Font:  VerdanaTimes New RomanCourier NewGeorgia10pt12pt14pt

 

 

 

I pull away a few minutes later, breathless. I can’t speak; I just smile at Sirius, shaking my head.



He grins back. “Does this mean I’m forgiven?” 



“Hmpff,” I say, unable to keep the smile from my mouth. “Maybe.” I touch the bridge of his nose with my index finger.



He pulls me close and I bury my face in his shoulder.



“I missed you,” he murmurs against my hair.



“Missed you too.” I sigh, content for the moment, at least. “But never, ever do that again.”



He chuckles. “I won’t. I’ve learned my lesson, Arian.”



I pull back to peer at him suspiciously. “Promise?”



“Promise,” he assures me. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”



I stand on my toes and press my lips to his, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I’m so glad this is over, Sirius,” I tell him. My voice sounds dreamy, even to me, and it makes me kind of want to sick up, only I’m too happy to. Who knew that I could actually forgive him with just a few minutes of a conversation? 



Well, I did, that’s who. And I guess I was so determined to stay mad that I wouldn’t even let him talk to me so I didn’t have to forgive him. If that makes any sense whatsoever.



Damn him and his adorableness. 



He laughs again. “Me, too. It is over, isn’t it?”



“Yes,” I confirm. “It’s over. As long as you do no cheating, I do no … being angry.” I sound like a twit. 



Good thing he loves me too much to notice.



Oh, squee! He loves me!



Note to self: bash head into wall next time the word ‘squee’ enters brain.



“Won’t happen again,” he promises, then says hesitantly, like he’s afraid of me walloping him over the head with something heavy for asking, “So … you’re my girlfriend again?” 



I smile. Silly boy. I’m sure you’d be out the door the moment I even reached for a wooden spoon, too far out of my reach. So no danger there. (Unfortunately ahem) “Yeah. I guess.”



“Good.” He kisses me. Awww. Yeah, okay, I’ve missed that. 



“Yeah. Good,” I echo weakly. 



“Now that that’s over with … want to ditch Lily and go get some lunch?” He waggles his eyebrows at me. “There’s a place down the street James and I went to the other day.”



I can’t help laughing. “You’re really an idiot, you know that, Sirius?” But he’s a loveable idiot, so what’s the harm?



He gives a big grin. “Yeah, I know.” Cutie-pie. 



Oh Merlin.



Where’s that wooden spoon?



“Well … as long as you know that … Is Meggie really here?” I question, suddenly feeing suspicious.



He laughs. “We weren’t lying about that!” About that? What’s that supposed to mean? “Yes, she’s here. She’s upstairs with Lily and James.”



“Oh, okay. Just making sure,” I say, frowning because my friends had all been lying to me and I was too stupid to notice. Crazy, unintelligent Aria. 



He kisses me sweetly. “Don’t worry, Arian. We don’t actually lie to you that much, so you don’t have to be paranoid.”



“Thanks,” I mumble. 



He laughs again. “Love you.”



“Love you, too,” I tell him. Is it wrong that we’ve been back together not even an hour and we’re already saying “I love you” again? 



The kitchen door flings open and Lily bursts in, followed closely by Meggie. Both of which, I might add, I’m about to kill. 



“Finally!” Meggie huffs, grinning at me, wrapped up in Sirius’s arms. “Took you long enough, Aria.”



“Git!” I mock-gasp at her, pulling away from Sirius. He takes my hand firmly in his and squeezes it. I turn and smile at him, and see Meggie making gagging motions out of the corner of my eye.



“I’m so sorry!” Lily gushes, a guilty look on her face. “Don’t be angry at me, Aria.”



“Shut up,” Meggie says to her, good natured as always. “Don’t simper, Lily. It’s beneath you.” She sniffs, nose high in the air.



I glance at Sirius, who’s attempting to stifle a laugh. Idiot.



He grins at me and I kick him. “I hate you,” I tell my friends with a long sigh. No use fighting with them, because as long as it’s two on one I’ll never win. Not to mention, with Sirius and the rest of the marauders on their side, I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to hold my ground. “I’m surprised you let James come, Lily,” I add, glancing at her.



Spots of red rush to her cheeks and she shifts her weight from foot to foot. “Well,” she says, “well, um…” She shoots Sirius and Meggie a frantic glance. “Well,” she says again, “yeah. I mean, I guess…”



“She decided to forgive our Jamesie,” Meggie tells me with a big, evil grin. “Right, Lils?”



Lily gasps, blushing furiously. “Meggie! He’s your boyfriend. I couldn’t exactly stay mad at him forever.”



“Oh, Lily,” Meggie says, tossing me a triumphant grin. Her dark brown eyes are laughing. “Don’t worry about it, if you start having feelings for him. He’s really handsome, isn’t he? And a good kisser…” She trails off, thoughtfully.



Lily’s mouth hangs open and sort of moves up and down wordlessly, like she’s trying to say something but can’t quite manage. “I—but—you—”



“He is such a hottie,” Sirius interrupts her stammering in falsetto, pretending to fan himself with his free hand. “And his kissing, I tell you…”



Lily shoots him a dirty look while Meggie and I laugh. 



“Hey,” James says as he enters the kitchen, “hey, Aria. Lily, what is this?” 



He holds Lily’s stuffed duck up at an arms length, looking at it curiously.



“Mr Fish and Chips!” Lily cries, seizing it from James and hugging it to her chest. She surveys James with narrowed emerald eyes over Mr Fish and Chips’ head. “Where did you get him?”



“Off your bed,” he says casually.



At first she looks like she’s about to shout, and then she just kind of smacks a hand to her forehead. Ouch, that looked rather unpleasant… “Of course you did, James,” she says in a strangled voice. “Of course you did.”



He looks at her curiously. “Are you okay, Lily?”



“Just fine!” She throws up her hands, bouncing Mr Fish and Chips about. “Just. Bloody. Fine.”



And she storms out of the kitchen.



“What did I do?” James asks obliviously. 



Meggie and Sirius laugh at him. I just shake my head and smile. He’s adorable. So ignorant. 



“Should I go after her?” He directs the question at me (which probably has something to do with the way that I’m the only one not laughing my head off at him). 



His, air quotes, girlfriend puts a hand on his shoulder and kisses his cheek. “James,” she says, clearly amused, “don’t. She needs time to cool down. She’s confused. She likes you but you’re my boyfriend, not to mention she’s spent the past six years hating you. Give her time.” 



He gives her a stare. “Girls are so bloody confusing!” he bursts. 



Meggie and I carefully avoid eye contact and try not to laugh.



Sirius puts an arm around my shoulder and pulls me close to him, kissing my hair. “Yeah,” he agrees.



Meggie rolls her eyes. “Come on, Sirius, let’s go talk to Lily.”



“Why me?” he whines. 



“Because you’re his,” she jerks her thumb at James, “best friend, that’s why.” 



“But I don’t want to!” he complains.



He lets out a whine as I push his arm off of me and point towards the door where Meggie’s waiting. “Go on!” I say. 



Giving me a pitiful look, he follows her out the door. 



I grin at James. “So, how’s it going?” I ask cheerfully.



“Why won’t she just admit she loves me?” he whines, hitting his first againt the counter top.



“Um…” I say. Because she doesn’t. Because you’re Meggie’s girlfriend. Because it would seem like backing down. But I don’t say that. Instead, I say, “Are you sure you love her?”



He gives me an incredulous look. “Of course!” 



“Right.” 



“See, I think there are two types of love,” James tells me seriously. “There’s the love you know you have — for a girl, for a broomstick, whatever. And there’s the love you don’t know about but is just as strong.”



“Like Lily’s love for you?” I tease.



He grins. “Exactly.” And he’s not kidding. 

---

A/N:
Gahh. Sorry it took so long. But for once, my reason is good! Kind of. So. I wrote a bit of this - Sunday evening two weeks ago - and then was going to finish it after school Monday. Or at least work on it. But when I woke up it was all dark and the power was out, and then my mom was all, THE FIRES ARE BY NICOLE'S HOUSE!! and that's like fifteen minutes away. Twenty. Somethign like that. And I had known about the fire the night before, cause it was all smoky and smelled bad, but didn't think it was that serious. Like, I went out and everything.

And then we had to evacutate, so we went to my cousins' in Orange County. More for a visit since school was out for a week and it was only volentary evactuation where I live anyway. And it was mega mega hot there and I got a fever when we came back on Wednesday, and was sick Thursday. And had no motivation to do anything besides text/call my friends and see who was where for the rest of the week.

And on Sunday (aka yesterday) it was my birthday! Wheeee! And ... yeah, I wrote the rest today xD It was fun in school, we got to go around and be like, So where'd you leave to? It's good your house didn't burn down, ya know ... But this kid in my math class's house burnt down. And I was all, WHY THE HECK DID YOU COME TO SCHOOL TODAY?!?!

Woah. Okay. Sorry. Haven't ranted that much in an A/N in awhile. Um, sorry xD

So the next one will be out sooner. Oh yes.