water?" he asked patiently, but with the air of a man trying to avoid a scene.
"Mr Lupin, there's no need for you to…I have called first aid," Lily heard another woman say from above her.
"It's fine, Patricia," the man replied evenly, "I can take her to first aid, I was going that way myself. Can you stand?" He asked Lily.
"I'll help," Mary said, putting her arms under Lily's elbows and lifting her upwards.
"Follow me please," she heard the man say to Mary, and Lily felt herself being moved although her mind still felt stuck back at the exact spot she'd fell down.
"You're white as a sheet," Mary observed worriedly, "I knew we should have had lunch before we came here."
The crowds around them were starting to thin as they walked further away from the gallery. Security guards eyed them but one look from Mr Lupin and they were silent.
"Is this the first aid room?" Mary asked, as both women went through a door to what was ostensibly an incredibly lavish room.
"Please take a seat," Lupin said, gesturing to a plush sofa in the corner of the room and ignoring Mary's question. "I'll be back momentarily."
"This is definitely not a first aid room," Mary whispered as they watched him leave through a different door than the one they came in. Lily was starting to feel ill as her mind went over all the things that might happen next. "Lil, speak to me, are you okay?"
Lily was about to answer when the door opened again.
"You're always so dramatic," she heard a voice say, and then, to her complete surprise, the attractive man with long black hair who had been in Lily's so long ago and who she had previously thought was a model, stepped through the door. "Oh, shit," he said, as soon as he laid eyes on her.
Lupin looked somewhat vindicated as the two of them made their way into the room. Lily was suddenly aware that both of these men knew who she was. Lupin, to his credit, had at least returned with water.
"Is she alright?" The black-haired man asked, eyeing Lily nervously though not speaking to her.
"Remus!" A voice came calling through the door. One that Lily recognised and a sound that caused her to feel violently nauseous. The black-haired man also looked panicked although Lupin remained completely unmoved. "Remus, you said we had to leave in ten minutes, you can't just…"
James walked in through the door, his eyes landing first on Lupin and the other man and then on Lily. His face remained impassive. He was in full military uniform which wasn't exactly helping Lily to cope with the shock of seeing him in person.
"Oh my God," Mary breathed, shooting to her feet and tugging at Lily's arm, trying to get her to stand. "Lily, stand up…"
"There's no need," James interjected formally, his expression not changed one iota since seeing Lily. In fact he looked as though he expected her to be there all along. "Is this lady unwell?"
"She was taking the tour when she became unwell in the portrait gallery, Your Majesty," Lupin clarified, his voice not without meaning. "I brought her here as it was closer than first aid."
James looked over the scene for a moment, still remaining completely unmoved.
"Very well," he said finally, with a nod to Lupin. "Proceed as you think best," he finished before turning to exit the room. "Sirius," he called after him, to which the man with black hair rolled his eyes and sauntered off as well.
Unable to process anything, Lily barely balked at the fact that James had just left, instead taking all her mental energy to drink the water Lupin had handed her.
"That was the King, right?" Mary said to Lupin, arm still around Lily.
"Yes, that is the King," he replied meaningfully, and Lily could tell he was looking at her although she wasn't looking at him.
"Wow," Mary whispered, turning to Lily, "I know you're not well but in a few hours we are definitely freaking out about how we met the King!"
"How are you feeling Lily?" Lupin asked, seeming very tall and intimidating to Lily although she was sure that he wasn't really.
Lily decided not to speak, nodding only before continuing to drink.
"M'am," he started to Mary, "because she has been unwell in the Palace there will be some forms to fill out. Would you mind going back to the Gallery and starting to fill them in? One of the paramedics should be here soon."
"Of course," Mary replied pleasantly, "you don't mind if I go do you, Lil?" Lily shook her head.
"Paul will escort you back," Lupin informed them, gesturing to one of the attendants at the door.
"Keep drinking," Mary advised, pressing a quick kiss to Lily's forehead, "I'll be back soon," she finished, following the attendant out of the room.
The room was now completely empty save for Lily and Lupin.
"I am Remus Lupin," he finally introduced himself, "His Majesty's private secretary."
"Lily Evans," Lily managed awkwardly, feeling very alert all of a sudden.
"I know who you are," Lupin replied, somehow sounding warm and stern all at the same time.
Lily nodded, taking this in.
"You make excellent doughnuts," he added with a wry smile, causing Lily to stare at him. "You've also made life very difficult recently," he went on, "the King falling for a commoner in a coffee shop isn't exactly something most private secretaries have had to deal with in the past. There's very little protocol for this."
"I own my shop," Lily inserted, sounding stronger than she felt.
"Quite," Remus noted, not sounding as though he cared in the slightest. "But do you know that your shop has had security protection from the moment His Majesty took home those box of doughnuts? I don't think there's another shop in Knightsbridge with that level of security."
"The man…Sirius…is that who?"
"No," he cut in with a light laugh, "Sirius went to your café of his own volition to make sure you weren't some honey pot set up by The Sun or a foreign government. 'Completely clueless,' was his assessment."
Taking another sip of water, Lily processed all of this, still too dazed to feel insulted as she should have.
"You don't like me, do you?" She asked him directly, not really needing to hear his answer.
Lupin sighed and walked in front of her.
"His Majesty has been King for 9 months. In that time, he has carried out a partial tour of the Commonwealth, opened the new Scottish Parliament Building, attended several Royal Society events and dinners and next month he is to open Parliament at Westminster," Remus reeled off officially, "and in that time, the matter that I have spent the most time, energy and effort on…is you."
Lily nodded again, looking up at him.
"As I said, you've made life difficult," he finished, coming to sit down beside her.
After a moment's silence, Remus spoke again. "In a previous life, before he was King, I was His Majesty's friend," he told her matter-of-factly. "In those days, I would have been delighted by how happy you've made him."
At this, Lupin looked somehow younger and nicer and she saw a man who was trying to pull himself upwards into a role he felt unprepared for.
"As it is, debating with the King over whether he can email you from Australia isn't exactly how I pictured the first year playing out."
"He couldn't have written to me?" Lily asked, half-joking.
With the same wry smile, Remus looked at her and shook his head, "he's on the stamps."
She couldn't help but laugh at this but the outburst caused the reality of the situation to come flooding back to her and she took another deep breath.
"Despite the fact that he is supposed to be opening a new ship dedicated to him this evening, I know he will want to see you tonight," Remus advised grimly. "Will it be possible for you to do so, even though Mary is here?"
"I can slip back to the café after Mary is asleep," Lily replied a bit croakily.
"12am then," Lupin agreed, standing up with a sigh. "You can find your way back to the Gallery?" He asked.
Lily nodded.
"Then, Ms Evans, it has been a pleasure," Remus closed, not really sounding as though he meant it. At that, he shook her hand, nodded and stalked from the room.
Lily managed to distract Mary fairly easily later on. It helped that she could be as quiet as she wanted to be and because she was 'ill', Mary was happy to let her be. After all the drama of the day, it seemed that Mary was as tired as she was and by 11pm, both of them were heading for bed.
However, as soon as Mary was asleep, Lily found herself wide awake again, knowing the conversation that was about to happen and the questions that were pounding in her head. She took a taxi to her café, and as she got closer, she tried to spot the signs of security surveillance outside but she couldn't see any. Whoever they had watching the café was very good at their job.
Unlocking the front door and stepping into the darkened room, Lily's heart started to pound against her chest. She knew that no matter how much processing time she gave herself, she would never be able to reconcile the man she saw in the Palace that afternoon with the man who tickled her until she cried in this shop.
She turned on the small lamp she kept in the corner of the shop and sat down on a stool to wait.
She only had to wait a ten minutes or so before the bell rang.
James entered the shop, still seemingly in the military gear from earlier although he was missing the formal jacket and the braces hung around his hips. Catching sight of her, his eyes gleamed with concern as he made his way towards her.
"Are you alright?" He asked quietly, stopping before her although she could tell he wanted to touch her.
"Yes," Lily replied, taking him in in the darkness. Unfairly, his face seemed more handsome than ever, the worry for her in his eyes making him seem as beautiful as she had ever seen. Inside, she felt a sharp stab of pain, knowing that this was probably it. Maybe the last time she'd see him.
"I'm sorry," he said, his head falling towards his shoes. "That must have been horrible today."
Lily considered this for a moment, "it's how I always thought the King would be. I just didn't expect you to be him."
"In uniform…in public, I am someone else," he admitted, "I am the Office. I can't behave how I would want to in private."
Lily watched him watch her carefully. "I wanted nothing more than to go to you and make sure you were okay. Leaving that room was one of the most difficult things I've had to do since I was crowned."
"It's fine," she told him evenly, "I don't imagine many members of the public get the King's private secretary looking after them."
James gave her a small smile, confirming her thoughts. "Did he look after you?"
"Yes," Lily confirmed. "Although, it sounds like I've been giving him a bit of a headache recently."
James's face changed again, this time looking grave. "I've been giving him the headache," he clarified solemnly, "not you. He shouldn't have complained to you."
"He was honest," Lily asserted, feeling strong for the first time that day. "He didn't tell me anything that I wouldn't have worked out by now by myself. How on earth have you been managing this?" She asked, hearing the emotion seep into her voice.
"With help and determination," he replied plainly, "I refused to stop seeing you. I told Remus that I wasn't going to so he could either help me or we could see what happened if the press found out on their own."
"Why?" She finally asked, letting the main question she'd been wondering for the day out.
James raised his eyebrows, "why?"
"Yes, why," Lily confirmed with force, "why are you doing this?"
He looked at her strangely, "are you asking me why I want to be with you?"
"Yes," Lily said exasperatedly, "I am asking why, you, The King, are doing this?"
"It's not the same as it was, Lily," he replied, the concern now seeping into his voice, "I'm not expected to only date Princesses or Queens."
"You can't date," she retorted.
"No, I can't."
"Then, why?" She asked again, now not even trying to hide her frustration.
James looked at her again, seeming to work something out in his head.
"Why do you think I'm doing this?" He queried softly.
Reluctant to let out the thought that had been plaguing her since she saw him this morning, Lily slid off the stool and walked past him, needing to find some distance.
"Because you weren't expecting to be King at 27," she let out hurriedly, "because….because.." here Lily stalled.
"…because no one expected my father to die suddenly," he inserted coldly.
"Yes!" Lily agreed, feeling brutal but knowing it was what she meant. "And…"
"And now I'm running away from this by being with you," he completed.
"And now you're running away from this by having it off with some commoner in a café," she corrected horribly, watching his face turn dark.
He seemed to stop himself from answering her straight away and silence rang around the shop as he watched her closely.
"Did you google those headlines about the incompetent young King or…" he asked finally.
"Mary told me," Lily replied quietly before he finished the question.
He nodded, taking this in. "I want to be King, Lily," he said frankly. "I've never said that to anyone before," he noted with mild surprise, "but I do. I've been working towards it since they told me I was next in line. Everyone always talked about what a horrible burden it was, being born into it, but I've always looked forward to it." He moved around to the front of the counter, not really looking at her. "I didn't want it because my dad died in his fifties but here we are."
His eyes finally drifted upwards to hers and she saw the determination in them. "I'm not running away from this. You're not my escape."
"No?"
"No," he said firmly. "I didn't tell you because I wanted you to get to know me without the crown. But I always knew you'd have to meet that part sooner or later. I was just trying to give us more time as two ordinary people."
"But you can't date," Lily let out again, without meaning to.
"No."
"Then how…how can…"
"I can't date but I can marry," James stated calmly, although she heard a slight rattle in the breath he let out after he spoke.
Lily watched his face, so set and steady but those eyes watching her like a hawk, and thought how much it must contrast with her stricken, shocked expression.
"I…I…" Lily started although she didn't get far.
"It's not like it used to be," James repeated softly, "I don't need to marry for political advantage. I'm the King now so I don't need my father's permission. I can marry for love."
He kept watching her as Lily was torn between going to him for the first time that evening and needing to lie down.
"I'm sorry," he said after she was quiet for a long time. "I wanted more time before I brought this up."
"Before you brought up marriage?" Lily queried incredulously, laughing at her own question and causing James to smile.
"I'm told normal people usually know each other for a bit longer before they get married," he joked, stepping behind the counter to come towards her. "I also wasn't planning to do it in your café in the dark after midnight," he said softly, placing his arms around her waist.
"I can't believe you thought about this at all," she said, looking up at him, "I was thinking it might be nice if we went to the park in the future."
James laughed again, pressing his lips against her forehead. "You're not throwing me out of the shop…that's a good sign."
"Because the idea is ridiculous," Lily replied hastily, regretting it when she saw the hurt in his eyes.
"Marrying me would be ridiculous?"
"James, if I married you, wouldn't I be…"
"Queen? Yes," he stated, as though it was the most natural and obvious thing in the world.
"That's the ridiculous part!" Lily responded vigorously, her mind not able to comprehend the thought of it. "James, I own a shop. My father was a book collector. My sister is a stay-at-home-mum married to a salesman. I'm so far from being royalty that…"
"I don't care," he interrupted, and she could see the genuineness in his eyes. "And neither would the public. In fact, I think they'd love you."
"You're not thinking this through," she pressed ahead weakly, "have you spoken to anyone else about this plan?"
"Remus and Sirius know," he told her, letting his lips fall to her forehead again.
"And the Queen Mother?"
To his credit, James managed to lessen the uncertainty that initially appeared on his face.
"So, you haven't told your mother?" Lily queried, remembering the conversation she'd had with Mary earlier that day. The Queen Mother was a formidable woman by all accounts.
"I will," he promised, ignoring the problem. "She won't mind, she wasn't exactly a conventional choice for my father."
Before she had the chance to answer, he kissed her deeply, unfairly throwing all thoughts and doubt out of her mind.
"Just take some time to think about it," he whispered against her lips, "Lily…I…I didn't plan to tell you this here either but…I'm in love with you. Life would change but I would be a good husband to you. I would make you happy."
Lily couldn't help but kiss him at this point. She wanted to do this more than worry about what happened next.
"Can you stay?" She asked in between kisses.
Nodding, James lifted her up against the counter, fingers slipped under her skirt and every concern Lily had had flew out of her head.
After that night, they had agreed that Lily didn't have to give James an answer right away. Technically, he hadn't asked her the question but they decided she'd take some more time to think everything through.
Whilst she was doing this, James continued to come by every Sunday and although she sometimes had questions about his work and life as King, for the most part, everything remained the same between them.
Around a month later, the bell rang on a Sunday morning and Lily was surprised to see that it wasn't James, but rather an older lady dressed smartly in purple.
She was trying to think of ways in which to get the lady to leave before James arrived when she caught sight of her eyes. The same hazel ones she had been staring into for months.
When she saw that Lily recognised her by the shell-shocked look on her face, the lady spoke, "my son won't be joining you this morning," she said plainly, "so I thought I might pay you a visit."
Gathering herself after the initial shock, Lily bowed awkwardly, "Your Majesty."
The woman smiled, "please, call me Euphemia."
"Can I offer you something to drink or eat?" Lily asked, feeling very underprepared.
"I'd be delighted if you'd sit and have a coffee with me," Euphemia said pleasantly, "I'm not as enamoured with doughnuts as my son seems to be."
Laughing nervously, Lily made two coffees and brought them to the table, trying not to shake the coffee cups as she moved.
"Thank you," Euphemia said, as Lily bemoaned that she didn't have fancier napkins to offer the Queen Mother. "You have a very nice café," she added.
"Thank you," Lily said as she sat down opposite Euphemia.
"I'm sure you think you know why I'm here," her customer went on. "I'm sure you think I'm here to tell you to stay away from James." Euphemia took a sip of coffee, "well? Am I right?"
"Yes," Lily breathed, holding on to her own cup. "Aren't you?"
Euphemia shook her head. "Not at all. Although, I could see why you would think that. I'm sure James thought that would be my response when he told me about you. But, having met you, I can see that he's right."
"I'm sorry, m'am, right about what?"
"The public would love you," Euphemia replied, "you're very beautiful. Unsurprisingly, the public like that in a person. You're also sweet, you own and manage a business so it's likely that you're smart and you seem kind. There may be a few stuffy types who will probably turn their noses up but all in all, it would be a public relations success if the King were to marry you."
"Thank you," Lily managed.
"In fact, I am here to warn you."
"To warn me?"
"Yes," Euphemia continued, "of how difficult it would be for you to transition into this life."
"I have been thinking about that," Lily admitted, dreading to ask her next question, "I would have to close my café, wouldn't I?"
"Yes," Euphemia replied frankly, "you would have to. I'm sure you could sell it for a large amount, especially once it became public knowledge who you were."
Not wanting to say how much the thought of closing her café hurt her, Lily drank some coffee instead.
"I can see that thought upsets you," she went on, "and I can understand why. This is a beautiful place. You must have worked very hard to open it."
"I did," Lily reflected.
"Our life has many privileges," Euphemia said, "but also many drawbacks. The end of a career is one aspect of that. But you can replace it with charity work that you are passionate about. It will be up to you to decide whether you will feel satisfied with that replacement."
Lily tried to think this through but the thought of it was a little much for a Sunday morning.
"Do you love my son?" Euphemia asked suddenly.
"Very much," Lily replied, feeling no shame or compunction in what she said. "If this wasn't so complicated, I would probably marry him tomorrow."
Euphemia smiled lightly, "in that case, I will give him my blessing to ask you to marry him. Not that he needs it, although I know he would like to have it. Now all that remains my dear, is for you to decide what you will say when he asks."
"Is that why you came today?" Lily queried shyly, skin pricking at Euphemia's words.
"Partly," she said, "the King is opening Parliament tomorrow and is still going over the speech with his aides. I believe he asked Remus to convey his apologies but I intercepted that message," she went on as Lily laughed. "Tomorrow is one of the biggest days of his reign yet," she continued seriously, "he's very concerned that it goes well."
"I'm sure," Lily agreed, thinking she should have asked James more about his work.
"It's quite an occasion," Euphemia informed her, "I'm sure you'd enjoy it. Have you ever been to Parliament, dear?"
Lily, as it turned out, had never been to Parliament before, at least not when so much pomp and circumstance was going on.
She stood with Remus as she watched James stride majestically through the corridors of Westminster, with four attendants holding up the resplendent red robes that fell behind him. The crown that sat upon his head glinted from every angle as light hit off the sapphires, rubies and diamonds that adorned the purple velvet cap.
Lily couldn't go into the chamber and instead watched the ceremony on the screens set up outside for journalists. Although he didn't have to, Remus had evidently decided to watch the whole of the ceremony with her.
"My Lords, pray be seated," James said and Lily couldn't help but smile at how natural he looked in his robes.
"He didn't write this, right?" She queried to Remus, who shook his head.
"No, it's written by the Prime Minister and her office. It's just a list of their legislative proposals for the year. His Majesty is supposed to read it in a neutral tone so as not to indicate approval of any of the policies," Remus informed her quietly, looking around to make sure no journalists were listening to them. "His Majesty found that particularly hard, as you'll imagine."
Lily couldn't help but giggle. Knowing James this did seem like something that would trouble him.
They listened for a while to James speaking. He sounded so authoritative and yet she couldn't help but remember the times in the café with him: how he was with her in private, how fun and charming and caring. Watching him doing his job, she felt inwardly a confirmation that she had known from the beginning: she wanted to help him do this.
"Remus?" She asked, getting his attention, "my café. Could I turn it into a charity? Not for me to work in but we could open it up and donate the profits to good causes. If there was a board, perhaps I could sit on it?"
"Yes, that sounds possible," Remus observed, watching her strangely. "Maybe even a good idea."
Lily smiled a little, still watching the television screen.
"Does this mean…?" Remus trailed off, now smiling a little himself.
Lily nodded, not taking her eyes off James.
"Excellent," he said calmly, folding his arms in satisfaction.
"Hi Lupin," a reporter said, startling them both as he appeared beside Remus. "Going well," he observed.
"Thanks Tommy," Remus replied.
"Who's this?" Tommy asked, somewhat abruptly.
"Tommy, this is Lily Evans," Remus informed him, astonishing Lily. "Trust me when I say you'll want to write that name down."
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