Another Paradise | T Shelby

EIGHTEEN - A SWIFT EXIT

Time ticked by day by day, week by week. Blair had gotten used to walking the opposite way down the hallway at nighttime towards Thomas' room, their room, instead of towards the room she slept in when she first moved into the house.

They spent almost every spare minute they had together when they weren't both working. Granted, Thomas worked a lot more often and for longer periods of time than Blair did, but that didn't stop him from finding a spare handful of minutes when he wasn't at home to call her, even if it was in the middle of the night.

Blair found herself enjoying life more. She didn't wake up feeling tired and drained anymore and she took pleasure in the little things like raindrops on flower petals and the smell of breakfast in the mornings. She hadn't realised how disassociated with being alive she'd become after the loss of her husband and unborn child, but by being gifted the chance to love again, she'd rediscovered what it felt like to wake up happy for the first time in what felt like forever.

Despite all of that, Blair still hadn't been able to tell Thomas that she loved him. He whispered it in her ear every night before they fell asleep and shouted it to her from outside when she watched him play with Charles from the upstairs window. She was in love with him, Blair wasn't naïve, she knew that she was absolutely in love with Thomas Shelby, but she couldn't quite bring herself to say it out loud. Whether it was the past that was keeping the words trapped in her chest, or something else, she wasn't sure.

Dressed in an incredibly expensive maroon coloured ball gown, Blair cling to Thomas' arm like it was the last thing on Earth as they wandered around the city hall.

There was another event Tommy had been invited to and that time, he wouldn't take no as an answer from Blair. He'd attended many events since she'd moved into the Shelby manor and throughout the course of their budding relationship, Blair had consistently turned down Tommy's extended invitation, terrified of taking their relationship public.

It wasn't necessarily the thought of other people looking at them, knowing that they were together, no, it was more the fact that if Blair stepped foot into a public event with Thomas Shelby as her boyfriend, everything suddenly became real. There was no huge house to hide behind or perceptions moulded by a job title, the truth would be out and there was no going back.

Thomas' tie was the same colour as her dress, becoming somewhat of a gentle joke that spilled from people's tongues to break the ice whenever they couple approached them. Tommy was keen to introduce Blair as his girlfriend, the first time that she heard him say the word made her cheeks blush darker than her dress, a sheepish smile behind her eyes as she tried her best to remain composed.

It was fascinating for Blair to observe the way Tommy conversed with people. He had always been an incredibly reserved and quiet man, shying away from talking if he could help it. Though that evening, it seemed like he was in his element. He made people laugh and smile, he shook gentlemen's hands and kissed lady's cheeks, keeping his language clean and his usually vacant face permanently decorated with a lavish smile.

It wasn't the Thomas Shelby that Blair knew, but the fact that nobody else got to see the side she spent her time with when they were alone made it that bit more special.

"I need to speak to a gentleman about some business, Arthur, will you keep Blair company?" Tommy placed a hand on his brother's shoulder as he posed the question.

"Of course, it would be my pleasure." Arthur smiled.

Tommy kissed Blair's cheek, nodding at her with narrowed eyes that held a deeper meaning than reassurance. He walked off through a crowd of people, leaving Blair and Arthur stood side by side with fresh glasses of champagne in their hands.