The Perfect Kiss

THE PERFECT KISS

"Mmmm," Lily Evans murmured appreciatively as she tasted the sugary sweetness at the end of the candy cane. She rolled her tongue around it, milking its flavour, and after having waited quite impatiently for it to melt, sank her teeth into an inch.

"Jeez," she complained as she felt her teeth barely make a dent. She shifted the candy to the side of her mouth and tried to bite harder into it, but the candy cane just wouldn't budge. After several more failed attempts she turned to glare at her dark-haired companion, who had watching her intently for the past minutes.

"That's the challenge of eating a candy cane, Flower," James Potter lectured, ruffling her hair. "Once you get it, you may taste only part of its sweetness. That way, you'll relish it all the more and anticipate the time when you're finally going to have it. Completely. In all its glory." He pinched her nose and winked. "But before you can have it, you have to soften it up."

Lily had her green eyes set on him the entire time he had been speaking. When he had finished, she broke her stare and sighed. "I don't want to wait that long."

I'm tired of waiting too. James watched her loll the candy inside her mouth. It had already been two months since Lily had agreed to first go out with him, and they had been together ever since, and yet... We haven't even kissed, for Merlin's sake! He groaned inwardly. Sure, they held hands and exchanged loving embraces, but aside from that, they might as well be brother and sister.

Now, sitting beside her and everything about her infusing his senses, all he wanted to do was grab that blasted stick from her mouth and kiss her. He narrowed his eyes at the candy cane, which was being twisted and pulled by Lily's fingers.

Unable to take it any longer, he put his hand over hers. "Here, Lils. Let me help."

Without warning, he took the whole of the hook inside his mouth and bit if off, crunching it firmly.

Lily was appalled. "You're disgusting, James. I thought you said we should savour it?"

He showed no sign of having heard her, his hazel eyes now intensely trained on her. He went on to bite and chew inch after inch of the candy until his lips were touching her hand.

"You've made it worse," Lily complained petulantly. "Now it's too short, and it'll be more difficult for me to break off my share, and you've eaten more than enough!" Her voice carried a tone of admonishment, but the slight waver underlying it was undeniable.

Instead of answering, James pried her hand away from the cane, and she didn't resist anymore. Lily nervously gnawed at the candy resting on the inside of her cheek, finally managing to snap it off just as James's face was a mere couple of inches from her.

Good. He's finally going to kiss me.

She instinctively closed her eyes, wondering what his lips on hers would feel like. Taste like. The warmth of his breath caressed her face, and she knew that he was closer than he had ever been. James...

"James?"

Huh? That wasn't her voice.

The couple sprang apart at the intrusion, their heads jerking towards the door to the common room.

"What the hell are you doing up here? We've got a snow fight going on downstairs, and Peter's pathetic without you!" Sirius Black raised a brow at the hostile scowls suddenly directed at him. "Er--right. I'll see you later then, James."

The moment the portrait door had shut, Lily stood up without another word and marched up the stairs to her dormitory.

James groaned as he himself headed for downstairs, swearing he would sock Sirius with the biggest snow ball he could muster. His best mate owed him, big time.

*******

"Are you sure you don't want to go to Madam Puddifoot's?" James asked for the umpteenth time, trailing after Lily as she scanned the racks of books inside Scrivenshaft's. It was Valentine's Day, and the to the students' delight, it coincided with a Hogsmeade weekend.

"I told you, I'm not hungry," Lily answered shortly.

"But it's more than just the food," James said. "It's the ambience. The place has little hearts all over, and it's..." Perfect, he finished in his head. Yeah, that it will be. He had heard from Sirius, eager to make up last Christmas' fiasco to him, that an orchestra would be playing that day, and he had planned to request a song to get Lily in the mood and maybe even ask her to dance and then kiss her...

With Lily settled comfortably on the floor with a book on her lap, however, his fantasy was well on its way to the dust and cobwebs staring at him from the ceiling. James rolled his eyes and sat down beside her anyway, scanning the store in boredom. This is not the way I imagined my first kiss with Lily. Definitely not in this dreary place.

James suddenly felt his pocket grow hot, and he immediately stood up. "I'll be back in a minute." Lily nodded, her eyes still busy reading, and James walked to hide behind another shelf. He slid his hand into his pocket and took out the mirror.

Sirius' face stared at him. "Prongs," he pronounced impressively. "Everything's been set up: the flowers, the table..."

"Not too loud!"James shushed. "You might have it all prepared, but Lily's determined to hide out here at Scrivenshaft's."

His friend's grey eyes did not mask his contempt. "Do you need our help there? We can tie her up, you know, and carry her here."

"I don't have plans of becoming a criminal, Padfoot," James countered. "Anyway, I'll see you later." He saw Sirius smirk just before his image disappeared, and James retraced his steps back to Lily, settling beside her once again.

Fifteen minutes passed, and yet Lily showed no signs of letting up. "Flower..."

Lily snapped the book closed, much to James's surprise. "All right, all right. I'm hungry now," she announced. She was about to stand up, but something green sprung between them, and a curled plant tendril grew out.

"What--"

They both looked up simultaneously just in time to see the little flowers bloom from the mistletoe that hung from an invisible string.

Mistletoe," Lily murmured with wonder. "Where did you think it came from?"

James didn't answer, conflicting thoughts running through his head. This is your chance. You've finally been handed a reason to kiss her without worrying about her complaining about how things between you are too fast. Do it. Do it!

On second thought, this wasn't how he had imagined his first kiss with Lily. He wanted it to be in a beautiful place, illuminated with soft candles as they dance to soft music. He wanted it to be perfect.

"James?" Lily prompted softly, looking up at him. "We're under a mistletoe."

His heart pounded. "I know that," he said. "But..."

Mingled hurt and anger darkened her eyes. "I'm not good enough for you to kiss, is that it?"

"No!" James quickly protested, tamping down an urge to laugh. "No, Lily, it's not that. Oh hell, I've had enough of this talk--" He pulled her abruptly to him and planted his lips on hers, his arms holding her tightly to him. Lily tried to struggle at first, but when James began running his hand in circles over her back, she relaxed and melted into him, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

"I can't believe you cheated me out of this experience," Lily whispered several moments later, her fingers now entwined at the back of James's neck. "You probably wouldn't even have kissed me if the mistletoe didn't appear."

"I've wanted to kiss you for the longest time," James disagreed, his lips now tracing the line of her neck. "I just didn't want to frighten you by moving or too fast. And besides," he continued, one hand reaching up to cup her face, "I wanted it to be perfect. Somewhere under the moon, for instance. Or while dancing to romantic music. Or..."

Lily let out a tinkling laugh. "That's for the movies, James," she replied, adjusting the glasses on his nose. "Don't you realise that even in this dusty, antique store," she said, gesturing around the place, "as long as you and me are together, everything's perfect?"

James smiled, both with relief and at the sudden overflow of love and happiness from his heart. "You're right, Flower. I've been a prat."

"As always. But I love you for it," Lily teased before her face grew serious again. "And please don't tell me you're going to make me wait that long again for a second kiss."

"I won't," James promised solemnly, taking both of her hands from enfolding them in his. "From now on, I am only going to wait on you."

He sealed his promise with a kiss.

*******

Peter sighed dreamily as he watched the scene from under the Invisibility Cloak. "That was a great idea you had there when you Conjured that mistletoe out of thin air, Sirius."

"Yeah, it was definitely one of your better plans," Remus agreed.

"It won't be with all the fuss you're making," Sirius said gruffly. "Now let's get out of here."