“Hey, Eva- Lily, can I talk to you?” asked James bravely a couple of hours later. He decided to call her by her first name, instead of last, advice that had come from The Mind (Remus), who believed that ‘you will certainly make a better impression if you dropped this last-name calling. I mean, the mere fact that you’re calling Lily by her birth name shows much more intimacy and tenderness than a harsh “Evans!”’. Of course he, James, hadn’t understood a single word of this little speech apart from the word ‘better’. Since things with Lily could not be going any worse at the moment, he decided to try it out. “Hey, Lily!” he called again.
Lily turned around, obviously wondering who was calling her (as if she couldn’t already recognize my unbelievably melodious voice, thought James), saw him and glared. “Since when are we on a first-name basis, here, Potter?”
Ouch. Last name. Something inside James’s head told her this couldn’t be too good a start. “Oh, um, I just thought that, um, we have known each other for six years and a half now, haven’t we? Isn’t it time for us to abandon this silly last-name calling, dear?”
“I don’t think so, Potter.”
Double-ouch. “This was unnecessarily unkind of you, Lily. I’m trying to be polite, now, darling.”
Lily laughed. “’Darling’? If you want to be polite, why don’t you call me Miss Evans? I think that would be most appropriate and… and it would actually make you sound almost like a gentleman, something we both know you’ll never achieve.”
“Miss Evans? Are you kidding me? Do you call Alice ‘Miss Henderson’?” asked James, grinning.
“We’re not friends, Potter.”
Wow, this girl was trying to win the ‘Harshest-girl-on-the-planet’ award. James decided to play it cool, as he always did. “You’re right, baby, we’re so much more than friends… can’t you feel the passion that””
SMACK!
James massaged his cheek, glaring. “What the heck did you hit me for, Evans?”
“Because you can’t shut up! This seems the only language you do understand!” said Lily angrily. “For now, keep it to Evans. And if you actually do want to become friends with me “ as if I could actually believe that “ then start off by shutting up once and for all about a sentimental relationship between the two of us, all right?!”
Prongs stared at her, at a loss for words. “What’s that supposed to mean, ‘as if I could actually believe that’? Huh? You don’t think I want to be friends with you?” For the first time, during the whole discussion, he was unbelievably serious.
“Oh, come on, Potter, wake up! I’m not one of your stupid bimbos who can’t even understand when a guy only flirts with them because he wants to take them to bed with him!”
James spluttered. “Wh-what?”
Lily laughed harshly again. “Didn’t think I’d cottoned on? I’m surprised at you. I thought you said I was ‘the brightest witch in the whole wide world’! Surely such a smart person can see through your stupid mask, can’t she? You’re just this snobbish, stuck-up womanizer who only sees girls as objects, enjoyable at night, aren’t they?, but nothing more. Well, excuse me, but I have a brain, I’m not going to fall for you and let you treat me as a “ as a slut, and be hurt when you won’t give a damn about me after you’ve had your little shag!”
James stared at her. This was totally wrong! Not for once did he think of her as an object, and he definitely wasn’t going to leave her for no reason… “Lily, listen to me. I don’t know why you think what you just told me, but “ God, it’s not true! Okay, listen, you’ve got a completely wrong image of me, okay? Fine, so I like to flirt with girls, I like to be around girls, but not to shag them, I assure you! If I haven’t been able to keep a steady relationship with a girl it’s only been because every time I am with one, I can’t help comparing her to you, and… it’s just not the same. You’re the only girl I want to go out with…” He took a deep breath. “I love you, Lily. I swear I do. And… and just for your information,” he added, flushing a deep shade of red, “I… I’ve never… I’m a virgin, for God’s sake!”
Lily stared at him. She didn’t know if she was more shocked about these last two statements or the whole little speech put together. She decided to take a deep breath before… she burst out laughing.
James stared at her. For the one time in his life he’d been honest with her, he’d exposed his feelings for her, and what was he getting in return? “Excuse me, could you enlighten me on what’s so funny?”
Lily dried her eyes: tears were coming out of her eyes she was laughing so hard. “Oh, bravo, Potter, very good… I almost believed you for a moment back there… I suggest a career as an actor, Potter… or a play writer… the whole thing was well said, well acted… it almost seemed real…”
James had to exercise a lot of self control not to slap her. “Fine, Lily, believe what you want. I don’t care. I don’t care what you think, it doesn’t matter. I love you, and I will forever, no matter what. I will go on and on asking you out, trying to make you fall in love with me, till you give me a chance, because I won’t rest till I’ll have you. Believe me, Lily. I joke around on a lot of things, but I’ve never been more serious than I am now, and I mean it when I say that I love you.” He turned around, ready to leave.
“Wait,” said Lily faintly.
“What do you want? Come to have another gloat?” asked James.
“No. Did you really mean what you said?”
“Would you believe me, even if I said yes?”
“I need to hear it from you.”
“You know I do.”
And Lily smiled. “Good. In that case, James… I am ready for a truce.”
James stared. “What?” he asked, half to himself. Then he grinned, too. “Really, Lily? Oh, this is wonderful! So, um, does this mean you wanna marry me?”
“No!” answered Lily, shocked.
“Then does it mean you love me immensely?”
“No.”
“Well, then, does it mean that snogging me senseless is your greatest ambition at the moment?”
“No,” said Lily, half-laughing.
James stared. “Then what the hell does it mean?!”
Lily smiled. “It means you have a chance.”
“Oh,” said James, a bit put out. Then he grinned. “A chance, you say? Well, it sounds good to me! It’s more than I’ve achieved in the past 17 years of my life… So, um, what do you say? Wanna go to Hogsmeade with me next Friday?”
“I’d love to.”
James Potter had never felt happier in his entire life.
A couple of months later, much to Sirius’s disgust (he always complained that Lily had ruined his favourite Marauder), James and Lily were still going out together. As a matter of fact, they were hardly ever seen on their own nowadays. Always together, whether it be studying in the library for their N.E.W.T.s, or cuddling on the sofa in the common room at night.
On one of such nights, we find our darling couple sitting on a cosy sofa in front of the fireplace. Lily was reading a novel (Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, her favourite author), and James… James was watching.
After five minutes of this, Lily couldn’t help putting her book down and turning to her boyfriend. “James, sweetie, are you going to stare at me the whole time or are you actually going to do something?”
He smiled. “Watching you and holding you here, like this, is more than enough.” He tightened his grip around her. “We’ve been going out for two months and you still haven’t dumped me… I think I’m dreaming…”
Lily giggled. “I never thought you to be so self-conscious.”
“Because I care about you, Lils, and I don’t ever want to lose you.” He snuggled closer to her. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She sat up and stared at him. “And I meant that. Our relationship is very important to me. You are very important to me.”
James grinned cheekily. “Why’s that? Because I’m the most handsome, perfect, and wonderful guy in the whole wide world?” Despite his going out with Lily, some things never changed.
“Yeah, and a real prat, not to mention a pain in the neck, arrogant, stuck-up””
James put up a hand to silence her. “Hold on. I thought you were going to say why you love me? I like compliments.”
“Did I ever tell you you’re a prick? And a toerag?” asked Lily.
“At least twice an hour. Just so I don’t forget.”
Lily smiled. “I can’t even stay angry at you any longer.”
“That’s because you love me…” said James.
“I suppose so. Anyway,” she resumed, “you’re really really special to me. You are my first real boyfriend, my first kiss, actually, and my first love in general. You were a lot of firsts for me.” She grinned slyly at him. “Too bad the thing isn’t mutual.”
“Oh, but Lily, you have been a lot of firsts for me,” said James seriously. “Many more than you think, actually. You have always been my first and only love. The first girl I judged not by her bra size or reputation “ well, not entirely, anyway “ but by her brains and her personality. The first person I loved more than my own life “ and, knowing myself, that is saying something. Not to mention, my first crush,” he finished, smiling. “So there, the thing is mutual.”
Lily grinned. “You’re right.” And with that, she closed the distance between their faces and pushed her lips on top of his.
And they kissed for quite a long time. Actually, they would probably still be at it if Sirius, merely ten minutes later, entered the room yelling, “I’m sorry, Lily, darling, but I’m going to have to confiscate my ex-favourite Marauder for a few minutes. His presence is requested elsewhere.”
As James got up, the two boys distinctly heard Lily mutter, “Wow, that word-a-day calendar is doing wonders for you, Sirius. I should get James one as well.”
A/N: There. So now you even know what the title stands for! Now, the story isn’t officially over yet since I’m writing an epilogue. Hope to have it up by tomorrow. In the meantime… reviews?