Finding fireworks || Sirius Black

28

"I kissed him"

James' POV

I took Lily on a date to the Room of Requirements that Saturday to try and keep her mind off Jo. Padfoot's bike had kept us busy until late in the evening last night but when we'd woken up and, after careful study of the map, Sirius had informed us that she still wasn't back, Lily had had a breakdown.

I was still trying to plan the perfect proposal, but it wasn't easy. For starters, I couldn't decide if I should wait until after we graduated or if I should propose now-ish. I was also in permanent conflict with myself over whether this was a stupid idea and I was going to scare her off, or if it was the ultimate romantic gesture. I really hoped it was the latter, but I had no guarantees.

I was also worried Lily would think I was proposing because she'd told me she had been considering waiting until marriage before having sex. My decision to propose to her was completely unrelated to this fact. Sex had absolutely nothing to do with it whatsoever, but girls liked to jump to conclusions and, well, as happy as I was to wait until she was ready, I did get carried away every now and then when we snogged. What could I do? I was an eighteen-year-old boy, after all.

We sat on the lush sofas we usually asked the Room for. She brought her knees up and hugged them to her, resting her chin on them. She was so beautiful. I often found myself watching her and thinking how damn lucky I was she had chosen me. I would do anything to keep her safe and make her happy.

"James?" she broke my internal monologue.

"Yes?"

"I've been thinking... you know, about the Order and the war and all"

"Jo will be fine, I know it," I said, taking her hand. She let me grab it, resting her cheek on her knees instead so she could face me without unfolding her knees.

"No, for once, I wasn't thinking about Jo," she shook her head.

"Oh?"

"I was thinking about us," she said. I saw a blush spread from her cheeks down her neck.

"And?"

"Well, I don't want to wait. I don't think we should wait. Nobody knows what's going to happen, we could be dead the day after graduation for all we know, and I don't want to die without knowing what it's like to be with you," she said all this very quickly, in a single breath and staring intently at me.

I stared at her green eyes. There was so much hope in them, and love, and trust. There was also fear. She was afraid, we all were. But she loved me, she loved me as I loved her, and she wanted it to be forever, even if forever was short.

"Marry me," I blurted out, shocking us both. Her eyes widened.

"You don't need to..."

I cut her off. "I mean it, Lily. I've been thinking about how to plan the perfect proposal for you for a while, I spoke to Jo and Sirius about it, you can ask them. It's not a spur of the moment kind of thing. I really want to marry you. I love you. I don't want to wait, we shouldn't wait. I want to be yours and yours only for the rest of my life, however long or short it may be. Marry me," I off the sofa and knelt on the floor in front of her. "Lily Evans, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Her eyes filled with tears, and I worried for a second. Then, she smiled the brightest, most beautiful smile I had ever seen in my entire life and said, "yes. Yes, James. Yes, I will marry you."

I scooped her up from the sofa in my arms and kissed her. She giggled, and at that moment, I thought there was nothing I wouldn't do to make her giggle like that every day for the rest of our lives.