Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything, so don't sue me, k? Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and the idea of a Private Actress belongs to Michiyo Akaishi, a mangaka.

Private Actress

Chapter 4: The First Date

I had mixed feelings about this date, but I needed to grin and bear it. Let's just hope everything will go smoothly.

It was late morning, and I was in my apartment searching my wardrobe for something to wear for our 'first date.' I couldn't find anything suitable, and I didn't know why. I never had a hard time picking an outfit. I didn't know what was different in this situation.

Honestly, it looked like I was really preparing for a real first date—which this thing was totally not, in any way you look at it.

I was glad I decided to dress up early because if I hadn't, I would definitely be late. When I finished picking what to wear, I was left with little time to put on my brown wig and blue colored contacts. I also needed to consider my travel time.

Really, being a private actress was hard business.

I walked to my special walk-in closet full of PA necessities. This closet is pretty special to me because whenever things 'get rough' with my job—like now, for example—I just needed to go inside this special place to make myself forget how hard my job really was.

Because inside my closet was practically everything a girl could ever wish for—countless clothes, plenty of shoes, and a lot of expensive jewelry and accessories. Not only that, I also had a lot of make-up, and different colors of wigs and contact lenses. All of them were provided by the agency to help with my disguise, and this was definitely a great perk in this hard job of mine. I should've picked my outfit here, but for some reason that I was being indecisive that day, I decided to search my own wardrobe because it had fewer choices and it was still fashionable.

I quickly put on my wig and contacts, and with my expertise in applying make-up that I'd gotten through the years of being a PA, I turned into a completely new person. This was another thing that made me love my job besides my love for acting—the disguise. There was something about being someone completely different that fascinated me to no end.

After applying lip gloss on my cherry pink lips, I had officially finished dressing up for my 'first date,' and I must say that I looked fabulously gorgeous—a girl fit to be beside the James Potter, the famous and handsome heir of the multimillion dollar company, Potter International, Inc.

And may I say that I was going to be fashionably late for our date if I didn't go out right about now? So I picked up my small bag and quickly went out the door.

It turned out that I wasn't that late from our agreed time. I arrived at the park about 15 minutes late, and I found him sitting on a bench, looking around trying to look for me and checking his watch to see what time it was. It was pretty funny because he seemed impatient and worried. Did he really think I would leave him here by himself, when it was I who set up this date? I do take my work seriously, you know.

I walked in front of him, wanting to see if he would notice or recognize me, but he didn't, and that made me all the more proud of my disguise. Since he didn't 'know' me, I decided to play with him a little bit, just for fun. I tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

"Excuse me, are you James Potter?" I asked. I was playing the role of the innocent friend.

"Yes," he said, but he was not looking at me since he was too busy searching out for 'me.' Maybe he thought that I was an admirer so he was rude to me and hoped I would go away. Too bad there was no chance of that happening.

"My friend Lily said that she couldn't come, and that I should come in her place," I said.

When I said that, he quickly looked at me, and I nearly laughed at the comical look on his face. His eyes were a bit wide, his eyebrow was raised, and his mouth was a little open. He looked a little bit like a fish out of the water. It was very funny.

"What?" he exclaimed, confusion written all over his face.

That was the last straw. I laughed at his face, and he looked at me like I was a lunatic. After all, he didn't know what was funny in this situation.

"James, it's me Lily. I'm in disguise," I said after I calmed down. "Remember that I asked you about your ideal girl? You said it was a brunette with blue eyes. So…" I trailed off and tilted my head. I think he got the idea.

"You scared me because I thought you weren't coming. By the way, you're fifteen minutes late!" he said, trying to change the topic so that his embarrassing moment wouldn't be terribly noticed. I let him off the hook, for now.

"Sorry, I couldn't get the train to go faster," I said sarcastically. Though I knew I was at fault, I didn't back down. I went here by train because it was cheaper and it was easier than to hail a taxi. It was faster too since I wouldn't be slowed down by traffic.

He looked at me pointedly, trying to make me apologize for my lateness. I will, eventually; I was not that stubborn and prideful.

"Ok, let's start over. We got off on the wrong foot," I said, shifting into actress mode. For now, I'm not Lily Evans, but James Potter's girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancée.

"Hello James, did you wait long? I'm sorry I was late. I took a long time choosing what to wear," I said, looking a little embarrassed. I could see he was a little confused because I changed my attitude, but decided to ride along.

"Not really, I just got here about 5 minutes ago," he said, a little bit embarrassed too. So he was giving me a hard time for nothing! He was also late, and yet he kept complaining about me being late. It was either his complaints were because he was defensive, or he was just plainly being hypocritical. I hoped it was the former.

"Let's have lunch. I'm pretty hungry, and it's already noon,"

"Where do you want to have lunch, milady?" he said charmingly. I guessed he already recovered from his embarrassment and he was back to his old annoying self.

"There's a pizza parlor at the end of the street. You want to eat there?"

"Don't you want to eat at a restaurant? I'm paying, so you don't need to worry about anything," he said. Maybe he didn't want finger food, and honestly, I didn't want it either, but I had my reasons to pick it.

"But it's the most popular place for teens right now. There would definitely be a lot of people," I said, thinking it would be better if many people saw us. Someone from school was bound to see us, and by the end of next week, there'll be rumors about him getting a girlfriend, or at least, dating a girl. That would accomplish part one of this whole assignment.

It was all planned in my mind. I needed to show that he was dating me secretly. That meant I was different from his other girlfriends. It could also translate to 'I don't want you to get harassed by my admirers,' because if he were to date me publicly, I would definitely get hate mail from his fan club and stalkers. That was how hard being the girlfriend of James Potter was. I had seen plenty of girls in our school who cried every time they were bullied or harassed, but they never reported to James what happened to them, but I knew James knew all of those things. He just didn't do anything about it.

Well, either way, the situation was at my advantage for my image as his 'significant other.' It simply meant that I was special—more special than his other girlfriends.

"But isn't it better to eat at a restaurant?" he said, still insisting to go to places other than that pizza parlor. He didn't get the subtle hint, obviously.

"Why don't you want to go to the pizza parlor?" I asked.

"Well, I wanted it to be special, somewhat. Don't you think it would be more credible if I treated you to a more suitable restaurant? Plus, there are a lot of people there, I'm sure."

"You see, that's the point of going in there—for many people to see us together, like a couple," I said.

"But, don't—?" I finally had enough, and I slipped from my cool demeanor.

"We're going to the pizza parlor, and that's final." I said, not leaving any room for argument. This guy just didn't get it.

"Fine," he said a little curtly. "This isn't a real date anyway."

From how he was acting, I'd think he wanted this to be a real date, but it really wasn't. Did he expect anything more? I had to say though, that he was good in acting because he had immediately plastered a smile on his face right after our small argument, like he was not sulking a little bit earlier. Now that made me wonder, was he acting all this time? I didn't know what to think.

"Hey, don't feel bad. This is also for your sake. Just follow my lead, and we'll make this whole thing credible and perfect," I said, trying to cheer him up, even for a little bit. I honestly didn't want to be with a sulking boy all day.

"It's fine. I was just disappointed that we couldn't go somewhere else. I would've wanted to treat you in a better restaurant, but if you wanted to go to the pizza parlor, then the pizza parlor it is," he said, then smiled warmly at me.

That was sweet. He was being thoughtful, and I could honestly say that I hadn't seen this side of him yet. Was he really the guy that was so apathetic to his harassed girlfriends?

We began to walk alongside each other. There was a comfortable silence between us, not awkward in the least. So in my first attempt to look like a couple in public, I walked closer to him, held his hand, and interlaced my fingers with his. I blushed a bit at my forwardness. Acting or not, it was pretty embarrassing to be that forward. I blushed even more when I felt his hold on my hand tighten.

I would have to get used to this and a lot more things if were to pretend to be his girlfriend slash fiancée. It wasn't that I was innocent at these things, but it was James Potter who we are talking about here. He was definitely different than other guys.

When we arrived at the pizza parlor, the place was full of people—adults and teenagers alike. This was the perfect place to be all couple-like. It will definitely spread rumors around school. I even saw a few schoolmates of mine in one corner.

"Try to get seats, and I'll order for us both," he said as he waited in line to order. "What do you want?"

"Since I picked the place, you pick the food. I'll get us some seats." I looked around for unoccupied seats to find none, so I had to wait a little. Luckily, a couple by the window stood up to leave, and they were near me so I quickly went there to save the seats. I signaled for a busboy to clean the table.

When James arrived with our food, I noticed some women staring at him in the corner of their eyes. I knew he was handsome, so I really was not surprised at these actions. It was inevitable, actually. Apparently, he appealed to all ages—from children to adults. I found it a little funny. How could this guy have so much charisma?

"Let's dig in. I'm starving!" he said as he sat down next to me, and then grinned. He really was a charming guy, I admit.

We started to eat and talk about anything under the sun. It was only this time that I was comfortable around him. For some reason, I couldn't be completely at ease with him; I just tried not to show it. We finished the food quickly, as we were really hungry, and we were just talking. Now was the perfect opportunity to start all those rumors.

I waited until we finished talking since it was rude to just suddenly change the subject of conversation.

"Hey, let's start acting like we're a couple. It's the perfect time. If you didn't notice, a lot of people are staring at us," I whispered to him.

"Yeah, I noticed," he said a little bitingly, and then he looked at some people, though I couldn't pinpoint which ones he was looking at. Huh? It seemed like he was talking about something else.

As we talked, I moved closer and closer to him. He looped his arm around my shoulder, and I leaned on him. His free hand held my right hand. It was a comfortable position, and he had a warm body that was nice to lean on to, I admit. I shook my head a little to erase those thoughts. I shouldn't be thinking like that, I really shouldn't.

We were talking again, but in hush whispers, as if we didn't want anyone to overhear what we were saying. We kept whispering in each other's ear, like we were saying sweet nothings to each other. It appeared like that, but what we were saying were totally different from what one would expect. Instead of the 'sweet nothings,' we were talking about what we were going to do next.

"Hey, what do you want to do next?" he whispered to me.

"Do you want to go shopping?"

"I'm fine with anything." I smiled, as if he said something sweet. It was all projection, after all. What we were doing was major PDA--Public Display of Affection--, and we were getting the expected results from our 'audience.' My schoolmates in the far corner were whispering among themselves and pointing to James. I bet they were gossiping about me. The women who were staring at James finally looked away, getting the hint that he was not single.

So this was what it was like if you were James Potter's girlfriend—you unofficially got bragging rights. You got to gloat to women that you had this fine specimen of man as your boyfriend.

"Hey, let's go," I whispered to him. "Mission accomplished."

"Sure, ok," he said, and then he did something I didn't expect.

He kissed my cheek.

My eyes widened a bit, and I blushed a little by the gesture because of embarrassment. A lot of people were looking from the corner of their eyes. He was so willing to look like a couple. Well, I couldn't just let that pass, could I?

I retaliated with a kiss near his lips. Not on his lips, but just the corner of it. I inwardly laughed at his expression. I knew I was a tease. I bet he didn't expect I would do that. It just showed how much he knew me—which he didn't at all.

When that surprised face turned into a mischievous look and that irritating sparkle in his eye reappeared, I already knew what was going to happen next, and I definitely will NOT let him do it.

He leaned towards me again, but I stopped him by putting two fingers on top of his lips.

"Let's save that for later, ok?" I winked at him. Honestly, I just wanted to stall more time before the inevitable arrives. I wasn't that willing to be a couple yet. "Let's go."

We stood up from our tables and walked to the entrance, our hands still connected. We felt all eyes on us, and I saw some girls staring jealously at me. Ha! They could stare all they want, but I still got this man by my side no matter what they do.

Without warning, James placed his arm around my shoulder a little bit possessively, and quickly went out the pizza parlor. Did I miss something? Did something happen that I didn't know? Why was he in a hurry to get out? It wasn't like we weren't near the door already. I raised my eyebrow at him, silently asking him what was going on. In response—or lack thereof—he looked straight ahead, as if he didn't notice my expression. I decided to let it pass. I didn't want another argument, after all.

We decided not to get a taxi, but to walk to the nearest mall. It wasn't that far, and we needed 'exposure' as much as possible. I decided to start the conversation.

"James…"

"Lily?" he replied.

"Tell me about yourself," I said. I was curious about him, and I wanted to fill up this silence between us.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"I don't know. Friends?" I shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"Well, I belong in a group, and we call ourselves Marauders—"

"Why?" I interrupted him. I honestly was curious as to why they called themselves that.

"We like the name, and we consider ourselves quite the troublemakers in school." Yeah, they were the cause of most of the pranks that happened in the classroom. I felt pity if someone were to challenge them or antagonize them. Not only will they be pranked everyday by the Marauders, they'll be treated like they were excommunicated by the whole school. People wouldn't go near them in fear of being pranked as well, and the enemy of the Marauders are considered the enemy of the practically the whole female population—their admirers—which constitutes one half of the whole student body.

"Anyway, we are four in the group: me, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. I'm closest to Sirius, though. He's practically my brother judging on how long we knew each other. He always comes by our house, making him like a second son to my mother."

"I should meet them sometime. Have you already told me to your friends?" I asked. His friends also had a vital part in this whole assignment.

"Yeah, kind of," he said, looking away. That gesture meant something.

"James Potter, what do you mean 'kind of'? Have you told your friends about me or not?" I asked him directly.

"They know you as the girl I met in the wedding—the redhead with green eyes. I told them everything that happened at the wedding, except Remus since he was with me at the event. They don't you as the brunette with blue eyes who is my 'girlfriend'."

"Well, those two girls had different identities. After all, they don't know my name yet, do they? I need to meet them as your girlfriend, or at the least, you tell them about me. It wouldn't be nice if they'll hear the news from people other than you."

"Fine, I'll tell them as soon as possible. You want to meet them?" he asked, not getting the reason why it needed.

"Of course, I do. They'll add credibility to our relationship."

"I'll set up a date then," he said, agreeing with me.

"I'll give you my mobile number later."

"Ok, thanks."

By the time we finished our conversation, we reached the mall, and I was already excited to shop. I was already planning to torture James by making him follow me through every store I wanted to look in. He would not escape.

"James, get ready," I said mysteriously with a certain twinkle in my eye. I would certainly make him regret going shopping with me. I can't wait!

"Uh, Lily, what are you planning?" he said, a little cautious of me.

"Oh, nothing," I said, trying to look innocent by looking upwards and humming a little.

"Lily, I'm getting scared,"

I didn't answer and only gave him an 'innocent' smile. I tugged at our still connected hands—yes, it was like that the whole time—to the first shop I saw. Let the fun begin!

"Aren't you done shopping yet?" James said, exhausted. I honestly wasn't finished yet, but for his sake, I'll stop. I still have the energy to continue though.

"Fine, we're done for the day," I said, secretly taking pleasure in his moment of 'weakness'. We had gone through so many shops, and yet he was only holding two bags. It must be pure torture for him.

"On our next date, I'll take you to the movies. I'll never ever take you shopping again," he said. I told you I'll make him regret it. Personal mission, accomplished.

"Don't say that. Don't you love me?" I said jokingly, fluttering my eyelashes at him. I laughed at my own silliness.

"Yeah, I do," he said like he really meant it, but I knew he didn't. With those words, the whole atmosphere changed. It was another romantic moment.

He kissed my cheek again, but this time he didn't settle for just one and quickly changed direction, heading for my lips. I wouldn't let him, not just yet, so before his lips arrived at their destination, I quickly moved away, making him kiss the air. I laughed at him.

"Hey, you're not supposed to—!" he didn't finish what he was saying because I kissed him at the other corner of his lips. I really enjoyed being such a tease. After that I quickly walked ahead of him, still giggling, and left him there like a goldfish. When he finally returned to the real world, he ran to catch up with me. He was lucky I was still in his line of sight.

"That's unfair, Lily!" he said, pouting a little bit.

"Nothing is fair, James. Nothing is fair," I said as I patted his head like a dog. I was still grinning at him

As I spent more time with James, I felt more at ease with him, and I had no problem acting like we were a couple. We'd done a lot of PDA during the whole trip that it was enough to make someone puke, but it was still pretty believable. It should be. We were acting like a newlywed couple, after all.

The date was ending, and we already left the mall, heading for the park near the train station. Our starting point will be our ending point as well. As we walked, we still tried to keep up our playful banter. It was to fill up the silence that would definitely be there if one of us would stop talking. This was better than that.

We slowed down as we reached our destination. Even our conversation was slowly dying down. By the time we stopped, no one was talking, and there was silence between us.

"So…" I said.

"So…" he replied. Both of us didn't know what to say.

"I had fun, honestly," I continued.

"Me too. When will be our next date?"

"Let's just call each other to set up another date. Here's my number," He lent me his phone, and I saved my number.

"So…" I said again.

"So…" he replied again. This was getting repetitive, so I ended the conversation, and at the same time, ending the date.

"See you," I gave him a small wave.

"Yeah," he replied. He seemed distracted by his thoughts, as if contemplating to do something or not.

Well, with that said, I turned around to go to the train station so I could get home. I wasn't that far away from him when I heard him shout.

"Lily, wait!" he walked fast to catch up to me. Was he forgetting something? I turned around and waited for him, thinking he had something important to say. He stopped in front of me, and I just looked questioningly into his eyes. He leaned closer to me.

"You forgot to give me a goodbye kiss," he whispered in my ear, and in the next thing I knew, we were kissing for the next eight seconds. The moment his lips touched mine, I felt my eyes close. My mind was blank and was not processing anything. All I could think of was his lips on top of mine.

"Bye Lily," he said breathily as he released my lips, and then walked away. Now I was the one standing there like a goldfish. I was so shocked. Maybe I was a little too naïve to think that he would pass the opportunity to kiss me in the lips. After all, I was teasing him all throughout our date. I shook my head a little to clear my head.

'This is normal,' I said to myself. I shouldn't be thinking of such dangerous thoughts, I really shouldn't.

But I can't help to be dazed by the kiss as I rode the train home.

I'll never let my guard down around him. Never again.

End of Chapter

Author's Notes:

If you reached this part of the story, thank you for reading! Please remember to click that little button by the lower-left corner to review. I'm looking forward to know what you think of it!

Yes, Lily was a little OOC, but she was in actress mode, so it really wasn't Lily who is doing all of those OOC things. Am I making sense? Well, whatever. –smile—

Please review! All those who had this story in their story alerts, please review. I plan to reach 48 reviews, so please help me! I want to attract readers who look at the number of reviews first before reading it—this I'm guilty of, I admit. Even an 'I liked/loved it!' would be fine. I write faster if I get more reviews.

Thanks Mia for beta-ing this chapter!

Thanks for reading!