AN: Ok, so first of all, sorry about the long wait, my computer crashed again so it's taken awhile. Alright, now i am going to probably change the title on this story because i decided to write an actual serious story with plot and everything (gasp!). The writing style does change a bit, but for the better i think. anyway hope you enjoy and please review!

Dread. That was the word. It adequately described the heavy, feel like crawling under the covers and go back to sleep, feeling Lily was currently experiencing. But of course, returning to her wonderfully warm bed was not an option on this fine winter's day. No. Today was a Hogsmeade weekend…and Lily had been threatened into her first ever date with James Potter: the solidified form of pure arrogance.

Sighing miserably, Lily tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear, sprayed her usual scent and left the dormitory, attempting a calm and collected look. Needless to say, she was failing miserably.

"Good morning, my dream, my pearl, my sunshine."

Lily glared at James, who seemed extremely upbeat, his usual team of supporters standing behind him.

"Are they coming too?" Lily asked, indicating Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

"Good lord, no." James said, turning to his friends. "I'm afraid if they escorted us, there would be much less touching."

"There will be no touching," Lily said sternly, feeling heat rise into her face as Sirius sniggered. Remus smiled sympathetically and held out his hand.

"Good luck," he said sombrely, shaking her hand. "Try not to kill him: I'd hate to see you get in trouble for something so pointless."

"Thanks, Moony," James said dryly and held his arm out to Lily. She ignored it. "So where are we off to?" he asked brightly, walking quickly beside her as they left the common room.

He was like a deranged puppy dog, Lily thought. If he had a tail, it would definitely be wagging.

"You're not very happy, are you Lily-kins?" James asked brightly as they stepped outside, and crunched through the fresh snow towards the village.

"What gave it away?" Lily asked sarcastically.

James stopped walking and let out a deep sigh. Stopping too, Lily turned and looked at him.

"I'm cold, James. Can't we keep going?"

James shook his scruffy black head and smiled sadly at her. "Go back," he said gently. Lily just gave him a very puzzled look.

"Why would I go back?"

"I didn't realise how much you really didn't want to be with me. It's okay. I don't mind. I'd actually rather not go out with you then make you miserable."

"James…"

"It's okay."

Lily didn't say anything for a moment just gazed at the tall bespectacled boy in front of her. She'd never seen him look so pathetic before. Feeling awful, she shook her head. When had she become so mean? She'd agreed to go on a date with him hadn't she? Well, forced into it more like, but she had agreed. The least she could do was pretend to have fun.

James blushed and scowled at his feet when Lily didn't say anything and turned to head back up to the castle.

"James, wait!" Lily called, rushing over to him and taking his arm. "I want to go to Hogsmeade with you."

"No you don't," James said incredulously. "You hate me."

Lily rolled her eyes slightly and scuffed her foot in the snow. "I don't hate you, Potter. I just…" she paused, not really knowing what to say.

James gazed at her for a moment longer, his uncharacteristic sombre expression suddenly evaporating as he grabbed her arm in his. "Well look at that, I got Lily Evans to ask me out."

"I did not ask you out!" Lily said, pulling her cloak closer around her as they set off towards Hogsmeade again.

"Yes. You said, 'I want to go to Hogsmeade with you.'"

Lily rolled her eyes in exasperation and gripped her cloak in white knuckled fingers. He was a good actor that was for sure. He'd tricked her into going on this date with him and now he'd tricked her into wanting to go with him. Although Lily would never admit it, but she actually liked their relationship. He was the most popular boy in school, not including Sirius, and his un-wavering attention often made her laugh…when she wasn't trying to strangle him that was.

Potter had it all: wealth, brains, good-looks, charm, and of course a constant escort of about fifty girls. And his (so called by himself) "undying devotion" towards Lily hadn't stopped him hooking up with about half of these groupies. He was popular, loved by most, and a player, but Lily still turned him down and she enjoyed doing so. Their hate-love relationship (with her being the hate and him being the love) had become quite comfortable over the years and sometimes she found herself forgetting she hated him. Often she'd find herself sitting in the common room late at night having a discussion which had started out as a heated dating rejection but somewhere along the way had turned civilized and interesting.

James' sudden switch of tactics had always left her unbalanced: going from annoying stalker to caring friend in a matter of minutes, but now it seemed different. Now when she turned him down he acted like he was really upset. Was she just playing into his hands by feeling bad for him and trying to make up? Was he that good of an actor? Once Sirius had told her that James was only in it for the chase. Once that was over he would become bored: there was no future. Lily could understand Sirius' bitterness, he didn't like her and that was well known. Sirius was James' best friend and the more time James spent trying to persuade Lily to go out with him, the less time he spent with Sirius. True, if Lily did cave in and actually admit she had any feelings (which she didn't! she told her self adamantly every day) for James, the fun and thrill would be gone.

Lily shook her head. What was wrong with her? Was she turning into just another useless hang-on? Waiting hopefully until James tossed her a bone and satisfied her desire for attention? No, she would not give in to James' games. For this whole bizarre relationship of theirs was a twisted game: a competition. And the loser was the first to cave. And as soon as one caved it would be over.

"You look deep in thought, my flower," James said, slinging an arm around her shoulders. Although she appreciated the extra warmth, Lily held true to her new resolution of not caving. Not that she had feelings for him of course.

"Mm, must be unusual for you," Lily said, shrugging his arm from her shoulder. "A girl that you're on a date with actually thinking. Must be quite bizarre."

"Ouch," James said, grinning and ruffling his hair. "So you're admitting we're on a date then?"

"Our first and last," Lily said, relishing in the fact that she could once again insult him without worrying about damaging his fragile feelings.

James didn't say anything for a while as he walked along and rubbed his nose, apparently deep in thought. Not until they reached the Three Broomsticks did he say, "Samantha O'Kinion."

Laughing out loud, Lily pushed the door open and welcomed the warm air gladly. Her nose was going numb. "It took you seven and a half minutes to think of a girl with brains. That doesn't say much about your girlfriends, Potter."

James laughed and sat down at a free table by the warm fire place. Well, actually it hadn't been free a moment ago, but all James had to do was nod at the two boys sitting there and they scampered hurriedly off. "What about your last boyfriend?" James said, a mischievous grin on his face, once they'd removed their cloaks, scarves and gloves. "I thought you were going to castrate that one with your teeth."

Blushing Lily said, "You know full well Daniel Moorseon felt me up at the Christmas party."

"Two black eyes…you're lucky he didn't snivel to a teacher."

"Yea, well he knew he'd get worse punishment if I told the full story. Besides you can hardly talk! You almost knocked out his front teeth when he was mouthing off at me the next day."

"Face it, Lilykins: you're a man-hater."

"I'm a what?"

"A man-hater," James said simply, spreading his hands, and smiling warmly at the pretty young barmaid who supplied them with complementary butterbeers.

"Don't you ever get sick of people fawning over you? And what do you mean I'm a man-hater?"

James shrugged. "I mean you like blokes well enough, you just prefer them at a distance."

Lily gave him a shrewd look and took a swig from her bottle. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand in a most unladylike manner she said, "And I suppose you think you can cure me."

"Of course," James said without batting an eye. "If I really try I can get any girl to fall in love with me."

"You're a bastard," Lily told him coldly but James didn't flinch, just gave her a small sweet smile that made his hazel eyes glitter. "You break so many girls' hearts and you don't even give a damn. And anyway, you can't make any girl love you. You've been trying to make me fall for you for four years and it hasn't worked yet."

"Ah, there you are wrong my flower," James said, his smile now spreading to a grin, revealing a cute dimple which formed surreptitiously under the right corner of his mouth.

Lily snorted. "I most certainly do not love you, Potter. Even you with your horrifying egotistical arrogance can see that!"

"Redundancy is not becoming, Lily. 'Egotistical arrogance'? Is that really the best you could come up with? And you aren't wrong about loving me. It's pretty obvious you don't. But you are wrong in the sense that you believe that I have been trying to make you love me."

Lily gaped at him, her mouth open and bottle halfway to her lips. "You have told me that you loved me practically every day since I was twelve and starting to develop breasts."

"Which have developed quite magnificently," James put in helpfully, his eyes twinkling.

"Pervert," Lily said, her eyes as frosty as his were playful.

"Lily, my pearl, I'm just saying that if I really truly wanted you to love me, you would by now."

"You are so full of it!"

"Alright then, we have a bet: that you will love me by the end of the year."

"And when I win this bet? What do I get?" Lily asked, leaning forwards in her chair.

"Besides bragging rights?" James looked thoughtful and scratched his nose. The he met her gaze squarely. "If you win, and you turn out not to love me by the end of this, then I'll leave you alone. No more tormenting."

Lily seemed to consider him then nodded.

"And if I win…" he tapered off and seemed to consider her. When he said nothing she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well? Not that it's going to happen…"

"Nothing," James said simply, leaning backwards in his chair and draining his bottle in three large mouthfuls.

"Nothing?"

James shook his head. "Well you'll be in love with me, what more could I ask for?"

Lily watched him for a moment then nodded her head and held out her hand. "Alright then you're on. But there have to be a few ground rules: no public humiliation and no seeing any other girls on the side."

James grinned and shook her hand. "Wait, what do you mean by public humiliation, because what you see as humiliation, I see as commonplace daily events."

AN: ok well please tell me what you think. The story's going to follow the bet but im going to go into a lot of character background and bring in some new characters and stuff. hopefully it will be quite interesting! cya xxx