A/N: I hope you enjoyed the last one! I decided to be nice and post this one earlier than I planned at first.
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise. Nothing!

Previously:
James comes up behind me and slides his arms around me. "You were brilliant, Lily."
"You were too."
"I was nothing compared to you." His voice sounds strange, so I turn to look at him.

I turn to look at him and..
He leans down and kisses me.

Oooohh...what's going to happen? Enjoy xx

Explosions. That's what I feel. Fireworks, like the ones the Marauders set off at the end of last year, are bouncing, and exploding and sparking in my stomach, my lips are tingling and I feel alive, every cell bright and sharp and buzzing.

Then he pulls away.

I look up at him, his hazel eyes dancing with what look like tears, and I can't handle the silence any longer.
"James..."My voice is croaky and hoarse, so I try again "What..."
"Merlin, Lily." his voice is breaking too, but he looks devastated. "I'm so sorry."
He turns and runs up the stairs to his room, and I'm just standing there.
Just standing there.

Did he just...apologise? For kissing me?
Of course he did.

I sit down, stunned, on the love seat, and try to organise my thoughts.

He apologised for kissing me, because I asked me not to ask me out, yet he kissed me without my permission.
He assumed I would be furious, and not like him at all, so I would have killed him for kissing me without my permission. There's just one thing I can't work out:
Why did he kiss me?

He doesn't like me like that. He can't. Sirius said...what did he say?

"He insulted you, and Prongs told him to take it back. Yeah...it escalated from there."
"He would do that...for me?"
"Wow...you really don't know a thing about Prongs, do you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean, he's done that plenty of times."
"Done what?"
"Fought with someone because of you."

"You really don't get it, Evans?"
"NO!"
"He likes you."

Was Sirius telling the truth?
There's only one way to find out.

I get up, and sprint out of the portrait hole, down the corridor, barely noticing as run through ghosts. Skidding to a stop at the Gryffindor common room, I snap out the password, ignore the Fat Lady's warning about being out after curfew, and push my way through to the main sofa, where the Marauders are sitting, Peter and Remus playing Gobstones.

"Black!"
He sighs, and looks up at me. "What, Evans?"
"Get here. NOW."
"I didn't do anything!"
"It's about James." Pushing off of the sofa, he leads me up to the boys' dorms, and into a messy room that I'm guessing he sleeps in. "What's happened to Prongs now, Evans?"
"He kissed me."

The effect is instantaneous; Sirius pales and whistles, sitting down on a bed covered in motorcycle magazines.
"Finally did it, huh?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, it was only a matter of time, I knew he would eventually. Then what happened?"
"He said he was sorry, and then ran up to his room."
"Typical Potter. You know, his dad hid for two days after he first kissed his mother?"
Despite my desperation, I giggle at the idea. "I can totally see James doing that.""
"So what are you going to do about it, Evans?"
"I don't know! That's the reason I broke curfew to come here!"
"That desperate to see me, huh, Evans?" I punch him hard on the arm, and smile as he cries out.
"Woah...you got a good punch there, Evans."
"So what should I do?!"
He shrugs "Kiss him again?"
"You're hopeless!"

I turn and walk briskly out of the room, and run up the stairs to the 7th year girls' dormitory.
"Alice! I need urgent help!" She's sitting on her bed, painting her toenails with her tongue sticking out in concentration, but she looks up when I run in and sit next to her. "What's up, Lils?"
"James...kissed me." I mutter, and a broad grin stretches across her face. She carefully does up the nail varnish bottle, before bouncing up and down on her bed.
"I knew it! I knew it! Hang on...why are here and not kissing the dreamboat?"
"Because he apologised and ran up to his room! This is a major problem, and Black did not help at all!"
"You're right Lils. This is a substantial problem."
"Well! What do I do?!"
"Kiss him again?"
"Why does everyone KEEP saying that?"
"Maybe because they're right?"
"How is that right? Him kissing me, then apologising, then I go and kiss him. What if he didn't mean to kiss me?"
"What, so he just fell and his lips happened to meet yours?"
"Possibly..."
"Lily, you have to be honest with yourself. Did you want that kiss to be real? Or an accident?"
"I don't know!"
"Lily! You must know! Look, what's your favourite colour?"
"Green."
"What's your favourite drink?"
"Hot chocolate."
"Who's Head Boy?"
"James."
"Do you like James?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to kiss him again?"
"Yes. Wait..."
"See, Lily! You do like him! You do want to kiss him again! Go back to that amazing dorm and go and kiss him, and like it!"
I smile sheepishly. "Ok, Alice." She blows me a kiss and picks up her bottle of nail varnish, so I get up and walk down the stairs, filled with a new kind of energy.

Black blocks my exit, smirking. "What are going to do now?"
"Kiss him again."
"That's my girl."
Normally that would have annoyed me, but I just laugh. "Don't let James hear you saying that."
He snorts, and moves out of the way, and I walk quickly down to the Head's dorm, careful to avoid the places where I know Filch frequents at night.

Quietly pushing open the door, I skip over to the coffee table and glance at the parchment on it. What I thought was a Potions essay is actually an unfinished letter, addressed to Euphemia Potter, who I'm guessing is James' mother. I don't mean to be nosy, but the sight of his familiar handwriting encourages me. I sit down, pick it up and start to read:

Dear Mum,
How are you? I would say I'm fine, except I'm not. Remember I told you about Lily getting Head Girl? Well...we're sharing a common room, and I don't think I can bear it any longer. We're so close now, good friends, but I can't handle it, being so close to her, but not getting to hold her, hugging her, but not kissing her.
I get her a hot chocolate every morning, and the smile on my face makes it worth it. She's amazing, kind, and sweet, and can stand up for herself.
You'd like her.
Dad would have liked her.

I know loads of stupid stuff about her too, like that her favourite colour is green, because it matches her eyes, and that her favourite drink is hot chocolate, in any flavour, but she especially likes peppermint. I know that she likes tying ribbons in her hair, and reading romance novels, and hates waking up early, but wakes up early anyway so that we can both take showers. I know that she bites her nails when she's nervous, and has ridiculously small feet. I know that she has a Muggle sister that hates her, and her owl is called Papilio, which means butterfly, because she loves butterflies. I know that she likes wearing her hair in bunches, but doesn't because she thinks people will tease her.

I wouldn't tease her.

I want to look into her eyes and tie a ribbon in her hair.
I'd let her sleep in, and I'd stop her from being nervous.
I want her to tie her hair up in bunches and laugh, because when she does, I feel like I'm flying.

The letter goes on, but I'm crying too hard to read the rest of it.

Awww...he's sooooo sweet!
What do you think? Will they kiss? Or will she chicken out? Let me know what you think should happen by clicking that 'Review' button.
Grazie,
She-who-loves-fanfiction xx