Jily oneshots

Give Me Some Time

by WeasleyWannabee

"Sorry, sorry, I know I'm late—apparently the magazine can't function when I'm not around," Marlene McKinnon announces as she slides into a seat at a table beside her friends Lily Evans and Dorcas Meadowes. Marlene's blonde hair has mostly escaped the tie she used to hold it back; this along with her flushed face is evidence of her hurry to reach The Coffee Lounge.

"Yes, you're very important, we know," Dorcas replies dryly, handing over the caramel latte she and Lily had taken the liberty of ordering their chronically late friend. Marlene was the assistant editor of a small fashion magazine and was often at the office after-hours pouring over photoshoots and layouts.

"Thank you," Marlene says, taking a sip from the cup. "And thanks for ordering my drink, too," she adds cheekily. "How's temp life?"

Dorcas rolls her eyes. "Boring." She currently held a temporary position at a law firm, which mostly consisted of filing papers and being at the arrogant lawyers' beck and call.

"And if anyone's wondering, people are still reading books," Lily adds. She'd worked the last two years at a used bookstore near her flat.

"Not for long," Marlene declares in a sing-song voice, waving her iPad in demonstration before stowing it in her bag.

Lily frowns at her. "No one will ever replace the feeling of turning actual pages, or the way your favorite book automatically opens to the parts you've read over and over, or the smell of a new book—"

"All right," Marlene interrupts, forestalling what would surely have turned into an impassioned speech. "We know, Lil. You love books."

"I'm just saying it's upsetting that libraries and bookstores might one day become obsolete because not enough people do."

"If it's any comfort, I doubt that's likely to happen in our lifetimes," Dorcas offers, blowing on her cappuccino before taking a drink.

"Maybe not, but I still—" Lily begins.

"Oh my God," Marlene says, cutting her off once again.

"Are you going to let me finish a sentence tonight, Marls?" Lily teases, watching her friend's eyes widen as she stares towards the door of the café.

Marlene grabs her arm and forces her to turn in her seat. "Look," she says in a hushed voice. "Look who it is! Isn't that James Potter?" She looks to Dorcas for support, but Lily doesn't need to hear the other girl's response to recognize the tall, lanky frame, unruly black hair, and square spectacles of the young man in question.

"God, you're right!" Dorcas confirms excitedly, craning her head around Lily's for a better view.

Slightly embarrassed by her friends' obvious gawking, Lily pleads, "Stop staring at him, he'll see you!"

Marlene faces her with a disparaging look. "Heaven forbid," she says dryly.

"I just mean that I doubt he came out tonight planning to be forcefully set upon by some adoring strangers," Lily amends, and Marlene flashes her a devious smile.

"Right, we know how you adore him, Lily. Probably more than books, even."

Dorcas, foreseeing an argument, jumps in quickly. "What's he doing in a dinky little place like this, though, I wonder?"

"He is a person like the rest of us, Dor," Lily points out. "Why shouldn't he be out for coffee on a Friday night?"

"Because he's a person who is a lot cooler than us," Dorcas says.

"Ohmigod, it's the rest of them!" Marlene blurts out, squirming excitedly in her seat and pointing at the door.

"Marlene!" Lily grits out through clenched teeth, yanking her friend's hand down. She can feel her cheeks grow warm when one of the young men who have just entered glances over at their table. All three girls quickly take up their drinks, pretending not to have noticed, though Lily cringes at the thought that their simultaneous reactions probably only make them look more suspicious.