The moment.
-E.
...
Seven Years. Seven Moments.
...
Year Seven
Moment Seven
Part 1
...
Their breath mingled only for a moment before she jerked away from him. His hands fell from her shoulders slowly and he missed the contact as soon as it was gone. He saw it in her eyes, she hadn't been expecting that. Then he realized, she might not even have wanted it. What would that make him? Having his perfect moment mixed with her worst?
He took a step back and watched her face intently, he didn't want their game to end like this. He had backed away from her like she had wanted him to, when all he had wanted to do was be near her. He had kept his word not to bother her, to play nice, but that hadn't been enough. This year she had sought him out, had wanted to be friends with him. How was he going to say no to her?
He didn't plan on letting things get to this point, he was going to live out the rest of his life knowing that his actions had forever banned him from being involved with her in any real way. He had made her life hell when he had only wanted to make it better and in his childish ignorance had tried to push her friends away, tried to make himself more important. He knew these things and had resigned to being her friend, and grateful that she would give him the chance.
But here he might have gone and screwed things up again, so he watched her face and waited.
She hadn't moved from the spot where she initially retreated. The enigma of his life stood still, watching him and touching her lips with her fingers. He had wanted to kiss her so badly on so many occasions but had stopped himself, and now he wished he could have halted one more time. He thought it had been the right moment though, he really did. He had watched her face light up as she laughed at something he said. Her cheeks had gone rosy and her laugh floated through the air. They had spent a perfect Saturday together out by the lake, then they had snuck into the kitchens when they missed dinner. She had never looked more worried or more adorable than when she entered the kitchens. Her fears eased however when she received a jovial welcoming from the elves. They had eaten like kings.
When she had looked up at him he could not restrain himself, every fiber telling him to kiss her. But now she continued to stare at him as though none of those things had happened. Everything they had done was washed away in one moment of stupidity.
James Potter had mucked things up one last time. And though he wished he hadn't done it so they could remain something, even if it was less than half of something, to each other, he had done it, and he was glad that if it had to end he had ended it on a kiss.
James Potter had kissed Lily Evans. A moment he would never regret.
He whispered an apology and turned away to leave.