A Jottie Romance - The Rosewood Chronicles

Chapter 27 - Sincerity

Jamie's P.O.V:

Jamie looked down to see Lottie sleeping peacefully, her head resting on his shoulder. He smiled, knowing that she clearly felt safe and comforted around him.

He decided that he should take her back upstairs to her dorm, so he took her book, Cinderella, and carried her carefully until he reached her room, knocking on the door. His eyes rapidly scanned the corridors, his Partizan skills kicking in; as a boy, he wasn't allowed to be in the girls' dorms - especially not after curfew.

Only a few seconds later, the door abruptly opened to reveal Ellie, with heavy bags under her eyes, and messy hair. She looked worried, but she seemed to let out a sigh of relief when she saw Lottie sleeping peacefully in Jamie's arms. She wordlessly let him inside.

Jamie walked over to Lottie's side of the room and laid her down gently on to her bed, carefully tucking her in, and placing Mr Truffles in her arms.

"Where was she?" Ellie whispered, so that she wouldn't wake up her roommate.

"In the common room." He replied quietly, smiling softly as he watched Lottie cuddling her favourite stuffed animal, still fast asleep. Jamie then walked over to Lottie's prized collection of fairytales, and placed her book, Cinderella, where it belonged.

"The common room? I was up worrying about where she was just now; she disappeared without telling me." Ellie paused, watching the way that Jamie gazed at Lottie. "Where were you?" She asked him, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"Outside. I was doing Partizan training." He replied plainly.

Jamie caught a fleeting flash of regret on Ellie's face; he knew what she was thinking.

"What if you got caught? Rosewood's really strict with curfew. You shouldn't have to do your training sessions at that time. It's all my fault. If it weren't for my stupid parents, you would never have to be a Partizan." Ellie looked down at her feet. "It's all my fault." She repeated.

"No, Ellie, it's not." Jamie spoke quietly, mindful of Lottie's sleeping state, but his tone was stern and unwavering. "None of it's your fault. I don't know how many times I have to tell you." He looked over to Lottie, checking that she was okay, and still asleep, before he walked over to the door.

"Jamie," Ellie said abruptly, causing him to turn around just as he was about to leave.

"Yes?" He replied, his hand still resting on the door handle.

"I wanted to say thank you." Ellie said, running her hand through her hair nervously. Jamie was taken aback by this; Ellie rarely thanked anyone so sincerely.

"What for?" He asked.

"For treating Lottie so well; she deserves it."

He raised an eyebrow, wordlessly communicating with his princess. She got the message of what he was trying to ask, and shook her head.

"No, I don't like her in that way anymore." She told him earnestly, a sincere look in her eyes; Jamie knew she was telling the truth. "But that doesn't mean that I don't still care about her just as much. You both deserve each other. I can truly see that now."

Ellie gave Jamie her small, signature side smile, which he responded to with a single nod, before he slipped silently out of the room.