Alice walked around the Leaky Cauldron cleaning up after the many wizards who had lunch. Alice has worked in the Leaky Cauldron since she was 15 but she grew up behind the bar watching her mother Hannah Longbottom formally Abbott who took over the Leaky after she graduated from Hogwarts from her uncle. Alice now managed the pub and plans to take it over from her mother. Frankie was meant to be the new owner of the Leaky but decided he wanted to be an Auror instead and of course their parents were more than supportive since Alice always wanted to be the one who owned the Leaky.
Alice kept herself busy until her break that she takes with Rose every Wednesday to catch up since they are no longer living in a dorm room together. It's been three weeks since New Year's eve and six weeks since Rose asked Alice to be her Maid of Honour, obviously Alice said yes. Today Alice and Rose were taking a half day off of work to talk and begin to plan the wedding but first, they were going shopping in Diagon Alley.
Then walked in Lorcan Scamander, Alice's close friend. Alice and Lorcan have been close since they were kids since his mother and her father were good friends. Lorcan had been in Hufflepuff in Hogwarts but remained best friends with Alice. He was spotted straight away by Alice and had a huge grin when he walked over to the bar and gave Alice a pleading look. The look he gives when he wants a favour.
"Hey, Ali. Such a beautiful da_" He greeted.
"What favour are you going to ask for today Lorcan?" Alice interrupted giving him a pointed look.
He smiled knowingly "You know me too well Ali. I need to book a room for tonight." He nervously asked.
"Why? Your apartment is a two-minute walk from here." She raised her eyebrow, confused.
"I'm meeting someone and Lysander doesn't need to be aware of this, and since we share an apartment I can't exactly bring this person to my place."
"What poor guy have you seduced now." She laughed.
Lorcan looked down to his feet and gulped. "I can't tell you." Alice opened her mouth ask him why, but Lorcan got there first. "Look, I know we tell each other everything but I can't tell you about this since you really wouldn't be okay with this."
"If I'm not okay with this and your hiding it from Lysander then maybe you shouldn't be doing it." She stated firmly.
"You're one to talk. Your screwing Potter." He pointed out rather harshly. Alice glared at Lorcan. "And yet I still told you because I knew you wouldn't judge me." She argued.
"You told me because you can't tell Rose since she will point out that it's a terrible decision and you don't want to be told what you already know." He commented. When he noticed her frown he reassured her. "I don't judge you but even I can see that this thing with Potter isn't going to end well. I didn't say anything at first since I thought it would have been over by now. You're going to get hurt, Ali. It's Potter we're talking about here! He doesn't care about girls feelings. That's Albus, not James."
"Says the guy who has a different guy in his bed every week." She fumed. "I don't want feelings to be involved I had that once and it turned out shit! I just want to not care about it."
Lorcan's expression softened. "I get it, you were hurt and right now you don't want a relationship but we both know you're not the kind of girl who will be capable of keeping her feelings out of it." He observed.
"You're a good person Ali." He stated. "And what you have with Potter will start problems. Frankie will kill him and Rose will be angry with you for not telling her about this. Not to mention how he will react to this." He emphasized.
"I don't want to talk about him." Alice insisted. "Why are we talking about this when you were about to tell me the name of the guy you're meeting."
"I wasn't." he sighed. "At least not yet. I'm still trying to figure out some things first. I didn't mean to start on you, I worry is all." He apologized.
"It's fine. Do you just need a room for one night." She acquired. "Yeah, but I'll need two keys." He replied.
Alice booked his room and Accio two keys for him. "I'm not working tonight by the way so you won't have to worry about me finding out about this guy." She gently told him. "But when you have everything sorted out you're telling me about this guy."
He smiled. Alice couldn't help but think what if Lorcan was right and she started having feelings for James and he would probably just laugh in her face and leave. The truth is she started hoping she would wake up and he would be there but instead like always he leaves before she wakes so they don't feel like a couple. They had both agreed for it to be like that it was actually her idea for him to never stay the night but one day a few weeks ago she noticed that he would be there when she fell asleep but never there when she woke up. She knew that ending it soon is a good choice but she couldn't help but never build up the courage to tell him. Her mind was filled with nervous questions and thoughts while she spent the day pretending to listen to Rose complain about wedding planning.
***LINEBREAK***
"Jamie!" Fred shouted from behind the counter of WWW shop, helping a few kids pay for products while their parents were distracted.
James gave Fred an acknowledging nod and stayed beside the door waiting for Fred to finish up his shift. For the past few days, James mind was swarming with confusing thoughts about his life. Sure, he had it great right now being an Auror he loved it, he was also partners with his best mate Frank. But every time he looked, talked or thought about Frank his mind immediately went to Alice. At first, James had been hesitant when he started this thing with her, of course, he had she's Franks little sister, but he couldn't help but become addicted to her. Her touches, her laugh, her lips just her was something he didn't want to give up. And when he thought like this he would become panicked, he had never done relationships or feelings in general. But recently he started to be most accustom to just being with her, not that he had actually hung out with her without sex being involved, however they have had comfortable conversations while catching their breaths after sex usually he or she would get up and leave with a quick goodbye, but lately he has had this urge to just close his eyes and stay with her.
James felt a hand on his shoulder and looked behind him to see Freddie. "Ready?" he asked.
James nodded and they made their way to the Leaky Cauldron. For some reason, James felt slightly nervous and excited at the mere thought of Alice being there. Unfortunately, it seemed that she was nowhere around when they sat and ordered lunch. After a conversation about quidditch, they spotted Lorcan Scamander at the bar.
"Hey, Lorcan!" Freddie got his attention and he made his way over.
"Hey, guys. What's going on?". Freddie and James had a normal conversation with Lorcan about work, family and just life, then Freddie excused himself to go back to the shop.
James couldn't help but scan the room for Alice. "She's not here. She went off with Rose." Lorcan stated with an unfriendly look on his face.
James felt nervous and hesitantly asked, "What are you talking about."
"Alice."
One name and Lorcan and James suddenly understood that this conversation was not going to end well since both of them were openly glaring at the other.
"You don't know what you don't know Scamander." James snarled.
Lorcan huffed. "I know you're going to hurt her. Not intentionally, no you're a good guy but you just don't understand her."
"I understand her."
"If you understood her then you would know that this friends-with-benefits relationship ye have going on is going to end with her having feelings for you, and you walk out. She doesn't need that."
James was now boiling with anger through his body. "I'm not going to hurt her. I care about her."
"You care about her because she's your mate's sister," Lorcan exclaimed leaning in so their conversation is only between them speaking a bit softer but still firm. "Look, James, we're friends and we have gotten to know each other because of Lily and Lysander, but I know Alice better than you do. Right now she might be okay with just sleeping with you, hell I even encouraged it when she told me she was hooking up with some guy but eventually, she is going to want more, it's the kind of girl she is."
James stood up abruptly "I've got to go."
"James!" Lorcan stood up as well and he turned around to face him and saw a concerned etched upon his face. "Just think about what I've said, think about her and her feelings, think about Frank we both know what he's like when it comes to her." James nodded to him and walked out. He needed to get away, he needed to fly and clear his mind. He wasn't angry Lorcan or at himself, he was angry at the fact that what was said was the truth. He knew what Alice was like he knew she was the type of girl who already had ideas about their wedding even if they were currently single. He didn't want to hurt her but he also couldn't let her go. He felt entirely selfish and knew that this would all blow up in their faces, and yet he kept going back to her.
He flew around the field near the Burrow for a few hours and then he found himself walking into his apartment and realised something was off. He took his wand out and scanned all the rooms in auror mode until he reached his bedroom and slowly and vigilantly opened the door and was completely surprised and gobbed smacked when he saw Alice lying on his bed wearing nothing but and set of black lacy underwear.
When he finally remembered how to talk, he found his voice. "Ali what are you doing here I could of jinx you?"
She wore her mischievous smirk and bit down seductively on her lip, her eyes trailing all her James's body. "Rose wore me out today with wedding talk. But I'm not completely worn out. I thought you could help with that."
James had no will to stop himself smacking his lips on hers and hovering himself over her and she giggled and kissed him urgently. They stayed together on the bed for hours pressed together moaning and kissing and tracing they hands all over each other. And then when she left his apartment he felt an emptiness, he wanted her back in his bed with him just with him. Terrified of these thoughts recently plaguing his mind he started to tell himself that he's James Potter he doesn't do relationships of feeling he sleeps with girls and either leaves them or they leave him. That's all she was just a bit of fun and a girl to share his bed with for a few hours or his couch or table and sometimes the floor. He felt a smile on his face, not a smirk but a genuine smile of thinking about her, fiercely shaking his head hoping to get rid of these thoughts. Fortunately, he was distracted when he heard a knock on his door, he got dressed and scrambled to the door only to open it to find the brother of the girl had had just shagged a few minutes ago. Frank Longbottom.
James stood aside and allowed Frank in, nervously putting his hand through his hair. "Hey, Frank man. What are ya doing here?" James inquired.
Frank beelined for the kitchen and start looking through the cupboards for food. "Came to hang out. Why is that such a bad thing?" he replied nonchalantly without even looking up.
"Eh right yeah," James mumbled.
"While either you just don't like me anymore or you don't want me here because this place smells of sex," Frank claimed smirking as he chewed on a sandwich. "And I think we both know which one is more likely."
At first, James was terrified that Frank would find out about Alice but then he realised that If he had any sort of idea what was going on then he definitely wouldn't be his usual teasing self, so James decided to play along and adopted his cocky persona. "Well, you know me, Frankie, I'm too irresistible for the ladies." James boasted winking at his best mate.
"Yeah yeah yeah, so what's her name or do you even remember."
James gulped "What's the point of knowing the names when you have no intention of seeing them again." Desperate to change the subject so he would not accidentally give anything away James started stirring the conversation to anywhere else. "So how's Dom? She got you on that tight leash yet?" James teased.
"She's good. She's coming over for dinner with mum, dad, and Alice tomorrow."
"Dinner with the whole family aren't ye two getting serious." James laughed. "How long have ye been together now seven months?"
Frank's face looked to be calculating. "Nearly nine. Well, it's the longest relationship I've been in so far" He smiled.
James felt a pit in his stomach looking at Frank's grinning face but immediately told himself not to go there that he doesn't actually have proper feelings for Alice. She's just a shag. Their conversation went away from relationships and straight to quidditch, something James was extremely relieved about. He knew he would have to do something about what he has been going on with Alice recently, he has never been confused and scared about shagging a girl, especially if that's all she wants. His mind was racing and the different thoughts in his head were trying to be louder than the others. One was telling him to get over himself that it means nothing, one was telling him he is going to hurt his mate, one was telling him to just forget about it. But the one voice he didn't want to listen to the one he intently ignored was the one telling him to not be scared and go for it, go for her.