MASTERMIND | Jamie Tartt

TWENTY FIVE: I'M NOT PERFECT (BUT I'M TRYING)

"So, you'll go easy on him won't you?" Billie asked Alfie as they entered the Richmond clubhouse together, with another one of Ted's press interviews scheduled for that morning, "I know they keep ending matches on a draw, but they'll get there."

"And here I was thinking you were asking me to go easy on lover boy," Alfie smirked as he walked alongside his friend, "You're looking particularly well dressed this morning, Bils, almost as if you're making extra effort since he returned."

"Don't call him that," Billie frowned, with the signature Kent furrowed brow that each member of her family had mastered, "And I always like to make an effort with what I wear to work."

"The last time we drove in together you were wearing a tracksuit," Alfie scoffed, "And now you're doing the whole model off duty thing, your North Face coat, blue jeans, cropped roll neck and Doc Martens."

"It's cold outside, and this is comfortable," Billie explained as they approached the office she shared with Keeley.

"I'm telling you, it's too much of a coincidence," Alfie narrowed his eyes at her, "I'm onto you, Kent."

"Well, have fun digging for nothing," Billie smiled, opening her office door, startled to see Jamie leaning against the edge of her desk, still dressed in his own clothes, "Jamie?"

"Hi," Jamie nodded before looking past Billie and noticing Alfie's presence, Alfie who still blamed the striker for disappearing on Billie without a word despite her efforts to diffuse her best friend's frustration towards him, "Alfie, it's good to see you again."

"Wish I could say the feeling's mutual but-"

"Alfie," Billie cut her friend off, turning to him with a passive aggressive smile, "Why don't you go get yourself a coffee from the club canteen, and then you can get yourself the best spot in the press room."

"Sure," He nodded reluctantly, looking back up at Jamie one more time with a half threatening frown, that was made harmless by his charming eyes, "See you both in a bit."

Once Alfie had left, Billie was quick to close the door, knowing how the other boys would react seeing Jamie in her office, seeing her talking to him.

"He doesn't like me, does he?" Jamie sighed. 

"Erm," Billie paused, knowing that she still hadn't really explained what happened between her and Jamie to Alfie or Madison, "He's just protective, be grateful that my brother isn't still lurking in the corridors."

"They know what happened?" Jamie muttered as Billie leant against the closed door.

"They know that I was hurt when you left without saying goodbye," Billie explained, "But you've told me there was more to it, so even though I choose to move past it, they probably won't do that."

"I figured," Jamie nodded, feeling a pang in his chest at the thought of Billie being hurt when he abandoned her the way he did, yet he was relieved by the reminder that people cared about her the way he did.

"Was there something you wanted to talk about?" Billie asked, sitting in her office chair which had been upgraded to a large cream spinning chair since she started sharing an office with Keeley.

"You got two desks now?" He gestured to Keeley's desk which was pushed against hers, much like Ted and Coach Beard's.

"Keeley and I share an office," Billie explained, "I've even got a small studio next door, well calling it a studio is an overstatement, it's a room with some backdrops," She paused, realising that she was in danger of talking him to sleep, "Sorry, you're probably not interested in media chat."