j ι l y

JAMES

Seriously guys, what would I do without you. You guys have been so supportive of me, telling Me I could do it, and that really gave me hope. My parents and Friends back home have said that too, but I always felt like they had to say that. You guys though, people who barely know my real name and what I look like, had faith in me too. You guys really helped me believe, and I'm starting to pull through. My grades are advincing, not much but still. I feel less stupid And I'm trying to learn to put that tiny critic inside me away for good. I'm really grated for guys, and even though you have no idea who I am, I will always be grateful. Thank you.

Six years.

Those six years that I had to wait to get her, those six years of trying and trying and trying and failing but then trying again, had gotten me here.

And, man, was I lucky.

Lily slept over at my place along with Marlene and Remus and Alice and Sirius and Frank. We drink butterbeer and firewhiskey, eat Bertie Botts (Moony gets all the Toenailed flavored ones and Alice gets all the Earwax flavored one, while Lily gets all the caramel flavored ones, lucky duck), and spend the day pulling prank calls and laughing like we were in Hogwarts again.

And when it was, oh I dunno,maybe two thirty in the morning, we all decided to sleep. I showed everyone their rooms and we ended staying in mine and talking for another hour.

"So, Lils, When's the wedding?" Marlene asked us. That caught me really off guard because we hadn't told anyone yet.

"What?" Lily asked, caught off guard as well.

"I think you heard me."

"How did you know?" Lily asked, seriously confused.

"The ring's hard to miss, Evans," Padfoot said, grinning. I looked down at her hand, and he was right. I Had purchased the ring that I thought would most suit her. It was expensive,by nothing I couldn't handle. I'm a Potter, for Merlin's sake. That may or may not be my attempt to brag.

The golden ring for her perfectly, diamonds circling the emerald in the center. When you thought about it, you could really see how it matched her eyes and how it sparkled in the sunlight the same way her eyes did. I never noticed.

Lily blushed lightly, facing her feet. I pulled her a little closer to me. "Damn right, Padfoot, we're engaged. Any problem?"

He smiled maniacally. "'Course not."

***

I woke up with my arms around her waist.

Then I thought to myself, what?

Then I realized that we had cuddled in bed yesterday and ended up falling asleep. Her face was against my T-shirt and my arms were around her and she looked so damn gorgeous when she was sleeping that I couldn't help but smile.

I buried my face in her flaming red hair and kissed the top of her head. "I love you," I mumbled into the soft locks.

And without a word, I drifted off again.

×××lily×××

I could feel him awaken, but I did nothing about it. I never wanted to leave.

He had us arms wrapped around me and I my face was buried into his shirt and I just never wanted to leave. It was perfect. I smiled.

I could feel him smiling somehow too.

He kissed the top of my head, mumbling three words into my hair.

"I love you."

I could feel his breath becoming even and heavier as he fell back asleep.

"I love you too," I whispered against his shirt.

And so I closed my eyes.

×××james×××

I was in that borderline, when your almost asleep but not quite, so your still half awake.

I heard her whisper "I love you too," into my shirt. I wanted to kiss her but I didn't, because I was almost asleep and she was too.

So I fell asleep with the knowledge that she loved me securely etched into my heart.