Magic

14: James x Lily ~ Don't Let Go Part 2

"He doesn't like me. And I'll get over it. Then we can just go back to being classmates." Lily said. She stood up from the table abruptly and walked to her next class.

"She's right, James doesn't like her." Mary said in mock seriousness. Marlene
nodded.

"He loves her." they chorused.

"Mate, just tell her. Look, she's right there!" Sirius said. It took all of his willpower not to push James over to her. James sighed and got up from the table grudgingly. Sirius smirked in triumph.

"Erm Lily?" James asked gingerly. He caught up with her and walked with her.

"Don't you have Care of Magical Creatures?" Lily asked curiously.

"N-no, I have Muggle Studies, too."

"Really?"

James nodded. He'd began to take classes more seriously this year, and he was interested to learn about Muggles and their way of life.

"Listen, Lily, there's something I need to tell you," James began. Lily looked at him expectantly. Her heart began to race.

"I l-like..." he began. Lily began to feel nervous. What would she say? Would she say she returned his feelings, that she would finally go out with him?

"I like Muggle Studies." James blurted. He internally face palmed. Why did he say that? That wasn't what he meant to say. It took all of his willpower not to hit himself on the head repeatedly with his book bag.

Lily's eyes widened. She definitely wasn't expecting that.

"I like Muggle Studies, too." she said slowly.

Once they reached Professor Burbage's classroom, Lily waved at him and went to sit next to her friend, Dorcas Meadowes. James sat in the empty seat next to Remus and threw his head down on the desk.

"So how did it go?" Remus asked. His grin faded.

"Did she reject you? I can talk to her if you wa—"

"No, she didn't reject me." James said miserably.

"Did she say she just wanted to be friends?"

"No."

"Did you reject her?"

"No."

"Then what happened?"

James slowly turned his head to look at him.

"I told her I liked Muggle Studies." he said miserably.

"You said what?!"

"I meant to tell her, but then I got nervous and I backed out and then..."

James groaned and hit his head on the desk.

"He said what?!" Dorcas exclaimed at the other side of the room.

"He said he liked Muggle Studies." Lily said, trying her best to sound nonchalant.

"That's rubbish!!"

"It's not really, I mean—"

"It is! Lily, since we started 5th year, he's fancied you! And even though you tried to lie, I know you fancied him back last year! Why did he go and say something stupid like that?!" Dorcas rambled.

"Because he's over me."

"He is so not."

"Is to."

"Well, he's a git then."

Lily smiled slightly.

~~~

"Ready to do patrols, James?" Lily said, dropping her book bag on the couch of the Heads' common room.

"Err, yeah." James muttered.

They began to patrol the dark corridors. As they headed towards the 4th floor, Lily began to notice that James was acting jumpy. He would get nervous when he heard or saw anything, and he kept running his hands through his hair and fiddling with his wand.

"Are you alright?"

"What?"

"I asked you if you were alright."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Perfect."

"Really? Because you almost crashed into a statue just now."

"I meant to do that."

Lily rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Whatever you say." she muttered under her breath.

After they finished patrolling the corridors, they went back to the Heads' common room. Lily went directly to her room and planned to go to sleep as soon as she could. Just as she was going to get under the covers, she saw a folded paper lying on her bed. She frowned and opened it. The writing was messy, as if it had been done in a rush.

Dear Lily,
The reason I'm writing this letter is quite pathetic. Remus suggested this, only because I was too embarrassed to tell you this out loud.

Lily began to feel dizzy. Was he going to say what she thought he would?

The truth is that I like you. I've liked you for a long time, but I stopped asking you out after a while because I knew it bothered you. I tried giving up on you, getting over you, everything. But none of it works. Because I really, really, like you, and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it. So what do you say? Will you finally go out with me?

Lily blushed and felt a grin appear on her face. She threw the note down on her bed and rushed downstairs, hoping he'd be there. Sure enough, James was sitting on one of the couches in front of the fire. He smiled slightly when he saw her.

"So what do you say?"

Lily's smile widened.

"Yes."