It's been a while, I know. But good news! I have tablets now for the migraines that were stopping me both from writing and from keeping up at school, so, I'm not promising an overnight turnaround re: regular updates because I have a lot of work to now catch up on, but I can promise that it'll get better. Thanks for being so patient :D
And so onto a new update, I really hope you enjoy this chapter, hopefully there's enough James/Lily development and adorableness to keep you going until the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter 8- I'll Wait
"I'll see you later in The Three Broomstick's, ok? James has something he wants to show me." Lily called over her shoulders to her two friends, who were standing with Sirius, Remus and Peter. Ignoring the wolf-whistles, she ran to keep up with James. Well, she was trying to ignore the wolf-whistles but in reality, her cheeks were flaming red. "Get a grip." She told herself. "They're just teasing. There is no reason to over-react, you know, James knows and they know that we are just friends. Now quit being an over-sensitive idiot." She reached James, who flashed his trademark crooked, half-sweet, half slightly arrogant smile. Lily grinned back. She couldn't help it. It was still difficult to comprehend, or to admit, just how much she'd come to rely on James in the past weeks, not just as co-Heads but as close friends. He was the only one who was there for her when her demons came to haunt her.
"Everything ok?" he asked, gesturing her up the road leading out of Hogsmeade. "You look kind of flustered."
"Yeah." Rolling her eyes, she elaborated. "Al and Marly were being idiots, that's all. Where are we going anyway?" she asked, suddenly curious at the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Helga's Field. Named after Hufflepuff. It's just on the outskirts of the village so it's not far. I need to talk to you." He seemed kind of nervous.
After a while, they climbed over a stile and entered the field. It was covered in long grasses and wheat stalks with trees bordering the edges, their leaves turning gold, red and yellow, majestic in the sunlight. For the end of October, it was surprisingly warm.
"Shall we Miss Evans?" James looked at mischievously, eyebrows raised.
"Certainly, Mr Potter." She replied, taking his offered hand and allowing him to pull her after him as they ran through the field, laughing and shrieking like five year olds, letting go of all the worries and stress that had clouded their mind since the world had got darker. Lily lived for moments like these.
A while later, they were lying in the grass, taking advantage of the unusually warm autumn weather. "So James, what did you want to talk to me about?" Lily inquired lazily. "Be warned, if it's anything to do with Head duties, I simply cannot be bothered to listen."
"Nah, don't worry, I won't inflict any unwanted responsibility on you." He turned his face towards her, his gaze serious, his eyes solemn and honest and for a moment, Lily saw what all those girls saw in James Potter and more.
"I just wanted to say that…I'm glad we're friends. And I'm sorry for all the times over the years that I've bothered you, pranked you, not listened to you…all the times I've been a prat. And I'm sorry I never took no for an answer. I know you think I was just being stupid, just annoying you or that it was just a crush and maybe it was but, the thing is, I never gave up. And I may have stopped asking but I never will give up. I'll wait. I'll always wait. I'll wait forever, I won't push it, I won't be disappointed but I swear to you I will never give up. Because I love you, Lily. I really fucking love you and I went about showing you that all wrong for years. And I'm sorry and I'm sorry for telling you this but I wanted you to know that I'll always be here for you. And I'll never give up."
Shocked, Lily could do nothing but stare at him, mouth slightly open. Then, mind still reeling, she instinctively did the only logical thing she could think of.
She leaned forwards and kissed him.
There were no fireworks, no violins. Just his lips, as he recovered from the shock and kissed her back, just the feel of his hands caught up in her fiery hair. There was no mad rush of passion, just the bittersweet irony that Lily Evans was kissing James Potter and the knowledge that this would be a fairytale ending if only she knew what to think as they pulled away and looked into each others eyes before looking away quickly. A pane of glass seemed to have been erected between them. The easy friendship was gone, replaced by awkwardness and a sensation of walking on egg shells but whether either of them regretted what had happened was unsure.
"We should go." She said softly. "We shouldn't keep the others waiting."
He nodded numbly in reply, before lifting his eyes to meet hers, their expression unreadable. She offered him a small smile, which he hesitantly returned.
It was as they reached the end of the field, neither of them speaking, that they both turned towards each other and broke the silence simultaneously.
"James I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry Lily, I shouldn't have said- "
They stopped, looking at each other, struggling to get past the awkwardness that now separated them.
"Lily? Do you regret it?"
There was a pause before Lily spoke softly.
"No. Do you?"
"No. It just, took me by surprise."
Lily chuckled.
"You're not the only one. Look, James, just give me some time alright?"
And they continued on their way in silence.
Hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review to let me know what you think!