A Whole New Adventure

Part 6

To quickly save the moment, James' eyes flickered to the table behind them, "Getting a head start, are we?"

Blue-green eyes darted back to the parchment and books littering the table before smiling, "More of a refresher... and I supposed a bit of a head start."

Clarissa ran her eyes over James' face, taking in every line, every mark, and every pore. Unconsciously, she began pulling him closer to her by means of the towel around his neck until their noses touched. Just when their lips brushed, Clarissa pulled away sharply, realizing what she's done. James sighed, disappointed that she pulled away but had an understanding why.

James pulled her into a hug, allowing Clarissa to rest her head on his shoulder, letting him hold her. This was fine, hugs were fine, but kisses? Not yet. Her apologies were muffled by James' broad shoulders but, he seemed to understand what she was trying to get across. Clarissa pulled away slightly, just enough so she could make eye contact with James.

"This feels right," She tells him, gesturing to the both of them.

"Every time you hold me, I... I feel safe. I feel like I'm home. I feel complete. Half of the things I do are like reflexes, sometimes I don't even notice it. But it still feels, odd. It's kind of like... like when you walk into a room and forget what you needed to do in there." Clarissa tried to explain, hoping she was making a bit of sense.

"Like you knew you had to go in there, but the minute you walk in, you're completely blank. Reaching for you, holding you, kissing you, everything about you feels like that," She elaborated when she saw James' confused look.

"But more often than not, I still am coming up completely blank so please, don't feel like you did something wrong or feel offended when I back or push you away. Believe me, I wish I could remember, at least us."

James took in Clarissa's confession and if anything, fell more in love with her. Even with her memory gone, she was still thoughtful when it came to how others felt. James wasn't going to lie, he missed her touch and kisses a lot, and it's only been a day. Although Clarissa has been staying close to him (considering her memory problem), it still wasn't the same.

"I understand love, no rush, remember?" He told her with a soft smile, "How about we set some ground rules huh? And I promise I'll try my best to abide by them and let you do all the actions."

James took a step back from their current position, far enough that they weren't touching each other's faces, but near enough so he didn't have to strain to hold her hand.

"Hugs and hand holding are alright," Clarissa said, thinking carefully, "And I don't mind kisses as long as it's not on the lips."

James smirked and immediately kissed her cheek causing her to blush but also roll her eyes at his cheekiness.

"And how about sleeping together?" James asked.

Clarissa's blush grew deeper and she turned into a blubbering mess at how he mentioned it so casually. James laughed loudly before beginning to calm her down.

"I meant like what we did last night," He assured her, "If you're doing everything for the first time again, I assume you won't get a good night's rest our first day back at Hogwarts."

Clarissa calmed down at James' explanation and gave him the green light, "But can you please keep your shirt on!"

James shrugged and told her that she'll have to stop casting a warming charm over her bed in order for him to sleep with a shirt on. Clarissa agreed at his request, finding it easier to deal with the cold than with a shirtless James Potter and his toned torso.