"This is…nice." James's eyes took in the books and worn leather chairs lining the store's walls. At least I think that's what he did. It was kind of hard to tell what he was looking at behind the sunglasses he wore. When I asked him why he didn't take them off inside, he gave me a long spiel about how fans and paparazzi could recognize him anywhere and how there could be mobs occurring.

"I'm a security risk, Jayne," he had said seriously. I tried not to smile in his face.

Hence the sunglasses and baseball hat inside.

"Jayne, the usual?" Colton the barista called out.

"You know it." I beamed at him as he started ringing up my order.

"Add a small black coffee to that." James came up next to me and held out his credit card.

"Oh! You don't have to—" I fumbled around for my wallet, not expecting him to pay.

"Don't worry about it," he said dismissively and Colton took his card, giving me an inquisitive look.

"Thanks."

"About time you finally came in with a guy instead of another teenager you're tutoring." Colton laughed. James gave me an amused side glance. Thanks for that, Colton.

"Well, he's actually not—"

"I'm Jake," James cut in smoothly. "Her new 'guy' as you put it."

Alright then.

As we grabbed our drinks and headed to a back table, he leaned in and whispered, "He might recognize me and tell a journalist I'm taking my NEWTs. I don't want my coaches finding out I'm taking them; they might think I want to leave the team."

"Sure." I rolled my eyes. "Could you just pull out your Transfiguration textbook?"

"This might actually be better for a bit though," he continued. "I doubt my siblings would walk in here and see us. Thank Merlin you finally started wearing normal clothes instead of that buttoned up stuff or else they would've thought something was up."

"That was normal." I defended myself. "It was work clothes, you're my job right now."

"You're the boss; you can decide what you wear to your own tutoring sessions."

I didn't bother correcting him on how he was the one paying, a fact he had himself pointed out in our beginning sessions.

Two hours later, James was slightly less jumpy whenever someone walked by our table and I was pleased with our progress.

"I kind of like this place," he said admiringly, looking at the old books along the wall. "Helps that the coffee's good too."

"They always have good seating. Actually, this is where Annika first found me."

"Scene of the crime," he said with appreciation as we walked out. "Do you need me to apparate you home?"

"Oh, that's ok. I live close by so I can just walk." I regretted saying that so quickly as his arm withdrew from around my shoulders, ready to apparate us.

"Alright. Same place next Monday?"

"Perfect." I beamed at him.

QUIDDITCH SUPERSTAR SEEKS COMFORT IN MYSTERY WOMAN'S ARMS AFTER MATCH LOSS

Maybe James hadn't been so paranoid after all.

"What a stupid headline," Imogen said, completely unconcerned in contrast to the rest of our panicking apartment. "Her arms aren't even around him. His are around her."

Jules hadn't set down the Daily Prophet since our owl had brought it this morning and she had shrieked loudly enough to wake the rest of us up upon reading the headline. "I just can't believe it," she said in a breathy, awestruck voice, eyes still glued to the blurry photograph of him throwing an arm around me in front of the coffee shop yesterday.

Kit's head was right behind Jules's shoulder, also staring at the front page.

"It's the same article it was three hours ago when we read it," I said. "I think you can put it down now."

Annika had sent an owl about 30 minutes after the news broke telling me to stay put. James hadn't reached out at all.

"You all need to stop freaking out over this. It doesn't even say Jayne's name. I think we're safe." Imogen turned to me. "I'm going to Diagon Alley, you coming?"

I hesitated.

"Jayne, I don't think you should-"

"Sure, why not."

Kit fixed me with an unimpressed look.

"No one even knows it's me!" I protested.

"Hm. Well, we should probably all go just in case. Can't leave you unattended."

Diagon Alley was predictably busy for a Saturday morning, meaning no one was paying too much attention to us.

"We've gotten Imogen's owl pellets and Jayne's new quills. Anything else?" Kit checked in.

"Could we check if the new Margie Spindler book is out?" Jules inquired about her favorite romance series.

"Sure, Flourish and Botts shouldn't be too crowded now," I said, turning to head towards the bookstore until I heard my name being called out. I peered across the crowd trying to find the source, but Jules tapped me on the shoulder and reverently pointed towards what looked like the entire Potter family with a few Weasleys thrown in for good measure. James was walking toward me, his expression not unlike a niffler in headlights.

"James," I said, surprised but pleased. "How are—"

"I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend," he interrupted with a panicked gleam in his eye that was at odds with the confident James Potter I had always seen. "My parents can't know how I actually know you."

"What?" I asked, looking over his shoulder at his parents, who were looking back with interest.

Behind me, Jules sucked in a breath and Kit elbowed her. Imogen was as always unimpressed.

"I don't understand," I stuttered.

"Just go with it," he said impatiently and bent down to draw me into a firm kiss. I froze for a moment, but as his hands cradled my face, I slowly leaned into him. Right as I was about to really get into it, he pulled away.

"Great, thanks," he said easily. "Just… don't do anything and I'll owl you later about this, ok?"

Without waiting for a response, he turned around and jogged back to his parents. The crowds began whispering, with some camera flashes going off.

I looked back at my friends, breathless and dazed. Even though I was the one who had been kissed, they looked about the same as I felt: jaws dropped and woozy.

"Uh, wow," Imogen said, blinking. Kit could only shake her head wordlessly in agreement.

"Oh. My. GOD!" Jules said breathlessly. "Jayne! That was like, like a real life romcom kiss we just witnessed."

"Even his family looks surprised. And I thought they'd be used to seeing Potter in scandalous positions," Imogen snickered.

His family. Harry Potter. Harry Potter thought I was dating his son. Harry Potter had just seen his son give me the best kiss of my life.

"That was the most romantic thing I've ever seen," Jules gushed.

"The most romantic thing you've ever seen is Jayne pretending to be someone's girlfriend?" Imogen asked skeptically.

Jules was unfazed. "No," she emphasized. "You could tell he put his whole heart in that."

Kit, Imogen, and I exchanged glances. He had put something in that kiss alright, but I wasn't about to say it was his heart.

"Well, if that's how he kisses his fake girlfriends, I can't imagine how he kisses his real girlfriends." Imogen snorted.

"That was not a fake girlfriend kiss," Kit agreed, looking far too sly for my liking.

"Guys, it doesn't mean anything," I protested with pink cheeks. "Can we leave now?"

Kit snatched my hand to apparate away right as a group of teenage girls looked ready to swarm me.