A/N: Hey everyone, I'm so sorry for the delay of this chapter. This has been like the first time I've been on since Friday, and I'm posting right away. For those I didn't send sneak peeks to, I was going to when I got on, but figured you'd rather just get the whole chapter now then a few hundred words. Is that okay? SORRY! Life gets in the way sometimes. Guys, we are only 4 short reviews away from 50 reviews! Holy crap, that's amazing. And this is only the 8th chapter. I think that's pretty snazzy, what about you? Well, I'm going to let you read now, so happy reading, I hope you like it. I'M GOING TO TRY TO UPDATE AGAIN AT ABOUT 7 TONIGHT SO COME BACK THEN FOR CHAPTER 9!

I wake up the next day by a pillow thrown at me by Sirius, eat some breakfast, and fly around the field we call a background a bit on my broomstick, still remembering the feel of my lips on Lily's skin the night before. An abundance of "if only"s were coursing through my head: if only Sirius and the others had shown up five minutes later, if only I was able to walk Lily home and not Remus, if only I had just told her how I feel as we sat on the top of the bridge...

I know that being sulky about it won't accomplish anything, but I'm grateful there isn't camp today, it being a Saturday, so I can talk a long shower and daydream about what would've happened if our almost-kiss hadn't been interrupted.

The flying helps take my mind off of things a bit, and when I get back inside, an owl I don't recognize waits for me in my bedroom, drinking out of my own owl's water bowl. I take the letter attached to it's leg and unroll it. The handwriting is easily one of a girl's and my heart nearly stops in my chest when I read what it says:

James,

I had a lot of fun yesterday visiting London and seeing a Quidditch match with you, and I hope we can do it again sometime. That being said, I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner with me tonight (yes, as a date), perhaps Les Petits Sorciers in Diagon Alley?

Go ahead and send your reply back with my owl Donovan, but just a fair warning, he's kind of an idiot.

Lots of love,
Lily

I have to slap myself a few times to make sure I'm not dreaming.

"YES!" I roar, punching my fist in the air and jumping up and down. I hurriedly pick up a quill from my desk, hands shaking, and write as fast as I possibly can:

Dear Lily,

Yes, I would be more than delighted to go to dinner with you tonight! Anywhere you'd like to go sounds great, I don't mind what you want. You're going to have to let me pay for it, though; a true gentleman always pays on the first date (and all those that follow, ha-ha). Would it be okay if I picked you up at your place of residence at about seven o'clock?

Even more love than you might possibly have for me,
James

I reattach the letter to the owl it delivered, stroking its soft feathers with the hopes of motivating it to deliver it quickly. "Alright, take this back to Lily, okay?" I say. It tilts its head at me curiously, as if it didn't understand my orders. "Lily," I repeat, to no avail. "Take this to Lily, you damn bird!"

Finally, it understands my intent and it swoops out my open window into the morning air. I put my hands on the sides of my head and lean against the wall, overcome with joy. I laugh to myself as my imagination runs free, thinking about what will happen on this date, and all that follows, and our wedding day, and when we have our first child...

"Lily Potter," I whisper to myself, relishing the feel of it on my tongue. I laugh again, collapsing on the bed, and feel so happy I want to find a dementor somewhere, just so I can produce one hell of a Patronus charm. I am sure that this is the memory I will use every time I need to.

I don't move for half an hour, lying on my bed chanting, "Lily Potter, Lily Potter, I love you, Lily Potter," until I am pretty sure I've gone round the bend. Just as I'm about to get up and take a shower, knowing I have full need to today, Lily's owl returns and I rush to read her reply.

Okay then, that sounds great! Here's my address:

18 Charbridge Avenue

Little Darling, Surrey

And seven o'clock sounds wonderful; see you tonight!

It's just an expression James but okay,

Lily

I laugh I read it, especially the part about it being "just an expression." Who knows, maybe one day when she says that to me, it won't be just an expression. One day she'll mean it. And I'll mean it every time I say I love her back. Spending time with her yesterday made me realize the answer to Sirius's question: I really do love her, even the parts she's ashamed of, and whenever I'm with here there's this sort of subconscious voice in my head saying, "She's the one, she's the one."

Now I'm actually listening to the voice, and agreeing with it.

Sometimes I wonder what made me so attracted to Lily in the first place, and there are many answers to that. Aside from her gorgeous physique, the first thing that really caused me to notice her was her dislike for me, surprisingly. I had been used to having girls throw themselves at me (take the brunette from last night, for example) but Lily had always resisted me. That, of course, had always been what entranced me. At first it had been a chase, a sort of game to see if she would go out with me, but as time progressed it became so much more.

Then last year I had done my best to get over her, and I thought it worked, but being around her had rekindled the old flame. I was-and still am-hers once again. And maybe now, she might actually be mine.

I also wonder what caused this abrupt change from hating me to liking me, and I have a nagging suspicion it must be because seeing me as a coach, with kids, and with responsibility exposed her to the different side of me. And yesterday...yesterday was probably one of the best days of my life. I can still hear her softly whispering, "I trust you, James." Just the thought of it is enough to send shivers down my spine.

I hurry from my room into the shower, humming to myself a particularly cheesy Celestina Warbeck tune as I clean. After I get out of the shower, I attempt to make my black hair lie flat, to no success. I then spend the next three hours trying to figure out what to wear.

If my friends could see me now, they'd never let me live this one down.

My room looks like someone set off a bomb in it, with the contents of my closets strewn everywhere, multiple pairs of shoes on my bed, and a very confused-looking Sirius standing in the door...

"Prongs...what the hell?" is all he says before walking over to his bed and shoving all my clothes off of it. I grin at him, keeping the cause of my happiness to myself for a moment.

"Guess who has a date," I answer, almost giggling with excitement, "with Lily Evans."

His response, at first, is sitting there with his eyes on me and his mouth wide open. "...You're joking." I shake my head. His eyes grow wider and he grins too, standing up to congratulate me. "You're joking! How did you ever get her to say yes?" I shrug, palms facing the ceiling.

"I didn't! She asked me out!"

"Now you're really joking. That's incredible, mate! Honestly, I'm really happy for you!" Sirius and I embrace in a brotherly manner, slapping each other on the back. "Just promise me one thing," he says as we pull apart. "I get to be the best man at your wedding!"

I laugh and reply, "Of course, Padfoot. Now be a man and help me pick out what to where tonight." I expect him to laugh in return, but all I get on silence on his part. I look at his face, which shows none of the happiness he was wearing beforehand. "Padfoot? You okay, mate?"

"Tonight," he says simply. "The date is tonight." I nod my head vigorously, wanting him to get on with what he's trying to tell me. He glances at the floor then looks back up at me. "Tonight's the full moon, mate."

Shit.

I sit down on my bed-and probably a pair of shoes, also-and bury my face in my hands, moaning to myself. Sirius sits down next to me and awkwardly pats me on the back, unsure of what to say. I look at him and moan, "What do I do, Padfoot?" He shrugs, looking deep in thought.

"Well...I mean, it's possible just Peter and I could handle Remus tonight. You could go with her, seeing that, who knows, you might never get another chance."

"Gee, thanks."

"Sure thing."

I sigh, torn between what I desperately want to do and what I really should do. "No. I'll...I'll owl Lily and ask to reschedule. You three are more important than any girl. And if she hates me...so be it. Maybe I'd be able to get over her eventually." Sirius is the one who now looks torn, obviously sensing my misery but knowing what the right choice for me was.

"Well...alright, mate. I'm sure Evans will understand. And if it comes down to it...I think you should tell her. I know I wouldn't mind." I throw him a half-smile, grateful for what he just said, and sit down to write the letter to send to her. This is going to be extremely difficult.

Lily,

I write this letter with the deepest regrets and the hopes that you'll be able to forgive me. As it just so happens, I have an obligation tonight that was predetermined a very long time ago and is unfortunately nonnegotiable. I am so, so sorry, Lily. I would give anything to go to dinner with you tonight, but this is a very important deed for a friend of mine.

Would it be okay if we rescheduled dinner sometime soon? It would mean the world to me.
I'll explain everything another time.

With an unbearable amount of love,
James

I read the letter seven times over, seeing if I could improve it in any way. I decide I can't. As I walk to my owl's cage, I notice that Lily's bird Donovan is still there. He really is a stupid bird. I attach the letter to his leg and send him away-luckily, he seems to understand that I need him to go to his owner. I sit down on my bed, feeling empty and sorrowful, and wait for the night to be over.

On the bright side, I don't have to go through the agony of picking an outfit tonight.

That's still definitely not worth it.

A/N: REVIEWS MAKE THE DATE HAPPEN! REVIEWS MAKE LILY FORGIVE JAMES! IF WE GET TO FIFTY REVIEWS BY SEVEN TONIGHT, I'LL POST CHAPTER NINE! GOGOGOGO! PLEASE, TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! The next chapter is Lily's reaction, and then we have some very nice James and Lily kisses... whooops, I wasn't supposed to say that. ANYWAY, GO REVIEW!