𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒, james potter

43. tell me you don't want me

warning: sexual content

WHEN NESRIN GETS better, she does everything in her ability not to go up to James and just grab his face and kiss him. It becomes an increasingly difficult task, she finds.

She avoids looking at him in class. She sits on the furthest edge from him so as to not touch any part of his body. She answers him with minimal words when they are forced to speak with one another regarding class assignments.

But she always notices his soft eyes when he looks at her. How he can't keep the longing off his face.

It is excruciatingly painful.

Especially when she doesn't know how much longer she can keep the longing off of hers.

She's walking through the hallways quietly. It's around midnight, and she couldn't sleep so she decided to go to the Astronomy Tower. Going there always allows her a moment of peace.

Except, maybe not this time.

As she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she suddenly becomes aware of a figure rounding the corner at that exact moment.

They both freeze, eyes widening.

For a second, all they do is stare at each other.

And then James steps forward and says, "Hi."

Her fist clenches beside her. She doesn't say anything. She just nods in greeting before swiftly turning with the intention of walking away.

Before she can move, though, a warm, callused palm closes around her wrist. She pauses but doesn't turn around. The moment feels eerily similar to the day she broke up with him.

"Wait," he calls out hastily. "Please don't go. We can just stand here in silence, but just don't go."

She closes her eyes, wondering if everything will disappear if she stays still long enough. If she could go back in time if she thinks hard enough.

If she could go back, perhaps she wouldn't have run away after kissing him in Hogsmeade. Perhaps, she would have given in to him a long time ago. Perhaps, she never would have broken up with him in the first place.

But maybe, if she could go back, she would make sure she never fell in love with him at all.

She turns and looks at him. His cruelly beautiful face with his dark, dark hair and light, light eyes. The green blooming into a forest around the rim of his iris. His features are soft as he stares at her.

"I think it's best if I go," she replies, glancing away from him.

He frowns and lets out a slow breath.

"I don't understand why you're doing this," he says, voice impossibly gentle. "I don't understand why we can't be together when—"

He's cut off by the sound of footsteps quickly approaching them. Both their eyes widen simultaneously.

Filch.

Without warning, James's arm slides around Nesrin's waist and he pushes her into the nearest storage closet. He presses her against the wall as they hold their breath in fear of getting caught past curfew even though James technically wouldn't get in trouble as Head Boy.

When the footsteps fade further into the distance, they both let out sighs of relief.

And then Nesrin tenses up all over again for a completely different reason.

She suddenly becomes aware of how close she is to James. Their chests are firmly pressed against each other as James cages her against the wall, one arm still wrapped tightly around her waist and his other forearm flat beside her head.