Hey guys! Took me a while to decide what this chapter should be about, but i got there in the end! It turned out to be surprisingly hard to do, as this kind of thing always seems to end up cheesy, but i tried my best! Sorry if your overpowered by the cheddary smell, please R&R :) Love you all!

Lily was angry. No, in fact Lily was absolutely furious. What, in the name of Merlin's oldest, smelliest underpants was that boy's problem? When he got back here, he was going to get a lot more than he bargained for.

She was sitting in the middle of the common room, fuming over her boyfriend. There were many issues she needed to discuss with the boy, and he better have some bloody good answers or he would be sent to the hospital wing in pieces.

Why, after five monstrously annoying years of chasing her, followed by five amazing months as a couple, was he being such an idiot?

She reeled the list of offences off in her head, just so she'd remember them all when she needed to yell a bit. He had ignored and avoided her for two weeks, he had flirted outrageously with her best friend no less, he had somehow managed to mysteriously disappear whenever she sought him out to shout at him (she was beginning to think that he had a mysterious secret about his ability to be so illusive – it was definitely more than coincidence) and to top it all off, for her birthday he had bought her a bag of jelly slugs, which, apart from being her least favourite Honeyduke's sweets, only cost seven knuts a kilogram.

She wasn't a superficial or materialistic person, but getting a person you supposedly know and care about a present that requires exceedingly little thought or effort was not her idea of something that should be done by a supposedly attentive boyfriend.

She didn't want to break up with him, but when the anger subsided and she actually thought about why he was acting the way he was, she decided he must want to break up with her. She couldn't deal with that, so the anger was really a defence mechanism, if she was honest with herself.

She sat there grinding her teeth in frustration and rage, but knew it was all masking something far more painful.

James was in the grounds, lounging on the Quidditch pitch with Remus and Peter while Sirius was trying out James' broom. Remus was trying to forcefully talk some sense into him and give him advice, but James wasn't taking it kindly.

'James… What the hell do you think your doing?'

'I'm currently bewitching the pinecones from that tree over there to follow Sirius around and hit him on the head.' Said James casually.

Remus frowned. 'That's not what I meant.'

'Then what do you mean?' James asked in a bored voice.

'I mean, shouldn't you be with Lily? I haven't seen you together for days, and I don't think that getting her incredibly angry is such a good idea.'

'Well, maybe I'm fed up of it.'

Remus laughed sarcastically.

'That's a load of crap.'

James turned and looked at him, slightly angrily.

'What do you know about it, Moony?' He retorted.

'I know a lot more than you think! I mean, come on, Prongs, you're obsessed with her for five years and then you suddenly can't be bothered anymore? You must be delusional if you don't know what's really going on'

'Well, you know me, I like the chase.' James said with an attempt at audacity.

Remus sneered uncharacteristically.

'Then why did you change so much in order to get her? Why were you so scared to ask her out? You want to know the real reason you're avoiding her? I think you're scared. You're trying to sabotage you're chances with her so that you decide the terms of the break up, because you couldn't bear it if she dumped you for a genuine reason.'

James looked at him for a few seconds, and then burst out laughing.

'Oh yeah, yeah, whatever you say Mr Psychology! Come on Moony, I'm just bored, that's all.'

James began to walk off, still chuckling, but it appeared Remus wasn't going to let him get off that easily.

'And to think the sorting hat put you in Gryffindor. You're a coward.'

James tried to act as though Remus was being ridiculous. However, deep down he knew he was right. Lily had rejected him for five years, what was stopping her from doing it again now? Why had she agreed to go out with him in the first place after such a long period of hatred? If he was really blunt about it, she enthralled, amazed and terrified him, and he cared about her so strongly he wasn't sure how to deal with it; he had never been one for commitment.

He began to walk towards his and Lily's common room, not quite sure what he was going to do when he got there, or whether he would actually survive long enough to actually do anything. He muttered the password and the portrait swung forward to reveal the door. His heart was beating in his throat…

Lily heard the door open and hurriedly stood up, taking a deep breath to ready herself.

'Lily…'

'Don't you dare 'Lily' me, Potter! What is wrong with you?! Why are you treating me like Crap?!' Lily thundered, her face red with vehemence.

'I…'

'I'm not finished! Shut up! I can't believe you! You haven't changed at all, have you? You're still the same arrogant toe rag with fewer manners than the giant squid! I can't believe I was stupid to have been drawn in by this clever ruse that you and Black have clearly thought up! Did you make a bet to see how long we could last? Maybe it was a case of 'get what you want and leave' and you found I wasn't slutty enough?'

'No, Lils…'

'Right, well if it wasn't any of that, I'd really like to hear an explanation before I end this stupid charade and try out the curse of the bogies on you.' Said Lily, quiet fury in her voice.

She waited, staring at his face, which was betraying no emotion, and tried not to give in to the overpowering urge to cry which was pricking the corners of her eyes while attempting to maintain an exceedingly angry expression.

'I love you'

James heard himself say the words, and wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but knew instantly it was true. He hadn't realised before what the thing he was feeling was; only that it was worryingly strong, but the realisation had hit him hard when he saw her yelling like that, and he couldn't help it.

He blinked, hardly able to believe he had said the three word phrase that was only said on wedding days and in cheesy romance novels. The feeling he and Sirius had mocked people for having, thinking it was for besotted losers. The thing that all the songs he hated and gagged at were about, and he was suddenly in it!?

Lily was staring at him; her face had changed from red to white.

'If this is your idea of a joke…' She sounded as if she was trying to be angry, but she wasn't doing so well anymore.

'No, I really do.' He said shakily, 'I'm sorry about how I've been treating you, Lils, I was a prat.'

'So, you're trying to say you were a complete arse because you love me?' Said Lily in confusion.

'Er… yes.'

She smiled weakly. James thought he saw a tear escape… maybe.

'That doesn't make up for it, though.' She whispered.

'I know. I'm sorry.' James walked over nervously and hugged her, she buried her head it his shoulder. He took this to be a good sign as he stroked her hair.

They stayed like that for a while, neither speaking, until eventually Lily gave a large sniff and said she needed to go to bed. He watched her head towards the stairs with and odd feeling, a mixture of heart breaking and healing at the same time. She turned around at the bottom of the stairs and said quietly,

'I do, too'

'Well, who wouldn't?' replied James, grinning.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Maybe I'll see if the giant squid is still available.'