Chapter Two:
Friends or Something More?
The next day Lily finally felt well enough to return to her common room, and classes. Being such a perfectionist, she spent the next two days catching up on all of her missed assignments. Anise had to plead her at night to turn off the lights so she could sleep. In the end, Lily decided to charm a light into all of her textbooks, and schoolwork. At least it made Anise happy. When the poor girl was all caught up, she chatted with Anise again. One evening in their dormitory, Anise asked about James. She had heard from her brother Remus, that James had kissed Lily.
"Lil, aren't you done with that potions essay? I finished mine hours ago. I mean, yeah I won't get as good of a grade as you, but honestly, who cares?" Anise was impatiently waiting to get all the juicy details about Lily and James' relationship.
Lily sighed. "I'm almost done. There." Then she rolled up her parchment carefully. "Okay so obviously there's something you want me to tell you." Lily was a mind reader, and knew that Anise always got so excitable when she'd heard gossip that she wanted to share, or wanted to find out if it was true.
"Yeah. Lil, how are you and James?" she asked trying to look innocent, but she could tell that Lil knew that she was prying.
"What do you mean James and I? It's not like we're a couple, or have ever done anything to even be mistaken for one." Lily lied.
"Oh," Anise's face fell, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Lily's face fall into her hands.
"Oh, I know I have to tell you what's really happened. I, I don't understand it myself," Lily shook her head, as if trying to forget James' face when he'd kissed her. She couldn't deny that the look in his eyes had been pure desire for her. James wanted her, he loved her, but did she return those feelings?
"What is it Lil?" Anise asked, pretending she didn't already know. What she couldn't comprehend was why Lily could be so upset about James showing interest in her. Anise, who had always had a little crush on the boy, couldn't understand why others didn't feel the same way about him.
"Well, you know that I fell off Peter's broom, right?" Lily asked.
"Yes."
"Well, James caught me and then I passed out. I woke up and he, he said I was cold and then he sent Madame Georgianne to get something for me. Then he suddenly held me close. I could barely breathe when I saw how he was looking at me. I knew what he was going to do next, and I tried to relax. Well, James, he, he kissed me." She admitted. Glad to have shared her burden with a friend, Lily lifted her face and gazed imploringly into Anise's, as if asking her what to do about it.
"Wait, what did you do, did you kiss him back?" Anise tried not to feel disappointed. James had kissed Lily, why couldn't it have been her? She tried to convince herself that the reason was, she was his best friend's sister, but she knew that wasn't why James had picked Lily over her. Hadn't she always known that someday they would fall in love? James had always protected, and defended Lily, and they had always been the best of friends, since they were first year students.
"No," Lily shook her head. "How could I? I didn't want to believe what was happening to me."
"Lil, he's kissed you before, was that the first time he ever did it so passionately?" Anise asked.
"Yes," Lily sighed. "I, knew when he deepened the kiss that I had to stop everything right there. I couldn't just slap him in the face for kissing me, or kiss him back."
"Why?" Anise looked shocked. Her love affairs were always so much simpler than this. if a man upset her, and then kissed her, he had a red mark on his cheek to show for it. Why was Lily so confused?
"Because I don't know how I feel about James," Lily sighed. "I wish I could just know and tell him. I know I'll say the wrong thing, and he won't even want to be my friend anymore. I don't want to drive him away."
"Poor Lily, it's okay. Come here," Anise held her friend close as she cried, and wished she could tell her what to do, but she was just as bewildered as Lily herself. "Just don't hurt him, okay Lil. Don't promise him anything, but don't hurt him."
.
.
The next day Lily finally felt well enough to return to her common room, and classes. Being such a perfectionist, she spent the next two days catching up on all of her missed assignments. Anise had to plead her at night to turn off the lights so she could sleep. In the end, Lily decided to charm a light into all of her textbooks, and schoolwork. At least it made Anise happy. When the poor girl was all caught up, she chatted with Anise again. One evening in their dormitory, Anise asked about James. She had heard from her brother Remus, that James had kissed Lily.
"Lil, aren't you done with that potions essay? I finished mine hours ago. I mean, yeah I won't get as good of a grade as you, but honestly, who cares?" Anise was impatiently waiting to get all the juicy details about Lily and James' relationship.
Lily sighed. "I'm almost done. There." Then she rolled up her parchment carefully. "Okay so obviously there's something you want me to tell you." Lily was a mind reader, and knew that Anise always got so excitable when she'd heard gossip that she wanted to share, or wanted to find out if it was true.
"Yeah. Lil, how are you and James?" she asked trying to look innocent, but she could tell that Lil knew that she was prying.
"What do you mean James and I? It's not like we're a couple, or have ever done anything to even be mistaken for one." Lily lied.
"Oh," Anise's face fell, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Lily's face fall into her hands.
"Oh, I know I have to tell you what's really happened. I, I don't understand it myself," Lily shook her head, as if trying to forget James' face when he'd kissed her. She couldn't deny that the look in his eyes had been pure desire for her. James wanted her, he loved her, but did she return those feelings?
"What is it Lil?" Anise asked, pretending she didn't already know. What she couldn't comprehend was why Lily could be so upset about James showing interest in her. Anise, who had always had a little crush on the boy, couldn't understand why others didn't feel the same way about him.
"Well, you know that I fell off Peter's broom, right?" Lily asked.
"Yes."
"Well, James caught me and then I passed out. I woke up and he, he said I was cold and then he sent Madame Georgianne to get something for me. Then he suddenly held me close. I could barely breathe when I saw how he was looking at me. I knew what he was going to do next, and I tried to relax. Well, James, he, he kissed me." She admitted. Glad to have shared her burden with a friend, Lily lifted her face and gazed imploringly into Anise's, as if asking her what to do about it.
"Wait, what did you do, did you kiss him back?" Anise tried not to feel disappointed. James had kissed Lily, why couldn't it have been her? She tried to convince herself that the reason was, she was his best friend's sister, but she knew that wasn't why James had picked Lily over her. Hadn't she always known that someday they would fall in love? James had always protected, and defended Lily, and they had always been the best of friends, since they were first year students.
"No," Lily shook her head. "How could I? I didn't want to believe what was happening to me."
"Lil, he's kissed you before, was that the first time he ever did it so passionately?" Anise asked.
"Yes," Lily sighed. "I, knew when he deepened the kiss that I had to stop everything right there. I couldn't just slap him in the face for kissing me, or kiss him back."
"Why?" Anise looked shocked. Her love affairs were always so much simpler than this. if a man upset her, and then kissed her, he had a red mark on his cheek to show for it. Why was Lily so confused?
"Because I don't know how I feel about James," Lily sighed. "I wish I could just know and tell him. I know I'll say the wrong thing, and he won't even want to be my friend anymore. I don't want to drive him away."
"Poor Lily, it's okay. Come here," Anise held her friend close as she cried, and wished she could tell her what to do, but she was just as bewildered as Lily herself. "Just don't hurt him, okay Lil. Don't promise him anything, but don't hurt him."
.
.