A/N: There's a prompt that I've seen on Tumblr and Pinterest for at least the last five years, and I've always thought, "one day, I'll write it," and then I don't. Well a friend of mine was browsing my writing prompt board on Pinterest and pointed out to me that I have this prompt pinned no less than five times… So I finally sat down and wrote it, and now I can obsess over the theyLived!AU that ThisIsMegz requested I write. Keep an eye out for that one; it'll be a decently long multi-chapter like Cake was. Anyway onto the story! ModernMuggleAU. A James/Lily fluff story. One-shot. Rated T. Everything belongs to JKR.
Lily watched through the window as he fidgeted at his table, checking his phone every five seconds. He'd been seated for fifteen minutes at a table for two, alone. The waiter had come by three times already and the man had waived him off every time, "she'll be here" was what Lily thought the man said the last time.
Lily was waiting for her best friend, Marlene, to show up and then they'd grab a table and start their girls night, but Lily couldn't help but wonder why anyone would stand up a man as good looking as this one. His ebony hair didn't exactly lie as much as it stood on end in the best way possible. His black rectangle glasses gave him a dignified look, but it was almost canceled out by how his facial expressions were exaggerated in what Lily had to admit was a rather endearing way. She was so busy staring through the window that when her phone buzzed in her hand she almost jumped to the roof.
"Hey, where are you?" Lily answered Marlene's call.
"I'm still stuck here," Marlene groaned, "and the code isn't working. I'm afraid the team is here until we figure out where the breakdown is. This is our biggest client and we absolutely can't have their system down for any longer than it has to be. I'm so sorry Lils!"
Lily tried to hide her disappointment, "It's alright Mar, I totally understand. I've had to cancel on you before too."
"You're already at the restaurant aren't you?" Lily hesitated and Marlene groaned, "Damnit! Lily, I promise I'll make this up to you! I'm so sorry!"
"Honestly, Mar, don't beat yourself up over it. I'll be fine. I'll head home and we can schedule something for next week once you've got things under control at work."
Marlene sighed, "Ok, but I'm paying for next week."
Lily chuckled, "Whatever, get working on your code and let me know how it turns out."
After hanging up, Lily went to head home when she noticed that the man she'd been admiring was still alone and had just sent a very unhappy looking waiter away for what was definitely the fourth time. The man looked at his phone again and hung his head. He looked crushed, and Lily felt awful for him. Before she could think it through, before she could really process what she was doing, Lily walked into the restaurant, smiled at the hostess, and walked purposefully toward the man alone at his table before sitting down in the empty seat.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, love!" She said just loudly enough for the people around them to hear, specifically the waiter. "Work had me completely tied up and I had to fight my way out."
He looked up and Lily almost lost herself in his hazel eyes; that was when the reality of what Lily had done hit her. It wasn't until he looked up that she realized he could not want this, that he could call her for the creep she was being, and in front of the entire restaurant too. But his look immediately brightened at her presence, his smile crooked on his face; Lily hadn't been prepared for the way it would make her heart skip a beat. This man was good looking from afar, but up close he was paralyzing.
"I'm so glad you made it!" His voice was smoother than silk and Lily felt her breathing go shallow. That voice would be the end of her if she couldn't get a grip.
The waiter came over smiling at Lily. "Glad you could join him, Ma'am. Now, what can I get you two?"
They ordered and the waiter happily walked away, promising that their drinks would be out shortly.
Lily sat awkwardly, trying to figure out what to do next. She hadn't really thought this out, probably because if she had she wouldn't have done it.
"So I'm James, James Potter," the man said leaning closer to her, his voice low.
Lily had to focus very hard on staying coherent with him being that close to her and while she knew he was talking low to keep others from overhearing, her mind went places that were definitely far from his intentions. "I'm Lily Evans. I hope I didn't overstep, but I didn't think you wanted to sit here all night alone."
"Helps that I already had the table too, right? You got out of a 45-minute wait." He smirked at her and Lily laughed.
"Yes, I waylaid your date so that I could come and avoid the Friday night rush to get mid-grade Italian."
James beamed at her.
"So Lily Evans, since you've pulled a dinner out of this, we might as well get to know each other."
"I have cash," Lily blanched, "I'll give you my half of the bill if you don't have cash on hand for us to pay it evenly."
James laughed a booming laugh and waved her off. "Don't be ridiculous, you saved me from a rather embarrassing situation by risking an even more embarrassing one, buying dinner is the least I can do to thank you."
Lily blushed furiously, "Well thank you for not calling my bluff to the entire restaurant. I realized a moment too late you could have."
James smirked, leaning close enough for her to feel his body heat, "I'm not in the habit of ruining a good rescue by jumping out of the boat."
Lily laughed nervously and felt her stomach clench.
"So, getting to know each other?" She heard her voice shake and mentally kicked herself. Get a grip, Lils!
"Yes!" James nodded enthusiastically, "What do you do for work, Evans?"
Lily smiled at being called by her last name, "I'm a statistical analyst." Then she laughed at the face James made.
"Shit, you're a genius!" He ran his hand into his hair and Lily had to pull her mind away from thinking about how his hair would feel under her fingers.
"Not really," she fidgeted with her hands trying to avoid the way her chest hurt when he looked at her that way - like she was the center of his universe, "Just obsessed with numbers and the patterns they make in the real world." Lily could feel her face burning and desperately wished it wouldn't. "What about you?"
James brought his drink to his lips and Lily forced her eyes to stay on his and not his mouth, "I'm a project manager, I make sure everyone else does their job on time." James' eyes watched her and he seemed to find something amusing by the way his eyes crinkled just slightly but he didn't say anything.
Their drinks and food came just then, and Lily lost the nerve to ask what was funny. But as they ate and talked, everything started coming naturally. She felt incredibly at ease with James, well at ease in the sense of talking, but his physical attraction level just seemed to climb with each passing minute and Lily was sure she was going to die before they made it through dinner. They were having a lot of fun though, laughing together and regaling each other with stories from home, school, university, work, and friends. Lily hadn't had a date this enjoyable in, well ever, and she wondered if the woman who stood him up really understood what she'd missed out on.
The meal finished all too soon and James paid, agreeing she could leave the tip, which was arguably too large but she had felt bad for the waiter. They walked out of the restaurant and things got awkward again. James stood on the sidewalk with his hand fisted in his hair as he tried to sound coherent.
"So, er, I really appreciate you saving me this evening. I think I got the best option in the end really, and er, well, Evans, I mean Lily, er Evans if you prefer I guess, shit, I, well if you, you wouldn't mind, I'd, I'd like to see you again, but if you don't want to I totally get it, and..."
Lily cut off his rambling, trying to look calm while her heart beat so fast she felt lightheaded "I'd love to see you again, James."
James' whole demeanor shifted. He seemed taller, his chest broader, and his smile seemed to lack that bit of a smirk it had pretty frequently throughout dinner. Lily had not been prepared for how that look would make her grow weak in the knees and make her feel fainter than she already did.
"That's, that's great! Fantastic! Could I get your number?"
James handed Lily his unlocked phone and her hands trembled as she texted herself and handed it back to him, his hand lingering on hers for just a moment longer than was actually necessary.
"So I guess I'll hear from you then?" Lily almost cringed at how breathless she sounded.
James grinned at her, "Guaranteed, and thanks again for the rescue. You're my hero tonight." Then he leaned in and kissed her cheek. His lips touched her skin and Lily could have sworn he activated something inside her that she'd never felt before. She was on fire in the best way possible and her whole body cried out for more. James started pulling away but before he could completely step back Lily's hands reached for his face and brought his lips to hers.
James stiffened in surprise a bit before his hands moved to her waist and Lily let her arms snake around his neck as they pulled each other closer. His lips moved over hers and Lily honestly couldn't believe kissing could feel like this. Then his tongue ran along her bottom lip and Lily was honestly surprised she didn't melt to the sidewalk. She barely bit back the moan that threatened to escape her as she parted her lips and James deepened the kiss. But when his hand moved into her hair Lily wouldn't have been able to stop the sigh that escaped her if her life had depended on it.
James pulled back just enough to murmur against her lips, "Could I interest you in dessert?" His voice was that same low tone as before and his eyes had gone dark. Lily's chest was pounding like it might burst and she couldn't even be damned to care how breathless she sounded.
"I could definitely be persuaded," she was surprised at how James looked at her as he rested his forehead against hers, his confidence seemed subdued like he was unsure of what he was about to do.
"Two options," he whispered, "there's an ice cream parlor down the street," then he moved to kiss her jaw and followed it up to her ear, smirking as her breath caught in her chest, "or there's a quart of death by chocolate in my freezer."
Lily smirked up at him as he pulled back for her answer, "I've never been a big fan of chocolate ice cream," James' face fell slightly, "but," Lily continued and his eyes bore into hers, "I suppose it's been long enough for me to give it another shot."
James' lips crashed into her and she could feel his smile against her own. "I reckon I can show you the light to proper ice cream flavors, Evans.