Magic

7: James x Lily ~ Realization Part 3

It wasn't until James touched his face that he realized he was crying.

"I have feelings for you, idiot. Happy?!"

Lily's words kept replaying themselves in his mind. He'd had a chance with her, and he'd lost it. He'd lost it when he began to date Kylie. Even if she still had feelings for him, he didn't think he deserved to be with her.

"James?"

He looked up. It was Remus. He was rubbing his arms and shivering even though he was wearing a thick jumper.

"Hello Remus," he muttered glumly.

"What happened?"

James told Remus the conversation he'd had with Lily and his thoughts about it. He expected Remus to look surprised, but he rolled his eyes instead.

"Seriously James? You just realized this?!"

James's eye twitched. He expected Remus to comfort him, not rub it in that he was in fact an idiot.

"I get that I'm a dense idiot, Remus. Lily already rubbed it in enough." he snapped.

"Not that! Did you just realize that Kylie was bullying Lily?" Remus asked. James shook his head, making Remus gape at him.

"Then why didn't you do something about it? Like report Kylie to the principal or something."

James stared at Remus like he was his hero.

"Thank you Remus! You're absolutely right! I know what I have to do."

He ran back home and planned what he was going to do the next day at school.

~~~

"Babe! I thought you loved me! How could you?"

James rolled his eyes.

"Take a hint, Kylie. The only reason I was with you was because I didn't want Lily to get hurt. I was stupid enough to fall for your tricks, but I won't listen to you any longer."

He slammed the door of the principal's office behind him as he walked out, leaving Kylie screeching for him to go back. He walked towards his friends, Peter, Sirius, and Remus.

"I did it." he stated.

"It was the right thing to do mate," Sirius said. Peter and Remus nodded. He looked behind Sirius and saw Lily staring at him.

"I think you should go talk to her," Remus whispered. James nodded, took a deep breath, and began walking towards her. He felt like he wanted to run away from telling her how he felt, but he forced himself to keep walking.

'I've lied to her about my feelings for too long,' he thought.

"Lily," he began. She looked up at him.

James began to explain everything—how he'd met up with Kylie by accident, how he'd figured out she was bullying her, how he couldn't stand up for her and instead started dating Kylie, and finally, how he'd always had feelings for Lily. He expected her to say she didn't like him anymore, that she'd given up on him, that he'd lost his chance. Instead, she did something he wasn't expecting. She slapped him on the cheek. He winced. It hurt him more emotionally than physically.

"I deserved that," he said, regretting ever taking her for granted.

"That was for not telling me about your deal. I could have helped. Actually, I loved you so much, that I would have gone through all of that bullying just to spare you from dating her."

James nodded slowly.

"Loved?" he asked sadly.

Then, she surprised him yet again. She kissed him. He was too stunned to do anything. He just gaped at her.

"And that was because I still haven't gotten over you, no matter what happened in the past."

A goofy grin appeared on James' face.

"I love you, too." he said. She smiled and kissed his cheek before going to talk to her friends.

"Now that is what you call true love." Remus said, smirking beside him.

"Definitely. And I'm not letting her go ever again."