Jily Oneshots (pt2)

Upside Down

They were seated quickly in a corner near the back. Lily smoothed her skirt over her legs again, glancing around the room. This was where she really had to sell it- already they were attracting a lot of gazes from around the room.

"You could try not looking so nervous." James muttered, picking up his menu.

Lily immediately smiled at him, placing her head on one hand. "Fine, James. Let's be in love. Let's act like a close couple, even though we've spoken once before tonight, and you were completely drunk. I'm surprised you even remember it."

"I told you." James said, smiling back at her, although his voice was tight. "I asked my people to send you a new pair of shoes with an apology."

Lily laughed, placing her hand on James's shoulder. "You couldn't just...send them yourself?"

James's eyes flicked down to her hand and back up at her face. "Everyone is terrible when they first get famous. That was our first major award-"

"Hmm." Lily said, smiling down at her menu. "Have you ever had the fish here? I've heard it's wonderful."

"Lily..."

"Smile, remember?" Lily said. "We've got to look like we like each other."

James sighed, and returned to his menu, smiling. "So, tell me what got you into music."

Lily looked up at him. "What?"

"Well, we've got to make conversation, don't we?" James said, turning the page. "We can't just sit here silently, then we'd look fake."

"All right." Lily rested her elbows on the table. "Let's talk, then."

Her publicist called her the next night while she was cooking dinner. "What did you do?"

"What?" Lily asked, leaning her phone against her shoulder while she stirred the rice she was making. "What are people saying?"

"Well...nothing."

Lily replaced the lid on the rice pot and shifted the phone to her other shoulder. "It hasn't even been twenty-four hours."

"Yes, but this is James Potter." said her publicist. "When he and Ellie Goulding went out once, it was all over the tabloids by that night. Were there tabloids there?"

"Yeah, I think. It was hard to tell." Lily leaned against the counter. "There were a lot of photographers."

"Then what..." There was silence, and then the sounds of typing on a keyboard. "Well, there's the problem. Have you seen any of the articles?"

"No?"

"Well, nobody could get a good shot of you two!" said her publicist. "Seriously, neither of you look happy to be there."

"What?" Lily asked. "We were smiling, we were standing close-"

"Yeah, but you can still tell." said her publicist. "It looks like a business dinner, of course no one cares about that. They're speculating that you're going to write a song together. Which is still publicity, but-"

Lily sighed, pushing her hair away from her face. "I'm sorry, we just don't get along! Does it have to be him?"

"Yes, it does." said her publicist. "Look, I wasn't going to tell you this, but- this wasn't our idea. His team contacted our team, actually."

"What?"

"It's not that surprising. He's dated much more obscure people before."

"But why would they want to initiate that?" Lily asked. "He doesn't need the publicity."