Nothing Left To Break

23

"Ladies!" Arthur exclaims as he sees the two woman walk towards them. Arthur gives Polly a quick kiss on the cheek before diverting his attention to Lani. He wraps his arms around her and gives her a big hug.

An act of kindness. Although Lani didn't feel comfortable. She didn't know this man. Fuck she couldn't even hug her own brother like this. Dark thoughts suddenly consume her. Thoughts of Isaac being that close to her.

Luckily for her Arthur let's her go, but keeps an arm draped around her shoulder. Arthur was a harmless individual in this context, she knew that. She was trying to remind herself of that as she felt his arm burning into her shoulder.

An arm pulls her away from his grasp, like she was being tugged like a rag doll. John, the younger brother pulls her in aswel.

"Our Tom is very fond of you, love" he whispers in her ear. Although she liked the sentiment and the sentence for that matter, she wanted him to stop touching her. She wanted everyone to stop touching her.

"Alright John, let the girl breath" Polly laughs from the bar. Ordering two drinks. John finally loosens up a bit, but copies Arthur's actions by putting his arm around her shoulder. Arthur repeats his actions and does the same. She was consumed by them. She couldn't breath. She couldn't fucking breath.

She looks in front of her and tries to focus on one thing to distract herself. Thomas was standing directly in front of her, his back to her, of course. She stares at his back. He was wearing a shirt tucked into his trousers and a waistcoat over it. He looked good. Lani could see his muscles through his shirt which sent her into a complete different train of thought.

"Isn't that right Tom?" John shouts over to his brother, the abrupt noise shocking Lani slightly, although she hides this "he hasn't stopped talking about you" John continues, laughing. Trying to embarass Thomas.

At this he turns around with a slight smile on his lips. This smile falters slightly as he sees Lani's uncomfortable expression, which she was hiding with a polite smile. He leans forward and pulls Lani away by wrapping his hands around her small waist, pulling her right into his chest. Thank god.

Pushing her away slightly he offers her his drink. She looked like she needed it.

Although she was still mad at him, all of these feelings seemed to have dispersed as she watched him. Watched him, watch her.

"Let's not argue anymore love. I'm so fucking sorry alright?" He whispers in her ear. Lani didn't understand how she was comfortable with him being this close to her, but not her brothers.

She nodded and shot down his drink.

"I found cash in your pocket and used it to pay for mine and Polly's clothes, just to let you know" she says cheekily, looking up happily into his eyes.

He rolls his eyes playfully.

"Three more of these" he calls to the bartender.

The bartender hands him the drinks. Thomas places two in front of Lani with a smirk. It's her turn to roll her eyes. He knows her too well.

She shots down the first, then turns to the other and begins to sip on it.

Lani steps away from Thomas's close contact, to open them up to the family's conversation.

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The walk back an hour or so later is blissful. Arthur, John and Polly walk a few steps in front of the couple. Thomas and Lani walk side by side with Lani clinging onto Thomas's arm.

"I like that shirt by the way, you look very good today" Lani says kindly, placing her other hand on Thomas's stomach momentarily, before placing it back onto his bicep.

He raises an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah?" He asks flirtatiously, slowing his step a bit and looking down at her. Fuck she looked so good in his coat.

"I would prefer it if it wasn't on, but it will suffice" she adds, not looking at him. Teasing him slightly, quickening her step.

"The feeling is mutual, Leilani Solomons" he says softly, detaching her hands from his arm and placing it around her waist, bringing them to a stop and kissing her softly in the middle of the street. His hands cradling her face, holding onto her like she could dissappear at any moment. But she wasn't going anywhere.

"You can fuck at home!" Arthur shouts at the couple from down the street, earning laughs from the two next to him.

Thomas breaks the kiss and laughs gently, making Lani's heart flutter. He kisses her once again quickly and pulls away. Returning to his walk, Lani quickly catches up and returns her hands to his bicep. In this moment, she doesn't remember a time where she was happier. Neither could Thomas.

"Where's your hat?" Lani questions with a confused look on her face.

As she was analysing him for the thousandth time she had realised that she wasn't wearing his hat, and she couldn't remember seeing it at all today.

Thomas laughs at her sudden mood change.

"I dropped it outside Alfie's" he says, remembering when he was punched. Sparking an unhappy slight frown on his face. Recounting the scene.

"Why didn't you hit him?" She asks, also remembering the scene. He was just going to stand there while Alfie beat him. Fuck he could have killed him. And he wasn't going to do anything, why?

"Because as angry as you are with him, he's still your brother and you still love him. I wasn't going to lay a hand on him unless you wanted me to" he says, sighing slightly and taking out a cigarette.

Lani reaches forward and lights it with his lighter that she found in his pocket.
She admires him.

"He kept my father's letters from me" she states, returning the lighter to her pocket and staring ahead of her "he had been trying to contact me for years, Alfie kept this away from me, he kept my Father away from me" Lani continues spitefully. She hadn't told Thomas what she had found out when she had gone to visit her brother, or why she was so upset.

Thomas remains silent.

"One thing I hate is people thinking that they can control me, like a child. Alfie did that and he belittled me, lied to me and yet still thinks that he has a say in my dating life" she explains. Taking a breath before finalising her statement and coming to her point.

"He's not my brother, so you can hit him all you like"