Chapter 8.

Beth sat down next to Sirius, taking a quick moment to glance around. Caitlin had outdone herself in the decorations, and Beth found herself in awe of how spectacular the church looked. A large canopy of pink roses stood waiting at the front of the altar, delicate tea candles surrounding the area around it. The same type of roses were gathered in bouquets at the sides of the pews, gold sashes joining each of them together. It was understatedly elegant, and Beth couldn't help smiling at the evidence of Caitlin's dedication to this event.

"It looks amazing in here," Beth commented, still looking around at the space.

"Not as amazing as you," Sirius flirted, casually putting an arm around the back of the pew.

Beth turned and stared at him, her look displaying disgust rather than flattery. "You're going to have to do better than that."

"I just started," Sirius defended. Rubbing her shoulder with the hand around her, he said, "You're going to have to give me a fair shot."

Beth laughed. "You're going to have to come up with lines better than that if you want me to give you a fair shot."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," he stated, his confidence oozing.

Beth raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Oh no," he confirmed, leaning in slightly. Beth felt his arm move closer around her, trying to subtly bring her closer to him, but she stayed strong. "In fact," he continued, "I'm certain that by the end of the night, you'll be so enraptured by me that you'll end up kissing me."

Beth rolled her eyes and moved the hand around her shoulders back to his side. "In your dreams, Romeo."

He'd been making comments like that ever since they left the flat. From a distance, Beth assumed he looked like a perfect gentleman, holding his arm out for her and opening every door they came to. Up close, however, Beth was being showered with over-the-top compliments and cheesy pick-up lines. She had to admit, it was better than the usual suggestive comments he usually threw her way, but she felt her feelings from him gain more of a distance with every attempt he made. He was trying too hard, and while she admired the evidence of his hard work in trying to woo her over, she didn't particularly love the feeling of being put on a pedestal.

She'd dangerously wavered off of her original plan to simply ignore him tonight, though she knew (or at least hoped) that it would be for a good reason. She'd give him tonight, she had decided as she was finishing getting ready, and after tonight, she'd tell him it wouldn't work out. She'd do as she'd planned earlier and blame her work schedule, the summer, and the fact that she was here to see James. He'd understand, she hoped, and the attraction between them would die out.

Putting aside her determined thoughts, she noticed a couple of the women around her casting secretive glances towards Sirius. He was surprisingly oblivious, his focus instead on the person gracefully playing the piano. Deciding to test where his emotions resided, she nudged his arm.

"Did you notice all the girls staring at you?" she asked, her voice low.

Sirius brought his attention back to her, leaning his ear closer to her mouth. "What?"

Beth brought her head back slightly. She didn't need it looking any more intimate than it was. "There's a bunch of girls staring at you," she repeated.

Sirius looked around, watching as several heads turned quickly back to face the front. He smirked, then looked back at Beth. "Want to give them something to look at?"

"No," she stated firmly, but she found herself unable to repress the smile that escaped too. "I just thought you'd want to know since this isn't a date."

"It's a date," he said, nodding slightly.

"I haven't agreed to it," Beth reminded him.

He turned slightly towards her, putting his arm back around her. "Why are you so quick to deny me, Beth?"

The question struck her with more intensity than she knew he intended. "I'm not denying you," she defended.

"You're afraid, then," he said, the statement coming more as a declaration than a question.

Beth stared into his eyes, trying to pick out the emotion she saw encapsulated in them. "I'm cautious," she corrected. "I don't want to get into anything lightly. You've got to remember, I'm only here for the summer." Glancing back towards the girls staring at him, she finished, "Those girls seem to be looking for only something light, though. Even if they're not, the odds of them having to leave the continent in the next couple of weeks are next to none. It's just an option."

Beth watched as his gaze followed hers, finding his smile grow at the girls that began to giggle and look away. His interest in the situation was obvious, and she held back a grin as he sat up straighter. She'd wondered what would happen if he had a new target, and it seemed that her suspicions were correct. His attention was suddenly more focused on giving the girls something to fawn over, and she knew his ego was receiving a boost because of it. She expected to feel herself become saddened by the prospect, losing the guy she'd found a crush developing on to a couple of giggling girls. Disappointment wasn't the emotion that followed, however. Instead, a sense of relief swept over her, and thoughts of the attention she'd now be able to spend on the original intention of her summer suddenly became more vivid and enticing.

The same thing happened during the ceremony itself. Caitlin had followed her bridesmaids down the aisle, looking like a vision in her all lace gown, her soon-to-be husband bursting into tears at the sight of her. Sirius, however, was focused on the bridesmaid standing directly in front of them, and Beth soon found her attention being diverted from the beautiful bride to the very person whom Sirius was making eyes at.

Leaning over to touch his arm, she whispered, "Could you be any more discreet?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his eyes never coming off of the girl.

"The bridesmaid with the black bob and freckles," she pointed out. "You're not exactly being subtle."

He took a glance at her, raising his eyebrows. "Jealous, are we?"

Beth giggled softly, rolling her eyes again. "No, uncomfortable. Every time you stop looking at her, she gives me a death glare. I think she thinks we're together."

"Well we are, aren't we?" he whispered back, looking back at the bridesmaid.

Beth returned her focus to Caitlin, who was beaming wildly as she exchanged rings with the man next to her. "We came together, yes, but this isn't a date," she reminded, prodding her foot with his.

Sirius' only response was a chuckle.

This continued throughout the rest of the ceremony and all through the first part of the reception. Since Beth was supposed to be with Caitlin's cousin, they had been put at a table with Caitlin's other cousins, all of whom were female. Sirius ate every second of it up, and while she did give him props for trying to include her in as much of the conversation as possible, it soon became entirely focused around him. The girls were just as enchanted by his storytelling as she had been, and she watched as each one of them melted around him.

"How did you manage to get an entire table to fall in love with you in an hour?" she asked as they stood in line for the buffet.

"So I got you to fall in love with me?" Sirius questioned, throwing her a wink.

Beth simply laughed. "I've heard all these stories before," she pointed out. "It's going to take a little more than that to win me over."

Sirius seemed to take her statement under consideration for a moment. "It must be my hair that's doing it, then."

As soon as Caitlin and Tom had finished their first dance to their band's rendition of Etta James' "At Last" and the cake had been cut, the dance floor was opened. Sirius had held out his hand to Beth the moment the music started, urging her out. "Come dance with me," he said.

She shook her head. "I think I'm going to stay here," she replied.

"Come on, Beth," he urged, trying to pull her out of her seat.

She gently swatted his hand away and smiled at him, trying to ease him away. "Go find one of your new friends to dance with," she replied, craning her neck to find a good option. "Where's the bridesmaid you were making eyes at?"

Sirius turned towards the center of the room, looking for her as well. "I don't see her," he said. "Looks like I'm going to have to dance with you."

Sirius quickly grabbed her other hand, pulling her onto her feet. "I'm a great dancer," he prodded, slowly guiding her towards the floor.

She yanked her hands away before he could get her out any further. "I'm not," she began, but was cut off when the bridesmaid with the black bob arrived.

"I am," she said, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder and leaning into his side.

Sirius was immediately stricken by the bridesmaid's presence, engulfing her in one glance. She was even prettier up close than she had been standing away, Beth noticed, and she found herself glad that she had managed to dissuade any attraction to him away. She would not have been able to compete with the person before her.

Sirius cast a look at Beth, his look obviously asking if she was alright with this. She smiled at him kindly. "It's not a date," she repeated, nodding towards the dance floor. "Go have fun."

Sirius gave her a quick "thank you" and whisked the girl off towards the center of the floor. A large number of couples had already made their way out, and with a quick scope of the room, Beth realized that more were on their way. In just a few short minutes, she had lost all visual she had on Sirius, save for the occasional flash of his hair, and, with a breath, she sat back down at her table.

Beth eased her feet out of her shoes, reaching down to rub them. She was sitting alone at her table, but she did not mind. The group that had been sitting with her had talked only of family drama when they weren't too busy flirting with Sirius, and the chance to simply take in the atmosphere of the room without interruption was inviting. Beth looked around, finally taking a moment to notice the centerpieces, the lighting, and the decorations, mentally taking note of the different aspects she liked. "This wedding cannot be better than ours," Lily had told her. "I will never hear the end of it if you end up liking Caitlin's wedding more than the one you actually came to see. Promise me you'll take note of everything so I can make sure that doesn't happen."

Beth had laughed at Lily's unnecessary jealously, assuring her that she would not allow it to happen. However, as she looked around the space now, she realized that Caitlin might be able to give Lily a run for her money. The pink roses were everywhere, making the room smell wonderful. Unable to resist, Beth picked one out of the centerpiece, sniffing the delicate flower eagerly.

"Doesn't it smell absolutely divine?"

Beth turned to see the bride herself standing next to her, a huge smile plastered on her face. She immediately got up and hugged her friend, congratulating her and stepping back to admire her dress. "You look incredible," she stated, taking in as much detail as she could.

"My feet feel anything but," she joked, taking the seat beside her. "But I wouldn't have it any other way." A huge smile followed her declaration, and Beth couldn't help but smile with her.

"By the way," Beth began, reaching for her friend's hand. "Thank you so much for letting me still come to this even after your cousin bailed."

"Oh, please," Caitlin said. "You were going to come to this wedding no matter what it took. I would have picked you up myself if I had to." Caitlin took a look around, searching for someone. "Did you end up bringing someone along?"

Beth nodded. "He's actually dancing with one of your bridesmaids."

Caitlin stood up, glancing around the floor for Sirius. "Is he with Natalie, the bridesmaid with the black hair?"

"I think so," Beth responded.

Caitlin sat back down with a wide smile. "He's rather handsome," she noted, a twinkle sparkling in her eye.

Beth laughed. "You're a married woman," she admonished, but making no move to discredit her comment.

"Hey, I'm allowed to window shop," she said, stealing another glance at Sirius. "Apparently he is, too. Why aren't you dancing with him? You're together, aren't you?"

Beth shook her head. "Not really."

Caitlin rested her chin on her hand, her elbow coming to lean on the table. "What do you mean, 'not really'?"

With a small sigh, Beth began to explain the details of her and Sirius' relationship, starting from the beginning and ending at last night. "He said he was going to try to convince me tonight that all of this was a date, but I do believe he's found himself distracted from that."

"And you're upset about that?"

Beth gave her friend a look. "No, I'm not upset."

Caitlin raised her eyebrows, the disbelief extremely evident in her look. "You've practically just told me you found yourself attracted to this man," she pointed out. "Now you're saying you're not upset that he's not with you?"

"Well, that's the thing," Beth said, turning more towards her friend. "I thought I would be upset. I really did. But look at him," she said, glancing back towards the floor. "He's so happy. He's having a blast, which is remarkable considering he knows no one here. The only reason he came was because James couldn't. Why should I be upset with him for enjoying himself? If he's able to divert any attention he had towards me towards someone else, then it wouldn't have been anything to pursue anyway."

"Well who says it has to be something lasting?" Caitlin asked. "Why not just have a little summer fling? I mean, it's the perfect scenario for an American. The seductive British accent, the dashing good looks—"

"But it's James' friend," Beth pointed out.

"So?"

"So," Beth laughed, "I can't have a fling with my best friend's best friend. Isn't that like a weird kind of incest?"

It was Caitlin's turn to laugh. "I think you're thinking about this too much. If I know James—which, granted, I don't really anymore—but if he's anything like the James we grew up with, he's going to be ecstatic for the both of you simply because you're happy. He might be a little weirded out at first, but he'll get over it, and it'll leave you with an excellent story to tell once you get home."

Beth turned towards the person they were talking about, smiling to herself when she saw the large group of girls surrounding him. He was eating it up, she could tell from the large smile adorning his face. She shook her head. "No, I think he's having too much fun. If he was interested in something like that, then he'd be over here trying to convince me that tonight was a date." Caitlin gave her a sad look, understanding crossing her face. Beth immediately took her friend's hand again. "Look, I did not come to England to try to find a fling or a boyfriend or a husband. I came to see my friend get married, and now I've got to witness you get married too. I'm as content as I possibly can be right now, so don't feel sorry for me," she assured her.

"Alright," Caitlin said, standing up from the seat. "I've got to go talk to some other guests, but before I leave, I do have one question. If he came over right now, left all of the girls standing out there—even Natalie—and asked you to dance again, what would you say?"

Beth thought about this for a brief moment, taking in her question completely. On the one hand, she hoped he wouldn't, mainly because she'd already decided that she was going to spend the rest of the summer focused on the obligations she already had in place. On the other hand, if he were to drop everything, leave everyone, and insist on her accompanying him out there, she wasn't sure if she would be powerless to stop herself from agreeing. She let a grin escape, biting her lip nervously as she thought of the possibility.

"Yeah," Caitlin said, smirking before she left. "That's what I thought."

As Caitlin walked away, Beth put her head into her hands and groaned. Just when she was certain she felt one way, another idea would come into her mind. The back and forth of these emotions in just two weeks was exhausting to keep up with, even if they were her own. It's just a crush, she chastised herself for what felt like the hundredth time. These are things that middle schoolers deal with.

But then why had he become so kind in the past couple of days? Why had he taken her on the motorcycle ride? Why had he asked James and Lily to create a dinner for her first day at her internship? Why had he listened to her cry over her day at work? Why had he sat so close to her at dinner? These thoughts flooded through her mind as more and more memories began to play over in her head. It truly didn't make sense for someone who had enjoyed arguing with her so much to suddenly become more polite, more engaging, more enticing, unless there was something provoking the change. If they had spent the summer arguing, Beth was sure that she still would have considered him a friend and missed him when she left. But this? If she were to leave him right at this very second, her feelings would be forget, harder to erase, and she would have no problem blaming him for her constant questions of What if?

Beth vaguely heard the bandleader announce that they were going to play a slower song, but her thoughts were too entangled to care. There was no point in pining over someone who was clearly more interested in the group of girls around him. She shook her feelings aside again, telling herself that it was the right thing to do. She would give him a couple more songs with his posse before letting him know she was going back, with or without him, and would spend the rest of the night concocting a plan to forget these feelings.

"Oh, thank goodness, there you are."

Beth immediately turned to the voice behind her, laughing to herself over her bad luck. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Sirius took her hand and pulled her up, not allowing her a moment to consider it. "It's your turn," he declared.

Beth felt everything she'd just decided crumble as she scrambled to process what he thought. "What do you mean, my turn?" she asked, hoping it sounded more lighthearted than the panic she felt.

Sirius pulled her out fully onto the dance floor, wrapping his free hand around her waist and holding their joined hands out. "You've had your fun watching me, and I've given you plenty of time to rest. Now," he said, looking deeply into her eyes, "it's your turn."

Beth couldn't have held back her smile if she tried.

They danced slowly, a beautiful voice crooning out Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable". Beth could hardly hear the words over the sound of her heart pounding, though, and she wondered if Sirius could hear it too.

"Are you having fun?" she asked, trying to calm it down.

Sirius nodded slightly. "A blast," he assured. "Thank you for letting me come with you."

Beth smiled. "Well, James couldn't and I haven't met Remus yet."

"Oh, Remus wouldn't come."

"You don't think so?"

"I know so," he said, giving her an incredulous look. "I did live with him for seven years. I think I might know him better than you."

Beth laughed, taking her eyes away from his briefly and scanning the room. Caitlin was watching, a mischievous smile on her face and an undeniable sense of victory radiating from her. Not wanting to explain to Sirius why she was suddenly smiling so widely, her focus shifted towards a familiar group of girls. "Which one did you like best?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"The girls," she repeated, leaning closer to Sirius' ear (only a small fraction of it was to make them jealous). "Which one did you like the most?"

Sirius eased his head back from her so that he could face her directly. "This is a trick question," he stated.

Beth ignored the way his hand was stroking hers, willing away the memories of dinner at the Potter's. "How is it a trick question?" she asked.

"I'm here on a date," he said, nearly whispering.

Beth laughed again. "I'm definitely not convinced that this is a date."

"You're not?" he asked, concern filling his voice.

"Of course not," she said. "I was almost convinced you'd forgotten about me earlier."

Any hope she had of maintaining her feelings of indifference towards him then shattered, for he used the hand around her waist to press him closer to his chest, holding her tightly to him. There was hardly any distance between their faces now, and if Beth thought that the look he had given her before was hard to pull away from, she was certain she couldn't do it now if she'd wanted to. She felt her heart rate skip a beat at their proximity, unsure how to respond or act to this situation.

"Well then," he whispered, pressing the side of his face to hers. "We'll have to change that."

A/N: Ooooo, all kinds of predictable tension in this chapter. What predictable thing do you think will happen next?

I've got a question for you all that will ultimately be up to nimblescrivener (best. beta. ever.) to decide, but I'll override her if I get a different answer from all of you! I've written a very short chapter 12 that can either stand alone or be put at the end of chapter 11. Would you like one super long chapter 11, or potentially wait a little longer for me to get another one written and receive chapter 12 and 13 at the same time? Let me know!

Up next, Sirius and Beth discuss whether the events above were a date. What do you think will happen during the discussion?