A/N: I am back! Things have been a bit rough over here so it was a bit difficult to sit down and write for a while. Luckily, life has calmed down a bit and I've managed to finally get this here for you guys. I do apologize for how long it's taken. Honestly, I am beyond grateful at how lovely, patient, and supportive you all have been!

Thank you to everyone who commented and favorited the past chapters, along with the few other stories I uploaded since last update!

Disclaimer: Not Jo :(

The melody was a sweet one and even asleep, she knew it did not belong to her dream. It was strange that such a delightful song would make her insides twist with dread. Lily opened her eyes at the second ring of her mobile phone, vibrating more persistently against the wood of her bedside table. Her insides clenched again before she could stop the reaction. In a fraction of second, however, she read the name of the sender and, feeling her muscles relax with relief, she opened the message.

You ready, Evans?

She would never admit it to him, not even after all those nights of being together, enveloped in his arms, with his warm breath at her ear, so fluidly giving way to that chuckle she loved the most. Even when he teased her, his arm flexing to move her closer to him as she refused to answer, stubbornly hiding her face in the pillow instead. She would never admit how the mere sight of a message from him— however short— made her smile.

Biting her lower lip in a poor attempt to contain her grin, she replied, Good morning to you, too, Potter. And ready for what?

She rolled back onto her pillow, ears strained for the buzzing announcing his reply. The tiny stab of disappointment she felt when his reply wasn't almost immediate was another thing she would never admit to him, even when he could deduce the answer by her blush or by how defensive she got. Despite her better judgment telling her she was being obsessive, she looked at the message again and realized he had sent it at 6:05 in the morning, almost three hours ago.

A thought occurred to her and she hastened to reply,

Wait, you're not outside right now, are you?

James replied five minutes later, What? No. I was at practice just now. I don't even know where you live. I was lucky enough to snatch a phone number from you, remember?

He sent a second one almost at once and she could imagine the slight frown slanting his mouth as he added, Despite your first impression of me, I'm not a stalker. When I saw you in the cafeteria the day we met, it really was a coincidence.

Lily was already getting used to the seeing of message that followed one another, much similar to his custom of ranting when speaking in real life. She could practically see the smirk in his next message. Besides, it is usually the girls who follow me.

Lily rolled her eyes, but before she could compose a reply, a sequence of four new messages from him arrived: Wait, I just thought…

Maybe it wasn't a coincidence I found you…

Maybe it was...

…fate.

Her laughter rang out through her dark room as she typed back, You're ridiculous.

He didn't answer right away, so Lily decided it was time to finally force herself out of bed. By the time she finished dressing after her shower and drying her hair, his reply awaited her. Not for the first time, she could see her broad smile reflected on her phone's screen moments before she opened her inbox.

You like it, Evans.

And delusional, too.

Admit it.

No. And you never told me what I was supposed to be ready for.

"Good morning, Lily," Dorcas greeted her over top of her newspaper as the redhead took the seat across from her.

"Morning, Doe," she replied, completely enraptured in her phone. She missed how the concerned way her friend was watching her quickly shifted into a curious glance.

"What's that you got there?" inquired the blonde, her tone adopting a singsong quality that matched her knowing smile.

"Oh, nothing," Lily hedged, finally looking up from her phone.

The blonde was far too persistent to let the subject die at that. She set her newspaper down on the table and narrowed her blue eyes at her.

Lily, on the other hand, tried her best to feign interest on the newspaper, reading the headlines announcing a movie star's divorce, a protest in the city, and the disappearance of a respected investor as if they were the most interesting thing she had ever read. The attempt, however, was in vain. She could feel her friend's eyes boring into her and all too soon , Lily gave in. "Oh, all right! I'm just messaging James."

Dorcas's face lit up brighter than the beams of sunlight peeking through their clouds outside. "I knew it! I knew something was going to happen there! How long have you two been talking? And why am I just finding out now?"

Lily was at least glad that the dark mood Snape's visit brought was finally lifted. Already feeling her face growing hot, she opened her mouth to reply but her phone buzzed with his reply. Not up to admitting it yet, are you?

Lily's smile was back, and this time she was more conscious of it because there was someone around to see it. Not answering that.

That's as good as a confession.

Shut up and tell me what I'm getting ready for.

For the best coffee of your life.

Dorcas returned to her paper, giving up any prospect of talking to her roommate, particularly when the redhead's nose was almost pressed to the screen.

I hope "coffee" really means the drink and not some euphemism your dirty mind has thought of.

Dirty, Evans. So this is turning into THAT type of texting... ;)

Just tell me where to meet you.

The place where you almost killed me.

Honestly, let that go.

Never. See you there, Evans.

There was little question about James's opinion of the coffee as soon as Lily stepped through the door. The tiny shop was alive with the sound of conversation and the roar of blenders hard at work. She could hardly get past the front counter without bumping into someone, even with her efforts of shifting her body to and fro to squeeze through the gaps. When she finally managed it, she glanced around for any sign of him.

She saw him leaning casually against one of the bookshelves, completely unaware of the waitress watching him hopefully a few feet away as she straightened the displays on the shelves. Instead, his attention was stolen entirely by his phone, and judging by the way his eyes rapidly moved from side to side, he was reading something on the screen. A smile that tugged at something in her crossed his face.

"Hope I'm not interrupting something," she said just loudly enough for her voice to carry through the noise of the blending. Something told her that even if it hadn't, he would have still known she was there.

He looked up from his phone and his hand flying to his disheveled hair. "Not at all," he replied, stuffing his phone in his pocket and straightening up. His haste in putting the device away had Lily narrowing her eyes at him slightly.

"What were you looking at just now?" she asked curiously, pressing her lips together.

"Nothing," he replied so convincingly that Lily almost believed him. Her disbelief must have been apparent in her expression because he nodded toward the exit. "We should just find somewhere to sit outside. It'll be ages before we find a table in here."

He was right. There was no hope of an empty table, and even if there was, there were already people lingering around, looking hopefully at those close to finishing their drinks.

"Should we get our drinks—" she started, pointing toward the ever-growing line of people waiting to get their coffee order in. James, however, picked up two cups from the bookshelf beside him and raised them up for her to see with a grin.

"Got them before you got here. Thoughtful, I know," he said before she could. "Try not to fancy me so much right now, yeah?"

Lily rolled her eyes but felt her face grow warmer. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the waitress glaring daggers at her before marching away to the counter. Lily unsuccessfully tried to stifle a chuckle.

James frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," she replied just as innocently as he had before.

He caught on and laughed, shaking his head.

"Tit for tat," she informed him smugly.

Devilish smirk already curling his lips, James opened his mouth and Lily held up a finger. "Honestly, you're like a twelve year-old."

His laughter prompted a few people to throw them curious glances as they walked toward the exit. The tables outside were just as full as the ones inside, even when the clouds above swirled threateningly around the sun, blocking its rays from view. In the end, they found enough room to sit at the edge of large stone fountain adorning the small garden outside. It was a pleasant sort of place, the babble of the water soothing enough to make up for the darkening of the sky.

Lily took a sip of her coffee and hummed appreciatively as the silky liquid hit her throat.

"Good, isn't it?" James asked, taking a drink from his own cup.

She nodded. "Almost worth you waking me awfully early on a Saturday," she commented. "Do you come here everyday? It's a little out of the way from campus, isn't it?"

"Not really," he replied. "The last time I was here was the day we met. Shame I couldn't really have a cup that day, though."

"What were you doing here if not to get coffee, then?"

His smile slipped from his face so fast that Lily was left wondering if she had said something wrong. "I was here to meet you, obviously."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "You're absurd, did you know that?"

He smiled in return, a weak smile that was uncharacteristic to everything she had learned about him so far. "I was supposed to see my dad here that day," he finally admitted. He shrugged a shoulder. "Stood me up, though."

"Oh," was her only reply and she cringed at its inadequacy. Very tentatively, she added, "It sounds like... I mean, from the little you've told me, that you two don't particularly get along?"

James chuckled darkly at that. "Mum would love it if it were just that." He wasn't looking at her but his face remained carefully impassive. For some reason, that unsettled her more than if he looked angry or miserable. "We just ignore each other, really. At least until he wants me to do something."

There was a long silence after that, Lily struggling for something to say. "I'm sorry I brought it up."

"Nah," he said, waving a hand dismissively. He continued to stare straight ahead, his face as expressionless as he had kept it during the conversation. But upon looking closer, she could see the small cracks of emotion his expression betrayed, quite impossible to spot at first glance. The way he continuously sipped from his cup just for something to do, knuckles white from gripping it with unnecessary force, or the way his throat muscles constricted with the effort of gulping it down. She bit the inside of her cheek, fighting the urge to place her hand over his.

"I know what that's like," she offered quietly. He glanced up at her. "My sister," she explained. "We used to be really close when we were younger." Lily could already feel the knot in her throat that made itself present whenever she spoke of Petunia. "We only see each other during holidays now and even then, she refuses to speak to me if she can help it."

"What happened?"

Lily shrugged. "I never really knew exactly what changed. Everything was different when I got accepted into top private schools as a child. My parents couldn't really afford to send us both, even with all the scholarships I won. And it didn't help that they were always so proud of me, telling everyone who would listen that I was special. I think Petunia always resented that." She drew in a breath. "And it was worse when I met—" Lily caught herself just in time, "—new people and friends. We just sort of… grew apart."

It was nearly a flawless correction, save for the pause. It would have inspired no question from anyone else. The conversation would have moved forward with no doubts about what Lily intended to say first before she hastily amended herself. But James, tilting his head sideways to study her closely with warm hazel eyes that sent shivers through her body, was not fooled in the very least. He knew there was something she was hiding just like she inexplicably knew that it was her messages he was rereading and smiling so broadly about when she met him earlier.

James opened his mouth, no doubt to ask her about it, but the buzz of his phone interrupted. He glanced down at the screen and his expression hardened again. Before it could reach its fourth ring, James silenced it by pressing the "ignore" button.

This time, Lily refrained from prying, pretending not to have seen by looking at the ripples in the water beside them instead. James remained silent and, clearing her throat, she hastened to change the subject. "Anyway, that day we met? The only reason I was here was because I was running late."

James grinned and Lily was glad for the reaction. "Yeah, you told me as much that day," he said matter-of-factly. "Well, more like you yelled it at me."

Lily smiled sheepishly. "Right, I was awful, wasn't I?"

"Nah, I liked it."

Lily threw him a questioning look.

"I had finally met a bird who wouldn't put up with my shit."

She laughed. "She still won't, Potter, so watch yourself."

That earned her a smirk and Lily smiled, more out of relief that the unpleasant ambiance of before was slowly ebbing away. "As I was saying, I was running late and I took this street to try and beat traffic. I had never taken it before so I had no idea if it would work."

His grin grew wider. "See? I was right."

"Right about what?"

"It was fate." He placed unnecessary emphasis on the last word, blinking his eyes exaggeratedly at her. Lily snorted.

"It was traffic and your awful driving."

"I'm honestly not bad, Evans. It was those bloody hedges over there," he said, gesturing toward the wild, untrimmed bushes adorning the entrance of the parking lot. "Were you frightened, though?"

"The day we almost crashed? Not really. Mostly angry at the prick who didn't look both ways before entering traffic."

James nodded solemnly. "Hmm, a bloody handsome prick, mind you. One who brightens your days with his witty texts and charm, and who bought you the best coffee of your life. Imagine how dull your Saturday would have been if you hadn't met him."

Lily opened her mouth to reply but just then the barking of a dog that had just escaped its leash interrupted them. It ran as fast as its legs could carry it, ears flapping happily in the wind. A harassed looking man chased after it but before he had any hope of catching it, it jumped into the water, splashing thick droplets in their direction. Lily shrieked in surprise and jumped to her feet so quickly in her effort avoid getting wet that her coffee cup went tumbling to the ground.

The man was successful in catching the now drenched dog and reattaching its leash. He muttered an apology to them both before walking away. James, however, was too preoccupied laughing hysterically at Lily to pay any attention. "Not afraid when she is about to die in a car crash, but splash some water her way…"

"Shut up. I'm not afraid of the water," she snapped back with as much decency as she could.

"You sure, Evans? You could be a witch for all I know."

"Don't be so ridi—" she began to say, but the words transformed into a shriek of surprise when James pattered her with a handful of water.

"What are you doing? You git!" she yelled, blinking against the droplets falling to her eyes.

As innocently as he could muster, James raised his hands and said, "Just checking. I'm legitimately concerned that—" but this time it was his turn to be interrupted when Lily launched herself forward and splashed him.

"Wait, no! Hang on!" James called, putting up his hands to stop her. "If you're going to try and lose in a water fight against me," Lily shot him a dirty look, "let me just put these away." He dug in his pockets for his phone and removed his wrist watch, carefully dropping both into Lily's purse. Under the pretense of making sure the bag was securely closed, James bent low over it for a few seconds longer. "How do you close this bloody thing?"

"The zipper, Potter," she said, moving closer to take a look, but she staggered back with another shriek as he straightened abruptly, unyieldingly splashing her with both hands.

"Potter, you cheating prat!" she sputtered.

He was laughing far too loudly to hear her. In fact, he was laughing so hard, that he ceased all his movements to double over with laughter, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. Water dripping from her chin and hair, Lily took that opportunity to reach for her abandoned and now empty coffee cup on the floor. She dipped it in the pool of water, but before she could proceed any further, James seemed to realize what she was doing. "No!" he yelled, leaping to his feet a second too late. The water hit him in the face, sending his glasses askew.

"You'll pay for that one, Evans!"

Lily's shout of laughter as she ran out of his grasp startled a few birds nearby. The people sitting at the patio tables were all staring at this point, some watching them with amusement and others making their disapproval evident in their glares or shakes of their heads. The water was beginning to make them shiver, particularly when the sky returned to its usual pale grey. But neither Lily nor James cared, the former far too preoccupied with keeping her balance on the edge of the fountain as she tried to outrun him.

He was faster, of course, and had no problem in finally catching her. Ignoring her protesting yells, he scooped her in his arms. "Put me down!" she demanded, but the effect was lost amidst her giggles. With a wicked grin, James jumped into the pool of the fountain, slopping water all over the front of his trousers and Lily's boots. He treaded through the small pool, heading straight for the stream of water at the center.

"James, no!" she yelled, struggling to free herself from his grasp, but he only held on tighter. Thinking of nothing else to do, Lily yanked his glasses from his nose, taking him utterly by surprise. Mere inches away from the spurt of water, he slipped, landing unceremoniously with a loud splash, Lily's body crushing his.

"Fuck," he grunted. Lily, whose vision was obscured with her sopping hair plastered to her face, struggled to move off of him. Despite feeling her legs and back throb from the fall, she was laughing, the sound carried by the wind that started to pick up around them.

James watched her with an amused smirk of his own. "You okay?"

"Honestly," an angry voice said from behind them before she could reply. They turned to see an older woman in an apron glaring at them, hands at her hips.

"Sorry," Lily mumbled, jumping to her feet with difficulty, her soaked clothes weighing her down.

James, however, looked unapologetic as he gracefully hopped to his feet. He shot the woman a smirk she no doubt found insolent, judging by the way her lips paled. "Nice coffee shop," he commented briskly. The woman made no reply, looking as though she was counting the seconds before they disappeared from her sight. "Should probably rethink the fountain, though. Can't have innocent customers just falling in, can you? It really is a safety hazard."

Before she could reply, Lily pulled him out of the fountain by the arm, throwing her one last apologetic glance. James tipped an invisible hat to the woman, adding a wink for good measure as Lily grabbed her purse and dragged him to the parking lot.

Once out of the eyesight of the many spectators, the ridiculousness of it all seemed to seep in and they burst out laughing. "We'll be lucky if we're ever allowed back here again."

James shrugged, unconcerned. "Odds are she won't remember my face."

"I'd remember your face."

Just like she expected, he grinned at her, his hand flying to his wet hair. His cheeks, she noticed, betrayed a tinge of color that she had never noticed before. The sight, even if faint, thrilled her more than it should have. James opened his mouth to comment, but stopped, his arm shooting in front of Lily to stop her progress just as she was about to cross the lot.

A dark SUV recklessly raced past them and out of the parking lot, making a sharp right into the intersection. James let his arm drop and let out a low whistle as he watched it go. "Still think I'm a horrid driver when there's tossers like those?"

Lily nodded seriously. "Yes, you're still pretty awful." She looked down at her drenched clothes. "My opinion of you has only worsened now that you've gotten me all wet."

That devilish smirk she was growing so accustomed to pulled at his mouth. "You know, usually, that has the opposite—"

"Oh, shut it," she told him before he could suggest anything else though she was laughing.

They stopped at the door of his car and finally taking a look at him, she realized she still clutched his eyeglasses in her hand.

"Here," she said, stepping close to slip them back into place. His eyes never left hers as she did and a chill that had nothing to do with the wind ran through her.

"Fuck," he murmured, verbalizing exactly what Lily was thinking.

"What?" she asked anyway.

He flashed her a lopsided smile that made her stomach swoop pleasantly. "You look hideous," he informed her.

Lily rolled her eyes, ready to swat his arm playfully, but he moved first. Very gently, his fingers caught a stray piece of red hair falling to her face. Her breath caught in her throat and, standing very still, she allowed her eyes to flutter closed at his touch as he tucked it behind her ear. When she opened her eyes, he was closer to her than he had ever been before. If she took just one more step forward, their noses could touch, their foreheads, their lips…

Her purse vibrated, and, startled, she stumbled back. James reached out to steady her, guarded amusement dancing in his features. Feeling embarrassed for the reaction, she dug into the bag and retrieved, not her phone, but James's.

"Oh, forgot this was in here," she said, glancing briefly at the screen. It lit up with an incoming message from "R. Potter." Lily glanced away immediately, reminding herself it was none of her business, but her mind had taken in the words anyway.

Stop being a child. Prewett is gone now. CALL ME.

James, smile fading away, took it from her hand at once.

"Sorry," she mumbled immediately, her stomach already twisting with shame.

But James wasn't listening, his eyes scanning the phone's screen. "Shit," he muttered, sliding his fingers swiftly across the screen. Lily assumed he dialed someone because he pressed the phone to his ear. "On my way," was all he said when the other person answered. The person's reply was far longer than James expected because he listened, impatiently tapping his foot on the cement, eyes shutting closed. "Right… I get it… Yes… Yes…I'm not an idiot. I know—" he was interrupted by the other person. Lily could see him clenching his fist at his side. His face pale with silent rage, he said, "Just tell Mum I'll be there in twenty minutes," and hung up.

"James—" Lily started, utterly mystified.

"I've got to go," he told her, already unlocking his car. He paused to look at her, all traces of humor long gone from his face. "Get home safely, all right?"

Lily said nothing, watching him with anxious eyes.

He must have seen how worried she was because his expression softened. "Nothing's wrong, honest. I'll message you later tonight."

Lily didn't quite believe him but before she could say so, he gave her a faint smile and started to climb inside his car. Right as he was about to close the door, however, she called, "Be careful."

James stuck his head out to look at her. "Last time I wasn't, I met you," he pointed out.

"James, I'm serious."

His smile was far more genuine this time. "I'll be all right, Evans," he assured her. "Promise. Just get home safely and look forward to my text, yeah?"

"Git."

James winked in response and finally shut the door of his car. Lily heaved a sigh, shivering slightly from the wind that swept through her damp hair, as she watched him drive off.

A/N: Promise things will make sense! I just want these two to really get to know each other because, unlike in the original story, they don't know each other since they were eleven :(

As always, thank you if you decide to review.

Also, I might be posting some extra stuff on the blog so don't forget to check it: saywhen dot tumblr dot com

Until next time,

Bree

xx