Another Paradise | T Shelby

NINETEEN - ANOTHER APOLOGY

When Thomas walked into his bedroom later on that evening, he wasn't shocked to see the bed empty, the covers and pillows perfectly intact the same way they had been when they'd left the house earlier on.

He'd debated going after Blair as soon as she left, but he knew that she wouldn't have spoken to him even if he had, and that giving her space was the best option. At least, that's what he thought.

He spent the rest of the evening shaking more hands and kissing more cheeks, smiling and nodding politely at men and women who were so seemingly engaged in conversation with him when in reality, all Tommy could hear was Blair's words echoing round in his mind.

After a painful three hours, Tommy returned home. He peered his head around the door to Charlie's room, smiling to himself as he saw his son sleeping peacefully with a fluffy rabbit tucked underneath his chin. He thought about giving him a kiss on the forehead but didn't want to risk waking him, and so he walked down the hallway towards Blair's room.

They'd been sharing a room and living as a couple for over two months by that point, and seeing his bed empty when he returned home felt like a shot through the heart to Tommy. He'd grown used to the sound of her light breathing and the way she'd always have at least her hand touching him while they slept, even if they were on total opposite sides of the bed. He enjoyed waking up to her beside him and enjoyed falling asleep in her presence even more, her company relaxing him far more than he'd been able to alone, allowing him to finally get some uninterrupted rest.

Blair had shone a new light into his life and Tommy had equally done the same for her. Although Blair hadn't said those three little words, Tommy knew she loved him. Whether it was the way she clung to him in the morning to stop him from getting out of bed, or the stolen glances as they passed each other in a hurried moment in the middle of the day, he knew all too well where her feelings lied, which was why upsetting her broke him even harder.

"Blair? Are you awake?"

Tommy knocked on the closed door to her bedroom with his knuckles, lowering his ear towards the wood as he held his breath waiting for a response.

When he was met with silence, he knocked again, "Blair, I'm sorry. Please talk to me."

"She's not in there."

Frances smiled wearily as she reached the top of the stairs, looking down the hallway at Tommy.

"Where is she?"

She lingered for a moment, wavering back and forth on her heels. Tommy knew that Blair had told Frances not to tell him where she was, and she'd probably told Frances a whole lot more than just that, but he was certain he'd get the information out of her with ease.

"Frances, where is she? I'm worried."

"She's upset, Mr Shelby, very upset."

"I know that," Tommy said, trying to keep his cool, "I need to speak to her. So please, tell me where she is."

Pursing her lips, Frances glanced out of the back window in one of the spare rooms, her eyes catching on the glowing light from the gardens behind the house.

"She's by the stables with the horse. At least that's what she told me."

Tommy thanked Frances and quickly made his way outside, grabbing his coat on the way down the stairs and pulling it over his shoulders before walking out of the back door.

The lights by the stables were warm and as Tommy made his way across the grass, he could just about see Blair stood in the paddock with the horse, stroking his mane in the blue moonlight.

It was silent for the most part, the country air was still that evening and the birds were quiet. There was the occasional crunch of gravel beneath the hooves of the horse, and the softness of Blair's voice that Tommy only heard as he drew closer to the two of them.