Of course, as it turned out, I had no idea what to wear on a date.
So on Friday night at 4.30, I was sitting in the middle of a pile of clothes in my best underwear, trying frantically not to cry.
Mary was no help of course. I'd asked her what I should wear and she'd looked at me and asked if I had any raw meat. I'd turned away quickly and left her to watch the reality show that was on television.
"Marly, any idea what to wear on a date?" I was 100% that my voice sounded as frantic as I felt.
"Clothes," Marly deadpanned and I winced to think that she was actually serious.
"Like what?" I asked, picking up an orange skirt that I'd worn as a 13 year old. I screwed my face up and chucked it to the floor.
"That black dress you wore to Lettie's last year."
"That could work!" I exclaimed, and pulled it from the back of my closet. "Isn't it a bit . . . morbid though?"
"A bit of lipstick and you'll be fine," I could almost hear her shrug.
"Okay," I nodded, slipping into the black silk, feeling the fabric against my thighs like dry water. "Yeah, I think this could work."
"Send me a snap when you have got dressed kay?" Marly replied, and I could hear music in the background.
I hanged up, and did my hair and makeup up, and sent Marly a snapchat of my outfit, getting a reply of 'hotttttt'. Counting that as approval, I slipped into my heels, picked up my purse and walked out.
Of course, I didn't own a car, so instead of merely driving to James' house, I had to take a series of buses and trains, and walk for half an hour. Well, maybe fifteen minutes. Because, of course he lived in a townhouse with a lovely view of the city. Where the buses tended not to run.
So when I knocked on his front door, I was panting heavily.
"Lily?" James opened the door and looked at me with shock on his face.
"Your house is the worst place to catch public transport to," I deadpanned, although I think the effect was slightly ruined by my severe panting.
"God Lily, I thought you had a car!" James actually looked worried, although it as kind of ruined by the fact that he was trying to push down a smirk.
"A car in this city?" I snorted, and pushed past him into his house. "When would I be able to move anywhere? Do you think I've got all day to get places?"
"Of course not," James replied, walking behind me as I observed his fancy hallway, complete with paintings that had to be at least a hundred years old.
"Nice paintings," I commented, looking up and down at the ornate roof and wooden stairs. "Nice place actually."
"Yeah," James rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks going a bit red. "It's a bit much isn't it? I mean I didn't have a lot of choice of course."
"You're an old family," I turned around to face him with a smile on my face. "You get all sorts of this stuff."
"Aren't you living in a townhouse?"
"God no!" I laughed, suddenly regretting I'd pinned all my hair up, because I really wanted to toss my hair. "My mum might have wanted me to, but I'm much more comfortable where I am. I have a roommate."
"That'd be nice," James said, fingering the bottom of his shirt.
He'd tried to dress up I realised. New jeans, a nice shirt, a blazer at the coat hanger at the door. His hair had been pushed down as much as possible too.
"You scrub up good Potter," I raised a brow. "But don't you live with Sirius?"
"You too Evans," James' eyes flicked up and down my body, and I rolled my eyes, despite the flush that was settling on my cheeks as a part of me was quite flattered. "And only sometimes. Officially, he lives with his parents."
"Is that where he is tonight?" I asked.
"Yeah," James replied, looking slightly uncomfortable. "You want to get going?"
"Sure," I shrugged, and followed him out the door, glad I'd thought to put on stockings and a jacket as we stepped out into the cold. "So where is this 'date' happening?"
James pressed a button on his keys, and the car unlocked. Sliding into passenger, I realised that while it was certainly a nice car, it wasn't flashy like the cars the majority of the nobility favoured. Slightly pleased by this thought, I buckled up.
"If I tell you it's a surprise will you hit me?" James teased.
"Well, if you're anticipating it it won't do much good will it?" I raised a brow as he reversed out of the driveway. "Sides, I know you play football."
"What's football got to do with anything?" James asked, his eyes firmly on the road ahead, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. I paused to admire those hands, solid hands for a moment.
"You've got proper reflexes and shit," I rolled my eyes, a smile playing on my lips, as the car halted in the mass of traffic. "You know that better than me."
"Proper reflexes?" James was smirking, and this time I let my hand slap his shoulder lightly.
"Teasing me, really?" I frowned at him, as he turned to poke his tongue out at me.
I gasped over dramatically as the phone rang. James took one look at the caller and pressed a button on the steering wheel, pausing to look at me apologetically.
"Remus, what's up?"
A heavy sigh came from the other end, crackling slightly. "Sirius. He's passed out over here."
"Let me guess - not from drinking?" James sighed deeply, creases far older than him making their way to his face. "I'll be there in an hour, at the most."
Remus hung up, and James turned to me slightly. "Lily, I'm really sorry to do this, but I need to go to see Sirius. Can I drop you home and we do this at a later date?"
"Potter, I agree to fake date you and this is what I get?" I raised a brow, looking straight ahead and not looking at him. "I'd almost think that you wanted to get rid of."
"Lily, really, I'm not trying to get rid of you," James shook his head looking more than slightly worried. "Really, we can do this some other time, I just think that it would be best if I dropped you home."
"Look, whose the one who's training to be a doctor?" I fix a glare on him. "You're going to ditch the only girl you know with medical experience? Come on Potter, you're smarter than that."
James rolls his eyes, but he drove past the turn off to my house, and I settle back onto the seat with a smirk on my face.
Of course, Remus's house was on the other side of town, so it took awhile to get there.
And to my surprise, the entire trip over, James was worried. Very.
His jaw was clenched, a tightness in the bones and muscles. He was jiggling his legs, bumping them against one another. His fingers were tensing and relaxing on the steering wheel.
He was extremely nervous.
And honestly? It unnerved me also.
"Lily?" Remus' eyes widen as he looks at me on his doorstep, all dressed up.
"Move," I shove past him, and walk into the house, making my way down the passageway. "Sirius?"
I find him lying on the worn kitchen table, cuts on his face. A frown making it's way onto my face, I make my way over to him, and wince at the sight of a particularly nasty cut on his face.
"Remus, you need to get him to the hospital," I call out, noting that the boy in front of me is in fact conscience, and taking his pulse, checking it's steady as I look at the bruises blooming in a crown around his forehead.
"Lily," Remus sighs. "Sirius doesn't go to the hospital."
"What do you mean?" I ask over my shoulder as I push his rather long hair back off his forehead to observe the area of skin. "I don't care if he's been doing something illegal, and the hospital won't either."
"Lily," James appears next to Remus, looking at me almost pityingly. "Sirius refuses to go to hospital. More than that, he can't."
"What do you mean he can't go to hospital?" I turn my gaze from Sirius to look at the pair. "He's hurt! He might have concussion, and this cut needs stitches!"
"We'll get a doctor in tomorrow," Remus shrugged. "He can't just go to the hospital."
"He needs medical treatment now," I insisted, shaking my head incredulously. "You can't just leave him here: here to suffer!"
"Lily, Sirius would kill us if he woke up in a hospital," James shook his head. "He might be nineteen, but his parents would too. If he needs medical treatment, he can get it tomorrow."
My eyes narrowed, and I took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll stitch him up."
To my surprise, although James winced slightly, Remus nodded. "What do you need?"
When you're a medical student, you do your fair amount of practicals. You deal with blood, vomit, sweat. All those sorts of nice things. You learn how to hold someone down to give them a needle. You do work experiences in hospitals, clinics, and see wounds seeping pus and all sorts of fun things.
As someone who regularly has a period, I can deal with blood. As someone who regularly hurts themselves and has had wounds seep pus, I can deal with that. As someone who has had horrible viruses in their system and spent days flung over a toilet, I can deal with vomit. As someone who regularly goes running, I can deal with sweat.
But even after all of this, I can't deal with causing people pain.
Feeling them wince beneath me. Seeing their eyes tear up.
Seeing Sirius wince and moan beneath me was so much worse.
I had to ask James and Remus to hold onto each of Sirius' arms, and each time the needle entered the skin on Sirius' shoulder I winced also. Remus had applied some numbing cream, and given Sirius a shot, but even as I tied my stitches off I felt myself recoil.
Finally finishing I made my way to the kitchen sink, and washed my hands free of blood.
I did not feel good.
I hadn't saved a life or done a great deal. The blood that was under my nails, embedded in the area between my skin and nails washed out in a slow way, taking awhile as the water in the sink turned red, or at least a deep pink.
It was almost pretty, even as I swallowed again and again and again.
"You want a scotch Lily?" Remus asked.
"I don't drink," I shook my head.
I made myself a tea.
"So, this wasn't the date that you were expecting," James said as he pulled into my driveway.
"No," I shook my head. "A couple less pictures."
"What you think that we're enough to merit pictures?" James raised a brow. "You have a pretty enough face do you?"
"I think it has something to do with the fact that you are the cousin of the Prince might have a little to do with it," I held my fingers up for evidence.
"Maybe," James smiled.
"Well, Mary with be pissed anyway," I shrugged.
"Mary?"
"My roommate," I pointed out. "She thinks I'm a loser because I spend the majority of my time alone and either bullshit all my work or leave it to the last minute."
"Ahh," James nodded. "So she'd actually be pissed because?"
"She's alone tonight," I shrugged. "So I've one upped her. And she does not take being one upped by me well."
"I see," James smiled. "Maybe I should walk you to your door and kiss you goodnight."
"Oh, I think that would make her very worried," I shook my head. "The poor thing might faint. I just couldn't do it to her. Anyway, I better get going."
I smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek, and opened the door of the car. "We'll do this properly some time soon yeah?"
"Yeah," James grinned.
I gave a small wave and walked to the door, turning th lock and making my way upstairs, past a slightly shocked Mary who was sitting on the couch downstairs, nearby the window, and into my room.
And that was when my mobile started ringing.
My ankle giving beneath me, I winced and opened my purse, dumping my body onto my bed. "Hello?"
"Lily."
"Petunia?"
"I needed to call you," my sister's voice snapped.
"What for?" Admittedly, while some sisters were close, my sister hadn't called me in seven months.
"I'm getting married."
"You're what?"
I hope this is well, and doesn't turn out badly! Please let me know what you thought, what you need to hear more about.
Love you all!
Louisa Xx
