Chapter Eight
"Lily, this is Anaïs," James said. "She's a… friend of mine."
Lily sat at the rickety dining table James had set up with three fold-out chairs, a plate of eggs and fried ham in front of her. Ever since James' "lady friend" had emerged from his room in a silk, lavender nightie, Lily couldn't take her eyes off her.
It wasn't the fact that Anaïs was just as tall as James, which was quite a feat considering he was over six feet tall, nor was it the fact that she was Spanish, with dark skin and ebony hair. Her skimpy nightdress didn't even faze Lily. It was the fact that she was clearly older. Much older.
Lily stared at her for much longer than was comfortable, examining the lines at the corners of Anaïs' eyes and lips. When Anaïs accepted a glass of milk James poured for her, Lily noticed that she wore a sparkly ring on her left ring finger. Lily's eyes narrowed.
James sat at the third folded out chair, a plastic neon green one that creaked when he plopped down in it. He took Anaïs' hand for a moment and squeezed it – the one without the ring. He smiled awkwardly at Lily, obviously awaiting her reaction. So it wasn't just Lily that thought it was weird.
Lily wracked her brain for an incriminating question to ask, but thinking it too rude to blurt out 'How old are you?' or 'Are you married?,' she settled on asking, with a strained smile, "So, how did you two meet?"
Anaïs was mid-chew, so James answered. Lily hadn't even heard her voice yet.
"Anaïs is a waitress at a coffee shop nearby. You know, the one at the corner of Giblon and Shasta?"
Lily perked up a bit and answered, "The Green House?"
"Yes!" Anaïs said, smiling. Her answer revealed a slight Spanish accent and a row of beautiful, white teeth.
"I just go in there a lot," James said, shrugging, trying to seem casual.
"He loves my espressos," Anaïs said fondly. "I put the steamed milk at the bottom."
Lily wanted to shout 'But James hates coffee!' Obviously this was some sort of weird, fetishized conquest, and poor Anaïs had to be the one James took advantage of.
James, again, took Anaïs' hand and squeezed it. What was with all the hand-squeezing? It was making Lily nauseous.
"I was kind of drunk after that party last night, so I drunk-dialed Anaïs and she took care of me," James said, and the couple shared a laugh. Lily couldn't muster up the energy to be amused with them. Drunk-dialed? Drunk-dialing implied wanting to talk to a specific person during your most uninhibited state. It also meant James and Anaïs must talk a lot. Lily couldn't riddle it out.
"Cute." Lily looked at an imaginary watch on her arm. "Well, I better get going! I have some more sleeping to do."
"More sleeping? But it is seven in the evening!" Anaïs exclaimed. She looked genuinely worried for Lily, like she might get up and start making Lily an espresso of her own.
Lily simply smiled and left, clapping James on the back as she walked past him. He got up and followed her to the door, politely telling Anaïs he would be right back. At the doorway, Lily spun on James, an incredulous frown on her face. "Who the hell is that?!"
"I know what you're thinking, but Anaïs is special," James said. "Wow, that sounded flowery. But it's true! I really like her."
"This is some fucked-up Oedipus complex shit," Lily muttered.
"Hey! She's only… okay, so she's a little older than Mom. But 42 looks good on her!"
"Oh my god, James. You're 20. You're literally half her age, plus some." Lily was astonished. James was young, handsome, and talented. He could get any girl he wanted, and he wanted a middle-aged, possibly married, woman?
"Who cares? I like her," he repeated. "Besides, you're 13. What do you even know about love?"
"I'm 15!" Lily exclaimed, realizing as she said it how childish it still sounded.
"Get out of my flat, Lima Bean," he said, shoving her out. He gave her a quick wave before closing the door on her.
Lily huffed and began her long walk back home.
Lily's head was still spinning from meeting Anaïs when she arrived back at the girl's dormitory.
James and Anaïs. Philip and Ava. Scorpius and Rose. Was there ever anything such as a "normal" couple? Did it even exist?
Being with Scorpius made sense to her. They vibed well together. Scorpius was ditzy and it didn't annoy Lily – it made her laugh. Scorpius mixed up words and used them for the wrong thing, like saying "I confer!" instead of "I concur!" And Lily was never condescending, she just giggled and corrected him. And he never took offense. Scorpius talked and talked about nothing and everything until Lily was sighing or laughing or maybe even gazing at him lovingly, and she fit so well because she listened and knew just what to say back. She knew this because he would smile and look at her, so relieved at her acceptance.
Lily recalled one night when he told her she made him feel not so lonely anymore. They were the same.
When Lily entered her room, a blonde-headed someone was sitting on the edge of her bed.
"'Dear Lily,'" Dominique began to read right as she entered. Her cousin sat there in knee-high socks, a short black skirt, and a crop top. She held a letter in her hand, and she was apparently reading from it to Lily. Lily paused at the door, unsure as to what was happening, but nervous because she knew it was probably something bad.
"What is that?" Lily asked hesitantly.
"'I need to see you. I don't know what happened last night, but you disappeared and I don't know why.'"
"Is that – ?"
Dominique's tone turned from playful to mean: "Let me continue! This is where it gets good. 'Come by my dorm tonight. Love, Scorpius.'"
Lily darted forward and lunged for the paper, but Dom was fast. She whipped the paper behind her back, and pushed Lily roughly by her shoulder. Lily stumbled back and tripped over her own discarded shoes, landing on her arse. She looked up to see Dominique standing over her.
"How much of a heartless bitch can you be?" Dominique spat. She held up the letter and ripped it down the middle, then into fourths, and so on. "Rose is your family. And this is how you repay her?"
Lily rolled her eyes. Like Dominique wouldn't have fucked Scorpius the first chance she got. And of course, there was the obvious, new information that made Lily's heart race and her eyes smart. Philip. She felt like it was a betrayal, even though Dominique hadn't technically done anything wrong.
Dominique hadn't slept with Philip while he had been with Ava. Well, according to Philip… and he wasn't exactly known for his honestly.
What if he had been with them both, within the same night? Philip had told her she was special. Probably another lie. For that, she hated Dominique Weasley.
"Scorpius will always love Rose. He's just confused. You think you're stealing him away or something? Look at you. You're not even pretty," Dominique leered. She threw the shredded letter over Lily like confetti. Lily quickly sat up and scrambled to her feet.
"I get it. Rose and Scorpius are the fucking Golden Couple," Lily retorted. She had no response to anything else her cousin had said, because maybe it was all true. "Why is no one mad at Scorpius? It takes two to tango."
"Because Scorpius isn't family. You're supposed to be a Weasley, and instead you're breaking your family apart," Dominique said. She almost sounded emotional, like it had hurt her personally.
"Please, don't be so dramatic," Lily said, but her throat was closing up. She wanted to say so many things, but she couldn't get her words in order. She wanted to say that Scorpius was family. She wanted to say that Scorpius had treated her better than Dominique or Rose ever had.
"You broke Rose's heart. That's on you, Lily. If you meet up with Scorpius tonight, don't expect anyone to take your side when things blow up in your face," Dominique spat. She looked Lily up and down and then added, "By the way, you look like shit. Even more than usual."
Dominique stalked past Lily, bumping her shoulder hard on the way out. She slammed the door behind her, leaving her alone with her poisoned thoughts. How could Rose stand that bitch? How could Philip have ever stood her? She probably acted like a porn star in bed, that's how.
Lily stood and looked at all the little, ripped pieces of paper surrounding her. What time was she supposed to meet him? Because it wasn't even a question of going. If things fell apart, they would be on her terms. Putting her clothes back on at Philip's, she had felt a sense of shame, a lowness she had never experienced before. And the only person she had wanted to see was Scorpius.
No matter what people said about him loving Rose, or using Lily because he was confused, or how she was being a selfish bitch because of what she wanted – who she wanted – she knew, more than anything, that she needed to see Scorpius. Now.
Rose stared at her costume from the night before, crumpled on the ground beside her bed. Ever since she had returned home, stripped down to nothing, and slid under the covers, drunk for the first time in her life, she hadn't stopped crying all through the night. Hours ago, she had seen the light creeping in through the blinds, and tears still fell down her cheeks without any sign of stopping.
Scorpius had looked at her like a person, he always did. Everyone looked at her like a celebrity, or a prop, or a doll. Just someone who was smart who stood in her parents' shadow. People didn't see her personality, and she wondered sometimes if she even had one. She just did what others said, and acted the way people expected her to.
Halloween night, she was alive for the first time. Her veins hummed and her skin was covered in a cold sweat from dancing. The only time she felt warm was when Scorpius danced with her, holding her close.
Rose discovered the horrible truth, and it hurt more than anything. She still loved him. Scorpius had deceived her, cheated on her, and she still loved him. The even worse horrible truth – even when Scorpius thought he loved her, he never really had, because she had never been herself. She had never lived as herself, only as what others wanted her to be.
She stared at the high heels on the floor, one on its side by the dresser, one standing up by the bed. She had been someone new the night before, but it was too late for Scorpius to see the real Rose, whoever that was. Scorpius looked at her like a person the night before, and it reminded her that she could be one.
Scorpius had pulled away from her at the end of the song, looked around distractedly, and told her had to go. Then Rose went home, stripped down to nothing, crawled under the covers, and cried until the morning. She still loved him, and he was gone.
Dominique suddenly came into the room, looking flushed and angry.
"That fucking cunt! Get up, right now!" Dom started rustling through Rose's trunk, throwing clothes on the ground. "Come on, get up! We are going to get Scorpius back. Lily isn't going to get away with this."
"What?" Rose groggily sat up, holding her blanket up over her chest.
"You're going to seduce Scorpius, to get him back. Lily doesn't deserve him! You do! You two love each other!" Dominique was panting, red-faced throughout her furious rant. "Scorpius just isn't seeing clearly, and he's making a huge mistake. You could have him back, Rose. You could get him back just like that," Dominique continued, snapping her fingers.
"He's moved on, Dom. He went after her last night," Rose said, feeling defeated.
"But – but I saw you two dancing! It was fire! I'm talking undeniable chemistry," her cousin argued. She approached Rose, looking a bit cautious now. "Rose, I can tell you're unhappy, ever since you two broke it off. But you could be happy again. Come on." She set the clothes she had picked out for Rose at the foot of the bed.
Rose sighed and reached out, grabbing the green sweater at the top of the pile. Scorpius had gotten her that sweater for Christmas last year. He told her he loved her in green. He told her he loved her, period. Her eyes pooled with tears and she rolled her eyes to the ceiling, trying to hold them back.
Now that she was free to be herself, whoever that was, would Scorpius love her again?
"Turn around," Rose ordered.
"Oh, come on," Dom complained, but turned around anyways.
Rose put on the clothes she had been ordered to, then told Dom she could turn around again. This time, when she turned back around, she was grinning.
"Now come on. I'm doing your makeup!"
Rose sighed but followed her excited cousin to the bathroom. She already felt a little better.
Lily knocked on Scorpius' door as soon as it materialized before her.
Barely three seconds passed before the door swung open and she was met with one of the brightest smiles she had ever seen on Scorpius.
"You came," he said breathlessly. He looked her over. "Come in."
He stepped aside and Lily entered. Now she was the one who was breathless. On Scorpius' dresser were two cups and several lit candles. A single lily was placed in a skinny crystal vase. Lily spun on him.
"You're despicable," she said, grinning. He grinned back.
"I was going for romantic, but I'll take it," he quipped. He took her hand and led her over to the table. He took one of the drinks and handed it to her, then took the other for himself.
"What is this?" Lily asked, staring down into the milky, pink liquid.
Scorpius blushed. "It's a Pink Rabbit. The drink, from the song. I just, I looked it up and thought we should try it."
Lily was quiet for several moments, staring down into the drink, scared to look up at Scorpius.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Is it dumb?"
"No," Lily said, her voice cracking. She cleared her through and looked up at him, her blue eyes shining. "No, it's not dumb at all."
Scorpius beamed.
They clinked glasses and drank.
Almost simultaneously, they pulled away from their drinks and made identical faces of disgust.
"What is in this thing?" Lily gasped, the strong burn of alcohol gathering at the base of her throat.
Scorpius laughed, half-choking as he did so. "It's strawberry milk, tequila, and Kahlua."
"Oh, Merlin! That sounds as good as it tastes," Lily giggled, shaking her head.
"I'm sorry! I'd never tried it before! It was more of a gesture, anyway," Scorpius defended.
"Well, I don't want to waste it…" Lily gave him a sly smile.
"Here, I'll hold your nose, and then you hold mine," Scorpius suggested. Lily nodded her assent. He stepped toward her, plugging her nose and biting his lip. Lily tilted the drink back and chugged. They laughed as she pulled away, gasping.
"Your turn!" Lily said. She took another step forward, leaned a bit up on her tiptoes, and plugged his nose. He started drinking just as she began to quietly chant, "Chug, chug, chug." Scorpius pulled away sputtering when he was finished.
"I'm tipsy already," he said, setting his cup down. She followed suit and agreed that, yes, she was tipsy, too. He paused, looking at her deeply. His eyes flicked down and back up, suddenly full of an emotion Lily couldn't place. "Where did you go last night? Someone told me you left with a guy." He sounded hurt. Lily's throat immediately closed up.
"I left with Lenny. Nothing happened," she said, although she wasn't completely sure something hadn't. But the alcohol was making her braver, too, and she said, "I saw you with Rose."
Scorpius' expression hardened. "I danced with Rose. Nothing happened."
They stood in silence for a moment, not meeting each other's eyes.
"Can we just…" Lily trailed off.
"Snog?" he quickly suggested. Lily looked up in surprise, just in time to glimpse his head dipping towards hers. She darted away.
"You're too smooth," Lily accused, smiling.
"I love your smile," Scorpius said.
"Again! You have no shame!" Lily laughed. Scorpius lunged for her just as she turned to run away, catching her around the waist and spinning her around. "Let me down!" she squealed.
"Never!" he proclaimed, just as he did, in fact, set her back on her feet. She spun around and threw her arms around his neck.
"You're so dumb," she said.
"The dumbest," he agreed. He dropped his head into the crook of her neck, taking a deep breath in. When he spoke again, his voice was low, "I was so worried. I didn't know where you went. All night I was wondering…"
"You had nothing to worry about. You never will, with me," Lily said quietly. He pulled his head away slightly, just enough that their noses brushed.
The moments before she kissed Scorpius seemed to drag on to Lily, and this moment seemed to last a lifetime. But when his lips met hers, she forgot that time existed at all. With each kiss, she was comforted more and more, her confidence rising until she was tugging at his hair and biting his lip.
Scorpius pulled away a bit to tell her, "I know it was only one night, but I missed you. We could have had fun."
Lily grinned against his lips. "What kind of fun?" she replied mischievously.
"Don't tease me…" he groaned. He kissed her again, deeply. The temperature seemed to rise, and tone changing to something more passionate. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He stumbled forward until her back hit the wall by his door.
Lily squirmed in his arms, his fingers kneading her arse, her hands scrambling to take off his shirt. Finally, she got his shirt pulled out from where it was trapped under her thighs gripping his sides. He pulled away for a quick moment to tug his shirt off over his head and throw it to the floor dramatically.
"Oh, my Casanova!" Lily pretended to swoon.
"Shut up," he said self-consciously, covering his nipples with his palms and rolling his eyes.
"No! Let me see," she said, gently pulling his hands away. His skin was porcelain, and he had the lightest chest hair she'd ever seen. His stomach was lightly defined and firm, and she felt dumb thinking it, but he had the cutest little belly button she had ever seen. Impulsively, she stuck her finger in it and giggled.
"Okay, you're seriously killing the mood," he said, laughing. He pulled her finger away and returned his hands to her butt, pulling her closer and returning her lips to his. They continued to kiss until the heat built once again, and Lily was panting as he grinded his hips into her.
"Your turn," he said breathlessly, tugging at her shirt. He held her up away from the wall for a couple of seconds while she shed her shirt, no bra underneath. She jokingly covered her nipples like he had, but he slammed her back against the wall and kissed her neck, no longer in the joking mood.
Her hands returned to his bare back. She dug her nails in and experimentally scratched. His breath hitched and he bucked against her excitedly. "I want you," he moaned. "Now."
"Now," she repeated, dumbly. She couldn't quite believe what was happening. Was she awake? Was this real? Was Scorpius really pinning her to the wall, his erection pressing into her arse cheeks?
He set her down and they stared at each other for a silent moment, the only noise their quick breaths, their heart beats refusing to slow down. "Jeans off," he ordered. Lily unbuttoned her jeans and struggled to pull them down until she finally kicked them off. All she wore now was black, lacy underwear. He looked her over, his eyes hungry.
"Now you," Lily said, trying to muster up the same commanding presence he now had. But her voice was shaky with nerves and eagerness. He listened anyway, pulling off his trousers and his pants. She stared, wide-eyed, down at his crotch. "Oh, my god," she whispered without meaning too.
Scorpius flashed a smug smile and said, "Thanks." He picked her up again, her legs swinging to wrap around his waist, like she was nothing. He walked her over to the bed and set her down, falling on top of her and smothering her with more kisses.
His hand rubbed over her clit through her underwear, and then roamed a little too far to the side. "To the left," she muttered between kisses. He listened and kept the swirling pressure there, until she was moaning too much to kiss at all. Her open mouth rested against his, his eyebrows pulled together in a look of pain that she recognized as pleasure.
Scorpius practically ripped her panties off, pulling them down to her knees in a swift wrenching motion. She wriggled her hips until they were the rest of the way off. Scorpius pulled away a bit to look, and if Lily wasn't so turned on, she would've smacked him for the stupid, smug look on his face.
Lily knew he was about to say something stupid, so she pulled his face down to kiss her again, and in an act that surprised both of them, pushed him off her and guided him onto his back. She kicked her leg over his waist and settled herself just over his cock. She locked eyes with him, asking him a silent question. He answered by placing his hands on her waist and pulling her down, just the slightest bit, so that he was nudging at her opening.
Lily took his dick in her hand, rubbing it around her pussy to make sure it was lubricated, and then lowered herself just an inch. His face was blank as he entered her, and their eyes stayed locked.
Lily lowered herself slowly, and his face stayed blank, the only response was his fingers digging painfully into her hips. She wiggled a bit and finally, his eyelids dropped halfway and he let out a sigh.
"Oh, fuck," he whispered. Lily leaned forward and rested one hand on his chest, beginning to ride him slowly, her arse lifting up until he was barely inside her, and then sinking leisurely back down to take all of him. After a few careful moments, he began to meet her thrust for thrust, lifting his hips up.
All of the emotion she had ever felt for him, without warning, crashed together from all ends of her body, every sparking nerve in-between her legs, and every thought of love in her mind, gathering into a warm feeling in her chest that built with each thrust. Her eyes shined with tears that didn't fall, and she tried to communicate all the love she felt for him with just a single look.
Her sentimental side began to melt away as her lust grew, and when he suddenly slapped her arse, her vision blurred too much for coherent sight, and she began to fuck him as fast as she could. Scorpius made a noise like a growl and wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her toward him until their chests touched, her face nuzzled into his neck. He flipped her over, his dick leaving her for a moment.
"I want to make you cum," Scorpius said, guiding himself back into her once she was on her back. Her face flooded with heat, unsure of what to say back. She decided not to reply at all. "Tell me when you do. I want to hear you tell me when you're cumming," he continued, pumping into her faster and faster, his elbows bent on either side of her head.
"When?" she questioned.
"Don't be cheeky," he said against her ear, playfully biting it.
"Cheeky," she repeated, slapping his arse. They shared a short laugh, but all humor melted away as he began to fuck her harder. He bumped her cervix and she shouted, and he dumbly apologized, but they kept at it. She scratched her nails down back, which seemed to send him into a frenzy. Each thrust resounded in the loud slap of his balls against her, and she wondered how it didn't hurt him.
He took one elbow away from beside her head and began to rub her clitoris, not exactly with the most precision, but enough to make her orgasm build until she was gasping and crying out. Her eyes filled with tears and she felt her pulse all over her body, especially between her legs.
He pulled his face back up from where the crown of his head had been resting against her chest, and they managed one sloppy kiss, moving too rapidly to snog properly. When he looked her in the eyes, she could hardly see his ice-blue irises, his pupils were so dilated with pleasure. His hair was messier than she had ever seen, even when she had woken him from a nap. His lips were red and puffy from kissing, slightly chapped at the corners. His cheeks were flushed and sweat beaded at his hairline. He had never looked so beautiful to Lily before. The image was enough to push her over the edge.
"I'm coming!" she squeaked, then cleared her throat quickly, riding the waves of pleasure, and repeated it, a scream. "I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming!"
Scorpius pulled his hand away from her clit and palmed her breast, pinching her nipple and making her gasp in the middle of another shriek of pleasure. He pulled out of her and she wanted to scream in annoyance. What was he doing?
"What are you doing?!" she yelled, frustrated with lust. He looked just as frustrated as her, his erection straining toward her, slick with her come.
"Turn over. On your hands and knees," he said. He was gasping between words, and part of his face looked cautious, like she might refuse. All of it was so surprising, yet so very Scorpius. She obeyed quickly, scrambling onto her elbows and knees, back arched and waiting for him to enter her from behind.
Scorpius slid back into her, and this time, he was the one moaning. He had been relatively quiet the whole affair, his expressions relaying his emotions. Now he seemed no longer able to hold back, and began grunting with each thrust. The sensation was intense to Lily. She grasped at the sheets and let her head fall onto the bed. Scorpius slammed into her, then suddenly pushed down on her back so hard that her elbows crumpled beneath her and her cheek met the bed.
"Oh my god, yes!" Lily yelled. "Fuck me – "
"I am!" Scorpius interrupted, sounding more frustrated than ever. Lily smiled softly for barely a second before her face scrunched up in carnal satisfaction when he plunged back into her, balls-deep. "I'm – " he slowed down a bit.
"Come for me," Lily gasped. He slapped her arse and she yelped, grasping the sheets so tight her hands hurt.
He fucked her as hard as he could, the room filled with the slapping noises of their fucking, and the sexy grunting noise Scorpius made with each stroke.
"I'm going to come," he choked out. "Where should I – ?"
"Here!" Lily said quickly. He pumped one last time and then pulled out of her, finishing across her back. He let go of her waist and she collapsed onto the bed, feeling as if she would never be able to catch her breath again.
Scorpius moved to the side of Lily and fell down onto his stomach beside her. His cheek pressed into his pillow, facing her. They stared at each other in awe as they caught their breath.
"Whoa," Scorpius finally managed between pants.
"Whoa," Lily agreed.
