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 6: The Family Dinner – Part 2
James and I were walking ahead of Elizabeth and Henry, and we were just talking casually, like friends. I guessed we sort of agreed to an unspoken truce for the night. That was what I thought, anyway.
"So, what did you talk about with my mother?" he asked as we walked to the dining room.
"I just reported to your mother about the progress of the assignment," I answered, leaving out that she also asked me about our date. He didn't need to know that little tidbit of our conversation.
"Really?" he said, as if knowing I was hiding something from him. Was I that transparent or this family had something akin to psychic powers in their gene pool? "That was all you talked about?"
"Yes," I said normally. He wouldn't get anything from me; he was dealing with a professional actress! But what I found irritating when I looked at him was that he had a look in eyes that said—no, practically screamed—'you're hiding something!' Honestly, he wasn't mocking me or accusing me, but he had pure amusement written all over his face. That was what I found very annoying.
It was pretty much silent after that, but it wasn't long before we reached our destination. I felt glad about that; there was something about being alone with James that made me feel uneasy and conscious about myself, and I definitely didn't like that feeling.
We entered the dining room with his parents in tow. I wasn't surprised that even this part of the house—scratch that, this was a mansion—was extravagant. There was a beautiful centerpiece in the middle of the table, and all furnishings were made of polished wood that was definitely expensive. Oh how I envy the lives of the rich people! I had yet to be one.
I made a move to go a chair but a tug from my left arm stopped me from doing so. My arm was still looped around his, and I didn't actually notice it for the whole time we were walking. And for some reason I didn't know, I blushed a little at this realization. I think he felt me tug at his arm because he led me to my seat, and like a true gentleman, he pulled out the chair for me. I sat down and gave him a grateful smile. He sat down right next to me.
I looked around for Elizabeth and Henry to see the latter do the same for the former. I was pretty much able to guess that men from the elite society were taught in etiquette and manners. Well, I was honestly glad for that because otherwise, I may have been a lot more infuriated by James than I already was.
Henry whispered something in her ear, and Elizabeth giggled softly in response. He sat down beside and never once letting go of her hand. They were so sweet to each other that they were so endearing to look at. How could James and I remind Elizabeth of her and her husband? We weren't that affectionate, even in acting.
"You know, I'm lucky to have parents who are still as in love with each other as they were on their wedding day," he suddenly whispered to my ear. He was so close to my face that I felt his breath on my cheek, and shivers ran down my spine because of his closeness. Goodness, why was I feeling like this? But just as sudden as I felt these tingles, I felt it all go away at the image of a perfect couple in my line of vision. I wasn't envious of them. Oh no, definitely not, but they had love unlike my parents.
"Yes James, you're pretty lucky," I also whispered to him, a little distracted. I was thinking about my own family situation, and it was nowhere near as perfect as what I'd seen since earlier this night. I inwardly berated myself. This was definitely not the time to be sentimental about something I'd been used to for practically my entire life.
I think James sensed my discomfort as he coughed out loud to get attention from his parents. It did the trick as they were pulled out of their romantic mood and finally noticed us.
"Oh sorry," Elizabeth apologized and laughed it off. I admired her poise and grace as she seemed not to be embarrassed about their untimely PDA.
"Well then, let's eat," Henry said, and we began to get food from the table. The food prepared before us looked simply delicious, and we couldn't wait to taste it. We started dinner not yet talking because everyone was hungry. It was pretty funny how much food James had in his plate—it was really full. I understood he was a growing boy, but there was so much food. How could someone who has a lean and fit body like him eat a lot of food? It amazed me to no end, really. I was grateful that he didn't eat like a pig; otherwise, it would be a big turn off.
As we began to feel not so hungry anymore, we started conversing over the dinner table.
"So Lily, what brings you our humble abode?" James asked as he ate his second serving of food.
"James, you shouldn't be rude to our guest. Aren't you glad she's here with us right now?" Elizabeth suddenly said, teasing him with a small smile on her face. It was amusing to see James blush a little at his embarrassment. I bet only his mother could make him do that.
"Of course I am. I was just asking why she's here, that's all. I could've greeted her the moment she came," he said, trying to feign nonchalance, but she wasn't letting him off the hook.
"That's so sweet of you to do that for your fiancé, James," she said, stressing the last part. James couldn't reply to what his mother had just said. It was clear that she was teasing him, but he couldn't just talk back to his own mother, could he? I gave him an amused smile and a raised eyebrow.
"I didn't know you were so eager to see me, James. Maybe I should've given you a text message that I'll be going at your house for dinner," I said, trying to suppress a laugh.
"So, you didn't answer my original question, Lily? What brings you here?" he said, obviously wanting to change the subject at hand and ignoring what I had just said. Since he had gone through 'torture' already, I decided not tease him further. I wasn't familiar with his habits, so I didn't know how much of it he could take. Honestly, I thought he could handle more blows, but I didn't want to take any chances so I just answered him straightforwardly.
"Actually, I was invited by your mother to eat dinner here just this morning. I think she needed to talk to me about the assignment," I said, leaving out that she wanted details about our first date. I didn't know if I was glad or sad that he didn't say anything about it to his mother—sad because she would be pestering me about it, or glad because she still didn't know what happened. Talk about mixed feelings.
"What did you talk about?" he asked, obviously curious, just like the proverbial cat.
"The assignment," I said cryptically. I had already said it, hadn't I? I didn't like to repeat myself.
"That's all? Are you sure? Is that worth coming over here?" he continued to ask. I was beginning to get irritated by his string of questions. He didn't need to know every single detail of why I was here. He wasn't my employer, for goodness sake. He was just my partner for this assignment. I was glad that Elizabeth spoke up to restrain James from asking further questions because otherwise, I would've probably snapped at him, and I didn't want to do that in front of his parents. She did it in a subtle way that I admired her for her knowledge in dealing with her own son.
"James!" she scolded him. The way was so simple, but it did the trick as he quickly became defensive. Maybe this was a normal occurrence in the Potter household. I inwardly smiled at that thought. I thought it was funny that his mother was always keeping him in line.
"Not that I don't want you here or anything. I was just asking, that's all," he quickly said, trying to save himself from further embarrassment. That and he was trying to prevent himself from being scolded again by his mother. It was really amusing how he was still under her, and I was suppressing my giggles just watching the scene.
"You're being nosy, James. You're mother invited her for dinner to meet me. After all, she needs to know her future in-laws," Henry said, and Elizabeth was silently beaming at her husband for he had taken her side, so to speak.
"You don't fool me, dad. You just wanted to meet her," James quipped, and then he wagged his eyebrows like he was right about his assumption. Henry snapped his fingers as if his true intention was found out.
"Of course! I need to know what my future daughter-in-law looks like," he joked, and then he laughed heartily. "And I have to say, she's beautiful," he continued.
"She is, isn't she?" James said fondly, looking at me with an admiring gaze. Now, who wouldn't blush at those comments? I certainly did, and I looked down so that they couldn't see my beet red face. This was definitely embarrassing. Sure, there were plenty of times where people called me beautiful, but this is the first time someone said I was beautiful when I was NOT in disguise. I always thought I was plain looking even though I had unique features.
"You guys are making her blush. Isn't she adorable?" Elizabeth cooed at me and laughed, adding to my embarrassment.
"It's nice to know you still have honest reactions even if you're a professional private actress—and a good one, at that," James said to me as he saw how red my face was. I breathed deeply to calm myself. After a few moments, I was able to collect myself and to regain my composure, and the redness on my cheeks started to fade away.
"Thank you," I said, really meaning it. It wasn't everyday that I got compliments from the probably the most elite family in the hierarchical society. That in itself was flattering enough, but honestly, I still thought I looked plain. Therefore, I should treasure these moments when somebody actually say something positive about me.
"It's the truth," he replied, looking at me fondly which I found slightly strange, but I didn't delve deeper into it. It was possible that I was overanalyzing things.
By this time, everyone was finished eating and was just talking and conversing over the dinner table. We talked about anything under the sun, but eventually, the topic had become focused on my career. After all, it was a very interesting job, not to mention that only a few people know about it. Unexpectedly—or maybe expected since he was the one I still hadn't talked to about this whole thing—Henry introduced that topic to our conversation.
"Lily," he started to say, and his face turned to me. Judging by the curiosity in his voice, he was going to ask me about my job. Turned out I was right. "How many years have you been a PA?"
"Roughly four years, sir," I replied politely. I wondered if he would remind me to use his first name, but he didn't. I guess he would let it slip this time around.
"You've been in the business for a long while," he commented. Actually, I was very proud of that fact. I mean, I started earning money when I was just starting my teenage years, not because I needed the money—though that was partly true—but because I was recruited for this job for my talent in acting. People actually recognized that I was good in what I love to do.
"Of course I would hire an experienced PA. After all, it would affect all of us if there was a slip-up. I, for one, do not want to do damage control," Elizabeth said.
"Too true," Henry said thoughtfully and nodded. I guess for people with their stature, it was important to maintain credibility among their peers. He continued to speak. "Actually, I'm quite curious as how you became one. I'm pretty sure you haven't heard of it before it was offered to you."
"Yeah, me too," James said, voicing out his thoughts. Of course, he was curious since I hadn't discussed this with him before—or with anyone, for that matter. That was the exact same reason why I was hesitant to actually tell the whole story. Honestly, this was a first time someone asked me about it. Most of my clients didn't care about those details in my life.
"Well…" I started to say, but I trailed off in the end. All of them were looking expectantly at me, and I felt that I couldn't refuse them. I didn't want to disappoint them so I gathered my wits and told my story even though I felt a little embarrassed about it.
"You see, I had a strange habit before being a PA. Because of my love for acting, I always tried out in every audition that I could be in. You see, every time I was chosen—which I was, most of the time—I would refuse the role," I said. Now that I think about it, it sounded crazy. There was a breach in logic, and James commented about that.
"But why? I mean, at that time, wouldn't you prefer to be a stage actress?" he asked. I froze at the question because I couldn't tell them the reason. There was a pause as they waited for my reply.
"It's a personal reason. I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you why I did that," I said, a little apologetic. On the outside, I looked fine and a little bit sorry, but on the inside, I felt a little indignant because yet again, I was reminded that I couldn't be more than just a PA.
Well, don't you think I didn't know that fact? I love acting but I can't be known for it because I had to be hidden from the media's eyes. It would only be a matter of time when they discover I'm the daughter of Rose. I wouldn't want to be a cause of scandal for my own mother, plus, I wouldn't want my name to appear in tabloids. As much as I want to accept the offers, I couldn't. It was very frustrating.
"It's okay. You're not allowed to reveal personal information, right?" Elizabeth said. I was thankful for her saying it. Not only she informed Henry about the ground rule, but she also eased me from my discomfort.
"Yes," I replied gratefully. Elizabeth was a life saver.
"I see," Henry said, contemplative. I felt a little nervous at his tone. I didn't know how to interpret it. Was he displeased? I hoped not. "Well then, continue on with your story." I just nodded, took his tone as a good sign and proceeded to tell them the rest of my story.
"After I declined another offer in one of the auditions, someone from the set approached me. I thought he was going to persuade me to accept the job, so I walked quickly away, hoping that he wouldn't catch up to me.
At first, he asked me why I turned down the offer. Turns out that he was in every audition I'd tried out to, and he was always left confused every time I declined. I told him that I didn't want to appear in some show or film, and he was puzzled yet again by my answer since it was obvious for him that I loved acting.
He mentioned to me a job—a private actress—that 'met all my wants' and gave me his calling card. He said that if I was interested to earn money by acting and still not appear in public, I should give him a call. He really was a blessing in disguise. I called him within the week, and the rest is history," I said, finishing my short story. Admittedly, I kind of rushed through the whole story, but that was, at least, the gist of what had happened.
I looked at their faces, especially James, to see their reaction to my so-called crazy story. All of them looked thoughtful, and there was nobody speaking to each other. Honestly, the silence made me feel uncomfortable. I was waiting for them to comment or to question more about it, but I guess that wasn't happening anytime soon, judging by their faces. Elizabeth, being perceptive as she is, noticed my clear feelings about being in this situation and tried to make me feel at ease again, but James beat her to it by breaking the silence.
"Wow Lily, I don't even know what to say," he said, astonished. I didn't blame him; it was an unbelievable story.
"That was definitely interesting. I'm still very curious about your personal reason though," Henry teased. I only looked away and gave a weak laugh in response. Just thinking about it made me feel a little bit frustrated.
"You know what, let's continue this in the living room so that the maids could clean this up," she said, referring to our used plates. I guess she was trying to change the subject, and with it, change also the place. Well, I was glad for it since I didn't know how to handle comments from the father-son pair, plus, it would be better if we talked in a more comfortable place.
"And Lily," Elizabeth continued to speak and faced me. "We'll start discussing about the assignment, so if you have something to prepare, then please get ready." I just nodded.
"May I be excused? I need to change my clothes," I said. Hearing this, Henry and James looked confused, but I think Elizabeth realized what I planned to do. She gave me permission, and I stood up, walked out of the dining room with my messenger bag—which never left my side even when we were having dinner—slung over my shoulder. My disguise was inside it, along with other essentials for this assignment.
I wasn't that far from the dining room when I stopped in my tracks and smacked myself in the face as I realized something important. Shoot, I didn't know where the bathroom was! I would probably be lost if I attempted to find it on my own in this big mansion. I was alone in this hallway, and there were no helpers in sight. The only option I had was to go back to the dining room and ask someone there to lead the way.
I returned to the room and saw them already standing up. They were talking about something, but from the distance I was at, I couldn't hear what they were talking about. At any case, I needed to get their attention, so I knocked on the wall beside me and waited for someone to hear it. It was Elizabeth who heard it.
"Lily?" she asked, confused as to why I was still in the dining room. The other two—Henry and James—turned to me with questioning eyes, silently asking me the same thing. Was I walking into a private conversation? It seemed that I had interrupted something. "I thought you were getting ready?" she continued.
"Well," I started to say, and then looked away as my face turned red. "I didn't know where the bathroom was." The only thing missing in this picture was me scratching the back of my head in embarrassment, but of course, I didn't do that.
For a moment, there was silence, and they looked like they didn't know how to react. Then, like a switch, everyone was laughing, including me and it echoed all throughout the relatively small dining room.
"So, why did you need to go to the bathroom?" asked the person who was leading me to my destination.
Of course, they sent James to lead me there. It was a given, and it was one of the reasons why I was reluctant to go back in the room to ask for help. Being in his presence annoyed me for some reason, and underlying that annoyance was a tinge of nervousness and a little of anticipation. Of what, I didn't know.
"I need to change to my disguise—" I stared to say, but he interrupted me.
"Whatever for?" he asked, confused. Goodness, was this man always this rude? And hadn't he figured it out already? I thought he was smart, or maybe he was just playing dumb. I didn't know, but I decided to humor him.
"If you let me finish," I pointedly looked at him. "I thought this would be a good time to show it to them so that they wouldn't be surprised when a brunette, and not a redhead, clings on to you during events," I said, a little bit sarcastic. He definitely brought out the worst side of me, and for the life of me, I didn't know why.
"Really? You'll be clinging on to me?" he replied in delight. What was going through his mind? His answer made me more infuriated than I already was.
"You're completely missing the point!" I said, exasperated by his behavior. I walked faster, as if I was trying to get away from him. Honestly, that was exactly what I was doing. But what I didn't notice was that he stopped walking beside a door, and since I didn't know that he stopped, I kept on going, wondering where the heck the bathroom was. I even doubted that he was leading me to the right direction.
"Hey Lily!" he shouted to get my attention. Well, it did, and it was because I noticed that he wasn't as near me as I'd hoped. I thought he would be following me since he was my 'guide'.
"What?" I shouted. I turned around to face him, and I was irritated that he was just standing there. Wait, he was standing right next to a door. Don't tell me that's—
"The bathroom is here," he said, grinning and pointing to the door next to him. I bet he was laughing inside; his eyes were filled of mirth, and it had the Potter twinkle. I turned red in the face, not only from embarrassment, but also a little bit from anger. I didn't want anyone to be laughing at me. Who would?
I went up to him, looked at him in the eye and gave him a glare. "Don't laugh at me." I said menacingly. My eyes were narrowed, and my index finger was poking his chest.
"I'm not!" he said defensively as he backed up, and he put his hands up as if he was innocent. Yeah, right. I didn't believe that for a second. I gave him an annoyed look because it was obvious he found it funny. With that, I left him and went through the door where the bathroom supposedly was, closing the door not too gently.
When I looked at myself at the mirror inside, I felt displeased with myself. I knew I kind of overreacted a bit, but my feelings just go haywire when he was around. I couldn't control myself from snapping at him. And you know what was more frustrating? I didn't know where this was coming from! Why was it that this happens only with him?
I felt my irritation and annoyance fade away as I put on my disguise and a little bit of make up. I even felt proud when I looked at my reflection on the mirror. Now, I looked like a different person. I was no longer Lily, but James' girlfriend. Hmm, maybe I should give myself another name when I'm in this disguise. Now that was something to think about, but it would be easy coming up with a name.
With a last look in the mirror to see if everything was in place, I went outside the bathroom to see James leaning on the wall beside me, deep in thought. I wonder what he was thinking about, but I guess it really wasn't my concern. I tapped his shoulder to get his attention, pulling him away from his reverie.
"Come on, let's go. Where's the living room?" I asked calmly. He stood up straight and looked at me, as if he was assessing me, but I think he was checking me out. Well, 'this' girl was his dream girl, wasn't it?
"I'll lead the way," he said after a few moments, and we started walking. It was amazing that we weren't arguing or annoying each other. We weren't even talking, and I felt a little relieved by that. At least, I wouldn't snap at him which I tend to do when he was around. But, out of the blue, he said, "You know, I like you better as a redhead than a brunette," and he continued walking ahead.
"Thanks," I said unsurely. I didn't know what that comment was supposed to mean. Goodness, he was confusing me.
We arrived in front of the door in the living room, and I was filled with anticipation of Henry and Elizabeth's reaction. Actually, I expected them to be surprised by the change because I really did look like a different person, but I was still in the same clothes. This was one of the thrills about the disguise that I was talking about early on. It was seeing the reactions of your clients and feeling the satisfaction of their genuine awe.
James turned the door knob and asked, "Are you ready?"
"Of course I am," I replied confidently. This was one of the best parts in any assignment other than the acting itself.
He opened the door, and I saw Henry and Elizabeth talking to each other in soft tones. They stopped talking entirely when they heard us come in. Now that made me a little suspicious, but I had no business knowing anything other than what was needed for the job. When they faced us—or specifically me—they both looked stunned, as I expected. See, wasn't it satisfying?
"Is that Lily beside you, James?" Henry asked his son. Even though I only put on a wig and contacts, make up still did wonders into making me into a new person. Well, this was what a disguise was designed to do, right? I shouldn't be recognized under any circumstance.
"Believe it or not, she is," James said. I remembered our first date when he didn't realize I was Lily when I met him at the park. "She looks very different, doesn't she?" Maybe this was the time I should take a part in this conversation.
"Well, I asked James to describe his dream girl so that I could look the part. This will be my disguise every time I go out with him, including dates and events," I informed them.
"Lily, you look like a completely different person. The disguise is brilliant!" Elizabeth commented for the first time and beamed at me.
"Okay, that's enough. We know she looks different, but we prefer the redhead over the brunette. So please, let's start talking about the assignment," James said, seemingly speaking for all of them. With that, I was brought back down to earth and into the business at hand. Even though I was a little bit irritated that James interrupted, I was grateful for him. I didn't let that show though.
"Don't be impatient, son," Henry said to him, and we settled down on their comfortable sofas and chairs. I shifted into business mode and got my pen and my notebook which contained all the details I needed to discuss with them in this 'meeting'. I started to speak.
"I already planned the things I would inform you tonight so that we wouldn't waste time. So, let's start?" I asked to the three of them. They just nodded in response, so I continued.
"Let's start with the basics. I decided to use a different name when I'm on the job, and I already picked out one earlier. So please call me Kate in public," I said informatively. Having a new name reduced the chances of someone recognizing me, even though it was unlikely to happen. Henry and Elizabeth took this in, but James seemed distressed by this piece of information. I decided to comment on it.
"James, you have something on your mind?" I asked him directly.
"Well," he said, and then he paused for just a second. "It's just that I already told my friends that my girlfriend's name was Lily. I didn't know you planned to change your name," he continued. Well, he made things a little bit complicated, but it was alright. The damage was done anyway, so I couldn't do anything about it.
"It's no problem. 'Lily' could be my second name. I would be 'Kate Lily Sanders'." The latter part was directed to all of them. "You guys are free to suggest a different surname, but this was the one I came up with."
"That would be fine, I think," Elizabeth said, and Henry nodded in agreement. I heard James sigh in relief. Maybe because he didn't have to totally lie to his friends, I guess.
"Just tell them that you're the only one allowed to call me that. It will be a nickname of sorts. Not only it will add mystery to your new girlfriend, but it will also add credibility in this whole situation," I said to James. Every little thing was calculated, and there should be no mistakes or slip-ups.
"But how will that add to the credibility?" James wondered.
"James, you don't call your girlfriends with a special nickname or a name that only you could use," I said matter-of-factly. It was common knowledge around the school. Actually, there were only a few people who did that, and when they did, it usually meant that the person was important, or at the least, different from the others in the past.
"How would you know that?" he said, suspicious of me. Well, let's just say I had my sources. I need to keep him in the dark about that; otherwise, he might find out that I went to the same school.
"That's a secret. Moving on—"
"Wait!—" he interrupted me. I knew what he wanted to ask me about it, but that matter had to wait. Actually, it was better to not actually dwell on that subject further than it was supposed to.
"This assignment is more important than that question—" I said, and this time, it was I who interrupted him. I guess he gave up for now as there was a pause in our conversation.
"Moving on," I said, stressing it. "I have already created a story as to how we've met and why we are engaged."
"But why would we need to know that?" Elizabeth asked. Finally, someone other than James participated in the 'meeting'.
"It's because you and Henry were the cause of engagement in the first place. Plus, you need to know every detail for consistency of our stories," I answered her question. "Actually, it's mostly because of you." This comment made some eyebrows rise.
"I still need some information from you to make it plausible, but this is what I've came up with," I said, and then paused, taking a deep breath and looking at everyone. Another story was about to be told. I started to speak.
"Let's say that Elizabeth and my 'mother' met somewhere and became best friends, and just like all BFFs do, they imagine their children marrying each other. Surely, that was only joke, but when my 'mother' was an inch from death by sickness, she told me and Elizabeth—those who were present on her deathbed—that she wished that her daughter and her best friend's son—me and James—marry.
Of course, it came as a shock to us because it was unexpected and totally out of the blue—which was very characteristic of my 'mother'. Anyway, we couldn't just ignore her wish so you—Elizabeth—set us up in a blind date which we both agreed to. One thing led to another and we were 'exclusively dating', so to speak. Right now, we are engaged, but nothing is final yet." I finally finished the story, and then paused to let it all sink in their heads. It still had a few holes, but at least we had something to work on. "Do you want to change anything?"
"Nothing, but I suppose you couldn't just say we met somewhere, could you?" Elizabeth replied. I also thought of that, but I didn't know enough about them to actually say a definite time and place.
"That's where you come in," I said, giving them a smile. "When in your life did you have an opportunity to meet someone? And when I say you, then I mean ONLY you." At this, Elizabeth's eyebrows furrowed, searching for a memory that might help. After a few seconds, she snapped her fingers as she finally found one that would do for this situation.
"There was a time in my life that I was home schooled, taught by a private tutor. Let's just say your 'mother' and I were taught by him together in my house. That would be perfect, right?" she said excitedly.
"Yes, definitely," I said and wrote it down on my notebook. In a businesslike voice, I said, "The story is subjected to change when the situation calls for it. If that is the case, let everyone know immediately."
"Of course," Henry said for the first time in this conversation. I only nodded in response.
"Well, that's basically what I've got to report right now. After all, we are only just at the beginning of the assignment," I said to them. Finally, we were done. I looked at the watch on my wrist to see that it was getting late. Oh no, it was difficult for me to get a taxi this late and in this side of the town.
"Then everything's going smoothly," Elizabeth said, satisfied of the things we had discussed tonight. Since we already accomplished all we had planned for the night, we began to do our own thing. I was writing on my notebook, updating my notes for the assignment. Elizabeth, after commenting, went to Henry on the couch, and they were cuddling. James was in his own seat, deep in thought again. We didn't really notice it was silent as we were too absorbed in what we were doing.
So when someone knocked on the door—and loudly, may I add—we were all a little bit startled. "Come in," Elizabeth said, and a maid walked right in.
"Excuse me madam, would you like coffee or tea?" she asked.
"Wonderful timing, Rose," Elizabeth said, delighted. "I'll have tea please,"
"Coffee," Henry said briefly.
"Coffee please," James said.
"I'm not having anything. I'll be leaving in short while," I said, not only to the maid, but to everyone else present in the room. It was getting pretty late, and my business here was done. There was no longer a reason to stay any longer. The Potter family all looked shocked by what I had just said. Well, it was kind of abrupt of me to tell them that I plan on leaving soon. The maid nodded, bowed to us, and left the room to get their beverages.
As soon as the maid went out the door, Elizabeth said, "Couldn't you stay longer? We haven't talked about it yet." I knew what she was referring to—the date. Well, it was a discussion I'd rather put on hold for the moment.
"It's getting late, and I've done what I needed to do. As much as I would have liked to stay, I need to go home," I replied.
"We've got a lot of guest rooms. You could stay in for the night," Henry offered. It was nice of him to say that, but I preferred going home. I needed to be strictly professional about the whole thing. I told to them my sentiments.
"That wouldn't be necessary, but thank you for the offer, Henry," I said, grateful. I couldn't let them know the real reason, could I? I would definitely appear rude and unpleasant.
"Then at least let us call a taxi for you. We know that it's hard to get one this late and in this part of the town," Elizabeth said, understanding my situation. She gave a pointed look to James, silently ordering him to get one for me. James got the message and left the room to take care of it. He returned after a few minutes.
"There's one coming right now," he said, reporting. He continued to speak, "But he could wait. A big tip will be enough compensation for waiting. Join us for coffee, Lily."
I knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to get me stay longer, obviously, but I didn't want to. Elizabeth already understood that, why couldn't he? It made me a little irritated, but I didn't show it in my face.
"That was fast," I commented. "Then I must already prepare my things. I wouldn't want to keep him waiting."
"But I said it's alright for him to wait," James said a little heatedly. From the way he was talking, I think he was picking a fight with me. A little of my control snapped.
"But I don't want him to wait," I said, stressing the 'I', indicating that it was my decision whether I wanted the taxi to wait or not. He wasn't the boss of me. From the corner of eye, I saw Henry and Elizabeth listening intently to our argument. What was amazing was that they had smiles on their faces, as if they were happy we were fighting. Talk about weird.
"If you're going now, then I shouldn't have called a taxi earlier. That way you could stay," he said, raising his voice a bit.
"But you did," I said with a final tone. "Why do you even want me to stay when all we do is either annoy or argue with each other?"
That comment shut him up, and he suddenly looked away as if he was embarrassed. That move made me curious, but I didn't even want to know the reason behind it. Contradicting myself, wasn't I? There was a silence between the two of us.
Finally, our audience decided to intervene as Elizabeth coughed to get our attention. Maybe it was to break the awkward silence hanging in the air.
"James, it's alright. Don't force her to stay if she doesn't want to," she said. I felt a little bit guilty at her statement, but I pushed the feeling down.
"Thank you, Elizabeth, for knocking some sense to him," I said gratefully and gave out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and in came the maid holding a tray with their drinks. She put them down on the coffee table, and then returned by the door. Before bowing, she said, "Excuse me madam, there is a taxi waiting outside. What should I tell him?" That was probably my ride.
"Tell him that his passenger will be there shortly. Thank you, you may go," Elizabeth said to the maid. After the maid left, she stood up and kindly said, "As much as we don't want you to go, Lily, we—or rather, James—will escort you to the taxi. You car ride is waiting."
Now, I felt guilty about leaving, but I couldn't do anything about it. I didn't want to get attached, but somehow, I already was. Both Henry and Elizabeth came up to me. The latter gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, "We aren't finished yet with that conversation, Lily." As she pulled away, she said to her, "Please do be careful on your way home. And before I forget, there will be an event coming up soon. I'll inform James so that he could tell you the details himself." I only nodded in response.
"It was nice meeting you, Lily. It would be great if you'll be my daughter-in-law for real," Henry warmly said as he shook my hand for his farewell. I felt a twinge in my heart—he was an ideal father as I had none when I grew up. Again, I nodded to him. As their farewells were done, I got my bag from the floor and walked my way up to the door. James was right behind me.
Before I went through the door, I said, "Thank you for everything. I really enjoyed this night, and I hope to do this again sometime." I paused a little before I said, "Good night." And with that, I left the room.
I felt sad, but I didn't show it. I waited for James to pass through the door and show me the way out. There was silence while we were walking as we were too absorbed in our own thoughts. James was the one to break it.
"Aren't you going to change back to a redhead?" he asked, but he still wasn't looking at me.
"No. I'm too tired. I'll take it off when I get home," I replied, also not looking at him.
We arrived to our destination, and I could see the taxi waiting for me. I looked up to him, he looked down to me, and we stared at each other's eyes.
"I'll take you there," he said, referring to my car ride. He took my hand, and we walked slowly towards it. It was like he didn't want this night to end by the way he was walking. I thought he was too slow, but I really didn't mind at all. Maybe I was too tired to put up of defenses around him.
We were in front of the door of the taxi, and he opened it for me. He still had not yet released my hand from his grasp.
"Good night, Lily. Take care of yourself," he said tenderly as he kissed the back of my hand. It was a sweet gesture that I couldn't help but melt to. He released my hand as I sat inside the taxi.
"Thank you," I said, never taking my eyes off him as I slowly closed the car door. Before I completely closed it, I had a sudden urge to be mischievous and daring, so against my better judgment, I called out to him.
"Hey James!" I said loudly to get his attention, a mischievous twinkle gleaming in my eyes. He looked confused as he heard me through the door. I opened the door quickly, went outside the taxi, stood up in front of him, tiptoed to match his height, and kissed him right on the lips. All of these were done against my better judgment.
"Payback, James. Good night," I said breathily. I quickly went inside the taxi and closed the door. The driver, sensing my need to 'get away' quickly, started the engine and drove away. When I looked back, I saw James still standing there dumbfounded with a grin on his face. Seeing that made me grin too.
So I went away from the Potter mansion grinning, but fully knowing that I'll regret it in the morning. Well, it still wasn't morning, was it?
Author's Notes:
If you reached this part of the story, thank you for reading!
Sorry for the late update guys! I was busy with other things and hobbies. Forgive me? Well, since it was so long since I'd updated, I made this chapter longer, and I have to say, it's really long.
This is already the beta-ed chapter, which means that the next chapter will be posted soon! Yaay!
My beta and I would like to apologize for the lateness. Everything has been hectic with all the projects and papers to pass. I would hope that you would like the next chapter.
I was really surprised that I got that amount of reviews for this chapter. Thank you for taking the time to review! And a lot of people put the word 'yikes' in their review. Thank you for reading the a/n. Haha!
Thanks again for reading! I hope you liked it.