Lily is relieved when she is on her way home, although she tries her best to hold her emotions back throughout the journey. She tries not to let James's absence at the end of the day get the best of her, but she can't shake the hurt and disappointment. Even her winning bakes keeping her company on the stiff leather seat does nothing to cheer her up, and the chauffeur doesn't say much, which she's ultimately grateful for. She's bloody exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Her knee bounces up and down as the houses whiz by. The deep-seated sadness at the thought of losing James for good is replaced by anger. Is he that repulsed by the sight of her or the thought of speaking to her that he can't even bother to stick around for a meager 'congratulations?'

"No, he probably has a hot date with his new woman so he's forgotten all about me, including my request for a conversation!" She kicks at the ground and throws her head back against the seat in frustration.

"Sorry?" The driver looks at her through the rearview mirror.

"Nothing."

Don't mind Lily Evans, always the fool. Falling for men who are full of lies and deceit.

Hot tears threaten to pour out, but she manages to blink them back. She'll be home soon, where a party is already underway. Mona's opened up her home and provided a space for celebration, and Lily can't walk in without a smile on her face. Bloody hell, she's just won a major competition and £50,000 for crying out loud! Wallowing in self-pity is the last thing she should be doing.

Pulling out her phone, she ignores the onslaught of new messages and opens her chat with Marlene.

Lily: Almost home. Maybe five minutes out. Will need help carrying some stuff inside.

Marlene's chat bubble appears instantly.

Marls: FINALLY! We'll be outside with all the bells and whistles to welcome you home! James better be with you!

Lily shakes her head as she locks her phone and slides it back into her pocket. Marlene's going to be in for a rude awakening when she arrives with only cake in the passenger seat. As the familiarity of the neighborhood sets in, so does the reality that it's over. The competition, her time working for Mona, and whatever she had with James.

Which was nothing. He obviously didn't mean it when he said he loved you. And now what does that leave you with? A broken heart, that's what!

The driver pulls up to Mona's house, where it seems every single light is on. Her home could illuminate the entire neighborhood by itself. The front door opens, allowing another thick beam of light to brighten the front path, and Marlene and Remus spill out of the entryway, screaming and shouting as they run to the car.

Lily wonders how many glasses of wine Marls has had at the sight of her rosy cheeks and giddy demeanor. She opens the car door, steeling herself to get the onslaught over with as Marlene shouts,

"Ladies and gentleman, it's the winner of London's Next Great Baker!"

"Shh, Marls, you know it's supposed to be a secret until the show airs!" Lily scolds.

She does her best to put on the widest smile she can, but Marlene sees through the farce right away. "What's wrong?"

Lily shakes her head, not ready to say anything for fear that she won't be able to contain the waterworks. Remus's head pops up from the other side of the car to see what's going on. Marlene sobers as she wraps Lily in a hug.

"I wondered why we didn't see him after the announcement. I figured he waited until after the cameras stopped rolling to congratulate you."

"I looked up after everyone else left me alone and he was gone."

"Oh, bloody buggering hell, that man!"

"Everything alright?" Remus inquires when he emerges with all the boxes from the other side of the car.

"James is a right foul git, that's what. But you know what Lils? We're not going to think about him, okay? We're going to go in the house, drink a butt load of champagne to celebrate your amazing win, and while eating those delicious bakes you made this afternoon!"

Marlene's words ease the ache in Lily's chest as she leads her to the house. More cheers erupt upon her entrance and everyone lines up for hugs before she can even pull off her shoes. After, they all pile into the kitchen where Mona unboxes each chocolate creation and replaces them all back onto their original tiers, and everyone grabs a plate and dishes out slices to sample.

"Damn, Red, I thought your custard was good, but this cheesecake takes it to a whole new level," Sirius commends. Dora leans forward with her fork to sneak a bite, but Sirius swats her hand away. "Get your own, will you?"

"But I only want a taste. I'm perfectly happy with this cake. Lily, can you bake for all my birthdays now that you're staying in London?"

Everyone laughs. "Sure, Dora. Though, I hope you'll make the trip to the new bakery once in a while so I can still see you."

"What do you mean? Aren't—" Dora frowns as Remus gives a quick shake of his head. "But—"

"It's fine, Remus. She's going to find out eventually."

"Find out what?" Sirius inquires.

Marlene shoots him an affronted look before patting Lily lovingly on the arm. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. This is your night to bask in a job well done."

Lily knows she can take the excuse Marlene's giving her, but there's a larger part of her that wants to get it off her chest. Maybe she'll feel better if she lets it out.

"He just...left," she admits with no other details.

"Who? James?" Mona wonders aloud and Lily confirms with a nod. "But I just assumed that—why would he do that?"

"That's what I thought too," Marlene commiserates. "So, you didn't even get a chance to say anything to him?"

"No, I did. Before the main bake."

"You did?"

"What?"

"What happened?!"

So many voices respond to that tidbit of information that Lily doesn't know who said what. "We both came out of our respective rooms at the same time about ten minutes before the challenge started."

"What'd he say?" Dora asks, leaning across the counter in eager impatience. "He did say something, right?"

"He congratulated me for making it to the final and asked if I was returning to Belfast after."

"No, he didn't! I am so mad at him right now!" Dora scoffs in the most over-dramatic way a teenager can.

"Well, how'd he respond when you told him you were staying?" Mona presses.

Lily grimaces. "I...didn't. I mean, I am returning on Tuesday!"

"But not for good! Lily!" Marlene cradles her head in her hands in shame for her best friend.

"I didn't confirm it, though! I started to, but then I stopped and it was just so uncomfortable. So I asked him if we could talk. That I had something to tell him. And then Ludo came out to summon him before he could respond."

"Fucking hell," Sirius mutters under his breath.

"Okay, but then what? We saw you two interacting during the bake. He wasn't outright ignoring you, so that's a good sign, right?"

Lily gives a noncommittal shrug. "Sure."

"Things seemed okay until—wait, okay, what happened at the end of the bake. Right before Ludo called time you got this look on your face like someone just stole your puppy."

Man, Mona doesn't miss a thing, does she?

"Yeah, that was the moment I realized he's found someone else."

"No!"

"Not possible!"

"There's no way!"

She has to give her audience credit. Their reactions are timed well and their undivided attention makes it easier to get through. But the denial stings just as much as when she saw James cozied up with some other woman.

"Well, believe it. Some blonde went up to him, whispered in his ear, then kissed him on the cheek. It was the first time I'd seen him genuinely smile all day."

Mona, Remus, and Marlene are crestfallen at the news, but Dora and Sirius look perplexed. Dora squints her eyes in concentration as if she's running through a catalog of people that might fit the profile.

Eventually, something clicks and she looks at Lily. "Was she holding a clipboard or wearing a headset?"

"Both," Lily says automatically as she pictures the woman in her mind.

"This may not help, but was she wearing a pencil skirt and heels, trotting around the place acting important?"

Lily can't help but laugh at Dora's question. "Yeah, she was."

Dora looks at Sirius. "That's Brie! She's the executive producer and the head publicist for Gourmet Gloucester! They're just good friends. He'd never—plus, she's married. Lily, that's nothing!"

The strings that constricted her heart at the thought of James with someone else are cut loose with Dora's explanation. So, maybe he's not with the blonde. That's one obstacle out of the way, but he still disappeared. And where is he now? She can't fully let her guard down.

"Okay, but he still left as soon as I was announced the winner, didn't he?"

"I don't know, but—"

"What about his reaction to your bake? He has to know it was for him!" Mona interrupts Dora. "I saw the way he looked at your chocolate 14 Feb. He knew."

Lily lets out a defeated laugh. She finally lets out the words she's been holding back since the judging. The realization that she put it all out on the line for no reaction.

"It didn't matter, did it? Even with the dates shoved in his face, on top of everything I made that reminded me of him—of us—I got no reaction. He doesn't care anymore!"

"I beg to differ."

A chill runs up Lily's spine at the sound of the voice she'd know anywhere. But it couldn't be. Could it?

She looks up to see the faces of everyone around the kitchen island then slowly forces her body to turn around and see if he's really there. Mona's wide-eyed and open-mouthed, Remus looks as if he's seen a ghost, and Marlene looks as though she's two seconds away from ripping him to shreds. Sirius shoots her an amused smirk and Dora knocks her stool over in a burst of unbridled excitement.

When Lily finally faces James, a mischievous grin rests on his face. He's smiling as though he's the keeper of a secret that he's hoping to share. It would be so easy to get lost in that smile and in the way he's shed his jacket, his white button-up rolled to his elbows, and his purple tie loosened around his neck. He looks younger and carefree. And it would be so easy to give in just seeing him standing there.

"What are you doing here?" She attempts to keep her voice steady, despite her heart beating so hard in her chest that she wouldn't be surprised if Marlene could hear it from her seat.

"You said you wanted to talk. That you had something to tell me. My apologies for thinking you'd rather be somewhere quiet and familiar." James pulls his hands out of his pockets to cross them in front of his chest, waiting for her response.

Just like that, her heart melts as fast as an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. He's not wrong, but did he have to put her through such a torturous hour for the sake of making an entrance?

Her feet move of their own accord to take her out of the kitchen. If he wants quiet and familiar, then she wants to be out of the earshot of her friends. She brushes past James as her skin prickles at the brief contact and glances silently back to make sure he follows her into the sitting room. Here's hoping their friends will give them privacy as he shuts the door behind him.

"May I offer my sincerest congratulations?" The hint of a smile remains on his face.

She barely hears him as she rounds on him, momentarily forgetting everything else she wants to hear him say in an effort to make sure he knows exactly how his disappearance made her feel. "It was rude of you to just leave like that. I thought—thought you'd left with—"

"Brie?"

Ugh. How did he know?

Had he been standing there long enough to hear her pathetic jealousy? Were her friends goading her to talk this whole time so he could listen? She chooses to glare at him instead of responding.

"Brie's just a friend, Lily. And a good one at that. When you saw her whispering to me, it was to tell me she'd made sure no one knew that you and I were...seeing each other. Before I agreed to judge, I wanted to ensure I wouldn't jeopardize your chances of winning because of our history."

Point for James with his annoyingly convincing argument.

"Okay, but that's beside the point! You could have said something, or texted me, or—"

He takes a step closer, reaching out tentatively and grazing her hand. "But I'm here now."

Lily leans into his touch, inching closer against her will. Tilting her chin up, she looks into his eyes. "Everything I made today was for you. I put my heart and soul on the line and you didn't even acknowledge—"

"I couldn't. You know I couldn't. I didn't want to risk everything you've worked for by exposing that it was for me." He squeezes her hands with a determined desperation that's echoed in his eyes as he explains his reasoning.

"I don't think you realize how difficult it was for me to observe all of the bakes equally. It's a miracle no one noticed that I couldn't take my eyes off of you and your work. All I wanted was to stay by your station the entire time, but I knew I couldn't distract you. Jesus, I was distracting myself! At least I could hide my favoritism in the green room."

Lily can't help but laugh at his confession. "So, you knew I'd created the progression of our relationship through chocolate?"

"I had my suspicions after you'd finished the filling for the cake and were mixing your custard, but it wasn't until I saw the dates that I was sure."

Lily could collapse from the relief that washes over her. The tension she'd been holding in her shoulders dissolves and is replaced by nervous trembling.

"I'm surprised you held your tongue and didn't ask about it." It's a light teasing, but enough to make Lily feel as though they can return to the sense of normalcy she craves so much.

"I didn't need to. You could have left the numbers off and gone for something more traditional and I would have known."

"Was it that obvious?"

"Only to me. Though I suspect Albus has some sort of sixth sense about us."

Us. And in present tense too.

Lily's hopefulness inflates like a balloon, slow, sure, and steady.

"It was a perfect blend of everything we've shared."

And hopefully everything we will continue to share.

She needs to tell him all the things she's been dying to share all day before her resolve disappears.

"I know it was you, James." She adjusts her hand to thread her fingers through his, squeezing softly. "The Daily Mail reported that you were in Belfast this week. Am I correct in my assumption that it was you who leased the shop for three months to get me started?"

"Will it affect your willingness to accept the gift if I confirm?" A wistful grin sets upon his lips.

"That depends on whether you coerced Severus into dropping the charges and giving me everything he 'thought' he owed me as a result."

James's grin sets into a slight frown. "I may have called to inform his employer of his actions, but I have no knowledge about whatever you're speaking of."

A hot tear escapes down her cheek, and James lifts his free hand to wipe it away with his thumb. So, he was behind Severus's action, but only to force his hand. The gesture goes to show that he had listened to her, after all, and she's relieved to know the money didn't come from him.

"You've helped steer my life back on track in more ways than you can imagine. I don't know how to thank you for that."

"There's no need to thank me. I simply helped make the path to your dream easier to obtain."

He lets go of her hand to reach up and tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She hadn't even realized her hair was slipping out of the ponytail she tied it back in earlier that day.

"You've worked so hard to get to this point. You deserve to realize your goals."

Lily smiles as she leans into his hand, placing a feather-light kiss into his palm. "There's only one problem, James. I don't want to return to the life I left behind in Belfast. London is my home now, and I've leased a shop in Wimbledon. I'm staying here."

"Is that so?" James's smile returns as his free hand lifts to rest on Lily's hip, pulling her closer as he looks down to observe the way their bodies are aligned.

"I hope that doesn't pose a problem for you."

"Not in the slightest. Is that all you wished to tell me?"

Lily's heart swells inside her chest, feeling full for the first time since their afternoon on the grounds of Peverell. "There is one more thing."

"Oh?" His lips are tantalizingly close and it would be so easy to forget her last point and lose herself in his kiss if it weren't the most important part.

"I love you, James." She looks deep into his warm hazel eyes and feels his gaze match the adoration she feels for him.

He wastes no time closing the gap between them, and the moment their lips meet, she feels like she's finally home. She will never tire of kissing him, of that she is sure.

"I was too stubborn to let myself believe it before, and I worried that after reading your letter I might be too late," she whispers against his mouth. "And after showing up at your doorstep on Thursday, I was certain I missed my chance."

"You came?" The shock in James's expression is enough to tell her he didn't know, and maybe Sirius wasn't lying about him leaving his phone behind.

"I did."

"Damnit, Lily, if I'd have known—"

"It's fine. It doesn't matter now. I'm sorry I accused you of being like Severus. I was blinded by my prejudice and now I know just how wrong I've been. I'll never misjudge you again."

James kisses her forehead. "Does that mean you've had a change of heart? Because I can assure you my feelings have not changed, but one word from you will silence me on the subject forever."

"I hardly think that will be necessary. I promise my response will be vastly different should you wish to ask me again."

Neither of them hears the door open or notices their closest friends hovering with bated breath as James pulls away from Lily. For a split second, Lily thinks that James might take her up on her challenge and drop to one knee, but instead, he pauses with her hands in his.

"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll wait. You were right before. If I'm going to ask, then I want to do it properly, and to do so requires us to enjoy the dating phase first. That is, of course, if you'd like that."

Her face splits into a grin as she squeezes his hands. "I'd love nothing more."

This time, James pulls her in with much more force as his lips seek hers. "I love you, Lily."

"And I love you."

She lets herself become lost in his touch, taking care to memorize the texture of his hair, the plane of his chest, and the strength of his lean, muscular build as they make up for lost time. They ignore the distant bellows and cheers from the foyer. There will be much to celebrate later, but for now, they choose to revel in each other.

When they rejoin their friends after a proper reunion, Lily will be sure to thank Mona. For she and James both know who to thank for bringing Lily to London, and who united them against all odds.