A Jottie Romance - The Rosewood Chronicles

Chapter 22 - Crushes

Lottie's P.O.V:

With the exams looming closer, Lottie buried herself in her studies for the week. She was thankful for a distraction to preoccupy her from the 'mystery' - they still didn't know who had spiked the drinks by the pool that night. But it seemed that there was something else also constantly on Lottie's mind too.

Jamie.

Whenever she saw him enter the room, she wanted nothing more than to throw herself on him, and pull him into a tight embrace, breathing in his cinnamon scent. She wanted nothing more than to forever gaze at him, and be close to him, and to feel his lips on hers. But no matter how much Lottie wanted those things, she couldn't get them, for they had to keep it a secret.

If they didn't, Ellie's brand new royal reputation that Lottie had built up for the princess would come crashing down. They couldn't risk it. Their jobs were to always put Ellie first. No matter the price. This was no different.

"Lottie, calm down; it's only some ham!" Ellie laughed, as they ate breakfast in the dining hall, along with Lola, Mickey, Raphael, Saskia and Anastacia. Lottie felt nauseated at the sight of meat; she was still a proud vegetarian, and Ellie constantly teased her for it. Pork was certainly the worst in Lottie's eyes - it reminded her too much of Mr Truffles.

"Ellie, please," Lottie replied, "I'm trying to eat. I feel sick now." She said, no longer hungry. Ellie simply gave her a grin, happily wolfing down her food. Lottie was constantly amazed that one teenage girl could possibly eat so much.

"Morning, Jamie," Raphael said as Jamie entered the dining hall after his early Partizan training. Jamie nodded briefly in reply, then sat down in the spare seat opposite Lottie.

Lottie took a sharp breath, willing herself not to get carried away gazing at him. You can't let anyone think there's something going on between us, she reminded herself for the 100th time that week. I have to think about Ellie; I can't let her down.

"Raphael!" Saskia exclaimed from across the table, jolting Lottie out of her thoughts. "You totally have a crush on that Stratus girl and you can't deny it." She said plainly, smirking at him.

"A crush?! Please, whatever you want to believe, Saskia." Raphael replied, turning away from Saskia's scrutiny.

"Oh, you totally like her." Ellie said, grinning. "But does anyone else here have a crush?" She smirked, indiscreetly nudging Lottie on the shoulder. She could see Jamie visibly tense. She gave Ellie a shocked and exasperated look, her cheeks burning up. Everyone seemed to turn to Lottie, and she wanted a hole to swallow her from underground. She suddenly felt angry towards Ellie.

Lottie tried to do everything she could to not look at Jamie. "I- uh...what?! What do you mean?! I don't have a crush on anyone!" She said too quickly, trying to lie, her neck and cheeks going red from embarrassment. Everyone was still looking at her. Lottie gulped. From the corner of her eye, she could see Jamie giving Ellie a furious, heated look, which the princess responded to with another indifferent smirk.

"Really?" Anastacia asked, briefly taking off her sunglasses to give Lottie a questioning look, though, of course, the French girl knew the truth.

"Y-yes...really," Lottie tried to reply as confidently as she could. Thankfully, everyone seemed somewhat convinced, and turned back to their food and their separate conversations. Lottie let out a long sigh of relief; she didn't even realise she had been holding her breath the entire time.

Finally, she dared to look over at Jamie, who was clenching his jaw in frustration, still glowering at Ellie. When he saw Lottie watching him, he turned his gaze to her, and they shared a meaningful look, both exasperated with Ellie, and afraid of their close call. It took all of Lottie's willpower to look away from the hazel pools of Jamie's eyes, flecked with gold.

No one can know about us.