Single-but-Proud

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

Summary: Muggle AU He's a hopeless romantic and she's single-but-proud (at least, for now)

Lily, not bothering to look up from the crossword in front of her, heard the clinking bell of the shop door and immediately recited, "Welcome to Fortescue's Flowers and More. Select sweets are on a half-off post-Valentine's Day special."

For someone like Lily, who held little time or desire for a boyfriend with her busy University schedule, it was bad enough to have to work at a sweets shop around Valentine's Day, but even worse after Valentine's Day. She'd lost count of the number of stories she heard from ex-boyfriends who had messed up the holiday the first go around and were desperate for advice on how to make it up to their former sweethearts. She'd already had two so far today and knew she couldn't handle another before lunch.

"Which sweets?" the new customer asked, and it was then Lily noticed he had approached the counter. Even from the few feet back his shadow loomed over her crossword puzzle. She sighed, placing her pencil down.

"Everything on that rack over there," she instructed, pointing to her right, purposefully avoiding looking at the bloke in front of her. She saddled over to the case of sweets just to her left and slid open the door. Reaching in, she jostled the trays, indicating their sale prices. Once she finished, she looked up at the bloke. He was tall, and quite lanky, with a dark mop of hair and rectangular framed glasses. He had striking green in his hazel eyes, and he was dangerously close to smirking. Lily's eyebrows furrowed, "Let me know if I can help you with anything."

"Thanks, I will," the bloke spoke, fully grinning now.

Lily ignored him. Avoiding his gaze, she sauntered back over to the crossword puzzle and tried to find where she had left off. She could feel his eyes on her, and sighed. His shadow again covered the counter, and she gazed up expectantly.

"Yes? Sir?" she added, once remembering she was required to be pleasant. She would be in for enough trouble should her manager find out about the puzzle – a customer complaint would push her over the edge. And for all its faults, she needed this job. "Can I…err…get anything for you?"

"Just browsing," he said pleasantly, not moving from his spot directly in front of her.

Blimey, didn't this bloke understand that she was tired? "Well, what'll it be then? Are you another bloke who's gone and messed up Valentine's Day? You'd be the third today, and if you badger me about it, I'm just going to sell you the same generic rubbish I sold the last two blokes so I wouldn't bother asking me for advice." Her voice rambled off, something akin to, 'you blokes need to use your brains for once' when she noticed the grin on the bloke's face remained.

"My Valentine's Day was rather uneventful, but I'd very much like to hear what happened during yours, and also where you've buried the body."

His tone was light, and almost shocked a laugh out of Lily, as she watched him finally edge away from the counter to study some of the nearby stuffed bears.

"I don't celebrate Valentine's Day," she said off-handedly, folding her crossword closed before beginning to wipe down the counter.

"You don't?" the boy asked, in a tone of mock surprised. "I'd never have guessed, with your charming attitude."

Lily laughed, but there was little mirth in the sound, "And what does that make you, then? A hopeless romantic? You don't look the type, but I suppose I can see it now."

"The type?"

"Oh yes. The type of bloke who puts days into planning the perfect Valentine's Day, because the bird he's dating is lovely. She doesn't even need to drop hints about it, that's how good you are."

The boy laughed, too, but there was unmistakable joy in his that she did not expect. He was clearly enjoying their banter, though she couldn't think why. "You know," he began, turning from the stuffed bears to study the sets of left-over Valentine's cards. "I am the hopeless romantic type. Don't go telling my mates that – they'd tear the mickey out of me if they knew I'd admit to it. But yeah, I suppose it's true. Haven't found the right Valentine, mind. But there are plenty of birds…err… in the sky."

Lily laughed, "Clever, that."

"Got you to laugh, didn't I?" he goaded, and she could tell even from looking at his back that he was smirking again.

"Yeah, all right," she ceded, having nothing else to add. "Like I said before, if you need any help, let me know."

She pretended not to watch as he set down the box of Valentine's and looked to his watch. "I've got to go – didn't realize it was so close to lunch, and I've got class later." He turned to look at her, but she had already reopened the crossword. "Sorry you didn't get a sale today, Miss hopeless-unromantic."

He was halfway to the door when he heard her call, "We prefer Single-but-Proud, thanks."

The bell clinked happily behind him, and she watched him tighten his coat around him as he stepped onto the street. She didn't think much of it at the time, but reflected later that her mood improved so significantly that, over the rest of her shift, she wasn't short with any of the next three blokes who came in desperate for her help.

The following days she worked were uneventful, as they often became as time went on from Valentine's Day. The bustle of normal business came in its usual waves of people shopping for anniversaries, birthdays, parties, funerals – all occasions someone might need flowers or sweets or cute trinkets. On the fourth day succeeding her cheeky visitor, Lily was finishing inflating a large latex birthday balloon for a first year university student when the bell clanked again.

She called over her shoulder, "Welcome to Fortescue's Flowers and More. I'll be with you in a mo'."

"Take your time, Miss Single-but-Proud."

In her surprise, she almost let go of the balloon, but thankfully held on just as it finished inflating. She worked to keep the smile from her face as she turned to hand the balloon to the student.

"There you are. Have a nice day, and thanks for thinking of us," she recited, before watching the student walk off with the balloon.

Once the door closed noisily behind the student, she realized that she was again alone with the hopeless romantic who'd once brightened her day. For some reason her stomach fluttered nervously, but she straightened her face as she turned to look at him.

"Back again, hopeless romantic?"

He smirked broadly at her, coming out from between the selves to approach her. "It's magnetism, I swear. Can't have this many flowers and sweets and cards and expect a bloke like me to not frequent."

"I've never noticed you before the other day, but I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you come here at least twice a week. Though I think you're going about this all wrong."

"Am I?"

"Certainly," Lily answered easily, tidying the shelf of stuffed bears in an attempt to keep her hands busy. "You see, most blokes go places to get a bird first. Then they are required to come here and get the roses and balloons and boxes of chocolates. If you go to the pub and get a bird, then when you come here you can waste time and money, instead of just time."

Hopeless Romantic laughed, and it was even better than she had remembered it – though she didn't quite remember committing it to memory. "They should let you write the adverts for this place. You'd be out of business in a week. Tell me, how did you trick them into hiring you? I'm graduating next year, and I could use the interview advice."

She tried to not think about how she, too, was graduating next year. Had they been in classes together at the university? "Did you ever stop to think that perhaps I didn't always feel this way?" she muttered, her voice slightly cool.

The coolness seemed to intrigue instead of bother him. "Ah, so there it is. Miss Single-but-Proud was once not so. That's a real tragedy, that. Shakespeare'd probably be inspired by your story. Beautiful bird becomes cynical after bad relationship – a literary masterpiece if I've ever heard of one."

Lily scoffed, tearing her hands from the shelf, and she turned to glare at him. She ignored the 'beautiful bird' comment, though barely. "You'd better get on with writing it then, hadn't you? A brilliant bit of fantasy that would be."

She turned on her heel and marched to the counter, as if it were a safe place to hide behind.

He followed her in earnest. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Thought we were just doing a bit."

Lily shrugged, composed. "It's fine. I've had bad luck in the past, but who hasn't? I'm too busy with university to worry about it. But even if I weren't… You're probably right. I'm a hopeless unromantic."

She finally looked up when his shadow eclipsed the counter. "Well hopeless unromantic, it's nice to meet you. Didn't get to formally introduce myself last time I was in, but I'm James."

He held out his hand and she hesitantly reached out to take it. "I'm Lily."

"Lily," he repeated as their hands dropped. "Not a bad name, though I'm rather fond of Single-but-Proud… For now anyway."

She opened her mouth to inquire, but he swung around to grab a bar of chocolate off the shelf nearest them, and set it on the counter. With deft hands, he drew his wallet and placed the money in her own hand.

"What did you mean? 'For now anyway'?" she questioned, handing him back his change.

"Certainly Single-but-Proud suits you right now," he began, grinning. "But it won't…say, in a few months when you are my girlfriend." Her mouth fell open, but he was already backpedaling toward the door. "The chocolate is for you, by the way. Sorry, but the hopeless romantic in me couldn't help it."

He threw her one last grin after the door closed behind him, and she watched him go, smiling. Perhaps a little romance in her life wouldn't be so terrible.