Thomas left for work early the next morning, leaving Blair to wake up alone in her bed. She might've mistaken the previous dark hours as some kind of fantastical dream, had the scent of his aftershave not been clinging to the pillows and sheets.
The new day was upon her, but it brought no clarity to her mind. Blair's thoughts were greatly clouded, unable to think of few things besides Thomas Shelby. Whether it was his kiss, his hands, his words, or something else, every thought that ran through her mind that morning was owned by him.
'Can I tell you I'm in love with you?'
The two of them had fallen into a hazy sleep not long after he'd spilled his thoughts. Nothing more was said, though Thomas held her close to him while they slept, leaving her alone in the bed that morning with a question lingering over her head like a dark cloud, though the type that wasn't dark enough to know whether it would pass by calmly or unleash a storm.
Blair headed down to the kitchen wearing a pale yellow sundress, her hair pinned up out of her face and her skin free of makeup, a natural glow radiated from her cheeks that morning that meant extra product wasn't needed.
"Good morning you two, how are you both?" Blair said with a smile as she joined Charles and Frances in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Blair. Would you like some of my toast?" Charlie said, brushing crumbs from his lips with the back of his hand.
"You need to eat it all yourself, we need energy for our day, don't we?" She kissed his head, tapping his nose gently with a light laugh before pouring herself a fresh cup of tea.
"How come you didn't tell me you and Daddy used to be friends?"
Blair almost spat out her tea when she heard Charlie's innocent question, watching him swing his legs beneath the table as he munched on his toast.
She looked at Frances who quickly moved her gaze away from Blair, looking down at the plates she was washing in the sink.
Blair cleared her throat, patting herself on the chest before pulling up a seat beside Charles.
"Your Daddy and I hadn't seen each other in a very long time, Charlie."
"How come? I thought friends were supposed to see each other all the time."
Blair pursed her lips, saddened by the innocence of his thoughts that had such painful answers.
"People make new friends. That's what your Daddy and I did."
"But you're friends again now, aren't you? That's why he slept in your bedroom last night?"
Blair's eyes widened more than they had done at his first question, coughing as she tried to swallow her tea for the second time that morning and refrain from spluttering it all over the breakfast table.
Frances was holding back a scared smile as Blair looked up at her, her cheeks flushing an embarrassed shade of red at the unexpected comment, though it was clear that somehow, her evening wasn't as much of a secret as she thought.
"Charles, why don't you go and get dressed, there's a good boy."
Frances ushered Charles out of the kitchen once he'd finished eating, closing the door gently once she saw him disappear up the stairs before turning to look at Blair with an apologetic expression lacing her tired face.
Blair refilled her teacup before sitting back down at the table, shaking her head in disbelief, however laughing slightly to herself as Frances joined her.
"I'm mortified," Blair whispered through curved lips, "How embarrassing."
Frances shook her head with a grin, placing her hand on top of Blair's and squeezing it reassuringly.
YOU ARE READING
Another Paradise | T Shelby
Fanfiction"There wasn't a single second that passed that I wasn't thinking about you." [mature themes throughout]