In The Bleak Midwinter | T Shelby

NINETEEN - CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

"I don't think there's really anything much worse than saying goodbye, is there?"

Kaia sighed, a permanent frown on her face as she stood on the train platform in Birmingham with her hands tightly clasped by Calvin's.

Snow was falling thick and fast and the trains were getting delayed and cancelled more by the hour. As much as Calvin wanted to stay with Kaia and her family for as long as he could, he knew he had to get home to his own family for Christmas.

He had invited Kaia down to London with him to spend Christmas there, but she kindly declined, telling him that they simply wouldn't be able to have Christmas in their house if she wasn't there to take care of everything.

The offer did sit in Kaia's conscience for a while. She couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to spend Christmas in London with Calvin, experience the capital city in all of its festive glory, but she couldn't bring herself to abandon Bonnie and her father.

After the evening that got interrupted by Thomas, Calvin hadn't asked about him again. Kaia thought he might, perhaps the pressing question about why he was there might've crept up in conversation, only that hadn't been the case. She on the other hand was racking her brains every waking minute to come to a conclusion as to why Tommy Shelby would turn up at their home, but she had yet to find an answer.

It was December 22nd and the spirit of Christmas had truly melted Kaia's heart, even if she once thought her insides matched the icicles that hung from window panes. Her heart was heavy as she looked up at Calvin's face. He had a navy scarf wrapped around his neck and a black coat pulled over his shoulders, a suitcase by his feet.

"I don't suppose there is." She sighed, pursing her lips.

The whistle of an approaching train only made the residing pain worse for both of them. Kaia didn't want to spend a minute without Calvin, she had grown used to spending the evenings with him and waking up beside him. It wouldn't be right without him with her.

Calvin placed his hand on Kaia's cheek, gently stroking her skin with his thumb before pulling her closer by the side of her neck so their lips gently touched, sharing a soft kiss that took them away from everyone else for a moment.

"I'll be back before New Year, alright? Don't miss me too much."

He winked at her before giving her one final kiss, not wanting to tear his eyes away from the woman stood in a blood red fur coat and black stilettos.

"I'll try."

She gave him a fake smile, but a smile nonetheless. Calvin picked up his suitcase and boarded the train, leaving Kaia alone on the platform as she soon began to feel lost in the sea of people.

Although she couldn't see Calvin anymore, she waited until the train had departed from the platform before she left. It was an empty feeling that she was left with, a cold, sinister feeling that was pulling her down from the bottom of her stomach and making her almost want to cry. Though she didn't.

Kaia made her way back into the centre of Birmingham. Since starting her new job, she was getting paid significantly more than she was in the factory office and because of that, she decided to treat her family to nicer Christmas gifts than a bottle of whiskey each like usual.

She headed towards the department store that had holly hung from almost every light and every beam possible. The store was full and Kaia could hardly see where she was going as she tried to make her way over to the men's section through the sea of people shuffling slowly across the ground floor.

She pondered over scarves for a while, looking at wallets and jackets before eventually deciding on treating Bonnie to a rather expensive pair of gloves. He had torn his new ones the other day and hadn't stopped moaning about it since. She also picked out a gold wrist watch that she knew he'd like since he was constantly asking everyone else what the time was.

For her father, Kaia decided on a thick wool coat that was simply a more expensive and higher quality than the one he already owned. That, and this one wasn't patched up with different coloured materials that didn't even come close to blending in.

Taking her items over to the counter, Kaia placed them down with a smile at the sales assistant who looked rather miserable for a day so close to Christmas. Then again, Kaia felt sorry for her, knowing that she'd probably look just as miserable if she had to serve hundreds of Christmas shoppers every day.

"Would you like these gift wrapped?" She asked, not even bothering to make eye contact with Kaia.

"Yes please, if you wouldn't mind."

It was clear that the woman did mind as she turned her back with a loud huff and began to wrap the gifts in red paper and golden string.

"Left your shopping late, haven't you?"

Kaia looked to her left and saw Tommy stood next to her. He was sporting thick-soled black boots and a wool coat like the one she was buying her father. His cap was nowhere to be seen, leaving his hair damp from the snowflakes that had fallen on his way to the store.

"Where's your boyfriend?"

"London."

Kaia had no time for small talk with anyone, especially not Tommy. The way he stood leaning on the counter with his arms folded and a small smirk on his lips made her blood boil.

"Need a lift back home? I've got the car-"

"Why were you at my house the other night?" Kaia asked, taking the opportunity to put her mind at ease.

"I needed to speak to your father about something."

"We both know that's a lie."

Kaia watched as the sale's assistant's eyes flickered up when she heard their conversation, only for her to immediately carry on wrapping the gifts when she caught Kaia's stare.

Tommy sighed and tilted his head to look at Kaia. Red suited her, he thought. It wasn't often she wore anything but black, apart from on her lips, but he thought she looked beautiful in the festive colour.

"Someone told me Calvin Young was at your house, I wanted to see for myself."

Kaia scoffed, "Yeah, right."

"He doesn't seem fiery enough for you, Kaia. He's calm, placid. I can see you getting bored."

She furrowed her brows as she looked at him, "As if you'd know the first thing about him, as if you'd even know the first thing about me."

Tommy kissed his teeth. "I do, though. I know you shouldn't be with someone like him, he's not enough for you."

She was stunned by his words, almost being left speechless at what he was saying. It was becoming clearer to her now why Tommy made his late-night appearance at her home the other evening, suggesting to her that there might be a hint of underlying jealousy still left stuck to the bottom of his shoe, even though Kaia had told him time and time again to wipe them clean.

"And you think you are enough, do you?"

Thomas shrugged and Kaia felt her bones grow hot and her jaw clench. She smiled at the sales associate as she placed a bag with her gifts neatly wrapped inside on the counter.

"Is that everything for you today?" She asked Kaia, a sickeningly false smile flashed in her direction.

"Yes," Kaia said, picking up the bag, "He's paying."

And with that, Kaia left.