A/N: OOOK. Hey, um, at the moment some of may want to kill me for updated sooo late. but then again some of u may want to kill be after you've read the story...err i'd perfer neither.All i can say in my defence is school for the first one. I have exams in 2 weeks so after that I'll get down to typing the 7th chapter and my xmas one shot.. Oh and as the reviews come I'll reply to them via the new thingy...Woo, i like how they did that :D!

Anywho...hope u read, review and enjoy!

Sasha

OH P.S. ...U can blame anna if i have grammar mistakes and stuff she proofed it!


Simply Friends

Chapter 6: Aftermath

James swore silently.

Lily was asleep, curled into him while he looked down at her face. She had fallen to sleep almost immediately and he couldn't be sure what she had been thinking after deed had been done.

However, he was thinking … thinking of almost a million things at once. Though first and foremost in his mind came the fact that he'd taken her virginity. How could he have let such a simple provocation launch him into making love to her?

James didn't move away however. He could easy slip out from over her and flee home to his own house and wallow in the guilt of his own making an hour ago but even amongst the angst in his mind his body still reacted to the sight and feel of her.

He wanted her again. His mind was screaming "NO" while his body ached to be inside her again.

Not that he could again; she'd be sore since it was her first time; but yeah he wanted to even if he couldn't. Desire curled in his stomach, oh yeah he wanted too. He fought the urge to roll her over and plunge into her, waking her up to his movements inside her.

Merlin he wanted to—to see her come again in his arms—never had he wanted something—someone this much.

But he wouldn't, he knew and thought that as he gritted his teeth. Getting out now was the most important thing to take care off, which reminded him once more of needing to go home. James bent his head and looked at her again as he contemplated his choices.

He couldn't leave without telling her he was leaving because they were friends at least and he couldn't treat her in such a manner but then again she would know that he had a change of heart and that way there wouldn't be any awkward apologies.

Blowing out a frustrated breath James leaned back on the pillow, staring up at the darkened ceiling.

"Nothing can ever come of this." He thought closing his eyes to the confusion that billowed inside him.

"How can I say that to her?" he wondered.

"You could have left you know, I wouldn't have held it against you." Came Lily's quiet voice so suddenly that he jumped. When had she woken up? James didn't know but apparently she read his mood perfectly. She knew without even him having to tell her that he regretted tonight.

Damn it all to hell.

Removing herself from near his body she held up the sheet to rest above her breasts before reaching out to switch on the lamp. Feeling suddenly bereft he sat up and leaned against the pillows. After the light came on he looked at her expecting some kind of rebuke for having second thoughts after the fact but she didn't say anything.

In fact she didn't even look at him and somehow that annoyed him more than it should have. Wasn't a big deal to women when they have sex?

He shook his head to adjust his thought. It should be a big deal to her because she had been a virgin.

"What?" Uh had she just said what he thought she said?

"You heard what I said. Staying with me only prolonged the fact that you were going to leave. I see no difference if you leave now or had left when I fell asleep."

James couldn't even stutter out a response. She was acting as though nothing important had occurred tonight. Her posture was straight and she looked ahead as if nonchalantly gazing at a view.

He gritted his teeth at her next words proving he had heard right the first time.

"I'd have understood that you were feeling too guilty to stay with me, you know. It wouldn't have been a crime to have a one night stand."

He just stared at her. No way was she giving him a clean way out.

"Lily I—"

"Tonight was fun, I enjoyed it but I think its best that since things aren't going to be okay with you we put an end to things right now." She said, and with those words gathered up the sheet around her and walked to the door on the right and entered the bathroom, leaving him stark-naked on the bed.

Seconds later the shower came on.

He had been dismissed.

Like some servant.

The thought irked him and made him mad as hell.

Impulsively, he yelled through the door, "Nothing can ever come of us being together, you hear?"

There he said his piece, never mind that she probably couldn't hear him anyway and that he didn't even know if he meant those words.

He heard nothing other than the water running from the other side of the door and curbed the urge to grind his teeth. How could she act as though nothing happened? He-he took her virginity for Merlin's sake; shouldn't she be yelling at him?

Damn it he wanted her to yell at him—needed her to yell at him because someone sure as hell should. What had he been thinking, making love to her? She wasn't doing anything to acknowledge that something happened.

And darn it something did happen.

He needed her to tell him something happened and that he took something he couldn't give her back and curse at him, hex him…something—anything.

He gathered his clothes, frustrated, but what he didn't need was for her lock herself away making her silence say nothing had happened leaving him to wallow in the guilt of his own making.

Weren't women supposed to be the sex to analyse things to death? James couldn't help thinking as he watched Lily argue with Sirius about some thing or another.

It had been three days and she hadn't said a word to him. Nothing, not even a peep and he wanted her to be angry but he would have thought he deserved at least some acknowledgement when they all met up at Regents Park to watch the Quidditch match of Bristol's Warriors against the Oxford Bullets. However, she didn't even say a "hello" to him, before, during and after the match.

Now here in his flat he was beginning to wonder whether or not they'll have a normal conversation again. Apparently not, since he was the only one not partaking in the conversations. And as he let his gaze wander around to touch on Remus and Peter in one part of the room to Erin and her boyfriend, Matthew in another, it automatically found Sirius and Lily at the end of its journey.

Remus was the only one to ask him if Lily was mad at him about something. He'd had to lie through his teeth and say, he didn't notice anything strange.

"Prongs tell this woman that it is totally impossible for Hayant to win against Luton in the Semi-finals next month." Sirius said almost at his wits end.

Why his best mate had a strong belief in a team like that he didn't know but he grinned and dutifully replied, "Woman, it is totally impossible for Hayant to win against Luton in the Semi-finals next month."

Sirius gave him a pained expression while Lily just looked at him from beneath those long lashes and said nothing…to him that is.

Lily knew talking to James Potter would break any semblance of propriety she had had since the day started and all of them got together. So she didn't, no one seemed to notice that they weren't speaking to each other, although to her it seemed so obvious. She strategically tried to stay away from his area whenever he was around.

"Sirius can't you see it's a lost cause for you to win this argument?" she said pasting a grin on her face looking at him scowl.

Yup, she started conversations with other people knowing that they'd warm up to their subjects so she wouldn't be forced to talk to James.

And as she watched Sirius gear up for another argument she tamped down on the disappointment that he hadn't tried to talk to her, to explain what happened and what went wrong after they'd made love.

"No and damn it, I am right about this. You all are just—" Sirius started to rant when Peter's voice cut in from the kitchen.

"Mate, you're out of crisps."

"There is supposed to be some in the back of the bread box." He replied still watching Lily for some reaction to his presence.

"Nothing's there," he called back then added, "You're out of butterbeer and cold-cuts too."

"What?" James asked finally getting up, "I restocked on everything just yesterday."

After checking over his entire kitchen he returned to the living room to glare at his three mates.

"All right which one of you has been raiding my kitchen?" he asked but stared pointedly at Sirius.

"What?" Sirius said defensively, "I was hungry. You couldn't expect me to starve could you?"

"No I expected you to not eat enough food for ten people." He said, and then sighed. He might as well go and get some more things.

"Okay guys, hold tight for a few minutes while I run down to the deli across the street and get us dinner." It was the closest thing and the owner's are good enough to magic food from three different countries. He would get three Indian, four Greek and four more Chinese. That should be able to keep them occupied until they get home to eat their own food. The trek through the park shouldn't take too long.

"Lily makes sure he gets extra ketchup on everything of mine," Sirius said jumping onto the sofa resting his head against the head rest closing his eyes.

Lily started in surprise, no one else seem to be surprised by Sirius's comment. Did everyone think that she would automatically go with him?

Gritting her teeth she wanted badly to refute their way of thinking. She hadn't minded before so what was the problem now they'd wonder and Lily wasn't in any mood to fill them in on her change of mind, never mind heart.

The only person to seem to register her surprise was Erin who just winked and turned back to Matt. Ha, Erin probably thought that this would more than likely push her into realizing her feelings. Slowly and awkwardly, Lily turned to look at James who was looking at her with an undeterminable expression.

If Erin only knew what had really happened that night at the Gala. She only had a brief run down on the night's events and if her best friend tried to question her any further Lily would try and find something that needs doing.

Hopefully it wasn't an obvious act to get away from talking about James in general and as he put on a forced smile

Ah crap, one again they were both lumped as the ones to get the food. She so didn't want to go. During the short walk she might kill him from sheer frustration. How could she not?

What they shared had been beautiful, didn't he feel that?

Sure she'd heard that sex could be a messy business, with its awkward touches but somehow, it hadn't been like that for them. Magical sounded too cliché for her own thoughts but there wasn't another word to describe what she had felt.

Then, pulling together her determination and more so her pride, she smiled blandly at him and got her bag to leave. She hadn't spoken to him all day and that was sure to have irked him, however if it did he didn't show it.

As she followed him outside, Lily ruefully thought that she had been really careful hoping that Erin didn't see her avoidance of James; then again it wasn't hard to miss unless you're looking for something suspicious.

Chancing a glance at him Lily saw that he was ignoring her, pretending as though she wasn't just a foot from him, well la-de-dada, two can play the game of ignorance and indifference.

And starting of with an indifference to him she would just imagine that she was on a walk all on her own and let her mind wander.

James felt his temper spike. The woman beside him was really trying his patience. It had only been a couple of minutes since they left his city flat and here she was trying to drive him insane with her inane humming.

The wench was humming.

Humming! He thought again annoyed beyond words.

What the hell?

Here he was wondering if his ancestors had the same trouble with women as he did and she was humming.

James didn't know why but he knew he was being unreasonably obtuse as to why he was frustrated. What further infuriated him was that the song wasn't one he recognised. How dare she hum a song he didn't know in front of him?

Telling her to shut up was just on the tip of his tongue when he thought of something. Maybe that's her plan. She had to be so annoying for him to talk to her. That had to be it; she wanted him to talk to her first. Well ha, he wouldn't' say anything at all, let her hum all she wanted.

It was most likely a muggle song, tuh he would say anything no matter how much she hums. She hadn't talked to him all day so hell would most likely freeze over before he'd be the one to initiate any type of a conversation.

Then, "Watch out—" as he stepped directly into a puddle of murky water, "for the puddle." Lily finished belatedly.

"Thanks a lot for tell me now," James said harshly almost yelling.

"Sorry okay? I didn't see it in time; you don't have to scream bloody murder at me. Besides you should watch where you were going." She said glaring at him. "I was only trying to help."

As he leaned on a tree a little off the path he shook his leg to get the water off he muttered angrily, "Why say anything at all you're clearly aren't talking to me." Then he added in a sarcastically sweet voice "So you shouldn't have put yourself out like that."

"You know something, that attitude of yours needs some major adjusting." Lily said loftily trying not to show how incensed she was.

"My attitude, what about yours?" James scoffed. "I wasn't the one not talking to the other for the entire day. It was completely childish." James said hotly all the while marvelling that it had been years since he'd lost his temper at all. Apparently only Lily Evans could push his buttons in the three years since he'd learned to keep his cool.

"Oh, me childish, you can't be serious? I was trying to be mature about the whole thing." She said angrily but then added quietly, "You're the stupid one who feels guilty."

"Maturity does not mean ignoring the other person and fending off questions if we had a fight or something is really annoying but you're right about one thing, I should feel guilty." He said turning to face her.

"Did I say I wanted you to feel guilty James? I never indicated any such emotion did I?" Lily asked, and then sighed. "What happened was something I wanted, so you feeling guilty is an emotion that should be out of place."

They stared at each other in a charged silence. "Nothing can come of us." James said calmly but his face radiated control. He was holding back from her.

"I heard you the first time and I understand" Lily said a little ruefully. Yeah she'd heard him and she had hated that she had cried when he did. He'd left soon after not hearing the sobs through the shower.

She had realised, through that however, that she wasn't going to cry over the fact that he had been too caught up in the wrongness of it all to see what had really taken place. If he couldn't see what was between them then she shouldn't care.

It had been easier said than done.

Still is.

"Yes, damn it, I heard me too so explain to me why I can't understand what the hell I said." James said angrily again, releasing a bit of his carefully controlled emotions.

Taken aback, Lily could only stare and lean against the tree for support. She hadn't expected him to say that. He really had changed lot form the James she had first met. That one never had a temper and had been frivolously spoiled. He'd showed off arrogantly at every possible opportunity. She'd never known whether the feelings he had supposedly had for her was real because as soon as she started to like him he'd stopped.

Now she was the one who wanted something he was the one fighting it. That alone was enough to make her snap back a retort. She was not the kind of woman to run behind a man who didn't want her.

"What the hell James, for someone who is remarkable smart, you are so incredibly dense. Why is it so hard for you to figure out what you're feeling? Are you that thick? You didn't feel anything after we had made love therefore anything further was null and void. Isn't that type of logic right for someone like you?" Lily said seriously though her voice cracked on the last word.

"Someone like me? Hardly, but what I think you're doing is re-routing what you felt to what I felt isn't that right?" James said, not aware that he had stepped in closer.

"I am not; you're twisting my words to suit your purpose." Lily said in a hushed tone as she looked up into his face which was so very close. "Are you telling me that I'm wrong? That you felt more than lust when we made love?

James was closer now, and he reached out to push a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Answering that question can cause a lot of trouble between us." He said tracing the side of her face with his knuckles gently, almost reverently before rubbing gently on her lower lip with his thumb as he looked into her eyes while her breathing became hitched and rapid.

"I know," she said, her voice a husky whisper.

Her green eyes were no longer deep pools but a hazy swirling mist, James saw and knew she was as aroused as he was. Nights ago when they'd made love, it had been too fast, he hadn't been able to read the subtle nuances of her body as she ached for him.

Her green eyes were no longer deep pools but a hazy swirling mist, James saw and knew she was as aroused as he was. Nights ago when they'd made love, it had been too fast, he hadn't been able to read the subtle nuances of her body as she ached for him.

Her feelings matched his, her need called out to him and he could no longer deny himself the taste of her. Eyes still locked together he bent and brushed her lips with his, then at her little gasp, he eased his tongue into the recesses tasting a flavour that was all Lily. Eyes now closed they devoured each other's mouth, tasting and craving for more. She moaned slightly and moved in closer, her hands left from where she had held his waist to drift over his shoulders to wrap around his neck.

Gripping her tighter, he leaned into her fully as her back braced against the tree. James' mouth left hers and it trailed down the side of her neck, nibbling and biting, then he situated his leg between hers, angling his hips to hers, and pressing into her softness. Slanting his mouth over hers again he swallowed her husky little gasp groaning deeply as she bucked gently over his hardness.

In the hazy mists that their minds had become, they knew nothing and everything had changed, what was for them in the future they didn't know. All they knew at this moment was the need to be as close as two people can be.