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He’s been there for hours and they’ve barely made progress.
It isn’t for a lack of trying—christ knows she’s trying—but after a few minutes of prefect scheduling James’ eyes inevitably turn glassy and wander away, head tilting towards the various muggle inventions that line the countertop. Sometimes he takes to watching her, his stare hyper focused like he’s trying to count the strands of hair it takes to make up her fringe. Others, he simply roams around her face, admiring each freckle or tracing the slope of her cheek.
It really should make her more uncomfortable, but the worst part of it is: she doesn’t mind it one bit.
“So we’ll need to make sure to organize with Filch to make sure any inconsistencies with—hellooooo? Potter?”
James blinks, pulling his gaze away from the crockpot.
“Sorry, just wondering why your casserole dish has a pronged tail.”
“We’ve been through this. It's not a tail.”
“—It’s electricity,” James finishes for her. “But it does look like a tail, yeah? I’m not completely mental about this?”
It does and if she’s being honest it’s cute that he’s even made the comparison.
Lily sighs and attempts to reroute focus back to the pile of work but James is already off again, the tip of his tongue slipping out between his lips as he squints now towards the stand mixer. With his attention occupied, she allows herself one long look to take in his presence. Slightly crooked glasses, black curls thrown in every direction, a resting grin complete with dimples on each side. If you’d have asked her in fourth and fifth year about any of these attributes, she would have claimed they were irritating at best, but now…
Now her heart flutters like a pack of pixies tangling up her insides, which might be objectively worse.
Way, way worse.
A socked foot taps lightly against hers.
“What?” James says, hazel eyes back focused on her.
“Nothing.”
“No, whaaat?”
Lily doesn’t respond, snapping her head down to sift back through the parchment. A hand reaches out and splays out over the paper and her heart nearly jumps through her throat.
“Evans, could we have a break?” James says sheepishly. “Sorry but I think the noises you’ve been making with your mouth have stopped sounding like English a while ago—maybe you can give me a tour of the house or something?”
Lily grimaces. He hasn’t seen the rest of the house by design—between the peeling linoleum floors and faint orange cigarette stains on every surface, she wouldn't have blamed him if he had turned and fled the second she opened the door.
“Er, I don’t think that’s a good idea—”
Suddenly, a loud, dramatic groan reverberates through the ceiling and a phone crashes back into its receiver, giving a pathetic ring from the force. A flurry of grumbling and heel clicks descend the stairs and Petunia appears in the doorway of the kitchen, her ruffled pink cocktail dress swaying long after she’s stopped moving.
“I need a favor. I—”
Petunia’s eyes lock onto James, then his wand on the table and her mouth snaps shut, thin lips pressing together so hard they tremble. She goes from pale, to pink, to a blistery shade of red in a matter of seconds, eyes wide and horrified at the discovery Lily had secretly fantasized about witnessing all day.
Until this moment, Petunia has never had a reason to consider that a wizard could be attractive, but here one sits at her kitchen table. The bane of her existence. Looking horribly, infuriatingly, deliciously fit.
After an uncomfortably long while, Petunia speaks again.
“I don’t care what you’re doing. I need you to come drop me off at Marc Eddington’s.”
“What? No way!” Lily sputters. “Don’t you have bloody friends to drive you? Or just drive yourself?”
Petunia scowls. “Of course I have friends. Marcie was supposed to drive everyone but she got grounded last minute. It will only take a half-hour at most— you know I can’t risk daddy coming home early and finding the car gone.”
“Well, that’s your problem,” Lily huffs. “Besides, I have a guest over and we’re very busy so—”
Petunia’s eyes flick over to James again then narrow wickedly at her sister.
“Doesn’t seem like you are getting very far. I doubt you’ll be too busy.”
Implication drips off every word.
“I’d like to go,” James pipes up, turning to Lily in earnest. “You never told me you could drive a car!”
“It’s never come up,” Lily murmurs.“ It’s not that cool—nearly everyone can drive a car by our age.”
“I think it’s brilliant,” James says with a grin. He prods her leg again with his foot, hooking around her ankle to give a playful tug that knots her stomach. “C’mon Evans—we were going to take a break anyhow. Let’s help your sister, yeah? I’d like to see this car talent first hand.”
Another tug of his foot.
“Please? ”
He pouts his lips, eyelashes flapping ridiculously against his lenses—god, how can someone be so infuriating and gorgeous all at once?
From the doorway, Petunia fakes a cough and snaps her pocketbook closed. Her eyes dart between the two of them with a scowl, no doubt clocking the betraying flush that coats Lily’s face.
Her sneer drips heavily with jealousy.
“Good. It’s settled then,” Petunia says quickly, grabbing the car keys of the wooden rung near the door.
“Now, hurry up. I’m not keen to wait around all night.”
* * * * * * *
Despite the point being that Lily brings the car home, Petunia makes a weak excuse for why she should be the one to drive them to the party and slides into the driver’s seat, her nails clicking impatiently at the wheel while she waits for them to get in.
“Don’t touch anything and budge up, we aren’t far from picking up the other girls.”
Ducking into the backseat after Lily, James slides to the middle of the bench, the small seat a tight fit for his long limbs. He fumbles through a series of cramped leg positions until he makes a compromise by splaying a leg out diagonal into Lily’s side. Lily stiffens as the fabric of his trousers tickles against her bare leg and he presses closer with the rumbling of the engine.
“This alright?” James asks. Their knees knock.
“Yeah, fine,” Lily says quickly, turning to rest her forehead on the cool window pane. The back seat fills up with the smell of him; a scent she’s never been able to pin down but it’s earthy and spiced and bloody intoxicating.
Bollocks bollocks bollocks
They drive through the summer smog until the terraced houses become less grimy, the looming presence of the mill’s smokestacks far enough away so that somewhat pleasant gardens can rest peacefully without being shrouded in gloom. Under a streetlamp, two brightly dressed girls chat together in a cloud of cigarette smoke, their hemlines shifting high on their thighs as they giggle. Petunia honks the horn and they grind their fags into the asphalt with their heels.
“Took you a minute,” the girl in a high collared dress says to Petunia before settling into the front seat. The other girl, one in a boxy, checkered pinafore, opens the door to the back and takes a long eyeful of James before sliding in close beside him.
“It wasn’t my fault,” Petunia whines, taking a fag from the girl in the front seat. “I can’t believe Marcie got grounded. I swear that girl doesn’t have a single brain cell.”
“Don’t be rude, Petunia,” the girl in the front seat says, lighting up a new cigarette and blowing a thin strand of smoke out the window. She twists her neck to look between the two front seats and bats her eyelashes towards James.
“Speaking of rude, who’s this?”
James gives a hearty flash of his dimples. “James Potter—a pleasure.”
“Oh, no. The pleasure is mine,” the girl giggles, shooting the other a sly, knowing look. “I’m Bertie; that’s Johanna. So, what gorgeous rock did you crawl out of to join us tonight?”
James blinks. “Uhm. I don’t understand the question.”
“He’s with my sister,” Petunia cuts in, glaring through the rearview mirror.
“Not with me,” Lily adds quickly. “Just…he goes to the same school.”
The clarification puts some pep in Bertie’s spirit. “Yeah? Oh right! Isn’t it one for troubled youth?”
“Gifted.”
“Gifted in what way?” Joanna giggles, ogling James’ arms. Lily fights the urge to pull her wand.
“I dunno, just gifted.”
Something lands on her leg and she jumps. Warm, long fingers press into her knee, giving a quick, reassuring squeeze.
“It’s a swotty school where they make us read dusty old books. Nothing special,” James fills in cooly. He smirks, clearly pleased with his cover and sends a knowing wink that makes her ears burn.
“Maybe you can tell me about it sometime,” Bertie says, turning back in her seat. “I love intelligent men.”
“Intelligent men,” Petunia echoes.“Which ones? All the so-called ‘intelligent men’ were smart enough to move off to somewhere better. God knows this party will be full of the usual cads.”
On the word cad, Petunia peers up at James through the rearview, eyes flashing.
“Wait, you don’t even like these people?” James asks, astonished. “Why would you want to go to their party then?
Beside him, Johanna laughs a bit too loudly, smacking his arm and letting her hand linger.
“Oh, don’t listen to her. Petunia is very picky. I reckon she won’t get laid until she meets some big wig business man making five figures.”
“Six figures,” Petunia retorts with a smile. “And don’t be an arse. I might be picky but I’m not a prude—besides, someone in our family needs to live respectively.”
Petunia locks eyes with her sister’s in the mirror.
Respectively, meaning non-magical. Meaning nothing like her.
They drive to a long residential block that sits right up against the old gates of the mill, the houses an identical murky brick sitting stoic in tight lines. Near the end of a row, teenagers in colorful dresses and tight trousers spill out of one of the open doorways and into the street, standing in clusters to smoke. The distinct smell of weed wafts through the open windows and in the rearview Lily sees her sister’s nose crinkle in disgust.
“Alright, everyone out,” Petunia snaps, shoving the gear into park. Giggling, both Bertie and Johanna give James a final once over before leaving the car, ducking their heads together and bursting into full-on squeals as they plod up the street.
“Now, I don’t know when daddy’s coming home so you better not take any detours,” Petunia says, handing Lily the keys. She flicks her gaze towards James who still sits in the back seat and scowls.
“And you better make sure he is gone too.”
When Petunia plods off to catch up with her friends, Lily falls into the driver's seat, smashing her head back with a groan.
“A real treat, your sister.”
Lily turns. James is leaning forward, arms resting on the backs of both front seats to peer over at her.
“Yeah, sorry about her—-and her friends too. They can all be a bit much.”
“I think that Joanna touched my bum, but otherwise I’m unscathed,” James says with a grin. He cranes forward to peer outside the window again and Lily follows his gaze. Some couples snog heavily against a side wall near the bins while a group farther off collectively rubs their noses and gums, a reflective surface clutched between them.
She watches him for a moment longer, his eyes drinking in the scene like watching a rather engrossing sequence in a film. The longing in his eyes makes her realize it’s been a long time since she’s experienced real, messy fun.
She shoves the keys into the ignition.
Fuck it.
“Want to go check it out?” Lily asks, turning her head to shoot him a wily smile.
“Er, don’t we have to return the car?”
She scoffs. “Potter, are you really turning down an opportunity to break the rules right now?”
He flashes her a smile, a real typical James Potter one full of dimples and mischief but with something else beyond it. Something just for her .
“After you then.”
They pull the car around to the nearest parking spot then step out into the night, bits of rubbish and dog droppings littering the sidewalk towards the house. The mill’s chimneys loom just over the flickering street lamps and Lily makes a face at it much like a child would do to a bigger bully.
“So…this is what you do for fun on summer hols, then?” James says, eyeing a few boys who have started to kick a football around in a nearby clearing. A beer sloshes onto one of their polos and the other boys burst out laughing.
Lily snorts and shrugs her shoulders. “Fun, sure.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“No, What?” James says, halting on the sidewalk.“You’re making that face. You always make that face when I say something stupid.”
He’s right, he does—though stupid might not be the word for it.
“It’s really nothing,” Lily sighs. “It’s just—I’d rarely call this fun. More like… interaction out of necessity. Most of these people think I’m a freak anyhow.”
James frowns, licking his lips. “I’m not following.”
“Alright look—”
She tugs at his sleeve and directs his attention towards a group of girls hovering around a postbox, passing a joint between them. “That’s Amelia, Squeaky, and Lynette. When I was eight they put some chewing gum in my hair and I was so upset I accidentally turned Lynette’s tuna sandwich into a real flopping fish when she took a bite.”
“Wow. The poor fish.”
Lily giggles. “No one could prove anything but they told the rest of the school I was a psychopath who carried fish around for the fun of it. Oh, and those blokes there—,” She points to two boys clutching lagers by the front door. “The black haired one is Craig and the blonde is Matthew. I had a huge, silly crush on Craig when I was ten and sent him a valentine. He read it to the entire school and in a fit of rage I made his head grow the size of a watermelon. Everyone thought he just had an allergic reaction, but Mum took me out of school for a week just in case.”
James throws his head back in a laugh. “Merlin Evans, you were despicable! How did you not have the ministry knocking down your door?”
Lily shrugs. “Muggleborns don’t know any better. It’s silly but up until I got my letter I always just thought my wishes were coming true like they do in muggle fairytales—even if they were mean ones.”
His grin softens to something quiet and pensive.
“I don’t think that’s silly at all. It’s rather sweet actually.”
They stroll on, the thumping music from the house getting louder but neither of them seem to be in any rush. James stuffs his hands into his pockets and whistles along lightly with the tune.
“So, I take it you aren’t too keen to be back here then?” James asks.
Lily shakes her head. “It’s alright. My sister is a terror and I try to keep my distance from everyone here for the most part but, in case you haven’t picked up on it, Cokeworth and the surrounding area are not big on population. Leaving for school for more than half the year makes it difficult to establish any real friendships. It used to be easier with Sev around but—”
Like closing a window, her words shore up, pulled from her throat as though stolen. She’s never said it out loud before and certainly never meant to broach the conversation with James. She looks up at the mill, a steady stream of smoke leaking out a nearest chimney and making the night sky look dusty and sick.
God, the things Sev would say if he saw her right now? And why does it bother her so much that she doesn’t actually care?
“Oh, I didn’t know he was from here too,” James says quietly, shifting his weight. He hesitates for a moment. “It’s alright, Evans. We don’t really need to talk about it. Let’s find some drinks, yeah?”
Lily returns his smile, but the relief is short-lived. Over James’ shoulder, a figure ducking out of the house catches her eye and her stomach turns sour. She crouches behind James.
“Fuck…fuck.”
“What is it?” James turns and spots the boy getting closer. “Do you know that bloke?”
“Yeah, and I really don’t want to deal with him right now.”
James’ eyebrows raise. “Why?”
“I might have…hooked up with him a bit last summer hols.”
James blanches a bit. “Oh. And did you…was it…good?”
“Does my reaction to his presence seem like it was good?”
“Lily!”
Both Lily and James turn. The blonde haired boy bounds up to them, a cigarette hanging dangerously from his lower lip. He glances from Lily to James with a heavy-lidded look, eyes slightly bloodshot.
“Alright there? Didn’t know you were back in town.”
Lily gives a weak smile. “Hey Harvey…here I am.”
Harvey takes a drag of his fag, studying Lily up and down with a crooked smirk that transports her back to less fond memories of him sweaty and breathing against her in a pub alleyway. Beside her, James rolls back his shoulders, jaw tightening.
“You never rang,” Harvey says, attempting to sound indifferent. “What? Don’t have phones up in that special school of yours?”
She almost laughs out loud. If only he knew.
“Yeah, sorry. I’ve been busy—”
“Who’s the posho then?” Harvey cuts in quickly, “He your new boyfriend?”
Lily’s stomach lurches. “No, he’s—
Her mind wipes itself clean, unable to form an articulate answer even if she had a wand pointed at her head. James definitely isn’t her boyfriend— that, she’s undeniably aware of— but she isn’t entirely sure what he is either. A friend? Certainly a classmate and newly appointed heads’ partner, but none of those choices answer the constant nagging question of why sometimes it feels like the world simply slips away when he’s around…
The sudden pressure of an arm wraps around her waist and she jumps. James looks down at her with a subtle arch of an eyebrow, his fingers giving a reassuring squeeze.
“I’m someone who is finding this conversation very boring,” James fills in for her wryly. “She doesn’t want to talk to you mate, just drop it.”
Harvey scoffs. “Fuck Lils, I sorta expected you to find some other bloke to shag, but I didn’t expect this.”
To punctuate his sentence, Harvey blows a cloud of smoke directly into James’ face. It has the opposite effect: James grins wider.
“Sorry to disappoint, Harv—I can call you Harv, right? —- but I think you’ve wasted far too much of our time now. So if you wouldn’t mind, could you kindly fuck off or do I need to ask a bit less posh for you to understand?”
Harvey considers this threat, then seems to also consider that James is nearly a foot taller than him and a whole lot more athletic looking. He throws his cigarette to the ground, stamping it into the sidewalk.
“Fine, you can have her. She’s a fuckin’ freak job anyways.”
She doesn’t wait for James’ reaction, fury bubbling up and moving her without thought. The palm of her hand stings like hell and Harvey’s cheek blooms into an angry red. James stares on in shock as cheers and whistles erupt around them.
“C’mon James, let's go,” Lily seethes. James raises his eyebrows but says nothing, a satisfied smirk plastered on his face as Harvey gets the picture and slumps off down the road.
Finding a solitary spot near some bushes, Lily examines her hand. Her bad decision making catches up with her in the form of a painful throb.
“How’s the hand?” James asks, leaning close to look down with her.
“Fine.”
James chuckles and shoves his hands into his pockets. Lily shoots him a glare.
“Alright get it over with.”
“What?” James grins. “I have nothing to say. No notes, really—just that I’m very lucky to have been standing a safe distance away from you every time we’ve ever rowed.”
Lily scowls, then looks back down at her hand, a bit ashamed.
“Sorry you had to watch that. To be honest, I probably deserved it.”
“Deserved it?” James repeats, cocking his head incredulously. “That bloke was a piece of work. He’s the one that deserved it and way more than just a slap if I’m honest.”
Lily offers a weak smile. “Yeah? And I’m sure if I didn’t get in there first, you’d have earned us court dates to the ministry by now.”
She expects him to laugh but he doesn’t, eyes fixed hard on her.
“Yeah, I probably would. That guy was just begging to be hexed. Don’t ever say that you deserve something like that, Evans. You—you deserve the world.”
His eyes widen and hers do too, their cheeks bursting with color. He runs a hand quickly through his hair, ruffling it until curls stand upwards.
“I mean—you deserve better than him. Better than anyone if you ask me—” He stops himself, turning redder. “Uhm—just forget it. I think we are in serious need of some drinks now.”
They walk through the thickening crowd towards the open door of the house. Inside, a disco beat thumps hard against the wallpaper and the lights are dimmed to near darkness, a single lava lamp shooting hallucinogenic patterns across nearby empty cans.
“Do you want to dance?” Lily asks, nodding her head towards the outlines of figures that bump and grind in the shadows. James follows her gaze, looking pale.
“Uhm, do you? I’m not really the best —”
She doesn’t let him finish the sentence. Tugging his forearm she leads him into the center of the room, pushing past a myriad of shaking hips to find them an open spot near the corner. The song is fast and loud with a thrumming bass beat and Lily quickly slips into it like putting on a familiar dress, letting her hips move and arms raise in time to the music. Across from her, James simply sways in place, watching her intently with the green light of the lava lamp reflecting through his lenses.
“What?” Lily laughs, fully getting into the groove of the song.
James smiles, his eyes looking heavier by the second.
“Nothing, you’re a good dancer that’s all,” he says loudly, speaking over the music.
“Yeah—and you dance like you have a wand up your arse.”
“Do not.”
To prove his point he moves his shoulders in a stiff rotation. His hips jerk side to side, completely off-beat. “Maybe I’m pretending to be rubbish so that you’ll feel sorry for me,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Impossible,” she quips back. “With that ego of yours, I reckon you’d rather die than be bad at something.”
“Alright, if you say so—”
He reaches out and catches her by the waist, pulling her closer so his hips are flush with hers. Fire erupts inside, a warm bubble of something potent and cloying billowing from her center. The proximity of his body, of his breath hot against her temple is so dizzying and heady she doesn’t realize until the song ends and a new one begins that they’ve stopped moving entirely.
“I didn’t think farther than this,” James admits, grinning down at her. “I just noticed everyone is standing real close. Other than that I’m out of ideas.”
Lily laughs, still breathless from how intensely hot his body feels pressed up against hers. Not letting herself overthink it, she opens her stance to lightly straddle one of his legs and locking eyes with him, drops her hands to his waist to gently push his hips into a roll that she matches.
“You mostly just have to feel it.”
James blushes. “Er, feel what?”
“The music, you git!”
He starts to take control of his own body, clutching tight to her waist while continuing to follow her movement. His eyes stare blown out down between them, watching as their hips gyrate in the same direction, his mouth gaping and breaths coming in shallow gasps.
“Alright?”
James swallows. “Oh! Yeah. Just…I think I missed the lesson on how to dance like this for my parent’s society parties...”
Lily laughs again, letting her head fall back so the ends of her hair brush against his forearm. The music changes to something more sultry and she replaces her hands around his neck, inadvertently pulling him closer.
“Good thing you’re a quick study.”
Feeling a burst of flirtiness, she turns, pressing her back against his chest and replacing her arms around his neck. He holds onto her hips, helping them along in slow circles with his, slower even than the disco beat that flows along like a deep undercurrent. Her eyes close and she lets her head go slack against the crux of his collar, turning and filling her lungs with the smell of him.
“See?” She says breathlessly into his neck. “You’re a natural.”
They stay like that for a while, him holding her solid and strong while the rest of the world plods along around them. It’s something his presence is able to do even without the addition of physical touch: he’s the stable force.The unshakable presence. The constant. The world could fall in on itself and he’d still be right there— despite years of them rowing and despite the friendship so nascent she’s still afraid to muck it up—he’s always been and will be right there, waiting patiently to hold her up.
“Hey Lily—”
Her eyes blink open and she twists her neck. He looks back, his breath hot against her cheek. His eyes shine from the reflection of the lamp or maybe, she thinks, from something else entirely.
“Hey James?”
His head dips lower and hers leans up to meet it, her whole body buzzing, screaming, propelling her forward until his lips graze the side of her mouth, moving deliberately to hover fully against hers.
“Cops! Everyone out!”
Her head snaps away, eyes thrown open like being ripped from a deep sleep. The blue light pulsing around the room doesn't come from some trippy lamp, but the windows that look out onto the street. Shrieks ring out and bodies rush off the dance floor towards the back part of the house, jostling around them as they all fight towards an exit.
“Shit, we have to go!” Lily yells, tugging at his arms. James blinks, his eyes dazed and heavy-lidded. His hands clench onto her waist protectively, afraid that if he lets go, the dream will end.
“Why? What’s going on?
“Cops! If we get caught they’ll arrest us.”
James stares, clearly not following. Lily huffs, pulling at him harder to start moving.
“You know, police? Bobbies? Christ Potter, think of them as muggle Filch but way way worse.”
At the last bit, his eyes grow wide with understanding and he kicks off into full gear. Tugging at her waist, he leads them through the chaos of running teenagers who trip over furniture and beer cans to flee, slipping them through the back door and out into the humid summer night that continues to pulse with the lights and sirens.
“Where are we going?” Lily gasps, tailing after James as he propels them forward. He turns back and flashes her the largest, most blinding smile she’s seen in her life.
“No idea! Just roll with it!”
A man’s voice yells gruffly behind them and they break out into a sprint, James leading the way down a series of winding back alleys and dismal looking gardens. Maybe it's the flashing light that reflects into James’ mess of curls or the look of utmost joy he wears—but Lily bursts out into a deep laugh, clutching her stomach and stumbling.
“Over there!” Lily gasps through her laughter. She grabs at James’ shirt and ducks them between a row of bins, both of them smashing their backs against the stone wall and sliding down into a series of guffaws until they become a heap on the ground.
“Wow, Evans. I didn’t think you had it in you,” James says, finally catching his breath. The run has made his hair more wild than usual. “Do you think they’ll find us?”
“Nah,” Lily says, still winded. “But let’s stay here for a second just in case.”
“If only Dumbledore could see us: newly appointed head students on the run from the law.”
Lily laughs, which makes catching her breath all the more difficult. She grasps at her stomach and her body careens over into James’ side for support. A lopsided grin appears on his face and he reaches an arm around her shoulders.
“What’s so funny?”
Lily shakes her head. “Nothing—you just look so happy when you are in trouble.”
James grins, but then it falters, losing its shine. “Yeah, well. Maybe not the best trait for the head boy now is it.”
He goes silent, all the mirth draining from his face. His jaw tightens and from this close she can watch in real time as he attempts to slacken it, failing horribly.
“I think Dumbledore's off his rocker for thinking I’m going to be any good at this,” James says finally, not looking up.“You—now you’re perfect. But me? You saw me today, Evans. Those prefect schedules might as well be written in ancient runes.”
Lily hums in dissent. “But you’ve always been a good leader to your mates. And what about quidditch? I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit.”
James attempts an empty chuckle. “Leader. If you call winding them up to faff off–”
“No, I mean taking care of them when they need it,” Lily interrupts. “You took in Sirius when he needed a home—”
“My parents did that not me—”
“And you’ve always helped Peter along, god knows he needs the push sometimes. And with Remus…”
She teeters off, not wanting to say it. Getting closer to the boys last year only solidified the suspicions Snape had been feeding her for years. They’ve never talked about it and she’d never ask , but it’s as good as confirmed. Remus is a werewolf—and just like James has done with everyone else, he’s remained loyal to him despite it.
Everyone’s constant.
“Hey, Lily?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really happy to be with you. Both in trouble and as head students.”
Lily flushes, her heart starting to beat like they’ve run across the continent rather than a few blocks. She looks up to find him staring back, eyes bright and sincere and asking the unspoken question she’s been trying to answer all night.
It’s possible it will cause more trouble later than it’s worth, but she isn’t worried about that now.
She cups the side of his cheek and kisses him.
His body goes stiff, not realizing what’s happening at first. He lets out a sigh and begins to sink deeply, moving his lips firm and unhurried against hers. The arm around her shoulder pulls her in and she complies, wrapping her arms around his neck while the rest of the world falls away; small gasps filling their own little space that’s been carved out just for them.
At last, they pull apart and Lily settles her head against his chest. Moments pass and a deep vibration shakes from her core, bubbling over into an unstoppable laughter that leaves her insides cramping in protest.
“H-hey now,” James says, pulling away, mortified. “Why’re you laughing? Was it really that bad?”
Lily shakes her head, trying and failing to keep composure.
“No, no. That—that was everything. I just—I can’t believe my first kiss with you is behind some bloody bins in—in Cokeworth.”
She bursts back into a fit of giggles and James starts to laugh too, a deep gentle rumbling against her chest. He leans in and pecks her lips.
“I happen to find it very romantic actually,” James chuckles. “In fact, I think I’ve had this very fantasy. Us on the run…hiding from danger…snogging in questionable smelling locations…”
“Liar,” Lily giggles, smacking him on the chest. He catches her hand and pulls her in for another kiss, this one searing and riddled with giggles. After they break apart again, Lily leans against him, enjoying his heartbeat against her back.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks softly.
Lily hums. “Just about how I’ve always wanted to do that but it always seemed like such a bad idea.”
“How so?”
“Just…too much trouble, I guess.”
James smiles, dipping down to drag his lips across the slope of her cheek. Goosebumps erupt along her arms but she doesn’t shy away, leaning into the sturdiness of his chest and the lull of his voice.
“Well, I have a confession to make then. Now that I know you fancy me, I’m going to make lots of trouble for you—and I’m not even sorry about it.”
He turns her head and kisses her again, tasting of a promise she knows he’ll keep. From far off, a police siren rattles along the street and blue lights occasionally strobe past, lighting up the alley and drifting up into the dreary skyline. The chimneys of the mill are obscured by the high walls and all that remains is the faintest haze of smoke that fade into the night; the stars becoming brighter by the second.