The Wingman

Chapter Eight: Proceeding to Get Over Lily

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"He said that dating Claire would help him get over me faster," Lily told Marielle over a light lunch of salads and breadsticks. "Which, of course, does wonders for my self-esteem. It's like he's saying that, not only should he not have those kinds of feelings for me, but that he can't wait to get rid of them."

Marielle bit her lip. "You're acting awfully contradictory," she commented.

Lily's head jerked up from her salad. "What have I done now?"

"Well, you wanted him to get over you, didn't you?"

Lily averted Marielle's imploring eyes, stabbing at her salad violently instead. "I--I never said that."

"You said that you had absolutely no romantic feelings for him."

"And I don't," Lily contended stiffly.

"So why do you care so much about this?"

Lily recoiled. "Just because I don't want him to act like I mean nothing to him--"

"He's not acting like you mean nothing to him. James merely wants to give you what you want--a completely platonic relationship."

Lily was startled. "How--how do you know about that?" she asked cautiously.

Marielle grinned. "James tells Sirius everything, and Sirius tells me everything. Do you think there's anything about you and James that I don't know?"

Lily chewed carefully on her salad as she studied Marielle carefully. "Do you really think I'm acting…stupid?"

"I think you're acting like a jealous hag," Marielle responded flatly. "And I think that if you confront James on this issue that he should hit you with a sledgehammer. If he doesn't, I will."

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"I am having Claire over for breakfast next Sunday," James announced at one of their Sunday outings three weeks after he had met Claire at Petunia's wedding. He and Lily were being joined by Sirius, Marielle, Peter, and Remus for dinner. "And I'd like everyone to come. You know, give your approval."

"What if some people don't approve?" Lily asked innocently.

Every single head around the table snapped up. James set down his fork and knife. "Well," he responded, "I'd say that they're entitled to their own opinions."

He ate a little of his dinner while Lily inwardly sighed in relief but tried to keep her expression neutral. But then he continued, "But I'd also say that they shouldn't hold grudges because of what Claire did to them in their sleep when they were fifteen."

Lily's head jerked to face James, who had a twinkle in his eyes and a smug grin on his face. "I don't know what you're talking about," Lily muttered.

"You don't? Oh, allow me to remind you…Claire stole your diary and was reading it to your parents when you came down for breakfast…you cried for days and said that you were never coming out of your room again…"

"That's enough," Lily said loudly over the chortles that had arisen around the table. "Besides, why do you automatically think it'd be me who didn't approve?"

"Well," James replied, wiping his mouth with his napkin and setting it down on his empty plate, "I didn't approve of John, did I? And besides, you don't like Claire much to begin with, so I can't imagine you'd like her any more because I'm dating her."

"You didn't approve of John because you--" Lily cut herself off once she realized what she had almost said.

"Because I had deeply hidden romantic feelings for you?" James supplied for her, grinning. Lily had almost forgotten how candidly James was able to talk about that. "No, that wasn't the reason I didn't like him. I didn't like him because I thought he was a creep. And look--I was right. You said it yourself."

The rest of the table was silent, merely listening to this exchange.

"John was not a creep," Lily said hotly.

Sirius and Marielle both snorted at this, but James only smiled pleasantly at his friend.

"Lily, dear, he was cheating on you. With his wife. He was a creep, is a creep, will always stay a creep."

Lily sighed, slightly tired with this conversation that they kept having. It always ended the same: James pointing out Lily's imperfections and her shoving his in his face, and, if it got heated enough, her crying and him storming out. "Okay, James. We'll just leave it."

He only nodded, then abruptly decided to include the rest of the table in the conversation. "So, can you all come?"

Remus glanced up from his plate in feigned surprise. "Oh, the James and Lily show is over?"

"Yes," said James solemnly. "Can you come?"

The table gave affirmative replies, and James smiled satisfactorily.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I did not want to come," was the first thing Lily declared when James opened the door for her.

"Good morning, Lily," he said cheerfully.

"Shove it." She threw her handbag on James's couch without looking. She'd done it so many times, it was a reflex. "Remind me why I had to come again? I already know Claire. You already know I don't like you dating her. My being here is completely pointless." Lily inhaled and sat on the back of James's couch, arms crossed over her chest.

"It's not pointless."

"It is. And you better go shopping with me this afternoon to make up for it," Lily said.

James grinned. "Shopping is all it'll take to forgive me for subjecting you to this horror?"

"I'm a simple girl, James. You might have to buy me something pretty if it gets too out of hand, though," she added.

He smiled and opened his mouth to reply when there was a knock at the door.

"If it's Claire, I'll hide," Lily warned.

James shook his head and opened the door. Indeed, it was Claire, dressed in unusually reserved clothing.

"Hi, James!" she said happily, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him to her for a kiss. Lily rolled her eyes and leaned back in exasperation. Unfortunately, since there was nothing behind her to support her should she fall, she went toppling backward. Lily let out a surprised shriek, catching James and Claire's attention and breaking them apart, and found herself lying vertically on James's sofa.

James peeked down at her, grinning in quite an amused fashion. "Gravity always wins, Lily," he smirked.

Lily chose not to dignify that with a response. "Help me up," she grumbled instead.

James complied. "I was going to anyway," he told her as he pulled her upright.

Another knock on the door. It was Sirius and Marielle this time, and running up the steps behind them was Remus.

"Where's Peter?" James asked them.

"Oh," Remus replied, shaking Claire's hand, "I don't think he's coming."

James frowned. "Oh. Well, I guess we should…move on then. Everyone, this is Claire. Claire, this is Sirius, and his girlfriend Marielle, and that's Remus, and you already know Lily."

Lily forced a smile. "Yeah," she mumbled.

She couldn't help but think that this was all her fault.

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"So, Claire," Remus said politely over breakfast, "where did you and James meet?"

"Oh," Claire responded, setting down her fork, "at my cousin's wedding. Lily introduced us, sort of, and we just hit it off." She grinned. "Isn't that right, Lily?"

Lily bit down hard on her tongue to refrain from commenting, nodding slowly instead.

"Now, Claire," Sirius said, clearing his throat. "I just want to get something straight: you are a model, correct?"

Claire nodded, confused and a little scared as to where this was going.

"What are you doing with my friend James here?"

Everyone laughed, and Claire blushed. For some reason, Lily did too.

"Well," Claire said, straightening in her chair and putting a hand on James's shoulder, "James is a lot different than the guys I've dated before--"

Lily coughed loudly. Everyone chose to ignore her but Marielle, who raised her eyebrows warningly at her friend.

"--and he's attractive, and," she kissed him quickly here, "a great kisser."

"Yes, he is, isn't he?" Lily spoke up thoughtfully.

James choked on his orange juice and the rest of the table turned their attention to Lily.

Remus and Claire, who were the only ones who didn't know about James and Lily's one night stand were quite surprised to hear this. James and Marielle both looked murderous, and Sirius just looked thoroughly entertained.

Claire laughed nervously. "Lily, I thought you told me that you and James never dated."

Lily took her time answering. "And I was telling the truth," she said with a nod.

James, who finally managed to recover from his choking fit, snapped, "Lily, don't say anything you'll regret."

"No, James," Claire said, holding up a hand to him. "I would like to hear what Lily has to say."

"That's really not necessary," James replied.

Claire didn't take her eyes off of Lily. "It is," she said shortly. "Lily, continue."

Lily glanced over at James, who was looking down at his plate, looking furious and shaking his head. He was angry and upset with her, she didn't have to look at him to know that. Tears formed in her eyes, and she stood up before the tears started falling and walked out of the house.

She was followed closely by James, who slammed the door behind him. She turned, so that her back was to him, and he pulled on her shoulder roughly to make her face him.

"I'm sorry," Lily choked out tearfully. "I--I shouldn't've done that…"

James's brown eyes were clouded over, and Lily had never seen him so angry. Tears spilled down her face and she didn't bother to wipe them away.

Finally, after eons of silence, James spoke, and his voice quivered with fury. "I don't know what kind of strange jealousy thing you've got going here, but you need to stop it, Lily. You are acting immature and petty, and I don't like you when you're like this. Claire didn't want you to be here, but I convinced her to come, because I wanted her to see you like I do. But now, I think she was right, and I want you to leave."

Lily was rendered speechless. She wanted to say something…say anything, but James looked completely serious. She averted his eyes and nodded. She started to walk up to the house, but James cut her off there, too. "I'll have Marielle bring your things around later. Just go, Lily."

She stopped walking. "James, I--"

"I'm serious, Lily. If you don't leave, I might lash out at you. Do not make me."

Lily swallowed the lump in her throat and started to walk home without another look at him.

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