Give my heart. | Thomas Shelby [english]

/7/ Dancing around the fire

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1919, Birmingham

Her face was feeling hot from the flames in front of her. Her ears were filled by the bawling voices and cheers from the people around her. More and more pictures of King George V were thrown into the huge bonfire in the middle of Watery Lane.

Why was she there again? No clue. Not why there had been a written note on her nightstand this morning which told her to come to Watery Lane at this late hour. And surely not why she followed said invitation although she knew it was Thomas' handwriting.

Now, she stood opposite him, only the fire separating them. He was talking to a male journalist who was eager to write everything down.

Suddenly, he caught her staring. He raised a brow at her which made her scoff even though he couldn't hear it. Why did he summon her here if he was only going to speak to others?

She should probably go right now and make him see that he was not her boss. Why did she even come? She surely regretted it right now.

A loud chorus of voices right next to her made Nora turn her head. A bunch of men who were quite drunk already and singing out loud. Nora couldn't help but smirk at them, being reminded of the many times she, her brother and a few other friends from their camp did something similar.

When she eventually turned back to look at Thomas again, he wasn't there anymore. Great. She should really just leave. This was a waste of time.

"You've always been drawn to it." A deep voice behind her said and she tried her best to not appear startled. Her heart immediately beat faster realizing how close Thomas stood behind her. She could feel his breath in her neck.

"I always loved the imagination of burning you in it until there's only a small heap of ash of you left." Turning around to get some more distance between them, she faked an innocent smile.

"Imaginative." Was his only comment while watching the flames behind her. But Nora was not blind. She could see the slight twitch of the corners of his mouth. A treacherous smile tried to cut its way onto his lips and he tried to hide it by taking another puff of his cigarette.

Then she realized that she was staring a bit to intently at his mouth and quickly turned to face the fire again. She meant what she said. It should not amuse him in the slightest.

A few minutes went by and Nora felt herself grow impatient. She hated the silence. Since Thomas has stepped up to her she couldn't hear the voices of the other people anymore. There were only the two of them and the silence between them was cruel. She hated silence.

Annoyed by herself because she actually didn't want to be the one to say something first, she gave up, folded her arms in front of her chest and looked at him again.

"What do you want?"

He gestured with his cigarette towards the fire.

"Remember how we danced around the fire as children?"

"No." She lied. Of course, she did. She was not the one denying their past, their childhood and their culture.

"I remember dancing with my best friend whom I could steal horses with, whom I would sit through the night talking about everything and who considered me family. Sadly, I lost that person a long time ago."

For a moment, there was silence again. She thought maybe he hadn't heard her or was too lost in thought about whatever but then, finally, he turned to look her in the eyes. What she saw, she did not like, though.