I know we only met but let's pretend it's love (ao3)
Summary: "He breaks the kiss to look at her; his breathing heavy, his pupils blown, and his eyes filled with something more than lust." A jily Love-at-first-sight story using @jilytoberfest 2025's 31 Prompts list @jilymicro-oops
Lily wakes up to the warmth of the morning sunlight on her face. The balmy summer air drifts in through her open window, bringing with it the sweet smell of fresh flowers and the faint noise of vehicles moving down the road.
She reaches an arm out to check the time on her alarm clock and her hand brushes past a pair of glasses resting on her beside table.
His glasses.
Her overnight guest’s arm currently lays over her waist and she traces her hand along the length of it, over the sheets. He tightens his hold and pulls her closer into him, her back flush against his chest.
“Good morning,” his voice murmurs at the back of her ear, sending a shock right down to her core.
Her reply comes out as a sigh as she feels his lips leaving lazy kisses down the back of her neck.
She turns around when he reaches her shoulder and looks at him. His features look almost sculpture-like in the daylight, his hair still as soft as it was last night, and she loses herself in his tender gaze until he drops his head and presses a gentle kiss on her lips.
“You’re beautiful.”
Lily finds herself blushing and taps his temple. “You’re not wearing your glasses.”
He gives her a challenging look and reaches for the bedside table, almost entirely enveloping her with his body for a moment, and retrieves his glasses.
He raises an eyebrow. “Still beautiful.”
Lily laughs and traces his jaw. She pulls him in for another kiss, deeper this time, more demanding, hand trailing down his neck, encircling his shoulder, while his strays under the sheets, grabbing her hips, tracing patterns over her curves.
“James,” she gasps.
He breaks the kiss to look at her; his breathing heavy, his pupils blown, and his eyes filled with something more than lust.
He softly brushes strands of hair from her face. “Have you got any more of your jokes from last night?”
Lily laughs, surprised. “No.”
James narrows his eyes. “Come on, I know you do,” he smiles at her, “I’m asking nicely. Please?”
“Oh, Alright.”
She thinks for a moment.
“Why did the astronaut break up with his girlfriend?”
“Why?” James grins.
Lily looks at him with mirth. “Because he needed space.”
His laugh fills the silent morning, almost too perfectly, and her eyes are on the single dimple on his cheek when the doorbell rings.
Lily detangles herself from the sheets and pulls on a dressing gown, ambling towards the front door, a small smile on her face, which promptly disappears as she opens the door just a smidge and peeks outside.
“I can’t believe you’re still asleep!”
“Petunia?” Lily asks in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve decided to go to Cokeworth from here,” her sister says curtly, “Aren’t you going to let me in?”
Lily blanches. “Just- Just a minute, Petunia. I’ll be-”
She shuts the door and sprints towards her bedroom and then backtracks to roughly grab James’ shoes.
“You need to leave,” she announces as she bursts the door open. James’ expression changed from that of happiness to surprise to shock.
“Is everything okay?” He asks, getting out of bed already and pulling on his jeans.
“Yes,” Lily stumbles in and closes the door, “yes, I can’t explain now, but you can’t be here.”
James’ eyes fall on his shoe in her hands and he raises his eyebrows before pulling on his shirt.
“It’s my sister,” Lily whispers furiously, “She ruins everything- I can’t let her-”
“Lily, it’s alright,” James says quietly. “It’s okay, I’ll just- climb out of the window or something.”
He looks so dejected and Lily’s heart drops. “I’m really sorry, I don’t-”
“Really,” James states, firmer this time, “It’s okay…”
“Come back next week,” Lily blurts out.
James stops with one leg out her window.
She takes a shallow breath, and catches his eyes. “Please, come here next friday. We’ll- We will have dinner or-”
Before she could finish, he gives her a curt nod and jumps out of view.
~~~~~
Lily spends the weekend at her parents’ house. Lily is looking at the old photo frames in the mantel when Petunia and her mum enter the living room, carrying mugs of hot chocolate. Her mum passes one to Lily with a smile.
“Dad has stopped drinking anything after lunch,” she says. “Says it makes him all drowsy…”
Lily makes her way to the front door and leans over the porch, gazing idly at the flower garden.
“Penny for your thoughts?” her dad asks from the floor, where he sits sawing wooden boards.
Lily shrugs and sends him a sad smile. “Do you ever just feel like you’ve made a stupid mistake?”
“All the time, love!” her dad booms, throwing up his hands. She stands watching as he goes back to designing a shelf for the orchids.
On Monday, she finds two failed experiments waiting for her at work and spends the entire day working.
She sends barrages of texts to her friends any time she is free on Tuesday and stays awake most of the night, weighing all the contradicting advice they gave her.
Wednesday passes in a whirl between training and meetings and grocery shopping. She finds herself frozen with shock every time she sees someone at the farmer’s market with a messy mop of hair.
Thursday evening, she is sitting on one of the plush sofas of Old Mrs Bathilda, the woman who owns the apartment. She had come to drop a parcel she picked up from the mailbox when the kind woman invited her in for tea and somehow, Lily ends up sharing her woes with her.
“I was wondering who that nice young man I saw at the backyard was,” Bathilda says with a twinkle in her eyes.
Lily blushes and sips her tea. “I don’t think you’ll be seeing him again,” she says after a while in a small voice.
Bathilda smiles at her ruefully. “You really liked him, didn’t you?”
Lily nods.
“You will find your person one of these days, my dear,” she says as she hugs her bye at the door.
“Need help finding love, Lily?”
“Go to hell, Bones,” Lily says, rolling her eyes at her other neighbour who had just entered the floor.
“Tea, Edgar?” Bathilda asks him with a smile.
“Now, you, Bathilda,” he says, throwing an arm around her, “I love you.”
Lily wakes up on Friday after a night of disturbed sleep. She leaves work early and, feeling stupid about it all the same, waits at home.
At half past six, someone knocks on her door and she drops her ladle on the floor.
She curses under her breath and rushes to open the door.
“Hey, Lily! I’m going- wow, no need to look so upset,” Edgar drawls.
Lily sighs. “What do you want, Bones?”
“Lover boy will be back…” he says and Lily tries to hide her worry. “I’m going down to the bar, by the way. Here’s my key, please feed the cat if I’m not back tonight.”
Lily raises her eyebrows. “Why not?”
“Um,” Edgar coughs, feigning offense, “Because what if I meet someone and go to his home?”
“Ofcourse.” Lily accepts the keys with a fake scowl. “Have fun.”
Watching him saunter down the hallway, Lily smiles to herself, before she closes the door. She had just entered the kitchen again when the doorbell rings again.
“Bloody hell, Edgar…” she mutters and jumps carefully over the puddle of gravy on the floor.
“Edgar, I swear to-”
She stops short and stares, her hand still on the door knob.
Standing at her doorstep with a hesitant smile, flushed cheeks and a hopeful expression, is James.
He searches her face and his smile grows.
“Hi,” he says.