I did a slight edit to this. Nothing's really changed, though.
II
13th of March, 1978.
James took her hand slowly, not wanting to be brisk. She did nothing to push him away, entwining their hands in a firm grip instead.
"Are you serious?" Lily asked in amusement. "After everything you've done, you're afraid now?"
He frowned, his pride hurt. "I'm not afraid. I just don't want to send you running over the corridors, yelling that I'd just sexually harassed you."
Lily burst with laughter, not bothering to hold it anymore. Her hair coruscated in copper and sunlight, oscillating over a thousand hues against the yellowy candle lights, as her eyes stared at him with summery drafts, taunting. There was heat crawling underneath his bones, and he pulled her closer with his hands on her waist.
She had given him a point to be proven. Lily knew how to maneuver him well enough, apparently.
The giggles stopped, but her lips were still smiling. Gently, he let his mouth cover hers, holding the urge to move faster. Years of desire could be tamed, James assumed. He would only have to worry about not toppling the bookshelves – the last thing he wanted interrupting this moment was a pissed of librarian.