"I want you to stop talking to Lily. It's clear there's something between you, and I frankly don't trust your relationship with her. So, either stop talking to Lily, or this relationship is over. Pick, James. Pick correctly." Amelia smiled, though her voice was dripping with jealousy and false authority.

"Amelia, I can't do that. I can't pick between my girlfriend and my best friend." James was ignoring the  thought in the back of his mind that immediately chose Lily.

"You're going to have to. I'll give you until the end of the day." She promptly got up, turned swiftly, and walked up the stairs to her dormitory with an air of professionalism that usually isn't present when hanging out with your boyfriend.

-

He was sitting alone, mind swirling. He had feelings conflicting constantly. It was giving him a massive headache. He was in love with someone he shouldn't. What the hell do you do in that situation?

"Sirius! I need you." James burst into the dormitory.

"What, James?" Sirius was exhausted by his own thoughts, let alone James's.

"It's Amelia." He sat down on his bed, forehead in his  hands.

Sirius looked up at his best friend. He never talked about his girlfriend to his friends. Proof their relationship is for show, but that's a topic for another day.

"What about her?" Sirius didn't even know her that well, but he hated Amelia Boot purely because of the heartbreak she's indirectly caused Lily.

"She wants me to stop seeing and being around Lily." James mumbled, voice distorted by his face being buried in his hands.

"I'm sorry, what does she want you to do?" Now Sirius really hated her.

"I know, but how do I choose? My best friend or my girlfriend? How would I even stop seeing Lily? We're in the same friend group." James was both conflicted and purposely overlooking the obvious answer.

"Number one, best female friend. Second, how do you  feel around Amelia?" Sirius knew what James was going to say to this question and the next one he was going to ask.

"I don't know. Happy, I guess. A little insecure and there's a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach, but that's a new relationship, right?" Does he not even realize what he's saying?

"Okay, and how do you feel around Lily?"

"Like I'm floating."

"So, do you want to spend the rest of your life feeling insecure and weird or do you want to spend it happy and weightless? That's the only answer you need." Sirius shrugged. They both knew deep down this decision was easy.

"Shit, I have to dump my girlfriend." James blew a raspberry in the air, falling on his back on the bed.

"Your controlling and manipulative girlfriend." Sirius corrected him.

"Right."

-
"Amelia? Can we talk?" James called as he walked into the Hufflepuff common room.

She came around the corner and the two sat down.

"How did she take the news?" Amelia asked, as if it was a given that he'd choose her.

"Yeah, about that, I can't cut ties with Lily. She's been my friend for years and she is just a good person I want to be around. If you can't deal with that, then this relationship isn't healthy." James ripped off the band aid. It was easier than he thought. He was being truthful to Amelia for the first time, unlike when he talked about how he liked her.

"Are you kidding me, James? You're picking the girl who's rejected you a hundred times over me? I'm your girlfriend, that should count for something." She was offended and upset.

"I'm sorry, Amelia, but I can't be with someone who controls my friendships and doesn't trust me. If you don't trust me to be around Lily, then you don't trust me at all. Trust is important in a relationship, and they can't function without it. I'm sorry." He reached to grab her hand, and she moved it out of his reach.

"It's fine, James. Just know that when perfect little Lily Evans isn't everything everyone has chalked her up to be, i won't be here to tell you that I told you so. She doesn't have anything that I don't have. Sucks that you couldn't realize it." She smiled, no, smirked, and got up off the couch.

James followed her getting up, and left with only five more words.

"I'll keep that in mind."

-
The rest of the day was hard, not because he truly liked Amelia, but because he wasn't adjusted to being single yet.

The next day came all too quickly. James slightly dreaded that night, for he was studying with Lily. None of his break up was her fault, but he still felt a distance from her.

The distant feeling dissipated right when they met in the common room that night.

They sat down and began working, falling into their normal rhythm. It felt normal between them, good.

Lily sat next to James, hearing him sighing and seeing his fingers thumb through a textbook. She wished things with him were better, like him being single, or better yet, dating her, but she was thankful that the feeling was normal. She missed Potter, how they could talk for hours about random topics, or spend hours in silence, not feeling awkward or needing to fill the air with conversation. She had that relationship with all of her friends, but it was different with him. There were sparks in the air that both denied. Good tension.

"We haven't talked in a while. How are you?" Lily swallowed. This was the first time she had talked in an hour.

"I'm good. I don't understand divination at all, but I'm good. How are you?" James responded, not looking over. He was nervous that making eye contact with her bright emerald eyes would trigger feelings again, feeling he tried to bury for so long.

"I'm good. How's Amelia?" She asked, regretting asking right after she said it. Lily didn't want to seem rude, but she really didn't want to hear about Amelia all night.

"Um, we broke up actually." James swallowed. He had no idea how she was going to respond, so he looked over at her.

He expected to see the side of her face or her hair, but he looked over and immediately locked eyes with the girl who was already looking at him.

Her eyes were an astonishing color. The green was shocking, especially paired with her hair, but James didn't think prettier eyes existed.

The second they made eye contact, the atmosphere changed. It was tense, but not in a bad way. You cold feel the heat, the energy, the attraction.

"Really? I'm sorry." Lily said, mouth dry. She didn't know what was happening between her and James in the moment, but she wasn't opposed to it.

"Yeah. It's okay, it wasn't really the best relationship-"

"James, shut up." Lily cut him off. She called him James. Not Potter, James. He felt the air change, but that made it even more tense and hot in the room.

She had no idea what had taken over her, maybe it was because it was two am, maybe it was just the years of waiting for a moment like this.

She looked at his lips. Soft, slightly parted, naturally pink.

James didn't know what she wanted until that sudden glance to his mouth. He couldn't help but look at hers as well. Closed tight, round, soft.

The second they made eye contact again, the two had an unspoken conversation.

Are we really doing this?

Can we?

Ever so slightly, James leaned in closer to Lily. He didn't want to take anything farther than she wanted, but Merlin did he want to go farther.

Lily sensed him leaning in and couldn't take it anymore.

She lunged forward and crashed her lips onto his.

In that moment, the exact moment their skin made contact, the rest of the world fell away. All there was were the two of them, their two pairs of lips, and electricity in their veins.

It was more than a kiss. Well, in multiple ways. It was a message from both of them saying that this was what they were waiting for, it was passion and emotion and one heartbeat underlying it all. Also, it was definitely a make out at that point.

They broke apart only for split seconds to breathe, lips, teeth and tongue all caught up in the other, never wanting to stop.

Finally, but too soon, they broke apart. No words were said.
Both Lily and James got up and walked away, legs feeling like jelly, mind racing.

James laid down in his bed. All his friends were asleep, so he lay alone, recounting every moment of the last 10 minutes.

Lily fell onto her bed. Her friends were asleep as well, giving her solitude and silence to recount every moment of the last 10 minutes.

Neither slept that night.

a/n
y'all have no idea how long i've been waiting to write and post this chapter. ah i just love these two and i love writing kiss scenes which is weird considering i haven't kissed anyone. this chapter might be one of my favorites so far, and i hope it makes up for the wait. i got super busy over the summer, i left for two weeks without using my phone and i start school super duper soon so life has gotten in the way of this book. i'm so sorry about that but i hope you all like this chapter anyway. i love you and hope you have an amazing  day!! please correct any errors i've made, i finished writing this at 12:15 am.
~ brynlee