Simple Things
Challenge Seventeen: Messages From The Heart
Title: Simple Things
Author: lunalovepotter
Wizard/Witch: James/Lily
Rating/Warnings: PG-13/R
Genre: Romance/Passion
Word count: Exactly 750
Prompt: #26: Flower Petals in a Letter.
Summary: James Potter is all flash & flair. But that isn't what gets Lily's attention.
She didn't know how it had happened, but quite unexpectedly Lily Evans found herself quite besotted with James Potter. It felt as though she'd been kicked in the stomach and had all of the air knocked out of her. He was all she could think about.
James Potter. The boy who, from day one, had managed to insert himself on, in, around, under and through her every last nerve; the boy who had called her "Evans" up until their first date, four months ago now. He called everyone except his best friends Remus, Sirius, and Peter, by their last names. But now, the way he said her first name, it just rolled off his tongue like deliciously warm, melted chocolate. She enjoyed the sound of it a little too much for her own comfort.
Lily.
Lily, you're bloody brilliant.
Lily, you have beautiful eyes.
Lily, you have beautiful lips.
Lily, can I kiss you?
James Potter, the boy who had never asked for anything in his life and who possessed an irritating sense of entitlement, had actually held her hand, looked into her eyes and asked her if he could kiss her while the snowflakes drifted lazily from the sky, dipping and swirling and landing in his jet black hair and on his Gryffindor scarf. He could have just taken that kiss, snatched it from her when she wasn't expecting it, and she probably would have let him even though she was loath to admit it; but he'd actually asked and that had meant the world to her.
Lily curled her long legs beneath her as she sat in the comfy armchair by the fire, her chin in her hand. It was well past midnight but she couldn't sleep; she kept feeling James's goodnight kiss on her mouth, with his hands cupped against the side of her breasts. His touch had felt like electricity as he leaned close to her, and the hot whisper of his voice as he said her name and then those all-powerful three little words.
"I love you."
It seemed insane that he could love her that way. Surely they were too young to know what it meant to be in love. Although, Lily noted, Petunia had become engaged to Vernon when she was barely older than Lily, and they were perfectly suited for each other. But then Vernon didn't look at Petunia the way James looked at Lily. Vernon didn't look as though he would throw himself in front of a train for Petunia. But Lily knew, just as well as she knew her name, that James would do that for her. He would do anything for her; and he almost had, to get her to go out with him. He'd resorted to just about every trick in the book - and then some that she was pretty sure weren't in any books at all.
But in the end, it had been the letter. After all the fanfare and the showing off with complicated spells, ultimately it was the simplest of methods that had gotten her attention. Of course, being James, he'd added his own special touch. He'd bewitched the envelope so that yellow rose petals burst forth from inside when she opened it, showering down around her, into her hair and landing on her sweater.
"Lily -
I'll get right to the point: I fancy you. Please meet me at noon tomorrow at Madam Puddifoot's. Spend an hour with me. Just the two of us, and no tricks, I promise. If I don't change your mind, then you can leave and I will never bother you again. Just give me one chance.
Hope to see you soon,
James
PS: A little owl told me you like yellow roses."
To this day she didn't know how he'd found out that yellow roses were her favorite flower, although she'd suspected that one of her friends had been sweet-talked by Sirius Black. But it really didn't matter. What mattered to her was that he'd gone to the effort to find out. She'd kept the letter in her trunk along with mementos from every one of their dates. It was clichéd, more like something her sister would do; but she couldn't help herself.
"I love you, Lily." His hands curled into the small of her back and he lightly kissed her lips. His mouth was sweet, and his eyes were intense.
She smiled and looked into his face, leafing her fingers through his hair. "I love you, too," she said.
Author's Notes: Thank you to the_vixxmeister, and also to the mods of romancingwizard for putting on such a fun challenge. :)
Proof-reader: the_vixxmeister