A/N: Happy Petty Friday! Don't forget to review!

Chapter Nine: As I Fell

James checked his back pocket again to make sure his wallet was still tucked inside. It would be just his awful luck if he left it at home, causing Lily and him to be late for their dinner date because he had to backtrack to get it.

He actually had a nightmare about it the previous night. His nightmare also included his hair falling out, though, so maybe he shouldn't have put too much stock into it.

Still, he checked his wallet once more (finding it still there) and tugged on his hair (finding it still attached to his scalp) and wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans before knocking on Lily's door.

He heard shuffling behind the door, an excited squeal following. He checked his watch as he heard something like a crash. He was right on time. His mother would be proud of his punctuality.

The door swung open, revealing not Lily but her roommate, Mary.

Her very disheveled roommate, Mary.

"Um, hi," said James, smiling at the state of her. Her hair was thrown up into a messy bun, and James peered behind her to see a coat rack laying across the floor. That must have been the crash he heard.

"Oh," said Mary, turning and collecting the coat rack. Several more jackets fell off in her attempt. "Don't mind this. I was looking for a jacket for Lily since it's getting colder, and this thing challenged me to a fight." She shoved it roughly against the wall, her hair coming loosely down from her bun, before turning to him with a smile. "Come on in."

James laughed, stepping into the room. "Remind me to never cross you."

"You learn fast," Mary said. "Lily will be out soon. Can I get you anything?"

Other than the jackets from the misbehaving coat rack, the rest of the apartment was tidy. It had little touches - a blanket folded over the couch, mis-matched coasters on the coffee table - that made it look pleasantly lived in. Lily's Biology textbook, the same one shoved in his bag back at his house, was on the table, open to their current chapter.

"No, I'm good. Thank you, though," he said, still looking around. "I really like your place."

"Thanks. We had to clean it up a bit at first, but now it's home." Mary turned back toward him. Even though he hadn't asked for anything, she pushed a glass of water into his hand. "The owner is the lady next door. We found it at the last minute, so she gave us a deal. It's so much better than -"

Her attention and the rest of her sentence were stolen by a door opening down the narrow hallway.

"Mary," came Lily's voice, "which should I -"

Lily stopped when she came into the room. Her hair was down again, but she had a headband tucked behind her fringe. The skirt of the black dress she was wearing flared out and was covered in what looked like small flowers. She held up two cardigans but dropped her hands to her sides when she noticed him.

"Hi, James," she said, offering him a somewhat tentative smile. "I'm almost ready to go."

"You should wear the black one," Mary answered. "It looks good against your hair."

"I agree," James chimed. He swallowed. She was so pretty, he was reverting back to his inarticulate stage around her. "Black is a good color on you."

Lily dropped the other cardigan over the back of one of the table's chairs and pulled on the black one. "Thanks," she said, though he wasn't sure to who it was directed. She already had her shoes on and stepped forward to take the offered jacket from Mary.

"Ready to go?" This time, she was looking at him.

"Ready," he confirmed.

"Text me if you need anything," Mary said, leaning back on her hands against the kitchen counter.

"We're going to be fine," Lily assured her. "Have fun with Benjy."

James waited until they were out of the door, pausing slightly when Mary did a throat slashing gesture to him, before he spoke again.

"So, her and Benjy are officially a thing now?"

"Close to it at least," Lily answered. "He's come around the apartment a few times, and she goes over to his place. They're always texting too. If she doesn't make it officially official tonight, I might have to call him myself."

James smiled. "I wonder if I'll see her at our family Christmas dinner. We normally invite Benjy's family too. If they're a thing by then, I bet he'll invite her."

James wondered if he would also be seeing Lily at his family's Christmas dinner, but he didn't say that part aloud. He didn't want to scare her off right away with talk of meeting each other's parents or spending holidays together.

Instead, he led her to his car, opening the door and bowing in the slightly ridiculous way he had done at the party that earned him a laugh. It landed again this time.

"Where are we going?" Lily said once they were both in the car. "Mary asked, but I told her it was a surprise."

"You know the little cafe downtown?" he asked, pulling away from her apartment. "The Three Broomsticks?"

"Yes! It's so cute. We've walked by it a few times but haven't had the chance to go inside." Lily smoothed her skirt over her knees. "Sounds perfect."

"I've never eaten there either, but I made a reservation and got a table by the water outside. Other people I've talked to have said it's amazing."

"I haven't eaten at a place that takes reservations since my sister got a table at this tacky brunch place."

James blinked. That sounded a bit familiar, but he dismissed the thought. "Yeah?"

Out of the corner of his eye, James could see her make a face. "The Three Broomsticks looks much better than that place, and the weather's great tonight."

"There's also," he added with great emphasis, "an ice cream shoppe next door that we can walk to for dessert, if you want."

"I always want dessert."

He made a mental note to thank Remus for the tip as he watched her face light up at the suggestion. His confidence was steadily increasing. Maybe he wouldn't totally screw this up after all.

He could do this.

He could take Lily Evans out on a date, and not totally flounder it.

Right?

He'd have to figure it out, because ten minutes later, he was parking in front of the restaurant, looking over at Lily.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready."

She got out of the car and nearly had her hand on his door handle, but he pushed the door open right before she could. "Okay, you win," Lily said. She grinned at him, her eyes holding a laugh she didn't vocalize.

It was almost like her nerves were disappearing along with his. He noticed the way she briefly brushed her hair out of the way, rather than playing with the ends. She laughed and smiled when he spoke, not just because she didn't know what else to say.

They could do this.

Before they got to the hostess stand, Lily surprised him again. She slipped her hand into his, the fit of it being as perfect as it was the night of the party.

"Reservation for Potter," he told the hostess, who led them to their table immediately.

He was going to have to add Peter to his list of people to thank for suggesting the cafe, he realized, for the setting was perfect. Garden tables and chairs were scattered on the patio, twinkle lights glowed softly around the railings in the dark with the sound of water running from next to them to top it all off.

He was about to swoon.

"Thank you," he told the hostess once they were seated.

"Wow." Lily put her hands on her lap. "You picked a good place. I'm glad I dressed up a little."

James was aware, not for the first time, of how much he liked having her hand in his. Seeing her look around and take in the impressive display, he decided, was pretty good too. She didn't hide her reactions, letting everything cross her face before meeting his eyes again.

"My friends actually helped me a bit," he admitted. "To be honest, I was a nervous wreck trying to decide."

"Want to know something? I made Mary watch me try on about five different dresses before I made up my mind," she said. Lily moved her chair in closer. "And you saw how I still hadn't decided when you came."

James laughed. "I'm sure you looked great in all five outfits. Sirius actually picked out this shirt," he said, smoothing it out. "I wonder if our friends think we're ridiculous."

"Probably," she answered without hesitation. "He picked well. It brings out your eyes. Remus also told me not to be nervous, but when has that ever made someone less nervous?"

"He told me the same thing," he admitted, smiling at her with his chin in his hand. "I'm not so nervous anymore though."

It was true, he thought to himself. He wasn't feeling any first date jitters. Everything felt easy and natural, as if sitting next to Lily and talking about their friends was the simplest thing in the world.

Even if he was internally melting down over her compliment about his shirt bringing out his eyes.

"Honestly? Me neither." With another soft smile, Lily looked down at her menu. "Did anyone give you recommendations on what to order?"

"That they did not," he said, realizing he hadn't even opened his own menu. "What are you thinking of getting? I've had so much McDonald's lately, I'm not even sure what to order when it comes to real food."

"College totally messes up what I consider real food," Lily said. She flipped through the menu with one hand. "My mom made meatloaf when I was home one weekend, and I almost cried over how good it was. I almost cried over meatloaf."

"That's totally understandable though. I mean, have you eaten what's in our school's caf?"

"Not often," she replied. "I tried to get off the meal plan as soon as I could."

"Clever girl."

James skimmed the menu and thought he himself might cry out of pure joy when he saw that they had steak. It had been such a long time since he had a good steak and mash that he didn't need to look further, placing his order eagerly when the waitress came by to fill their water glasses.

"And for the lovely lady?" the waitress asked, looking at Lily with a small smile.

"The grilled chicken sandwich," she decided, "with fries." Lily handed over her menu and looked across the table to James. "I'll even let you have some, if you're nice."

"I'm always nice, Evans," he told her, feeling rather brave.

"Fry privileges are a high bar." Lily put an elbow on the table to lean a little closer to him. "You already tried to steal some of mine at the library."

James laughed. "The cheek on you, Evans. Don't put up bars for me to easily knock them down now. I'm pretty good at it."

"You did know to bring sweet and sour sauce without being asked…" Lily looked like she was considering this for a moment. "I guess you can have a few of my fries. As long as I can have a taste of your ice cream."

"Deal," he said, casting her a wink. He was certain the blush that spread across her features in that moment was going to ruin him.

His mouth suddenly felt dry, and he swallowed a drink of water, careful to drink it slowly so he didn't choke. The last thing he needed to do was to break his smooth cover with a choking fit all because he couldn't drink a simple glass of water like a normal person.

There was still a distinct chill in the air, but James felt hot and wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that he was close enough to notice the freckles scattered across her face. They were so lightly dusted, he realized for the first time how close they were for him to be able to see them.

"I like your freckles," he said aloud because he felt like it was something that needed to be said. "They're really cute."

"Thank you," Lily answered, bringing her fingers up to hover over them. "Did I already tell you about your eyes? Because I do, I mean, like them."

Despite the way the sight of those freckles made him tongue-tied, he wondered if he would get the chance to touch her cheek. His hand twitched at the thought.

"Are you kidding me? Have you seen your eyes? My eyes are just brown. A simple, plain brown. I've never seen eyes of your color before."

"They are not." Lily moved her chair toward the table, deliberately meeting his eyes. "There's brown, sure, but there's also green and some gold and this almost honey color. They don't look the same twice." She swallowed, as if noticing how much closer she moved to him. "I don't think they're plain at all."

James wasn't sure what to say about her earnest display of affection for his eyes. No one had ever complimented him on his eyes before. Mostly, they were hidden behind his glasses, so he was surprised she could see such a kaleidoscope of colors in them.

He ought to say something, ought to compliment her back, but anything else felt like it paled in comparison to how she had described him.

Luckily, his lack of words was covered up for quickly by the waitress returning with their food. He made a mental note to tip her well for that sole fact in itself.

"Enjoy," she told them before walking away.

"Is it good?" James asked as Lily happily placed a fry in her mouth.

"Mhm," she confirmed, nodding and putting her hand over her mouth while she chewed. "You can usually judge a whole menu by their fries." Lily picked up another, but she held it out to offer to him. "See for yourself?"

"Hmm," he hummed, not moving to take a bite. Instead he looked her directly in the eye, smirking just slightly in a way his mother would tell him to wipe off his face. "Have I been good enough for fry privileges?"

He saw the moment when the corner of her mouth ticked upward.

"I don't know," Lily said, lowering her fry to dip in the ketchup on her plate. "Do you think so?"

"I stand by the statement that I'm always good." He snatched one off her plate before she could say anything, quickly putting it in his mouth. "If you can judge a place by their fries, then my steak is going to be amazing, because that fry was perfect."

"And if you can judge a date by their food snatching," she said, though her grin took away any chastisement in her tone, "my plate is never going to be safe."

"So you're saying I have a chance at a second date?"

He could have sworn that her eyes moved down to his lips, but they were back on his so quickly that he couldn't be sure.

"That depends," Lily said. "Were you going to ask for one?"

"Yes," he said boldly. "I'd like to have the chance to take you out again. Assuming you're okay with it."

Lily cast her eyes down. The twinkling lights caught her expression and the way her mouth was certainly turned up. If anyone else could see this snapshot, he was sure they would agree that things were going well. "I think I'd -"

"Is everything good here?" The waitress topped off their water glasses from a pitcher and dropped a few extra napkins on the table without having to be asked. "Anything I can get you?"

Lily's head snapped up like she came to a sudden realization.

In a moment, the photograph he wanted to capture was gone. She was still beautiful, still the same Lily who smiled over her plate at him, but something shifted.

"Where's your bathroom?" Lily asked.

The waitress gestured as Lily nodded and grabbed her small purse. Her eyes skipped over him as if she couldn't quite meet his gaze. "I'll, um, I'll be right back."

She stood and disappeared before he could see in which direction she took.

Then he was alone at their table, wondering if he had perhaps come off a bit too strong. Things had seemed as if they were going so well. When he asked her about the possibility of a second date, the timing hadn't seemed off at the moment.

Now that he was sitting alone, he was beginning to wonder if he misjudged things entirely. She practically ran to the bathroom instead of answering him.

Had he overstepped?

His thoughts were shaken again, this time quite literally, by the buzzing of his phone in his pocket. When he pulled it out, he frowned, thrust into another subject he had been overthinking lately.

Val sent him a text.

He spent a good portion of yesterday evening feeling wretched that he was suddenly jealous that Val had a date that wasn't with him.

Part of him blamed Padfoot for making him face his feelings. Part of him blamed himself for being too stupid to see them.

He didn't want to think about her on his date with Lily, so he tried his best to shove her out of his mind for the day. It was hard, but he had managed up until her name was flashing on his screen.

He couldn't leave her hanging. He wasn't shitty enough of a person not to be a good friend.

Val: sos I'm kind of freaking out

Me: What's up?

Val: you're probably on your date with class girl and I'm so sorry if you are

Val: but I think I really like him, Prongs

Val: what do I do?

James blinked down at his phone. Val was on her date too. Somewhere, probably close by, she was on a date with another guy.

And she liked the guy.

He tried to swallow his selfish feelings, tasting acid as he did so.

Me: You're on your date right now?

Me: Does he know you're texting someone?

Val: yes I'm on my date, no he doesn't know I'm texting

Val: if someone asks you on a date and you want to go, you should say yes, right?

Val: even if there is someone else you might like?

Wildly, he couldn't help but think, Is it me? Am I the other person you might like? He wanted to ask, but couldn't bring himself to do so.

He couldn't make things even more confusing for her.

Me: Has he already asked you out again?

Me: If you want to go you should

Me: Unless the other guy has expressed interest and you want to see how that goes

Val: he asked me and I wanted to say yes

Val: the other guy probably doesn't even think about me like that. He likes another girl.

Me: Say yes then

Me: There's no harm in a second date

Me: The other guy sounds kind of dumb anyway if he likes someone else

Me: you think so?

Me: Definitely

Pot meet kettle, James thought, snorting. Oh, he was a wretched person. He had just asked Lily out on a second date himself.

Who was he to be jealous of Val getting asked out on her own… second date?

He froze.

It couldn't be.

He quickly sent another text, watching her chat bubble disappear as she read it.

Me: How does he not know that you're texting right now?

Me: Did you go hide somewhere?

Val: I freaked out and might be spiraling in the bathroom

Val: such a catch, right?

Val was hiding in a bathroom.

Lily had escaped to the bathroom.

Me: Where did he take you to eat?

Val: what does it matter?

Val: he's sitting out there, probably wondering wtf is going on

Val: I have to figure out what I'm going to say to him

Me: Just humor me for a moment

Me: I need to know the guy's taste so I can help you better decide if a second date is worth it

Val: we're at a cute little place downtown

Val: everything was going really well until I panicked

Me: A cute little place downtown tells me nothing

Me: There are lots of cute little places downtown

Val: ?

Val: are you really trying to win our contest right now?

Val: my chicken sandwich has nothing to do with whether I should go out with him again

James looked down at his phone and then at the half-eaten chicken sandwich Lily left behind.

It couldn't be.

Could it?

Me: I'm trying to help you

Me: I mean if he took you a place like the Hogs Head then I'd say don't even attempt a second date

Me: He didn't take you there did he?

Me: if he took me to a dive bar, we wouldn't be having this conversation

Me: it's a little cafe by the water, okay?

Me: how are you hiding your texting from your date?

A little cafe by the water.

In that moment, the sound of water next to him was becoming deafening. It quickly changed from a trickling stream to a crashing wave inside his head.

Because Val was Lily.

Lily was Val.

He had been flirting with Val, who was Lily, and also flirting with Lily, who was Val. He had been feeling completely awful about being torn between two girls when in reality…

Lily was Val, and Val was Lily.

Lily and Val were the same person.

But did that also mean that…?

Me: Okay rude this isn't about me

Me: But I need to ask you something and I need you to be completely honest here

Me: Am I the other guy you like?

Seconds moved by slowly while the text sat unanswered. James looked up, but Lily wasn't coming back to their table yet.

She had to send him something.

Val: I'm such an idiot

Val: I should go

Val: have fun with class girl

It was him.

She liked him.

Both sides of him.

And she didn't even know it.

Me: Wait!

Me: Please don't go yet

Me: I know this isn't the best way to ask you but

Me: You really like the guy you're on a date with?

Val: yes

Val: I really like him

It took everything within him not to jump on the table out of pure joy.

Because she liked him.

She didn't run off because she didn't want to go on another date with him. She liked him, and she was confused because she liked Prongs too.

But she didn't know he was Prongs.

He could tell her. He probably should tell her.

But there was a part of him - that awful prankster side of him - that wanted to let this play out a bit farther. A part of him that didn't want to share that information yet.

Me: I think you should go on a second date with him

Val: you think so?

Me: I do

Val: okay then

Val: thanks

Val: have a good night

Me: You too Val

He knew she was likely a bit hurt and confused at being outright asked if she liked Prongs, but he had to know. He had to make certain that the other guy who had been his competition, the other guy who he had been jealous of, was himself. He couldn't go through with what he was planning in his head if it was someone else.

He hoped she wasn't too upset when she returned to the table.

When he looked up the next moment, she was already walking back towards him.

Instead of stopping by her chair, she continued until she was standing beside him. Lily had a blazing look in her eyes, which made it impossible to look away from her.

"Yes," she said, putting a hand on his cheek. James was already looking up at her, so it fell into place easily. "I want to go on a second date with you."

Then, she bent and her lips touched his, soft and warm and wonderful. The kiss was short and sweet, but he felt it all the way to his toes.

"Can you get us a box?" Lily asked, pulling away slightly. "I want to get ice cream."

"Of course," he told her, grinning. "I'll get you as many scoops as you'd like."

Tomorrow, he would text as Prongs to apologize for the way he asked her about her feelings tonight. Tomorrow he would also ask her for forgiveness when he broke the rules of their bet.

But tonight he would be James and she would be Lily.

They had a date to finish.