"Wake up Lily! It's Valentine's Day!" Marlene squealed, shaking the mattress beneath me. She thrust the curtains aside, letting the morning sun peak through. I tried to hide underneath the covers, but Marly pulled them off, cackling evilly. I hit her with my pillow and leaned against my headboard, hugging my pillow tightly to my chest.

Marlene kept laughing until she noticed I wasn't smiling along with her.

"Is there something wrong?" A wary expression suddenly covered her face. My eyes immediately began stinging, and I looked away from her, my gaze drifting out the window.

"Lils?" She sat down on the bed facing me just as Alice walked out of the bathroom, completely decked out in pink and red. Her smile died once she took in the situation.

"What did I miss?"

I ignored the question and buried my face into the softness of my pillow.

"I'm not sure," Marly said, trying to pull my pillow away from me. "Lily, talk to us." She sounded like my mother.

"Did something happen with James?" Alice guessed. My head came right up to look at her. She must have seen the shock in my eyes. "I'm not an idiot. First, you two didn't even speak in the common room last night. And second, you even said you weren't ok."

Both of my friends sent my skeptical looks, and I couldn't just hide behind my pillow anymore. My throat was closing on me, so I just nodded.

"What happened?" Marly asked, her voice growing gentle.

I told them the whole story. I told them about the argument, about how I reacted, about everything. It was embarrassing, but I revealed everything I'd been feeling yesterday and into this morning.

And it was exactly what I needed. Alice and Marly listened quietly to the entirety of my rant.

There was a period of silence after I finished, and I let my head fall back against the headboard.

"Lily, there's nothing to worry about." Alice assured, patting my leg. I raised my eyebrows at her in disbelief.

She just rolled her eyes at me. "Do you know how often Frank and I fight?"

Even Marly looked shocked at that one. "But you guys are perfect!" She shouted.

Alice simply rolled her eyes again. "All lovers fight. That's why there's such a thing as a 'lover's quarrel'."

"You didn't see his face." I croaked out, the pit in my stomach becoming prevalent again.

Alice sighed, sounding near exasperation. "You love him, right?"

The question caught me off guard. "Yes." It was automatic. Of course I loved James.

"And he loves you. This fight didn't destroy you two. You just have to move past it. You said yourself it was something stupid."

I couldn't think of anything to say. My knuckles were white from clutching my pillow so hard.

Marlene was apparently done with the quiet though. "Alright! No more sadness! Time for you to get out of bed and put on your Valentine's things so we can go down and eat some heart-shaped pancakes!" She pulled me off of the mattress and pushed me towards the bathroom.

My friends linked their arms in mine as we made our way down to the Great Hall. I'm not sure if they were trying to make me feel better or if they were making sure I wouldn't try to make a break for it.

The Hall was buzzing with excitement. Cupids were flying everywhere carrying valentines to their recipients, and small hearts were floating in the ceiling along with the candles.

The three of us walked towards our usual spot, but Marly's feet stopped as she gasped. My eyes came up from the stone floor and went to where she was looking.

My breath caught in my throat.

There was a small bouquet of wild flowers sitting at my usual spot. They were so small, so delicate, yet they were so beautiful. I picked them up, almost worried they would break.

As I brought them up to my nose, a small folded piece of paper fell out of them onto the table. My stomach flipped over.

I opened the note slowly, and read the words over and over.

I'm sorry.

It was only two words. It was only written on a piece of paper. But I could hear his voice in my head, reverberating through my ears. My ears began tingling again, but it wasn't from sadness this time.

A small bud fell on the note. I frowned at it. It couldn't have come from the bouquet; I was holding it in my hand.

Then I felt another one fall into my hair. Looking up, another one fell on my nose.

There were petals and flowers falling from the ceiling, almost like snow.

People let out excited shrieks, and "oohs" and "aahs" as they realized what was happening. But my attention wasn't on the flowers for very long.

I could feel him there. The hair on my skin stood up just sensing his presence.

Slowly turning to James, I took a deep breath as our eyes met. His hazel eyes held a hint of the hollow look from last night, but he had a small smile on his lips.

"The note, I-"

"I'm sorry too." I whispered, letting the bouquet rest on the table. A smile broke over my face, relief spilling through me.

He pulled me into his arms, pressing me into him. I breathed him in, my fingers knotting in his cloak. James laughed quietly, sounding extremely content.

"I love you, Lily." He held my face so gently, even as his eyes smoldered with intensity. He was almost shaking.

"I love you." I whispered, pressing my lips to his. The usual shivers erupted under my skin as he immediately deepened the kiss. Feeling him so close to me again felt right. The pit was gone; it was like it never existed.

I could feel people staring, but I didn't care. James' forehead met mine, and he kissed me once more.

"Care for some breakfast?"

My fingers weaved together with his as we sat down at the table, the small flowers still raining down on us.

"I'd love some."

***A/N: Happy Valentine's Day everybody! Thanks for reading!