Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything.
ROMANTIC SEMANTICS
"Ugh," Lily grimaced. "Look at them," she sneered as she pushed her spoon through a bowl of stew.
"Who?" James asked, looking up from his Yorkshire pudding.
"Them," Lily jerked her head toward a couple seated further down the table.
"Who? Alice and Frank?" James asked in disbelief. "What? What's a matter with them?"
"They're practically drooling over each other," Lily rolled her eyes. "And what? What the bloody hell is she doing?" She muttered and craned her neck to see. "Yes, its confirmed, she's petting him. She's actually petting him."
James pulled a face and turned over his shoulder to take a look.
"She's being affectionate, what's wrong with that?"
"Nothing," Lily sighed. "It's just weird," she said and took a bite, "I mean he's a kid, not a puppy."
James snorted and nearly choked on his pudding.
"Okay, okay," Lily said as she thumped him on the back. "Easy there, big guy."
"You're just sour grapes," James said once his eyes had stopped watering.
"How do you mean," Lily asked distractedly while tearing up a bread roll.
"I mean of course you find any public displays of affection to be disgusting, you're not in a relationship."
"You wound me Potter," Lily clutched at her heart dramatically. "How dare you remind me that I'm single!" she gasped before rolling her eyes again and returning to her supper.
"Be as sarcastic as you want, you know its true," he said through a mouthful.
"It's not true, not a bit," Lily said firmly. "I'm quite happy to be single, the last thing I need right now is a boyfriend," she raised her eyebrows. "Besides, I'm way to self centred for a relationship at this point, I want to focus on me and my grades and what I want in life before I go off worrying about what someone else wants."
James stared at her for a moment. "You know I really can't tell if you're joking or being serious," he said thoughtfully.
"Little bit of both," she shrugged.
"So you don't think you're just a little bit cynical because you've never been in a relationship?"
"No, I don't," she replied brashly. "And if in the future I am in a relationship and I start behaving like those two, fawning over the poor idiot and acting like he's a god among men," she shuddered, "then I give you permission to slap me across the face."
"I'm holding you to that," he pointed at her before taking a swig of pumpkin juice.
"Good," Lily said and swiped her hair away from her face. "Oh Merlin," she cringed, "he just used the L-word."
"What? How do you know?"
"What do you mean, how do I know? I heard him say it, just now!" Lily said impatiently. "And see, she's losing her gobstones, she's going nuts over it," Lily gestured towards them.
James followed her hand to see Alice nearly smothering Frank in kisses.
"Lucky Longbottom," he snickered.
"Ridiculous," Lily shook her head. "They've been going out for what, a month now? Two tops?"
"Yeah, so what?" James asked.
"Well, c'mon," Lily said, "He doesn't love her. He likes her. He's infatuated with her or he cares about her a lot, how could he possibly know that he loves her?"
"When you know, you know," James shrugged.
"No you don't, people are fickle," Lily disagreed. "I mean haven't you ever thought you liked somebody and then a month goes by and you wonder what you were thinking?"
"Well, yeah, but this is what he's feeling right now, he feels like he loves her. People get all worked up over words, its stupid, if you mean them then say them."
"Yeah but the word love means different things to different people at different times, its too ambiguous, which is why people should use it more sparingly and not just throw it around- it makes it harder to tell when someone is being serious about it."
"I think you'll know when someone is being serious about it," James said. "I mean you tell your friends you love them all the time and its just a given. You think Sirius goes around wondering if there's anything romantic going on when I tell him I love him after a couple of butterbeers? No, not a chance in hell, you know what's meant by it based on the context."
"Yeah but in the context of a relationship it's confusing. People always say it too early and take it for granted. It's a meaningful, powerful word and shouldn't just be tossed around." Lily insisted.
"No, you're wrong," James said stubbornly, "and just for that, I'm going to show you," he scolded her. "Evans, I love you."
"Oh shut up," Lily grunted. "Now you're just being a prick."
"Nope, I mean it, I love you," he crossed his arms defiantly.
"No you don't," she laughed, and shot him a dubious look.
"Oh come on, is it that hard to believe? I haven't exactly been all together that tactful about it," James blurted through a mouthful of shepherd's pie.
"Well yeah, I know you have this unnatural and all consuming fixation with me," she gesticulated with her spoon. "But that's not love;" she scoffed, "that's just everyone's natural reaction when they meet me," she smirked and slurped away at her stew.
"Please," James snorted, "Don't flatter yourself."
"Hey Mr. Romance, I thought you lurved me, what changed?" She grinned.
"That's what love is all about," James sneered. "It's when you like someone because of their imperfections."
"No," Lily shook her head, "I disagree with you on that one. Like those broads who like bad boys because they think it's so romantic for a boy to change for them? That's disgusting."
"No that's not what I mean," James said dismissively. "Its not liking someone who's flawed so you can change them. Its about knowing the good and the bad and loving all of it and not wanting them to change at all because that's what makes them who they are."
Lily chewed thoughtfully on her bread roll.
"Alright, yeah, I like that," she nodded.
"And you thought I didn't know what love is," he commented darkly.
"No, you've got a pretty good definition there," Lily allowed him, "but that doesn't mean you can apply it to me."
James laughed and put down his pudding.
"How do you think I came up with the definition in the first place? How else was I supposed to justify the fact that I still liked you even though you're hot tempered and stubborn and violent?"
"Yeah, well you're no bag of sunshine either," Lily raised an eyebrow.
"Right, you've told me," James said, "I'm a git and I'm arrogant and a toerag and all that bollocks."
"Bloody right," Lily muttered.
"But you hang out with me anyway, don't you?" James asked her expectantly. "So you must, by the very definition we just agreed upon, love me a little, on some level. Right?"
Unable to see her way around it she shrugged. "I guess," she said reluctantly.
"Brilliant," James smiled and stood to his feet. "Oi! Sirius!" He waved his arms and called down the table. "I just got Lily to admit she loves me!"
AN: Hope you loved it! R&R to give me feedback or just to tell me your definition of love! Always interested in hearing someone else's take on it!