A/N: I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update! School has kept me super busy this week, and I was sick over the weekend. Anyways, here's the next chapter!
A Midnight Rose
Chapter Nine
I was shocked into silence after he said that. It was a few minutes before I could say anything. When I finally found my voice, I stammered, "What is it for?"
"You," James said. "To prove to you that I really love you."
"Prove it?" I asked.
James nodded. "You never believe me when I tell you that I love you. You're afraid to trust me, Lily."
This was so close to the truth that I couldn't find anything to say again. I opened my mouth and then closed it again, feeling like a fish. I knew I looked stupid, but at least James didn't comment. He just offered the rose to me again. I took it gingerly and he smiled. His smile made my stomach flip. Was I really starting to fall for James Potter, just because of some stupid flowers? "Do you believe me now?" he asked.
"Yes," I said finally, looking down at the rose. It really was a very pretty flower. Definitely my favorite of all the flowers he had sent me. Not that I was going to let him know that.
James' face brightened. "Really?" he asked. I nodded, and he reached out for my hand. I felt a tingle run up my arm when he touched me. I had the answer to my earlier question: Yes, I was falling for James Potter because of some stupid flowers. "Does that mean you'll go out with me now?"
I hesitated. I didn't want to jump into this so suddenly, but I didn't want to crush James. I mean, I was totally use to it, but something about the look in his hazel eyes made me want to say yes. I turned away, my own green eyes filling with tears. I shook my head and my red hair swayed with the movement. "No." I stood up and dropped the rose in his lap. He stood up and grabbed for my arm, but I side-stepped and dashed up the stairs to my dormitory.
I collapsed onto my bed and began to sob as quietly as possible. What was wrong with me? I didn't even know why I was crying. It just came out. I hated being a teenager. These were definitely not the best years of my life. All the wild hormones running around, making me grumpy, depressed, or overly-happy. When I was finished crying, I wiped my eyes and rolled over, pulling the blankets over me. I closed my eyes and drifted into an uneasy sleep.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
I woke up the next morning feeling groggy and frustrated. It was still early, the morning was still grey. I climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. My hair was a complete mess and I couldn't even get a brush through it, so I climbed into the shower. I felt better as soon as the hot water hit me. There was something soothing about steam. I stood there for several minutes, then set to work on my hair.
When I got out of the shower, I felt less grumpy than I had when I got in. I changed quickly into my uniform and entered the dormitory again. Natasha and Claudia were awake, Claudia trying to get Karen up. Our blond friend was waving her hand around and grumbling, her head buried in the pillow. I could hear a faint, "Go away."
"Rise and shine!" I advised her. She turned her head so she could glare at me. I pulled my still-wet hair into a ponytail and then grabbed my wand. I flicked it, and her bed dumped her onto the floor. She stood up slowly, muttering to herself.
"All I wanted was a little extra sleep," she complained. "Is that too much to ask?"
"Yes," Claudia and I chorused. Natasha knew better and stayed silent, twirling a brown curl on her finger. Karen rolled her eyes and grabbed her robes, entering the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. Claudia and Natasha were already dressed. When Karen came back out, her hair neatly brushed into a bun, we moved downstairs as a group. Only a few people milled around in the common room, and I was getting hungry, so we went down to the Great Hall.
I was spooning some steaming eggs onto my plate when he and his friends walked in. I ignored him, grabbing a piece of toast and buttering it. He was walking towards me, Sirius and Remus following close behind. I prayed he would walk past us, but he didn't. He stopped beside me and said in a dull voice, "Evans."
"Potter," I sighed. We were back to this again?
"I've decided I'll leave you alone now, since that's obviously what you want."
This threw me. I hadn't been expecting it at all. "Er – Alright. Thanks?"
He didn't reply. He and the other two moved on down the table to find their own spot to eat. My friends stared at me curiously. Karen was the first to ask. "What did he mean?"
I could feel myself turning red. I honestly didn't want to tell my friends what had happened the night before, but if I didn't, I would be a bad friend. So, leaning towards them, I recounted everything that'd happened with James since the game of Truth or Dare.
"That's so sweet!" Claudia said, when I told them about the rose.
"I guess," I said. I shrugged, as if I didn't care. But deep down, I knew I did care. I just wasn't sure how much. My stomach was twisted in a knot. What did James mean, he would leave me alone. After all this, he was just going to give up? I was uneasy as I twisted his words around in my mind, trying to figure out exactly what is was he meant. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one who didn't understand him.
"What do you think he meant?" Natasha asked. "'I'll leave you alone now'?"
Karen raised her eyebrows. "That he's going to leave her alone? Isn't that obvious."
Claudia was torn. "It could have meant anything, I suppose."
"What could it mean, other than, 'I'll leave you alone'?" Karen argued.
"Karen has a point," Claudia said after a few minutes of silence, during which I was stuffing my face with eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast, with the occasional sip of pumpkin juice. The three of them turned to look at me for my opinion. I swallowed a large mouthful of eggs and washed it down with pumpkin juice. When I was finished, I just shrugged. "Who cares what it means? I can get on with my life now."
"Isn't that a little harsh?" Natasha asked.
"No," Claudia said for me. "He's been bugging her for years, and now she can finally do stuff without him bothering her all the time."
"Exactly," I said, though my stomach didn't seem to agree with a word Claudia was saying. My head did, though, for the most part. They dropped the subject after that, seemingly bored with it. When we finished eating, we went back to the common room to get our bags before going to class.
When I was sitting at my desk, trying to focus on what Professor Binns was saying, I knew it was going to be impossible for me to concentrate today. I contemplated going to the Hospital Wing, but then I would be stuck in there all day, instead of free to wander when classes were over. I wasn't lacking sleep, so I put all my energy into concentrating on my school work. That's what was important, after all.
Through some miracle, I ended up with very little homework that day. I was extremely pleased, so when I returned to the common room, I was happier than I'd been that morning. My pleasure dropped, however, when I entered the common room and saw James Potter sitting on the couch. Not only that, though. It was James Potter, sitting on the couch, in a heated snogging session with some fifth year girl. I cleared my throat to let them know I was there. I couldn't help but notice that we were the only three people in the room. Everyone else still had class.
The two broke apart, breathing heavily, and James turned to look at me. "Can I help you, Evans?" he asked cooly.
"No," I replied. "I'd just rather not watch you two snog while I'm doing homework."
"Go to the library, then," James retorted.
I sighed, feeling my stomach twist again. Seeing James kissing another girl had made me feel a flash of jealously. Okay, so maybe I did like James. Perhaps I was ready to admit it. So I said, "Look, James. Can I talk to you?" I glanced at the fifth-year. "Alone?"
"Fine." James shrugged and the girl, a perky-looking blond, gave him a reproachful stare before climbing the stairs to her dormitory. When she was gone, he asked, "What is it?"
"I just want to tell you something," I said.
"What?" James repeated, his hazel eyes hard.
"I like you, too."
A/N: THE END! Of the chapter. Because I'm just such a meanie like that. But I really wanted to get something posted. So there it is. PLEASE leave me a review! I'll love you forever if you do. Thanks to the eleven or twelve people that reviewed the last chapter. You guys are great!
Love,
This Author Person-Face
