In the Black of Night (Jegulus Crime AU)

Chapter 3: Mistakes

When James woke up the next morning, his head was pounding. It was like he had been beaten in the head with a hammer repeatedly. That was the first thing he noticed, and the next thing he noticed was Lily. She was lying on the floor, completely naked.

"Shit," James mouthed, a little louder than he had expected.

Lily was stirring on the floor, and with the sound of James' voice, she woke up. She instantly reached for her head, which, like James', was pounding. She rolled over onto her back, looked up and saw James staring at her with his mouth ajar. Oh, and he was still naked.

"Shit," Lily concluded, just like James had. She looked around the room, which was a mess. Papers were scattered everywhere, an empty bottle of whiskey was on the floor, and everything that was on her desk was now on the floor.

"Good morning," James pitched.

"It would be a good morning if your ass wasn't in my face."

"It's a good ass."

James reached for a blanket that was behind the couch. He still saw no signs of his clothes. He couldn't remember anything, and that was probably for the best. He wrapped the small blue blanket around his waist in an attempt to regain the self-respect he had rapidly lost.

James opened the door and then slammed it just as fast. He cursed in a language that Lily recognized as Spanish.

"What is it?" she questioned.

"There are people out there already!"

Lily groaned as she sat up. She covered her chest with her hands. "Throw me a blanket," she ordered, returning to her normal self.

"I could only find this one," James said as he continued to search the room for his clothes.

Lily ripped the blanket from his waist, and he instinctively reached to cover himself.

"Give that back!" he hissed.

"You don't have much to cover anyway," she said with a smirk. "Plus, this is my blanket."

Thankfully, James found his clothes, yet it seemed like each item was in a different spot. He got dressed, facing away from Lily, and did his best to flatten his hair. He knew he looked like a mess, and if he was being honest, he felt like a mess too.

He reached for the door, and the cold brass sent a chill down his spine.

"Do you wanna talk about last night?" James asked, turning towards Lily.

"Why? It was a mistake - a drunk one at that. It won't change anything," she said, trying to shake the wrinkles out of the blouse she wore yesterday.

"Yeah; totally, I just wanted to make sure you understood that too," James said, feigning a smile.

He didn't understand. He didn't understand at all. He made his way out of her office, staring only at the ground as he walked to the closest restroom, and once he arrived, he locked the door behind him.

He turned on the sink, and splashed some water in his face to help wake up.

James stared at his reflection in the mirror, the cold water running through his fingers. The events of last night played over and over in his mind like a broken record, showing up in flashes. He couldn't shake the feeling of confusion mixed with regret. Lily's words echoed in his head - it was a mistake. Was everything he did just that? A mistake?

He closed his eyes as memories he wished he could forget forced their way into his mind. He saw Lily's face, close and filled with lust. He remembered the warmth of her skin against his, the taste of whiskey on her lips, and the intensity of it all. He recalled lifting her onto her desk, and the way her soft giggles seemed to enchant him like a siren's medley. The way his fingers seemed to move on their own as he unbuttoned her blouse. The softness of her breasts, and her cries of pleasure.