Every Beast Has Their Beauty
Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling. I do not own any of her work.
Author's note: This chapter wasn't my favorite, but I guess not every chapter can be my favorite. Thank you to: Pointless Heart, Julie, and Guest :) I will hopefully get a more exciting chapter up soon!
Chapter 7: Trust is a Valuable Thing
Saturday, August 18
James stared anxiously at the clock; he would be leaving shortly to pick up Darla for the evening. According to Darla's profile, she was a fit young woman with curly strawberry blond hair and bright blue eyes. She enjoyed dancing and going to the beach as well as traveling. She was afraid of heights and spiders but she enjoyed amusement parks. Her favorite color was orange and she loved to go out. She was once in a serious relationship that ended abruptly.
James reread her profile for the umpteenth time that day. She had seemed friendly enough. It was so difficult trying to find your true love when you had a deadline and a huge secret that was kind of a deal-breaker for some people. Oh hey, my name's James Potter, a handsome and wealthy bachelor who is hiding a secret. Oh, not a typical 'I have a secret wife and family elsewhere' type secret. You know how magicians do magic that tricks the mind? Yeah, well, I do magic alright…but real magic that isn't a trick of the mind. Rather than pulling a rabbit out of a hat, I can actually transform myself into an animal…want to get married and have magical babies? He laughed to himself, shaking his head of thoughts.
There are billions of people in this world and he needed to find his true love before he turned 25. It wasn't exactly an easy task, he was finding. A part of him simply didn't care anymore. He was starting to accept this miserable life with the muggles. However, he wouldn't allow his friends to stay with him, giving up their magic as well. Magic was as much a part of them as it was of him. He had already worked out the details with Dumbledore. If, by the time he turned 25 and his curse was not broken, he was going to change his identity and move elsewhere in the world. Dumbledore would put on a protection spell to ensure his friends couldn't find him. Dumbledore disagreed at first, but he came around when James begged him to do this one last thing for him. It was hard enough for him to suffer not using magic. It was a completely different pain to watch as his friends had to give up magic for his benefit.
He ruffled his hair, taking a long sip of his water. He had really wanted a different drink, but he would save that for dinner. He was sitting on his couch, watching out of the window. He had just received a letter back from Dumbledore.
James,
I hope this letter finds you well. As Lizzie has stated, we have found a fairy that would be able to reverse the curse. However, it has been rather difficult to capture her in one place. Your friends have joined her this weekend on a special mission in Russia to follow up on a lead. We needed the numbers, which is why we took your friends away for the weekend. Unfortunately, I had to stay behind to work on the upcoming school year. I know your time is drawing near, but I ask you to reconsider what we have previously discussed in regards to if you are unable to return to magic by the time you are aged another year. I believe we are close now.
As for Ms. Evans, I did see her on my normal walk in the London muggle streets. I have this nagging feeling that there is something unique, something magical even, about her and I would like you to keep an eye on her. I am doing some research and will inform you of any findings. Unfortunately, I am currently tied up and may not be able to review that situation in a while. I wish you luck on your date this evening. Have faith in who you are, Mr. Potter, and the solution will come.
-Albus Dumbledore
James threw the letter down on the table. He didn't even want to think about the possibility of not being able to return back to magic. It was too heartbreaking. In fact, it was all he seemed to think about anymore, leaving him with a never-ending headache. He centered his thoughts on his new personal assistant. She was rather interesting, he found. Frustrating, sure, but interesting. He loved the fact that she didn't treat him differently because of his wealth and good looks, but it also irritated him that she was so frank in her speech. He was her boss, after all. However, he had to focus on the dating scene this year and couldn't be worried about another personal assistant, as his friends so kindly reminded him. It intrigued him that Dumbledore saw something fascinating in her…perhaps even something magical.
She can't be a witch, can she? James thought to himself. No, if she were a witch, she would have recognized the name of Quidditch and mentioned something. Rather, she seemed confused. Maybe Dumbledore has gone off the deep end on this one. No matter, I still think she's hiding something.
He shook his head and got up to go get ready for his date. An hour later, he was showered, dressed, and smelling rather intoxicating, he'd like to think. Mouthwash freshened his breath and his suit was nicely tailored. He put on an expensive watch and headed out the door, taking a slip of paper with an address and directions with him. She had given him a public location to pick her up just in case he was a murderer. Within 15 minutes, he had arrived at the location. He spotted the woman waiting outside of a door, looking anxious. She was truly stunning in a simple navy blue sleeveless cocktail dress and small pumps. Her hair fell around her shoulders and a shawl spread across her tan shoulders. Her eyes met his as he exited his vehicle and approached her.
"Darla?" he asked curiously. She smiled widely, reaching out a hand to shake his.
"James, I assume?" she asked as he took her hand.
"You assume correct, unless you were expecting anyone else," he smiled. She shook her head. "Good. You look lovely, by the way."
"Thank you," she grinned.
"After you," he said as he opened the passenger car door. She smiled as she entered the car, thanking him. He shut her door and then moved to the driver's side to get in. They drove to the restaurants in small talk mixed with silence. Luckily, the restaurant was only a ten minute drive from where they currently were.
"I have a reservation under James Potter," James stated to the attendant. The attendant looked down on his list and nodded.
"Yes, I see," he stated. "Please follow me."
They followed him to a small table in the back. The restaurant was filled with couples. It seemed to be geared towards couples as it held a romantic atmosphere. Music was playing in the background and the tables were set up around a large space that had a few couples dancing to the music that was playing. A stage was along one of the walls, curtains closed. The main lights had been dimmed throughout the restaurant. James pulled out the chair for Darla to sit in and then took his own seat.
"Would you like to start out with an appetizer?" he inquired.
"Sure," she smiled.
"How does the Calamari Fritti sound?" he asked, looking at his menu.
"I think it sounds wonderful," she replied, looking at the list of appetizers. "You can't go wrong with Calamari," she added. He nodded in agreement. Within seconds, a waiter walked to their table.
"Hello, my name is Edward and I will be your waiter tonight. Chef Michael DeAngelo will be responsible for your meals and our special is the Vitello al Barolo," the man stated as he pointed to a special on a separate menu that had a picture and description of the meal. The man was rather tall, wearing a nice tuxedo and clean shaven. "May I start you out with a drink?"
"White or red wine?" James asked Darla.
"White, please," she responded.
He nodded and then turned to the waiter. "Edward, could you please bring us the Pinot Grigio, Mezzacorona Riserva?"
"A fine choice. I will bring that right out. Can I interest you in an antipasti dish?" he asked.
"Yes. We would like the Calamari Fritti, please."
"I will put the order in immediately," he stated and walked away.
The couple reviewed their menus, deciding upon a meal that they would like. When they each decided, they placed their menus down. Edward had returned with a wine bottle and two wine glasses. He poured the wine in each of their glasses before leaving.
James lifted his glass and indicated for Darla to do the same. "To our first date," he toasted. They clinked glasses and sipped.
"So, Darla, what has caused you to resort to online dating?"
"Well um, I was having no luck dating via other venues and I heard great things about finding one's partner via online methods. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try out," she smiled awkwardly. "And you?"
"I guess you could say the same. Work tends to get in the way of meeting incredible women," he smiled. "So, I got a chance to read your profile but I saw that you left the 'future goals' portion empty. Why so?"
Darla shrugged. "The future changes so frequently, what's the point in focusing on that? I like to take things day to day instead of in the grand scheme of things."
"I see. So you don't have any future goals?" he asked curiously. "For instance, do you want to get married someday? Do you want to have children? Do you want to travel? Do you have a career in mind?"
She shrugged again. "Nope."
"Interesting," James stated, contemplating. "So what is that 'nope' to?"
"I don't really think about marriage and children right now. I don't know what I want in that regards. I don't really care to travel. If I travel, fantastic. But if I don't, I won't be disappointed. And currently, I'm content with my career."
They paused their conversation as Edward returned with their appetizer.
"Are you ready to put in your order?" he asked, taking out his notepad. James looked to Darla to continue.
"I would like the Capellini al Granchio," Darla responded, smiling. She handed her menu to the waiter.
"I would like the Linguine ai Frutti di Mare," James added, giving his menu to Edward as well. "With white sauce, please."
"Right away. I will put the orders in. Your antipasti is nearly ready," Edward stated and stalked off.
"Where were we? Ah, yes. So, you don't have any dreams?" James asked.
"Is that so hard to believe?"
"Actually, yes. I don't think I've ever met anyone with no dreams. Why no dreams?" he asked curiously.
"Dreams only lead to disappointments. If I have no dreams, I can't get disappointed when they don't occur."
"But you have nothing to look forward to…nothing to achieve if you have no goals," James replied, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Live for the moment."
"I guess that's one way of looking at it," James shrugged. They waited a brief moment while Edward brought their antipasti dish out.
"So, you believe in living for the moment and you don't really have dreams. What do you think about fate and destiny? Are they possible?"
Darla snorted softly. "Believing in fate and destiny is a weak man's response to avoiding responsibility. I don't believe we have a set path to take and that our lives are all pre-planned. If I believed in fate and destiny, I would no longer feel responsible for any decision I make because what does it matter?"
"I never thought about it in that manner, I must admit," James responded. He thought about how he could casually bring magic into this conversation. "Even if there were such a thing as fate and destiny, you still have your choices. It's just your choices have already been discovered which lead to the fate and destiny, I think."
"What about you? What are your dreams, James? What are your ambitions?" Darla asked, smiling.
Thinking for a moment, James responded to her inquiry. "Well, I do want to get married one day to the love of my life, and I want to have children. I'm not sure how many, just yet. I want to live near all of my friends who have become my family and I want to be able to successfully provide for my family."
"I don't think you'll have a problem providing for your family. The love of your life, eh? You're the type of guy that believes that you have a soul mate, am I right?" Darla asked, amused.
James rose an eyebrow at her. "I do believe that, yes. Let me guess, you don't?"
"Absolutely not. I think you can make things work with anyone if both partners are in for making it work. Life would be perfect that way, wouldn't it, if we all had soul mates? Unfortunately, life isn't perfect."
Seeing his opening, James took it. "I'm going to counter that and suggest that you don't believe in anything…unexplained?"
"As in what? Karma? Magic?"
"Yes, karma…magic," he suggested.
"Karma and magic go against all things natural and scientific. For karma, just because you make a decision, doesn't mean that life is going to get you back for what you decided. For magic, I don't see how anyone could believe in real magic…obviously there are magicians who simply play tricks on the mind. But real abra-kadabra type magic is impossible to exist. I think people become obsessed with it because they are dissatisfied with the way their life is working out. It's a great dream to have, but magic just does not mix with this world."
"Interesting perspective. What about fortune tellers?"
"Rubbish. They tell you generic statements that can work for anyone. They look into their crystal balls or their tarot cards and you know what they see? Smoke and nothingness…perhaps they see the money they will gain for ripping people off," she muttered. "Same for fortune cookies, really."
"Remind me to never joke about your zodiac sign," James stated, grinning. "Would you excuse me for a moment?" She nodded and he stood, walking towards the bathrooms.
Looking in the mirror in the bathroom, James shook his head and rubbed his neck with his hand. After pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, he rinsed his face with cool water.
Fabulous date you picked there, James, James thought to himself. A bloody woman who does not believe in anything magical. Who doesn't believe even the slightest in the possibility of magic? What is she, mad?
Shaking his head of his thoughts, he rushed out of the bathroom so he didn't keep her waiting. Just as he exited, he walked into a woman that was walking past him towards the ladies' room.
"Hmph!" the woman exclaimed, taking a startled step backwards to prevent herself from falling.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, miss…Lily?" James asked incredulously, looking down at his redheaded personal assistant.
"Ja…Mr. Potter?" Lily asked, confused, before realization hit her. She had forgotten that she recommended this place to her boss. What am I today? Wearing a bright neon sign saying that I need to be walked into? Lily thought to herself, slightly flustered.
"Couldn't stay away from me, could you?" James asked, grinning widely. Lily rolled her eyes.
"Hardly. I'm here on a…eating with a friend," Lily explained, mentally hitting herself. She didn't need to explain herself.
"A friend? It must be some friend that brought you to this fancy restaurant getting you to dress beautifully," James replied, still grinning.
"Er, thanks. And yes, some friend," Lily replied. "How is your date going so far?"
James shrugged. "I've had better. She and I don't necessarily have the best qualities in common."
"Well, I can't imagine you having any good qualities, Mr. Potter," Lily mumbled.
"Hey James," a voice stated coming up to them.
"Speaking of my date, this is Darla…Darla, this is Ms. Evans, my personal assistant," James introduced.
Darla smiled politely at Lily, who returned the favor. "Nice to meet you Ms. Evans."
"I will meet you back at the table, okay?" James asked Darla. Darla nodded in response. "And I will see you on the dance floor, I'm sure, Ms. Evans," he stated, smiling at Lily. "I expect you haven't lied about your ability to dance. I will be ensuring that."
Lily blushed, mumbled a response, and walked with Darla to the restroom.
"He's pretty handsome, isn't he?" Darla asked casually as she checked herself out in the mirror. Lily nodded non-committedly as she stepped into one of the empty stalls. When she went back to the sink, Darla was still there.
"And pretty wealthy. How do you stand merely working for him? There's got to be more than just working for him."
Lily rose an eyebrow at her through the mirror while she washed her hands. "He's just a man…"
"An incredibly handsome and wealthy man," Darla muttered. "Tom would have never taken me out to this place," she mumbled to herself.
Turning off the water, Lily turned to dry her hands before responding. "Tom?" Lily asked. She didn't want to ask because she didn't want to be involved in her boss' life, especially not his romantic life.
Darla blushed. "Oh, sorry. Just a slip. An old boyfriend."
"An old boyfriend who gave you a ring?" Lily asked, staring at a slight indent on her ring finger that indicated the absence of a recent ring.
"Nosey one, you are," Darla stated, rubbing her finger. "That noticeable? Well, just between us girls, right? Tom is my…husband. But we're separated right now. You won't tell James, right?"
Lily frowned, catching the drift. "How long have you been 'separated'?" Lily asked, putting quotations around the last word.
"Well…um…it's pretty recent. But, we have barely been talking for a while. Please don't tell James, I think we have a real connection," Darla begged, grabbing Lily's arms and shaking them slightly.
Lily shook her head. "Unbelievable. You should probably tell Mr. Potter that you're still married. It's pretty vital information, you know."
"No, it's no big deal. Tom is probably doing the same thing," Darla reasoned, still gripping Lily's arms.
"I'm not going to hide it from Mr. Potter…why don't you just work things out with your husband?"
"That's none of your business!" Darla exclaimed angrily, but then calmed down. "Are you jealous that I'm with him? That's it, isn't it? Because he's wealthy and handsome and he's with me!"
Lily's jaw dropped. She yanked her arms from Darla, glaring at her. "You're insane. That's the second time you've mentioned this whole 'wealthy' thing. What, are you seeing him solely because he's handsome and wealthy? Tell me, what do you know about him?"
"That's why I'm on this date," Darla stated, exasperated, as if she were talking to a child. "I know that he owns a rather large company and that he owns his own plane. He even helps out at an homeless shelter thing for children."
"That would be an orphanage," Lily replied, irritated. "Whatever. I have a date to get back to. Goodbye Darla."
Lily stalked out of the bathroom, irritated. She had light red marks on her arms where Darla had gripped, but ultimately, her anger just won out. She walked quickly to her table where a handsome man awaited her presence.
Chris smiled widely at her as she sat back down, but then frowned at her irritated expression.
"Everything alright?" he asked, worriedly.
"Just peachy," Lily responded, briefly looking around the dim lit room.
He frowned at her but didn't push her any farther. "They delivered the food while you were out. I wasn't sure if you had wanted any specific sauces, so they are on their way back with the different sauces."
"Thank you," Lily grumbled but then felt guilty. She shook her head of thoughts and focused on her non-date.
"Tell me, what is your favorite part of your job?"
Lily thought for a moment, trying to think of how to articulate what she wanted to say. "I like to be organized. I like to organize other people's lives."
"Organization has never been my forte," Chris contemplated. Their waiter dropped off the sauces for Lily and they began to eat their food. "However, I get everything I need to accomplish done."
Lily shrugged. "Yes, well, you're probably not getting as much done as you could be getting done."
"Let me guess, you live off of to-do lists? If it isn't on your to-do list, it's clearly not important enough to be getting accomplished," he grinned.
"Actually, yes," Lily blushed. "But, don't knock down on my to-do lists. They have accomplished many tasks for me!"
"Aren't you simply wasting time creating the lists? I mean, you could get started and then bam, it's done. So, while I am finishing tasks, you are finishing lists," he laughed.
"Don't be ridiculous. While I'm finishing my lists, you're still confused as to where to start which means I'll be finishing my list first."
"I will hold you to that. So, may I ask about your family? That's still on friendly terms, correct?" he asked. She shrugged in response so he continued. "What do you miss most about your family? I mean, you came all the way to England, leaving all of your family behind."
Lily swallowed her bite of food before responding. "I get along with my parents fairly well and my sister. I still consider her to be my closest friend. I guess I miss summers with my family the most. We would have cookouts all of the time. We would sit around a fire until past midnight laughing, roasting marshmallows, and telling stories. We used to go camping during the summer, but that kind of died off when Petunia, my sister, and I got older. There was this one summer," Lily started but had to stop because her laughter took over. When she contained herself, she continued. "This one summer, Petty got sprayed by two skunks! She had tried to chase them away from the tents, but it scared them and they sprayed as they ran away. She smelt horrible forever! She refused to go to anymore cookouts until the smell completely dissipated."
Chris' grey eyes shone with laughter. "She must have hated you for laughing."
"Sisters," Lily explained. "And then there was this one time that we went skiing. I used to go with my dad and she hated going. We finally convinced her and my mother to come as well. My dad and I came off the lift first and waited for them. When they came off, it was," Lily started, but laughter overcame her again. "Sorry. When they came off, my mom slid right into a tree and my sister fell flat on her face, her butt sticking in the air. They refused to ski with us again."
"Sounds like fun. And you left…why?" he asked curiously.
"Time to grow. I always wanted to come to England. Yes, I love my family…but I didn't really have anything holding me in America. You can't let your family dictate every step you take."
"Very brave, coming all this way," he replied. They ate the rest of their meal in comfortable conversation. When they were finished, he took her hand and brought her to the dance floor. Just as they started, Lily spotted James and his date dancing nearby. Groaning silently, she looked away.
"Everything alright?" Chris asked curiously, noticing her uncomfortable glances. He looked to where she had originally been focused. "Hey, is that-"
"James Potter, yes," Lily mumbled. I can't just let him get used by that leech, Lily thought to herself. You don't even like him, why bother? Lily argued silently. Maybe because he actually is decent and maybe because this will hurt the tabloids if ever it is discovered, she continued. Oh, just ignore it. Have a good time, her argument continued. Stop being selfish. End your date and save him from the embarrassment. It's what a good person would do, she thought. Groaning again, she looked up to Chris.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Chris asked curiously, stopping their dance.
"I'm sorry about this, Chris. But I must cut our…hang out…short. It was really nice tonight. Thank you for taking me here," Lily stated.
"Leaving so soon?"
"James is on a date with a woman he doesn't know is married and all she wants is his money. I can't let him make that mistake so I have to go break up a date."
"Would you like help?"
"No, it's alright. I have it. But, I had a really good time tonight. Thank you. Maybe we can hang out again sometime," Lily stated, distracted, as she watched James and Darla.
"I would like that very much," Chris smiled. "Until next time, friend."
Lily smiled and made her way through the couples dancing, her destination in mind. The music changed as a louder number blared into the speakers. Lily grunted as she thought of a successful way to break up the date. Darla would deny it until the end. She finally reached them and yanked on James' arm. He turned to her, startled. When he saw who it was, he grinned.
"Come to show me your dance skills?" he yelled out. She could barely hear him. At the corner of her eye she saw Darla glaring at her.
Lily shook her head. "Can we talk?" she asked as loudly as possible without yelling.
"What?" James asked, leaning his ear down to her.
"CAN WE TALK?" Lily yelled, while James jumped, not expecting her to yell.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" he yelled back.
"PRIVATELY. I WANT TO TALK PRIVATELY!" she yelled out, irritated. She was having a good night…need her boss ruin that too? James shrugged and made a motion to Darla, indicating he'd be right back. Darla followed anyways.
"What is it?" James asked when they were far enough away from the music to be heard at fairly normal volumes. Lily glared at Darla while Darla had a pleading look on her face.
"Darla here is married," Lily sneered, glaring at Darla. James looked dumbstruck as he widened his eyes at Lily and then turned to Darla.
"What?" he asked simply.
"I'm not married. Your assistant here seems to think I'm married."
"You said you were," Lily explained, rolling her eyes. "Look at her ring finger."
"Stop being jealous that James wouldn't be interested in someone who looks like you," Darla sneered, angrily. James was her ticket to more money.
James looked incredulously between them. "What is going on?"
"She has a spouse named Tom. She let his name slip in the bathroom and then explained that there were on a separation…a recent separation. She's just using you, Mr. Pot…James," Lily explained, crossing her arms. "Look at her left ring finger," she reiterated.
Darla frowned. "So, I used to wear a ring on my ring finger…that doesn't mean anything."
"So, who is Tom?" James asked, curiously, not sure what to believe.
"No one. Ms. Evans here is rather crazy. You should get a new personal assistant…one who isn't so clearly trying to ruin my happiness," Darla stated, angrily.
"Your happiness?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I meant his happiness, clearly. Why don't you just admit that you like him and are trying to prevent him from connecting with anyone? I mean, we were connecting on a deep level, thank you very much," Darla stated.
"Actually, we weren't. Not at all. Who doesn't have dreams?" James asked, incredulously.
Darla gasped. "What are you talking about? Of course we connected…Tom is just another guy, babe," Darla explained.
"I thought Tom was no one?"
"Fine. Tom was my husband…but we're separated," Darla explained, begrudgingly.
James rose his eyebrow and then nodded. "I think it's time I bring you home, Darla," James stated. Darla pouted.
"But James, I was going to show you a good time tonight," she tried, seductively. James grinned back.
"Yeah? See, the seduction part doesn't sound so great after I've found out you're married…so, sorry. Lily, would you like a ride home as well?" James asked, his eyes pleading with hers. He didn't want to be in the car alone with Darla, especially when she was trying to be alluring. Lily shrugged.
"Let me grab my coat."
Darla frowned. "You need a personal assistant who minds her own business," she snapped.
James grinned. "Normally, I would have agreed with you. However, tonight, I'm rather thankful for Lily."
They waited in silence until Lily appeared again. They walked out to his car and drove in an uncomfortable silence to the location James had picked Darla up. Angrily, she stormed out of the car, slamming the door.
"You know, you can move to sit in the front seat," James smiled to Lily through the mirror.
"Okay," Lily replied, exiting the back seat and moving to the front.
"I'm sorry if I ruined your evening," James stated as he drove off.
Lily shrugged. "As I said, it was just a friendly meeting. Sorry about your…er…date."
"I'm used to it," James stated sadly.
"What? Do you normally date women who are married?"
"No, I normally date women who are deceiving," he replied grinning, no hint of humor in his voice.
"Well maybe you need to change the women you are interested in. Perhaps the whole online dating thing isn't your scene," Lily suggested.
"Neither is meeting women at bars, or clubs, or suit and tie events," James replied.
Lily snorted in response, looking out the window. "You said earlier when I saw you outside of the bathrooms that the date wasn't going that well-"
"Correction. I said I've had better," James cut off, grinning.
"Whatever. What happened in this date that made it so wrong so quickly?"
"What wasn't wrong? She had no hopes or dreams. No ambition! She didn't know…well, she claimed…that she didn't know if she wanted to get married or have children. She doesn't believe in fate, or destiny. She's not open to anything that isn't scientifically proven. Nor does she like dogs…everyone loves dogs! Ridiculous."
"That doesn't sound terrible, James. Well, the whole lack of hopes and dreams thing is kind of bad…but you can't hate a gal for not liking dogs or not being open to fate," Lily explained.
James looked at her incredulously.
"Okay, Lily, what do you think about things like fate and destiny?"
"Does it really matter? I mean, whether I believe in fate or destiny, is it really going to affect how I live my life? I should be living my life the best that I know how and if there is fate and destiny, well then…there's nothing I can do because it's fate."
"Interesting. And karma? Magic?" James asked curiously, parking the car outside of her apartment.
"I believe anything is possible…even magic. I'm not so sure about karma though. I think there are a lot of bad people in power that shouldn't be and they die successfully…however, I've seen a lot of good people who suffer. Did karma just fail them?"
"See, all I'm asking is for a girl who can think like you do…actually have opinions and articulate them well. Most important question, do you like dogs?"
"Absolutely. Not the small rat dogs though," Lily replied.
"And marriage, children, future?"
"I do want to get married and I want to have two perfect children, one boy, one girl. I want to be a stay at home mom for a little bit but then I want to start work again. I love working where I am as a personal assistant."
"You'd be the perfect woman, Lily Evans, if I could actually stand you more often," James muttered.
"Yeah…too bad you're arrogant, cocky, and selfish."
"Too bad you're a snobby, goody-two-shoes," he countered.
"Egocentric," Lily added.
"Judgmental," James continued.
"Pretentious," Lily grinned.
"Disrespectful," James added.
"Devious."
"Argumentative."
They both laughed, shaking their heads.
"You have a good night, Ms. Evans. Thanks again for informing me."
"Back to formalities?" Lily asked, frowning. "I thought when you started trusting me, you would call me by my first name."
"Ah, but a moment ago, I did trust you. However, that trust was misguided. I cannot simply trust you so easily after a chance encounter. I do appreciate what you did, but that is not enough for me to trust you're not still trying to gain intel," James explained as if it were obvious.
"You are so…" Lily started, pausing to think of the word.
"Intelligent? Witty? Focused?"
"Frustrating," Lily spat out, storming out of the car, slamming the car door shut on her way out.
James grinned, watching as she walked off. "Women."
