Apples
Lily's POV. I tried out a new tense for telling the story, so I hope that works out all right! Yes, I know that James is a bit more polite in this one than he normally is, but I made it to that way on purpose; don't tell me that he is out of character. :D
This one-shot is dedicated to my lovely friend Ice (XxIcexX) for staying awake late at night to role-play with me, writing awesome Pirates fics, and for giving me reviews that made my ego soar to dangerous places. :) ILY x INFINITY!
It is breakfast time, eight in the morning, and I am starving.
I get like that in the morning, for some reason; I wake up, feeling sleepy like all the rest of the house does, but then I get this monstrous hunger in the pit of my stomach, and I can't survive until I get something to eat. Alice jokes that my stomach is rival to that of a bottomless pit in the mornings, and I tend to agree; I get pretty hungry, and when I'm hungry, I go a little crazy.
I rush to the breakfast table and scan it, attempting to locate something – anything – that I could grab and take with me to the common room; I have homework yet to finish for first period that I did not get a chance to complete the night before. Alice shifts irately beside me.
"Lils, hurry," she says, looking at the door. "We both have to finish the last of our essays, and I can't do mine without you."
"Alice, please," I say. "It's bad enough that you can't do your own homework without me, but now you see fit to rush me through finding something to eat? Shameful, that is."
Alice rolls her eyes. "Hurry, Lily," is all she can order me to do, since she knows that I'm right.
I run to the middle of the table and spot a dish of fruit. Apples are my favorite, and there is only one left. I grab for it, and as my hand closes over it, another hand does as well. I look up to see the hand's owner, and to my horror, it is James Potter.
Once I see him, I take my hand away from the apple quickly and blush; I'm quite prone to doing that in his company.
"I'm sorry," I mumble, refusing to meet his eyes. "Go ahead."
"No, its fine," he says easily, gesturing to the apple. "Take it."
"You were there first," I lie. "Go on; take the apple." I had been there first, and we both knew it, but I wanted to be polite and let James take the apple.
"Please Lily, I insist," he tells me formally. "Have it."
I have boundless nerve and say what I want to say to everyone else, but when it comes to James, I lose it; I blush, my stomach twists, and I become the person I normally bad-mouth – a coward. I'm absolutely taken by him, and that was why I tried to insist that he take the apple; but he, being polite for some reason unknown to me, is just as stubborn that I take it. At last, Alice loses it.
"Lily, take the bloody apple and let's go upstairs," she shouts at us. "Please! You are being so annoying!"
Shaken, I grab the apple and run upstairs with her, too embarrassed to look back at James. When we get to the common room, I collapse on the sofa, trying to forget about the event at breakfast and get my parchment out.
Alice watches my progress for a few minutes before saying pitifully, "Lily, you are the most pathetic human being in the world."
"Gee, thanks Alice," I say sarcastically, quite stung by such a remark at a sudden time.
"You had your chance to tell him that you like him, but you missed it," Alice explains. "You lost your nerve over an apple. That's pathetic."
"He makes me nervous," I say. "I don't know how to talk when I'm around him."
Alice smacks the palm of her hand on her forehead. "Lily, you are hopeless. You have to make a move if you want him to know that you like him; you won't get him unless you make a stand and tell him that you like him."
That was one of the things I hated and admired in Alice; she could make things sound so easy, but they actually weren't. I tell her this; "Alice, it's not as straightforward when you're in the real situation. I just can't act like a normal human being around him, and besides, I'm happy just sitting on the side and ogling at him." I mean what I say – it is much easier to just admire him rather than make a move like a regular person might.
Alice shakes her head at me again. "Impossible; that's what you are, Lily Evans. Do what you have to do because you want it; don't let a silly habit get in the way of your happiness."
I roll my eyes, even though her advice is probably helpful. "Shut up, Alice," I say, pulling out my quill. "It was just an apple. Now where did you leave off on this homework?"
&&&
The next morning, I dash into breakfast much like I did yesterday, ravenous. I had been awake for several hours because my eye had mysteriously opened at a bizarrely early hour, and the longer I waited, the more I wanted to eat. So, when I see the Great Hall open for breakfast, I dash right in.
I rush to the fruit again, determined for an apple. A sense of déjà vu comes over me as I see that there is only one apple left, and an even bigger sense of it hits when James's hand closes over the small fruit at the same time mine does. I look up, internally cursing him, and try to find my voice. Alice watches me eagerly, trying to egg me on, though she was not succeeding.
"Take it," I manage to say. "It's your turn today."
"Thank you, Miss Evans," James says, his grin wide and cheeky as he takes the apple. "Have a nice breakfast."
He leaves and I wave awkwardly, feeling like a moron. Alice's face has darkened, and she drags me out of the Great Hall so that she can reprimand me properly.
"You are pathetic!" she moans. "You need to take a stand!"
"I am not as pathetic as you make me sound," I tell her crossly. "I've told you before – he just makes me nervous, that's all." Déjà vu comes to me again; it was as though the other day was just repeating itself.
"Lily, just say it – you like James Potter and you are going to ask him out," she requests. "You'll feel better – I promise."
I sigh and say grumpily, "I like James Potter and I am going to ask him out. Happy?"
"Yes," Alice says cheerfully. "Now think about it – how liberating did that feel?"
I think it; she is right – it is rather liberating. I tell her this and she nods, pleased with herself. "I am always right, and you know it," she boasts.
"Yeah, yeah," I say, rolling my eyes. "Now, if you don't mind, I have some homework to get to, and I don't want to argue about things I am never going to do."
It is Alice's turn to sigh. "You are horrible at this dating thing and I don't know why; you are one of the prettiest girls in our year, yet you refuse to tell the one boy you're interested in that you like him."
"I suppose I'm all right looking, but it's embarrassing," I say. "I'm supposed to hate James – not ask him out."
Alice shakes her head at me pityingly. "You are such a sad, terrified little human being. You never do what you want when it comes to James Potter – make a stand! Get what you want! You never will otherwise! He doesn't know what I know – he won't until you tell him."
"I know," I say. "I-I'll tell him later."
"You said that last week," she reminds me. "Now please – go tell James that you're crazy in love with him so that I can rest in peace knowing that your crush is finally known."
"Later," is all I can tell her. She knows that it will never happen, and I do too, but I can see that Alice is optimistic for the two of us. Even though my opinions and statements change all the time, she still feels that we have a chance. I adore her for her confidence in me, but doesn't she know that I can't make myself tell James what I really feel? Doesn't she know that I can't possibly make anything work between us? Obviously not. I'd have to set her right one of these days. But, as in the case of James, I will just do it later.
&&&
The next morning, I run down to the Great Hall again. I am resolute; I need that apple. So far, when I try to get it, James ruins it, but not today. Today, I will get my apple, I will enjoy it, and James will not hassle me. Today is my day.
I see the dish of apples – it's got two this time. Good, I think; James won't have to pick up the same one as me. No déjà vu! I want to dance with the joy of it, but I don't; I stride forward and pick up the apple, letting the victory flow through me. I am safe! For now, anyway.
Triumphantly, I walk over to Alice and show her the apple. "I got it today," I tell her smugly. "There were two, and I took one of them. No James!"
Alice gives me an aggravated look. "You got an apple. Congratulations."
"Yes, thank you for the support, Alice," I say, frowning.
"It's just an apple," she says. "The only real thing I will give you support for is getting James to go out with you. Talk to him! It's easy!"
"I am never in a situation where I can talk to him, so I don't," I say.
"Put yourself in one!" Alice insists. "It's not that hard, Lils!"
"Later," I tell her feebly.
"When is later?" Alice demands.
"A time that isn't now," I say. "Just…I'll do it later." I take a bite of my apple and decide that 'later' really means 'never.'
&&&
Starving as I always am, I run with Alice to the Great Hall for a late breakfast. We are late; we overslept and need to grab something quickly so that we can scarf it down and run to class. Alice suggests fruit, and I go for my usual – an apple. She grabs a banana and eats half of it in one bite. I notice one apple still left – the only one on the entire Gryffindor table. I race towards it, and just as I am about to seize it, James takes it. I look up at him with irritation, and he smiles at me.
"Did you want this?" he asks innocently, showing me the apple.
"Yes, I did," I say.
"Ask me nicely and maybe I'll give it to you," he taunts me.
"May I please have that apple, James?" I ask, deciding to go the whole way and flutter my eyelashes at him.
"May I please have a kiss first?" He smiles impishly at me, and I roll my eyes, even though I am charmed to the core.
"No," I say. I snatch the apple from his hand, take a firm bite out of it, and give him a look that dares him to challenge me. His smile widens.
"All right, all right, take it," he says.
"Thank you," I tell him stiffly as I take another bite of apple – I had done that hoping that if I had food in my mouth, James would not expect me to talk to him. The idea works; he walks away. Alice comes to find me, and her expression is furious.
"You blew it! Again!" She smacks her forehead with her hand. "Lily, you are being a despicable coward – tomorrow, when you both want that apple, I want you to have a proper conversation with him. I will stand right next to you, and I will ensure that it happens – got it?"
"No," I howl. "I don't want to do that! What will I say?!"
"James is more than capable of starting a conversation – you'll be fine," she assures me. "Follow his lead."
"What if I lose my head completely?" I fret. "What if I say something that would embarrass me and he doesn't speak to me again? What then?"
"Then you know you tried," she tells me unhelpfully. "And anyway, he likes you – he won't think badly of you, no matter what you say."
"Alice, I don't like this," I tell her. "Please don't go through with this."
"Excuses, excuses," Alice says. "You have liked him secretly for years! I'm doing you a favor, sweetie; you'll thank me for this later."
"Later, in my book, has always been never," I point out.
"Don't worry about it," Alice says as we run to first period Transfiguration. "I'll take care of everything."
&&&
In the morning, I walk down to breakfast with Alice, as usual. We get to the Great Hall and Alice pushes me to the fruit dish. It's as though fate is trying to play a cruel, sick joke on me – there's only one apple left, just like there always was before. I sigh and go towards it, and promptly, James takes it before I can grab at it. I look at him, my heart skipping a beat like it always does, and he smiles at me.
"Hello," he says simply, grinning.
"Hi," I manage to choke.
"Is this what you wanted?" He holds out the apple; it sits there, red and shiny, in his hands.
"Yes," I say.
"You like apples, don't you?" he says, chuckling.
"I do," I say. "You obviously do too, since you always come to take them before me."
"I just like little excuses to be near you – apples are my least favorite fruit," he confesses. "The time you made me take it, I gave it to Sirius."
I laugh a little bit. "So you only wanted to take the apples so that I would talk to you?"
He nods, smiling. "Yes."
I blush. "That's quite flattering, I must admit."
He looks at the apple in his hand. "So, do you want it?"
I nod and take it from him. "Thank you."
"Now where's that kiss you owe me from yesterday?" he asks, his smile rather mischievous now.
I glance behind me, and I see the beautiful, familiar face of Alice, nodding at me, gesturing for me to turn around and look at James. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, lean forward, and, at long last, let myself press my lips very gently to James's.
Immediately, he kisses me back. It feels lovely, and before I know it, the Gryffindors around me see me and cheer. It's ridiculous – something out of a dream, really – but I continue to kiss him back anyway. His arms are around my waist, my hands in his hair, and we continue to kiss, ignoring everyone around us. The apple has dropped to the ground, and there it lays, forgotten. Alice's cheer is the loudest I can hear, and I feel pleased that I've finally done what she wanted me to do.
The apple that I had been so hungry for no longer matters – I'm hungry for something else.
Was it a bit unrealistic? Yes. Was the ending horrible? Yes. But will you review it anyway? I hope that's a yes. :D