Chapter 36: What is Real?
"Evan's is holding the table," he says to them, leaning against the counter as Rosemerta appears to be making their drinks. James doesn't respond to him, but he does drop his arm from her shoulders.
"Four butterbeers," Rosemerta announces, placing the four glass tankards onto the counter. "Eight sickles, lads."
Almost instinctively, James digs into his pocket to retrieve the money. "I can get them," Arthur protests, also digging into his pockets.
"It's fine," James mutters, barely audible in the loud pub. He places the coins in Rosemerta's hands.
Arthur grins like he's just been given a huge favour. "Thanks, man. I'll carry them over." With two in each hand, Arthur carefully balances the drinks and trails behind the other two on the way back to the large table that only has one person sitting at it patiently. Cressida goes to move back into her original chair, but James' hand guides her towards the opposite side, pushing her in first before following in behind her. Arthur doesn't seem to care, now taking her old seat next to Lily. It's like he's a child just happy to be involved, and not necessarily with her.
Her suspicions about why he's asked her out, grow more and more apparent each second. But she can't let the date end badly in front of Lily and James.
"Sorry, I saw an old friend," Cressida excuses herself as a way to break the awkward silence. "He graduated last year and I wasn't expecting him to be up this way."
Lily glances to her side, her eyes narrowed at the boy drinking greedily beside her. It's a stark change from the adoring eyes she sent him when he was on the pitch that time they watched Ravenclaw's tryouts. What changed? "Elias?" Lily guess, turning her eyes back forward.
Cressida nods with a kind smile. "Yeah."
The tension grows once more. Her eyes land on each of them. Lily looks uncomfortable, sitting as far away as she can from Arthur. Her elbows are planted close to her ribs and her eyes never diverting from James or herself. Arthur leans back against his chair. At first glance, he seems relaxed as one could be. But there's a careful glint behind his eyes. Calculating. He's reading the room just as she is. James on the other hand is sitting stoically, leaning forward and watching everybody with openly cautious eyes. It's like a stand-off but nobody has told her what they're standing off for exactly.
"Why did you ask Cress out?"
The question comes pouring out his mouth so unexpectedly that Cressida physically jumps in her seat. With wide eyes, she stares at James then at Arthur. "James," she whispers, "I'm not sure-" Her words cut off as his hand lands on her upper thigh, squeezing it under the table. Something runs throughout every vein in her body, her hands stiffening until she forces them to relax. James doesn't look at her, resting his chin on his unoccupied hand and stares at Arthur whose brows are pinched.
"James, that's a bit blunt," Lily reprimands to finish Cressida's sentence.
Arthur is taken back. Cressida's lips are parted, not even trying to listen to his words as the hand on her leg continuously squeezes and releases. James doesn't bother trying to defend his question, but Arthur does so for him anyway. "I get it, she's your friend. The only female in your small group." The title of female makes her eye twitch. It's so animalising. "You're protective." Arthur grins like he has complete control over the entire situation.
James makes a humming sound of agreement, stretching upwards then slumping back in his chair. His dominance doesn't waver even in the more slouched position. "So you can understand if I'm curious about why you want to date her. Is it because she's a beautiful, smart, talented person? Or is it because of her perfectly sized arse that you so described as she left for drinks?"
Her cheeks burn, and not in the cute blushing sort of way. No wonder Lily grew uncomfortable in his presence. It's like watching a film from Remus' projector. Cressida can't find any words that make sense to say what she is feeling.
Arthur blinks, his grin falling into something more devilish but cautious. "Both," he answers straightforwardly. He lets out a short scoff that might have supposed to have been a laugh. "Come on. I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't see you looking either, eh?" His lips roll into a smirk that doesn't quite reach his eyes.
Cressida feels like her stomach is a ship in an ocean storm. But out of everything that she's feeling, the most prominent is feeling terrible for Lily who's caught in the middle of everything. All she wanted was a simple date with James. The hand on her leg stops squeezing, running up to her knee, rounding the bone then coming back down to where it first lay the returns to squeezing. It's telling her to let him continue what he's doing. But Cressida isn't exactly sure what he is doing.
Arthur finally submits to the fact that his efforts aren't moving him closer to James' good books. "Dude, come on. I was joking!" His palms slap the table, now looking towards her for help. "Cress, you know I think you're hot."
"I don't think you want to stick around here for much longer." Cressida's eyes snap to Lily. She's sitting up very straight, her arms neatly crossed on the table and her green eyes are digging Arthur into the ground.
"She's right," Cressida finally speaks. "I'll make my own way back to Hogwarts. Alone."
Every ounce of hope that remained for the date to go the way he wanted disappears from Arthur's face. His blue eyes quickly move between all three of them. Then he huffs, holding up his hands defensively, playing the victim. "Whatever. I'll see you two on the pitch next week."
The blonde boy pushes himself out from the table booth, nearly running over a poor patron with a tray full of drinks. Cressida's face crumbles, absolutely mortified that, that happened in front of them. She quickly leans forward to hide her face in her palms. She doesn't cry, feeling too many things to settle on being upset.
"That was for the best, sweetheart." She feels Lily's small hands grasp her forearms gently. "I'm glad you didn't have to hear the comments he made when you were gone." Cressida nods but doesn't lift her head. She knew Arthur was going to be a bit of a dick from the first time she went out with him, yet, she still went on more because… because he was paying attention to her when James wasn't.
"I'm sorry, Lily," James sighs. His hand finally lifts from her thigh and rests on her curved back instead. "I couldn't…"
"I would've done the same."
"I'm so sorry too," Cressida says, lifting her head. She feels like pleading to them. "Please don't think I wanted to interrupt you both. He wouldn't listen to me and-"
"We saw," James cuts in.
Lily nods in agreement, reaching for her purse. "I should go back too. We can talk later, James."
Cressida sits up straighter, shaking her head. "No, I'll go. I shouldn't even be here."
Lily smiles at her, not stopping as she pulls on her cardigan. "You need a friend right now." She sounds upset, but not angry. Remorseful. "And I need to go rant to Mary about him. She's going to throw a fit when I tell her." Cressida can't find it in herself to argue, even managing an airy laugh at the image of the two girls gossiping.
"Thank you," James spits out just before she leaves. Lily tucks her lips in, nodding silently and then disappears into the sea of people. Cressida, now alone in company she's completely comfortable with lets out a groan, her head slumping back against the back of the chair. James sighs. "Yep."
"I feel awful," she mutters, staring out of the window on her right.
He shrugs nonchalantly. "Eh, the date was almost over anyway. Besides, I'm considering it your payback from when we snuck in on your date with Elias last year. You did promise to do the same thing."
Rosemerta arrives, carrying two plates. Even more guilt overwhelms her. They didn't even get their food. James pushes a plate towards her that has a chicken burger and chips with a small salad on the side.
Knowing better than to waste food, Cressida quietly begins nibbling at the chips. They sit in silence for a while, James also slow in eating.
"I know you're expecting me to say sorry," he mumbles, staring at this plate, "but I'm not. What he said was just downright dehumanising and I couldn't sit there and pretend I didn't hear them."
"I'm not," whispers Cressida. "I'm grateful that you were willing to do that for me, I just… wish it didn't happen now and here. I completely ruined your date."
He glances to her with a small but warm smile, leaning back in his chair with a more familiar confidence. "What do you mean? I see two people alone eating together that said they were going on dates. As far as I'm aware, I'm still on a date."
Cressida pinches her brow before his words properly register and she lapses into laughter, shrivelling her nose. "Must be a terrible date then. You're eating fish – are you eating so you'll be sick for an excuse to leave?"
James cocks his head momentarily, glaring down at his plate. "Lily ordered it, but you don't like fish either," he grumbles, though mirthful in tone. "Thought I'd spare you from it since I think your day has gone much worse than mine."
"I don't know," she sighs with a smirk. Holding up both her hands, she weighs the air. "Got a date ruined with the girl you've been chasing after for five years versus ruined date with a douchebag that I hardly know."
James bites greedily into his own chips then points his fork at her. "I understand now what you mean by the douchebag thing. And I think you're right actually, give me that." He reaches out for her plate, but Cressida wraps her arms around it, sniggering and pulling it closer to her chest.
"No, you forfeited it!"
"I just want a bite! Or the burger, give me the burger and you can have all my chips." Cressida hunches over her food, using her shoulder to push his oncoming hand away but deliberates his offer. She probably couldn't stomach a whole burger anyways.
"You hand the chips over first."
The ceramic plate slowly grinds against the wood of the table. "Now hand over the burger." Both barely hold their sniggers at the careful exchange. And once more, her entire world is consumed by him. Even at the overly large table and the swarm of patrons around them, Cressida notices nothing but him. "What do you want to do after this? We have the entire day."
Cressida wipes her mouth with her sleeve, leaning back against the joint chair and glances out the window. Now finished with his lunch, his arm lays back over her shoulder. She watches his fingers move softly for a few moments; how they trace small shapes just below her shoulder. "You owe me some sugar quills. And I think I probably owe you something for today."
"Your company's enough." Her head rolls back to raise her brows at him. "That sounded cheesy, didn't it?" She nods with an amused smile. "Well this is a date, so you can expect a lot more cheesy lines from me that I've overheard from Sirius."
Her whole stomach flutters, but she reminds herself that it isn't a real date. It's a friend date after a shit day. She's had plenty of them with Sirius. "You're not taking advice from the boy that's never even asked a person out, are you?"
James' mouth falls open, ready to counter but it closes again, and he tips his head from side to side. "Touché."
And another chapter coming again in about ten hours since I'm feeling generous lmao.
But not only that, tomorrow I am going to release the rest of the Part completely, so about 8 extra chapters.