Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter of this story. Another thanks goes out to everyone who put me on their story alert list. I would love to hear from you guys too! Without you guys, this chapter wouldn't have been possible. Good or bad, those reviews will help. I think I'm going to take an idea that another author has on its site. For every review I get, I will send each and every one of you a preview of the next chapter. So, let me know what you think and last but not least enjoy chapter 2!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

...

For the first time ever, Lily woke up in her guest room. She opened her eyes slowly, stretching her body and taking in her surroundings. Rolling over, she was met with a shock of messy black hair with a masculine arm wrapped around her waist and last night's events suddenly rushed back into her memory.

All of it, every excruciating detail made its way to the forefront of her mind as she replayed the scene in her head. Her waiting for Alex, the way he stood her up and how she had found comfort in her roommate's arms. That part was especially fresh in her mind.

Lily could now appreciate the real meaning of "birthday sex."

It had been unlike anything she had ever shared with Alex. Her boyfriend had always been so careful with her, as if she was made of glass. Together she and Alex had been, at best, compatible, but nowhere near the level of passion Lily now knew was possible.

With James, all pretenses were abandoned. There were no real feelings involved. What she and James shared was nothing short of raw lust and part of Lily knew she would never be completely satisfied with nothing less ever again.

Lily had been so lost in thought she hadn't heard James stirring next her. Panic coursed through Lily, knowing she wasn't prepared to face him just yet. What would she say? What would he say?

She felt a tiny bit of remorse for her actions but it was hard to feel guilty when she had experienced the most incredible pleasure of her life. As the memories replayed in her head, she could feel herself blushing. But she knew she had to act fast if she wanted to avoid the awkward post sex talk.

Not wasting another second, Lily slid out of the bed and searched for her dress on the floor and quietly crept out of the room. To her relief, James remained fast asleep.

Lily stood out in the hall, unsure of what to do, when a sound from the front door startled her from her thought process.

Lily watched as the door popped open and she found herself face to face with none other than Alex.

...

Lily and Alex stared at each other for a full minute before Alex spoke. He took a tentative step toward her, sensing the chill between them. Alex knew he had done something horrible to her but he was desperate to explain the circumstances.

"Lily, I am so sorry, last night I was on my way to come pick you up when I got a call from my mom. She was home with my dad last night when he started having a heart attack, and my mom rushed him to the hospital and she called me on her way. I just forgot everything else and I met her there. It was really bad and for awhile they didn't think he was going to make it at first but he ended up pulling through."

Guilt seeped through every pore in Lily's body. She didn't know what to say, here she was, now a cheater, and her boyfriend had been at the hospital while she had given into her passion with James.

She tried to make sense of it. "I tried calling you last night, but I got your voicemail."

Alex nodded. "I know, I checked my phone at one point and had seen that you called but by the time I found a minute to call you back my phone had died and then my dad started having problems again. I know that's a pretty poor excuse, but I'm so sorry, I know how much you love celebrating your birthday. Can you ever forgive me?" He finished his story, silent tears falling down his cheeks. Lily had never seen Alex look so distraught.

He was asking for forgiveness. Any other time, Lily would have appreciated the irony, but the weight of her guilt was starting to make her ill. She thought of the sleeping man in the room nearby and knew she couldn't say anything without talking to him first.

"Of course I forgive you Alex, there's nothing to forgive really. It's your father. Family always comes first." Alex smiled at his girlfriend's forgiving nature and went to her side.

"I love you so much Lily. And you are my family too. Don't ever forget that." He smiled at her, bending down and kissing her sweetly.

Lily's mind screamed at her in agony but it was nothing compared to what she saw when she broke away from her boyfriend's lips.

James Potter staring back at them, his curious gaze burning a hole into Lily.

...

The moment between the three of them was definition of awkward. Even Alex felt uneasy but was unsure why. He glanced from his girlfriend to his roommate and he had the odd feeling like he had missed something. But he shrugged off the feeling and attributed it to his lack of sleep.

To say James was confused was an understatement. He had just woken up after an amazing night with his beautiful roommate to find his bed empty. James didn't find that unusual, he thought things might be a little awkward at first. He had laid in bed, reminiscing about the previous night, the hours he had spent with Lily, reveling in the passion they had shared. It had been a relief to finally act on the fantasies they had harbored for months. He had been delighted to discover that her red headed passion had proved to be an excellent quality in a lover.

But for once James felt himself uncharacteristically at a loss for words when he stumbled upon Lily and Alex kissing in the hall. He didn't know what to feel really. Lily was still technically Alex's boyfriend but wasn't this the same man that had stood her up the night before? This man absence was the sole reason Lily had thrown caution to the wind and gave into her desire with James.

But what happened now? James couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Hey Alex, I see you made it home. Where were you last night?" James glanced at Lily and could see remorse pooling in her emerald eyes.

Alex had the grace to look guilty. "Yeah I was on my way home last night, but my dad had a heart attack and I met my mom at the hospital. I tried to call Lily but my phone died before I had the chance."

The reason behind Lily's guilty eyes was clear. Even James felt a twinge of guilt at Alex's story. But on the other hand, James's night with Lily had only stoked the fire the two of them had been building for months and he didn't want extinguish it.

He could feel Lily's eyes silently pleading with him to keep quiet and for her sake he did.

But he was not one to give in without a fight.

...

Lily felt her world spinning out of control. One minute she was mad beyond reason at her boyfriend, only to feel like a complete disgrace the next. How could this have happened? She glanced nervously between Alex and James and she could feel herself holding her breath.

She was relieved when Alex declared he needed to take a shower to wash the night off of him and further excused himself from Lily, making his way into the bathroom.

Once the door was shut, James turned his gaze back towards Lily and opened his mouth to say something but stopped at the sight of Lily shaking her head furiously at him. She made a motion for him to follow her into his bedroom and without hesitation he obliged.

He was about to say something again when Lily cut him off with a statement she had obviously rehearsed in her head the moment before.

"Last night was a mistake." Lily felt the gravity of the situation weigh down her and she felt it was best if they just ignored it. If they swept this under the rug there was no reason things couldn't go back to the way they were before.

James was taken aback, but only for a moment.

"Maybe it was technically a mistake, since you thought Alex stood you up, but come on Lily, this thing or whatever you want to call it, has been going on for months between us. Alex's absence confirmed it." James smirked when he seen Lily bristle at his statement.

"It doesn't matter why it happened. Nothing has to change. Alex would be heartbroken if I told him what I did." Lily frowned at the thought.

"And what about me?" James snapped back at her.

"What about you?"

"If I'm not mistaken last night was pretty amazing." James took a step closer to Lily, determined to bridge the gap she had created between them. "Passion like that doesn't happen every day. I think it would be a mistake if we ignored it."

Lily glared at him in disbelief. "There is nothing to ignore because there is nothing between us. We had a one night stand, one that should have never happened in the first place. I have a boyfriend and you are my roommate. That's it." Lily spoke with finality in her voice and turned away from James as she made to leave the room.

But James wasn't about to let her go that easily. He quickly grabbed Lily's arm as she turned away from him and he heard her gasp. Without wasting a second he pressed his lips to hers, determined to prove to her that there was something there, even if she was too stubborn to admit it.

Lily struggled against him in his arms. Her mind shouted at her, reprimanded her for allowing this to happen but her body begged her to continue. Lust eventually fogged her mind long enough to for her to stop struggling in his arms and Lily felt James's lips form into a smirk against hers.

James let her go, chuckling as he did. "Now what were you saying?"

Lily frowned at him, disappointed in herself. "You are so arrogant."

James overlooked the statement. "Do you really want to go back to the way things were before?"

"It's not like there are any other options James. I have a boyfriend and the last time I checked being faithful was considered a pretty big deal."

James considered her. He could tell she was going to dig in her heels no matter what he said. So he silently made a deal with himself. He wasn't going to tell her what she what was missing. He would show her.

He shrugged his shoulders and raised his hand, bringing it closer to her face, and quickly brushed his fingertips against her cheek, and before she could react, he gently pushed her out of his bedroom.

Lily looked up at him in shock and he could only smile slightly at her reaction. "Fine, have it your way Lily."

And with that he slammed the door shut, leaving Lily out in the hall once again, her hand mindlessly tracing the spot where James's finger had just caressed her skin, leaving a burning desire in their wake.

...

Lily was in hell. Her own personal hell, a place where her mind and body fought constantly. And she could see no end in sight.

It had been a week since the "incident" and instead of her memories of that night with James growing duller, it was as if her mind was revolting and Lily found herself having constant flashbacks of that night. She tried to block them from her mind, and tried to redirect her thoughts to a safer place but her conscience seemed to attack her when she was most vulnerable.

Lily didn't know how much longer she would be able to keep this secret. She had never been good at lying and wasn't sure how to act around Alex. She tried her best to act normal, but she was terrified he would notice something sooner than later. She knew he would find it odd when she kept avoiding his advances. But Lily just wasn't ready to be with Alex again, especially when she knew how good sex really could be. She felt guilty for dissuading him but she just wasn't ready. Her mind seemed to be focused on James.

It didn't help that James seemed to be taking great pleasure in making sure Lily didn't forget their night. Every time she turned around in her little apartment, he was always there, his knowing smile in place. He never said anything in front of Alex, but his constant smirks and "accidental" brushes against Lily were driving her crazy. James also appeared to have forgotten how to wear a shirt, for every time Lily ran into him in the hall he was half dressed as though waiting for her to walk in on him. She always made a point to glare at him but James could see through her careful facade. He was waiting for the day when the two of them would be alone again, something Lily made sure never happened.

Lily didn't want to know what would happen if she was left alone with James again. Her mind had a vague idea but she always pushed the thought out of her head and tried to concentrate on Alex. Although she was finding that harder to do, now that she knew how much passion, or lack thereof, she and Alex were missing in their relationship.

Early Monday morning, Lily stumbled into the kitchen, scrounging around for something to eat for breakfast. She finally decided cereal was her best bet, and was looking for milk in the refrigerator when she felt someone behind her.

"Looking for this?"

Lily's senses went into overdrive as she turned around to see James standing behind her, half dressed as usual, and holding the carton of milk in his hand. James being much taller than she was, held it over head, out of reach, and his smile dared her to come closer.

Lily wasn't in the mood to play his games. "Not anymore."

James's smirk grew wider. "Really? You're going to eat your cereal dry? I can tell you from experience it's much better wet."

Lily almost lost it right there. Her knees buckled as she backed up against the kitchen counter. "Why are you doing this to me? You could go out right now and have any girl on campus. Why do insist on torturing me?"

James's smile faltered for a brief moment. "I don't want any girl on campus. I want you."

Lily scoffed. "Well that's too bad. I'm already taken."

James took a swift step closer to her. "We'll see about that."

Lily was thankful that, for the moment, Alex was still asleep in their room. But the danger of almost being caught excited James as leaned towards Lily, pressing his body against hers, the milk still out of reach.

That action almost broke Lily's resolve right then and there. The sensation of having his body pressed up against hers was extraordinary. Almost instantly her mind went back to that night, when no clothes had separated them and they had been free to explore each other.

Fire danced in her veins as she mutely struggled to break free from his embrace. But the harder she fought, the harder he held on. James could see the internal struggle in her beautiful green eyes and was sure she was about to break. He dipped his head lower and brushed his lips against hers and was satisfied to hear her whimper.

It was only when Lily heard a noise from the other room that she brought back to her senses. Quickly she shoved James away as hard as she could. She could hear him quietly chuckling under his breath and she turned her head to glare at him.

Lily's head was still spinning from the previous moment when Alex finally made his way to the kitchen. He smiled and gave Lily a brief kiss before sitting down at the table. Lily saw out the corner of her eye, James roll his eyes but instead of leaving the room he sat down at the table next to table. He grinned at her when Alex's head was behind the newspaper. James loved making her squirm Lily made a face and turned away from Alex in order to disguise the desire she was sure was written on her face.

Alex finished reading the paper and looked up at Lily, who had her back turned to him.

"Hey Lils...?"

Lily took a deep breath and turned herself around. "Yeah."

"I called my mom this morning and I just wanted to let you know that I'm not going to be here Friday night. My dad's coming home from the hospital and I told my mom I'd help her get him settled. I figured I'd spend the night there in case she needed me."

Lily knew she couldn't be trusted alone, with James. She glanced at James, whose smirk had found its way back onto his face. Her mind worked frantically to avoid this. "Well, how about I come with you? I can help."

Alex smiled at her, unaware of course, of her true intentions. "That's sweet Lils, but it's going to be really boring and tedious. Besides, don't you have that huge English Lit project due on Friday? You can use the time alone to finish it."

Lily couldn't think of another comeback, so she shrugged her shoulders in defeat. She was about to say something else when James cut her off.

"If you need any help on the English project Lils, I would be more than happy to help. I took that class last semester. After all, two minds are better than one." James grinned widely at her, elated that he and Lily would finally be alone again.

Lily fought the urge to swear at him, knowing Alex would find it odd.

"That's okay. I think I've got it under control."

James raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you?" And with that he stood up from the table and made his way to his bedroom.

Lily felt shaky as she finally sat down at the table looking at her bowl of forgotten cereal. Alex buried his head in the paper again and Lily sat there, her mind panicking.

She knew she couldn't avoid James all the day Friday, but the bigger question was, did she even want to?

...

So how was it? Don't forget, if you review I will send you a preview of chapter 3!