Lily Evans and the Marauder's Secrets

Chapter 31: Absolute Disaster

YES! See you soon, Lily Evans.

That's what his last letter back said.

And I'd opened it up to read too many times to count, enough that the creases had lost their hold.

And now it's time. The time, the day, the place... that I get to see James again.

Well, actually, it's past the time.

I stand outside Stoneground Cucina, looking up and down the street, not sure what direction he'll be coming from. I keep checking my watch, watching the minutes tick by. He's getting dangerously close to leaving the range of acceptably-late and into the realm of so-late-it's-rude. Mum had offered to wait out with me, but I waved her and Dad inside with Petunia and Vernon to get our table. The wind lifts my hair and I shiver, pulling my wool coat a bit tighter, wondering if the stroke of vanity this afternoon that had resulted in me wearing a dress and tights was a stupid idea. I mean, it probably is. I'm freezing. And I'm starting to get annoyed James isn't here yet, and therefore annoyed that I got all dressed up for him. Anyway, I shouldn't care what he thinks about how I look. He probably won't even notice I pulled the front of my hair back with a ribbon or put on lipstick or anything. I'm wearing heels, for Merlin's sake! What was I thinking? It's just dinner, the restaurant isn't even that fancy, I just had to –

"Wow."

I start and look up and... there he is. Standing just a few paces down the sidewalk, the streetlights glinting off his glasses, hands in his pockets, hair carefully combed – all except a patch at his crown that sticks stubbornly up. James. And his expression makes the dress immediately worth it.

"You look... wow," he says again. He rubs at the back of his hair, immediately messing the rest of it up, and smiles. He's dressed in muggle clothes, and it's almost amusing to see – I'm so used to seeing him in his school robes.

Not that I'm complaining.

James might be a wizard, but the boy knows how to wear a button-down and slacks. And I'm definitely not staring at the nice way his shoulders fill out his blazer, or how the dusty purple color of his shirt makes his eyes unexpectedly pop green.

"I'm probably over-dressed," I say, because I'm stupid and tongue-tied and don't know what to do with myself now that he's actually here and looking so ridiculously charming. Do I hug him? Shake hands? Run inside before I can do anything more stupid than that? It's suddenly very clear that all those letters have done absolutely nothing to crush my feelings for him.

In fact, I think I might have a bigger problem now.

"You can over-dress anytime," James says. He comes a couple steps closer.

"Thanks," I say, looking down. For some reason, it's hard to look him in the eye. "You too," I say, still being stupid. It's just so hard to think straight when he's standing right there, looking all handsome and looking at me like... like...

Like we might be something more than friends.

"You're late. Everyone's already inside," I blurt.

His expression falls and he rubs more anxiously at his hair. "I know, and I am SO sorry. Something... something came up, but I left as soon as I could."

I wait for more of an explanation, but he doesn't say anything else.

"Um, okay," I say, pushing down a pulse of annoyance. He's here now, after all. "They're excited to see you again – well, my parents are. And me too, I suppose." I flush.

"I'm excited to see them again, too." He pauses. "And you, Lily. It's good to see you again."

I chance a glance at him. He's smiling. My annoyance melts.