To Be Alone | Tommy Shelby

Chapter 20

The ladies were sitting on the betting floor in the shop. Esme and Celia were working on the books while Lizzie was busy filling out reports that Tommy needed to have done. Things had gotten better between Celia and the latter woman after that terrible night outside the betting shop. They even realized they had some things in common between each other. They both liked autumn, enjoyed reading, and had strong personalities that hardly wavered.

It was quiet between the women as they worked, which made the three of them jump when the door to the shop opened and shut violently. Celia was able to turn around in time to see Tommy storming towards the area where the offices were located. The ladies looked between each other, Celia standing from the chair as the door to his office was also slammed.

"Best of luck," Lizzie offered her best wishes, setting a hand on Celia's forearm as Celia nodded to her, swallowing the lump that had already formed in her throat before she started the walk to his office.

"What?!" Tommy exclaimed as he heard a knock on the door, not even bothering to look up as he kept his head in his hands. He knew that the person on the other side didn't deserve his brash nature, but he currently had a lot on his plate. He regretted responding in such a way when the door cracked open and Celia appeared.

"It's me, Tom," she said in a quiet voice, almost knowing that if she spoke too loud, he would freak out. She was able to feel the tension and frustration radiating off of him.

"Come," he beckoned her over with a slight wave of his hand and she listened, shutting the door behind her and moving towards his desk.

She didn't bother to sit in one of the chairs adjacent to where he was, but instead moved right behind his chair and leaned over, her hands going to rest on his tense shoulders. "What's on your mind, Tommy?" she dared to ask him. She knew that with Tommy Shelby, you could either be opening a can of worms or hitting a brick wall with questions like this.

"It's all gone to shit now, Celia," he muttered, his fingers rubbing circles into his temples as he tried to calm himself down.

"Why?" she asked another question.

"It's too much to explain," he sighed, his hands now rummaging through the stacks of papers on his desk. She felt him getting more and more frustrated as he couldn't find what he was looking for. "Fuck!" he exclaimed, then throwing the papers out of anger, making Celia jump slightly at the sound of them clattering to the floor. "I have to go to the Garrison. Me brothers should be there. I have news to tell them. You can come. Tell Esme and Lizzie that they're welcome as well," he told her, her hands slipping off of his shoulders as he stood. Celia sent a small smile in his direction, but he missed it, as he went right to work on putting his overcoat back onto his body.

"I'll tell the ladies. We'll meet you there," Celia nodded and Tommy did as well, stopping only to light a cigarette and release its smoke past his lips before he exited the office. Celia followed close behind, stopping at the table on the betting floor to talk to the two women who both were donning looks of confusion. "He said that we're invited to the Garrison. He's got some news to tell his brothers," Celia informed them of the contents of her conversation with Tommy.

"The way he looked, I'm sure it isn't good," Lizzie sighed, stubbing out her cigarette before she and Esme both stood and put their coats on. Celia also remembered to grab hers, not wanting to be cold once they stepped outside.

The women then made their way out of the shop and to the Garrison, where Celia was already able to feel the tension in the snug the second she stepped into it. She looked around at John, Finn, Isiah, and Polly, serious expressions on each of their faces before her eyes settled on Tommy, who was standing in the corner smoking a cigarette as he waited for the women to file in.