Chapter 7.

"You didn't talk for an entire month?" Beth asked, flabbergasted at the idea.

Sirius shrugged. "We wanted to prove that we could."

She laughed, picking up another piece of her hair and twirling it around the iron. "What did your teachers say?"

"They honestly didn't question it that much." Bringing up a leg to rest his arm across, he continued, "I think they were all too happy to say anything."

"How did you manage to stay quiet all that time?"

Sirius mockingly placed a hand on his chest. "You wound me, Beth. You don't have an ounce of faith in me at all, do you?"

Beth let the piece of hair go, sectioning out another strand. "Considering I woke up this morning to you singing 'Mr. Blue Sky' at the top of your lungs, no."

Sirius let out a chuckle, nodding his head slightly. "You're right, you're right. However, if you must know, it was actually Peter who had the hardest time staying quiet."

"Oh, yeah?"

"He was rubbish at it," Sirius replied. Cocking his head to the side, he pondered aloud, "Though, to be honest, we weren't entirely fair to him when we decided to do it."

"How so?" Beth asked, letting another strand go.

Sirius chuckled again, gazing off slightly to recollect the memory. "He'd just told us all that he was interested in this girl and had all of these plans in place for how he was going to woo her. Two days later, we all stopped talking."

Beth laughed out loud, turning her head to face Sirius. "That's horrible!" she cried.

"Yeah, we really should have taken that into consideration before we decided to do it. He hasn't expressed interest in anyone since."

An hour earlier, Beth had walked into the bathroom to find Sirius staring at the mirror, fluffing his hair every which way ("I can't have your hair looking better than mine, Beth"). She'd felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of him, though more out of embarrassment and anticipation than attraction.

The conversation they'd had last night had been the second thing she thought of when she woke up (the first had been trying to pick out what song he was screaming). The tea, the tense stares, the way her breath had caught, the last thing she said to him, everything came rushing back with a vengeance. How she was supposed to act around him now, she had no idea. With a loud groan, she'd rolled onto her stomach, clutching the pillow to her face, desperately trying to figure out a plan to avoid him.

She'd been pleasantly surprised, then, when he was nowhere to be found once she finally found the nerve to get out of bed. James was also gone, leaving a note to tell her they were running errands. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she'd spent the next couple of hours doing everything she could to forget everything that had happened, trying to keep her focus on Caitlin's upcoming wedding. The event was still four hours away, she needed to do her makeup and hair and Sirius' eyes were staring at her intently, her breath was catching, his mouth so close and—

NO.

Caitlin's wedding, she reminded herself. It was a three minute walk to the subway (four if her heels were factored in), four stops down, then she'd walk five minutes to the beautiful church with Caitlin's grey and purple colors decorating everything, and Sirius' eyes were grey, but when the sun caught them just right, there were flecks of blue in them and—

NO BETH, STOP.

And that had essentially been her entire morning.

She'd nearly screamed in exasperation when James came home, Sirius in tow behind him. Beth's eyes had immediately caught his, and he gave her a knowing smile that both infuriated and pleased her. She thought desperately back to the plan she'd created: take a deep breath, ignore him, engage in polite conversation if he starts it, and leave before anything else can be said. Already, she could see that he wouldn't allow that process to work. She knew with that one grin that he'd planned something too, and while she was sure his included being as close to her as possible, she wasn't sure how her response to it would be.

Which, come to think of it, explained why he was still sitting on the bathroom floor, entertaining her with stories of him and his group of friends. He'd allowed her full access to the mirror to ensure that she could get ready in time, but moved to a position where she could still see him through it. As he told the stories, Beth was forced to watch his face light up with remembrance, eagerly telling her one after the other. She liked the way he talked, she decided, and was entranced by the tales he told, uncaring of whether they were true or not. She'd always believed good storytelling was a gift, and as she listened to him weave together the right amount of dialogue with the right amount of action—once even standing on the toilet lid to demonstrate him standing on a desk—she realized that she was, indeed, attracted to this man.

She'd inwardly groaned at the realization. This is going to create so much unnecessary drama in my life, she thought, doing everything she could to remind herself of her internship. Focus on your job, focus on your job.

Sirius' story of Peter attempting to win the girl back after their month of silence was suddenly halted by James' voice calling for her throughout the house.

"I'm in the bathroom with Sirius," she yelled back, curling another strand around the iron.

"Sirius is with you?" the muffled voice asked, slowly getting closer to where she was.

"Don't worry about it, Prongs," Sirius answered before she could respond. "I've only given her four hickeys, though I won't tell you where."

Beth rolled her eyes and tried to glare at Sirius, failing the minute he gave her a wink. James appeared in the doorway only seconds later, humor, though accompanied by slight concern, dancing in his eyes. "Yeah, right, like Beth would let herself anywhere near you."

Beth let the strand go and turned to face Sirius, crossing her arms around her and taking an exaggerated sigh. "I told you he wouldn't believe you if he couldn't see them. You'll have to put them in a more noticeable spot next time."

"Wait," James began, but Sirius interrupted him.

"You didn't like where I put them this time?" Sirius teased.

"Oh, that's right, I did," Beth said, pretending to contemplate a solution. "Maybe you'll just have to do more."

"Alright, alright, enough of this," James declared, eliciting a laugh from Sirius and herself. He raised his eyebrows quickly at her, a silent thank you for playing along passing between the two. "I promised your mum that you would return in one piece. Please don't make me break that promise."

"No promises," Sirius immediately retorted, and Beth was soon fighting back a laugh at the glare James gave to him.

"Anyway," James began after kicking Sirius in the leg for the suggestive look he threw to Beth. "When are you leaving for the wedding?"

The wedding, Beth remembered, and turned to finish curling her hair. "I have to leave by six," she said, picking up another section.

"You have to leave?" James asked, crossing his arms. "Your date isn't picking you up?"

"Oh, I meant to tell you about that," she said, switching her pose so she could see him through the mirror. "I'm not going with him anymore."

"You're not?" James asked.

"Why not?" she heard Sirius question behind her, not missing the slight tinge of happiness to his voice.

"He called while you two were gone," she explained, dropping the curl and picking up yet another one. "You know how he just broke up with his girlfriend?" At their nods, she continued, "She apparently called him and asked him to come wait at the hospital with her while her mom goes into surgery. He couldn't tell her no."

"He's definitely going to use this to try to get back together with her," James declared.

Beth laughed. "That's what I thought, too. I told him to go ahead, though. I'm not going to be mad at someone for being a good person."

"So you're not going with anyone now?" James asked as she picked up her final strand, twirling it around the iron.

"No, but that's fine with me," she promised. "I didn't plan on staying all that long anyway."

James took in her words, unmoving for a couple of moments. Finally, he said, "You know what? I'll take you."

Beth dropped the curl and immediately faced her friend, gratitude overwhelming anything and everything she felt at that moment. "James," she sighed happily, wrapping her arms around him. "You don't have to."

"I'd love to, are you kidding me?" he said, returning her hug. "I feel like I haven't seen you at all since you started your internship."

She pulled back, happily staring at her friend. "If you don't want to—"

"Nope," James cut her off, moving to head down the hallway. "I'll go get dressed, you finish up, and we'll be on our way."

"Wait, Prongs," Sirius suddenly yelled, standing up and moving closer to the doorway. Beth didn't hesitate to notice how close they were, and the image of him grabbing her arm last night made her heart jump again at the proximity. He didn't turn to face her, though, so she kept her eyes focused on the mirror, willing her heart to quit beating so quickly.

"You have that cake testing thing tonight," he said when James came back into view.

James squinted his eyes for a moment, pondering what Sirius had said. "Is that tonight?"

"Yes, remember when we saw Lily two hours ago and she said, 'Hey, James, don't forget we have our cake testing thing tonight'?" Beth laughed, daring to glance over at him, surprised that he was already looking at her.

"Bugger," James whispered under his breath, and Beth brought her attention back to him. "I forgot about cake testing." He checked his watch, gasping at the time. "And I have to leave in five minutes."

"James, I told you, I'll be fine." Beth gave him a reassuring smile, patting his arm softly. "You go have fun trying different cakes."

"I can ask Lily if we can move it," he offered, but Beth immediately shook her head.

"You can't just tell a bride to cancel something," she said laughing. "Chances are, she's probably had this planned for a while. I'll be fine, I promise."

"I still feel bad," he mumbled. Beth was about to go back into her speech about her being fine, but before she could begin, James suddenly said, "Oh, I know, why don't you go with Sirius?"

Beth quickly looked up at the person standing next to her, unsure of what she should say. On the one hand, she knew she would enjoy herself, certain that it would be an absolutely unforgettable night with him as her guest. On the other hand, she didn't know how they would respond to time alone together. While neither of them had mentioned the events that had transpired early this morning, she was sure that it would be mentioned tonight, and she would be lying to herself if she said she wanted to talk about it.

"I don't know," Beth said, shooting Sirius an apologetic glance. Taking in a breath at his slightly disappointed face, she asked, "Would you want to?"

"I don't have a problem with it," he shrugged, glancing towards James. "I don't have anything to wear to a wedding here, though."

"You can wear my suit," James offered.

Sirius nodded for a moment before looking at James confused. "Will it fit?"

"We can make it fit," James cryptically said with a roll of his eyes, and while Sirius responded with an "oh, right," Beth gave them a confused look. Deciding not to dwell on it, she turned her focus towards Sirius.

"You won't know anyone there."

"I'll know you," he said, giving her a small smile. "Maybe I can apply those extra hickeys you mentioned."

Beth shoved him to the side, laughing, but James pointed at his friend. "You hurt her, I kill you."

"Oh, shove off, Prongs," Sirius replied. "You'd be stuck with Remus as your best man if you did that, and we both know that wouldn't work."

James let his words sink in before nodding his head once. Beth wanted to ask why it wouldn't, but she let the two alone. "Fine," James finally said, still pointing at him. "But I will punch you."

"Kinky," Sirius retorted, brushing past Beth to exit the bathroom.

She steeled herself as the two left for James' room to find a suit that would fit. She had to think quick about what she would do tonight. This can't be romantic, she decided, hoping she'd be able to stick with it once the night came. I'm going to follow his lead on how to act around each other, and if he tries anything, I'll go into a diatribe about my internship. Work was always a good reason to not pursue something, right? "I can't do this, I'm married to my work." Wasn't that line used in nearly every movie she'd seen? She nodded her head decidedly. This was her plan. She was going to stick with this plan. This would be the plan to end all plans.

James came into the bathroom briefly, pressing a swift kiss to her cheek. "You'll have fun," he assured her, rushing for the door the second the contact was gone. "I'll be gone all tonight, but I'll be back tomorrow," he called.

"Alright," Beth called back, picking up her tube of mascara.

"Love you," James yelled as he opened the front door.

"Love you too," Beth replied, giggling and rolling her eyes when Sirius yelled it as well. There was the sound of a door thudding, and suddenly the house was quiet, only Sirius and herself remaining.

"So, Beth," a voice called down the hallway. "We're alone."

"Yeah?" she replied, moving closer to the mirror as she began the tedious task of applying the mascara.

"Want me to ravish you on every surface in the house?"

Beth stopped what she was doing and closed her eyes, exasperation filling her mind. Stick with the plan, she reminded herself, opening her eyes again. "I'd rather you didn't."

"I understand," he said, and Beth noticed the voice was getting closer to the bathroom. "You want to see how our date goes first."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Beth turned her head towards the doorway, a smug grin resting on his face. She raised her eyebrows, staring him straight on. "This isn't a date."

"Yes it is," Sirius said, crossing his arms across his chest, the grin remaining in tact.

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No," Beth said, putting more emphasis on the word. "It's not."

"Two people who are most certainly attracted to each other going to a wedding together?" Sirius nodded. "It's a date."

Beth bit her cheek, trying to keep herself from smiling, but it didn't work. "You wouldn't even be going to this if James wasn't busy," she retorted, copying his movements and crossing her arms. "Would it have been a date if he came?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head for emphasis. "But James is engaged. It's a completely different situation."

"Oh, is it?" Beth asked as mockingly as she could.

"Yes, because when you and I go, it will be considered a date."

"No, it won't," Beth laughed, hoping her argument sounded stronger than it actually was.

Sirius laughed with her, continuing, "The second we come in, everyone is going to ask, 'Oh, who's your date?' The best thing we can do is play along with it."

"Or," Beth countered, "We can say, 'Oh, this is my friend, Sirius.'"

He shook his head and turned to walk back to James' room. "I like my idea better. It's a date."

Beth laughed to herself, moving to stand in front of the mirror. She looked at her reflection, trying hard to remember what she needed to put on next, but Sirius was singing in the background "I've got a daaa-ate, I've got a daaa-ate." She groaned quietly and put her head in her hands, desperately thinking, Stick to the plan, stick to the plan. She thought hard about her internship, about the opportunity she had, about how she could not spend an excessive amount of time with one boy while she was visiting another. She repeated it over and over, trying to soak it in to her mind, her soul, her body, everything.

Then, with a huff, she slammed her palms on the sink and walked towards James' room.

"Sirius," she called, pounding on the door loudly.

He opened the door a couple of seconds later, and Beth knew he was taking in her startled look at seeing him shirtless. Knowing he did it on purpose, Beth willed herself to look up, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing her flustered.

"You called?" he asked, leaning onto the doorframe with one arm.

Beth's eyes flicked briefly to his flexed bicep before returning her gaze to his face, knowing she needed to stay strong. "This isn't a date," she began.

"Yes, it is."

"No," she said, pointing up to him. "No, it's not. But, I'll make a deal with you."

Sirius gave her that look, his eyes squinting and the shade turning darker, and Beth bit her lip. Hard. "Do tell," he said, trying to maintain an air of indifference, but she could tell the intrigue was settling in.

"This isn't a date," she began, continuing quickly before he could argue with her again. "But, if you're able to convince me by the end of tonight that it is," and here, she took a step closer to the person standing so tall and confidently before her, "then I'll let you take me on a real one."

She'd thrown the ball into his court, and for a brief moment, Beth thought that she had vastly miscalculated the situation she was in. As her suggestion began to sink in, his eyes grew wide, then sank into confusion, then went entirely blank as he stared at her. The look she was so fond of was gone, the eyes returned to their normal shade, and she felt herself begin to sink away, already chastising herself for being too bold. She kept his gaze, though, desperate for some sort of sign that she hadn't been wrong, that there was an understanding, an attraction, between the two.

Finally, Sirius smiled, and it was more bold and brilliant and charming than any one she had ever seen. The only thing that could make it better would be—

"You've got yourself a deal, Beth."

A/N: Don't you just love when life gets in the way? Sorry it has taken me so long to update, but believe me when I say I have this entire story completely planned out. Out of the 21 page synopsis I have, this chapter reaches about midway through page 2. I have so, so, so much planned, so if an update is late, don't think it's because I've run out of ideas. I'm just getting busy!

To all of you lovely readers, your interest in this story makes my heart overwhelmingly happy. I wish that same feeling on each and every one of you (particularly you, nimblescrivener. Thanks for the unnecessarily large amount of effort you are putting into this story).

I also want to take a moment to say this: life is hard. Life is chaotic and disruptive and sometimes more than we can bear. If you ever need some anonymous person to throw your worries onto, I'm always more than to listen. Keep staying strong, my friends.

Up next, Beth and Sirius attend the wedding together. Think he'll convince her that it's a date?