Little plot bunny in my head, distracting me from everything else...so here...some almost-fluff (I've watched way to many soap operas to ever be able to write pure fluff (; )

Disclaimer: As per usual, nope, no owning of the Harry Potter universe :(

I don't get it, Lily thought. James is still going after me. If only he really meant what he says.

Lily sighed, causing her friend Alice to look up at her curiously.

"Everything alright, Lil?"

"No." Lily sighed again. "James asked me out again."

Alice uttered a soft, knowing, 'oh' before moving to sit next to her on the couch. She waited patiently.

It didn't take long.

"WHY can't he just leave bloody well alone?" Lily burst out. "He always has to ask me out, annoy me, humiliate me – can't he just give it up?"

"Lily, maybe if you just told him how you felt-"

"I have told him, he just chooses not to listen-"

"No, how you really feel…you know, that thing we never talk about?"

Lily glanced around the common room to make sure nobody was there, listening. Luckily, she had taken so long wandering around the grounds after James's latest attempt that practically everyone had gone to bed. Almost everyone.

"Lily?" Alice's voice cut into Lily's distractedness. Lily sighed inwardly. For the first time in two years, Alice was going to make her talk about it.

It being Lily's long acknowledged (between the two of them, at least) feelings for James Potter. Feelings that went back to at least second year, feelings that had started out as a small crush and gradually grown into a nearly all-consuming love. It was worse now that Lily and James were Heads and shared the Heads Common Room and Dorms.

"Lily?" Alice repeated. "Come on, talk to me."

"It's just…" Lily trailed off, trying to organize her thoughts. "James asked me out again."

"So I gathered," Alice said, smiling wryly. Lily threw her a look.

"And this was the first time in three months. He was so sincere about it – I almost said yes. But then I remembered that he's James Potter and that I'm the last girl in the school above third year that hasn't gone out with him. And I know that's the only reason he keeps asking me. He has to finish dating the entire school.

"But I can't help it, Alice," she continued softly. "I'm so in love with him it physically makes me hurt. And I know that he's never going to really feel anything for me beyond the friendship we have managed to achieve. That's the main reason I haven't said anything to him – I don't want our tenuous relationship to go down the drain and I don't want to have to listen to the gentle let-down I know he'll try to give me."

"So instead you just stand by and fall more in love with him? And still get your heart broken? Lil, I fail to see how that works out for you."

"It works out in the way that I can still be around him and still be friends with him without any awkwardness or downright agony. And that's enough for me for now. It's November – the first half of this year is almost over, and once we finally leave Hogwarts I can move on from James. It'll be easy – I won't have to see him every day." Lily tried to inject some feeling into what she was saying, but judging from the look on Alice's face, she wasn't very believable.

For what felt like the hundredth time that night, Lily sighed.

"I'm going back to the Head's Dorms to go to bed. I'll see you later Alice."

Lily stood and left, pushing open the portrait and heading quietly down the hall, praying that James was already asleep.

Alice looked after her worriedly for a moment before standing and heading up to the girl's dormitory. An observer, unnoticed by either girl, stood dazedly from his spot on the boys' dormitory staircase and also left, praying his knowledge of the halls and shortcuts would get him to the Heads Dorm before her.

Lily wandered down the familiar path towards the rooms she shared with James.

James…just thinking of his name brought a soft smile to her lips. It wasn't his fault, really, that he was so adorable and sweet and frustrating and funny and infuriating. He hadn't made her fall in love with him…she just…had.

Lily groaned inwardly, wishing things could be different. There were times that she allowed herself to daydream about the two of them together. Sometimes she caught him watching her, and the look in his eyes caused her to think that maybe she had a real chance with him. But then she would see him at lunch flirting with another girl and she had to mentally berate herself for even considering thinking that he was really interested in her for any other reason than to check off the last girl on his list.

She softly said the password and stepped inside the Heads Common Room. She tensed when she saw James pacing frantically in front of the fire.

Lily tried to edge around the room to get to her dorm, but no such luck. James glanced up and saw her.

Before she could utter a single word, he had crossed the room in three strides, pulled her roughly to him and…was he kissing her?

They broke apart after a few moments…or maybe it was a few hours…Lily wasn't really sure…all she knew was that James Potter had just given her the best kiss she had ever had in her entire life – he had just effectively ruined her for any other guy.

"Lily," he said breathlessly, "how could you honestly think that all you are to me is the only girl in the school I haven't dated?" Lily looked taken aback and opened her mouth to interrupt, but James shook his head and she remained silent. He took a deep breath and continued.

"I've been so hopelessly in love with you since the first moment I laid eyes on you. The only reason I ever dated anyone else was because I wanted to make you jealous or I was trying to get over you – not that I ever succeeded with either. Lily, you are it for me and it broke my heart all these years to think that you hated me and I would never have a chance with you. I always knew I wasn't good enough for you-"

Lily had to cut him off there. "Don't you ever, ever, say that you are not good enough for me. You are everything that I have wanted since second year. I just never thought you were sincere about asking me out, or really wanting me."

They just stood there together for a moment, both of them scarcely daring to believe that this was really happening. Lily was positive James could hear her heart pounding – it had to be echoing around the room.

"Did you mean it?" she asked quietly, breaking the silence. "When you said you were in love with me?"

James didn't answer for a long moment, he just stood there staring at her. She felt her cheeks grow red but she held his gaze.

He bent his head and brushed his lips against hers for a moment that, in Lily's opinion, was over too soon.

"I love you, Lily Evans," he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers. "Always have, always will. I promise."

Lily smiled, her heart feeling like it would fly right out of her chest.

"I love you too, James Potter," she whispered back, gazing into his hazel eyes. "Always have, always will. I promise."

Too corny? Not corny enough? I won't know unless you clicky the little green button thingy!!!