The Hoax, james potter

Chapter Twenty-Seven- The Last Time*

Talitha did not return to the party, she stormed straight back to her room. Her mind aching from the thoughts swirling round. She tried to stop tears falling down her face wanting to wait until she got into her room to just explode.

She knew Regulus was just looking out for her in his own twisted way, but gosh did he annoy her. It was too much to admit, to come to terms with the fact that she will always belong to someone else. No matter what. She cannot be her own person.

Christian. Christian Graham Moore of all people. Where has he been hiding all this time?! Why can't she be engaged to him?! Why couldn't he have shown up instead of James Potter?!

And James. Fuck. James Potter. How hurt James must have been seeing her kiss Christian. They aren't together but Talitha knows she would have been beyond jealous if she had seen him kiss someone else. Or maybe he wouldn't even care. Why would he? Why should it matter anyway, it's only a fling.

Eventually Talitha, makes it to her room. She turns to her forest green bed and is shocked to find someone lying on it.

"James?" Talitha whispers.

James is lying peacefully on her bed, he stirs awake as she whispers his name.

He had snuck into her room earlier, the mixture of the alcohol and his tiredness must have finally caught up, hence why he had fallen asleep.

"What are you doing here?" Talitha questions.

"I needed to see you." James sits up, reaching out to grab her hands.

"I thought you were annoyed at me." Talitha hesitantly accepts his hands, their fingers intertwining. She stands in between his legs.

"I thought you were mad at me!" James scoffs.

"I'm not mad just fed up." Talitha sighs, sitting on top of his lap.

"I know, recently it feels as though everything has been too much." James replies, resting his head on her her shoulder.

"It's like there's always something happening. I can never truly rest or be relaxed. It's exhausting. I wish there was a way to make it all stop. I wish there was a way to escape." Talitha confesses, leaving back into his chest.

"That's how I felt, until being with you. When I'm with you it's like I can finally escape." James says causally, he hadn't realised quite what he said until he said it. He removes his head off her shoulder, anxious at his words. He scratches his ear, a nervous trait of his, hoping what he had said wasn't too much.

Talitha turns round slightly, catching a glimpse of his worrisome face. "You don't seem like the type that would need an escape."

James let's out a sigh, "Talitha I worry all the time. I have so much on my plate that I sometimes can't hear myself think, but with you I would always be so angry, so annoyed, I could just focus on that. Eventually those feelings turned into enjoying you. And I could feel happy just by being with you."

Talitha smiles at him, happy with his words, but it quickly fades as she worries for him. "It sounds like you have too much going on. how do you cope?"

"I-I don't know." James replies, he looks up taking a sigh as he continues, "quidditch is the main outlook for me. And now you. I get to escape if I'm with you. And the same with quidditch."

"You can talk to me you know. I'd listen." Talitha responds.

"Thank you Talitha. You've done more for me already, I've never told anyone how stressed I am."  James says, nuzzling his head into her neck again.

Talitha smiles, "I'm glad."

"But for now I want to escape" James kisses her neck sexily, leaning back slightly so that he can undo her dress.