The Falling Man

Chapter 44

Ethel POV

Its been about a week since my admission to Tommy on the phone and I was having some friends over tonight for a small get together. I hear a knock on my front door and make my way towards the sound, my heels click as I step across my wooden floor. I quickly stop in the mirror of my entry way to look over myself, making sure my makeup and hair looked perfect before turning to my white wooden door. I pull on the knob and as it squeaks open, a smirking Tommy Shelby fills my view. "Hello." I say. He looks slightly nervous. "Hello." He says giving me a once over. The dress I was wearing was quite beautiful. Black lace with red flower detailing. It fit me perfectly, hugging me in all the right places before flowing down to my ankles.

"How are you?" He says stepping in through the doorway. "Good. You?" I ask, shutting the door behind the man. I feel quite comfortable surprisingly, confident. I invited Tommy to the gathering today and I was surprised but happy he agreed. "Yeah. Good." He says glancing around my entry way. "This is, uh, this is a nice place." He continues, turning to me. "My hallway." I say teasingly, smiling at the man. "Yeah, no...The hallways great." He states back jokingly. I release a laugh, while he smiles looking down to the ground. "Ah, come in." I say leading him further into my home. "Yeah." He agrees with a clear of his throat, following me.

As we make our way towards my living room, I hear the sound of my friends chattering away. "Hey, everyone." I say with a laugh observing the group. "This is Tommy." I say looking back to the man. I wondered the last time he was introduced just as Tommy. Not Thomas Shelby or Mr. Shelby. "Hello. How are you all?" He says with a slight wave of his hand. "Hi, I'm Julia." My friend rises with a bright smile and an outward stretched hand. "Thomas." He says returning the shake. I walk to take a seat on the couch. "Nice to meet you." She replies. "Good to meet you. How are you?" He offers. "Sorry, that was a bit formal." She says with a chuckle, referring to the handshake. "Oh, that's all right." He replies with a fake stifled laugh. He's trying to be polite, I notice.

"Do you want some whisky, Mr. Shelby? I've got Irish or—" Andrew offers. "Ah, yeah, no Irish is good. Thank you." Tommy says interuppting him. I can tell Tommy is slightly uncomfortable socializing with my friends, although I've never known him to be a social butterfly in general. "So, Thomas, you used to work with the heavenly Ethel?" Frances states, knowing full well the backstory, I assume she just wants to see his reaction. "Ah, Jesus, Franc." Earl states. "And you run a business, right?" Julia asks. It is interesting seeing Tommy in the light of not everyone around him knowing he is the most dangerous man in the room. My friends right now, besides Andrew and Frances, are seeing him as a normal man. It's quite interesting to view Tommy through their eyes. Just a normal bussiness man.

"Yeah. Yeah." Tommy says with a nod and slight widen of his eyes, at the questions flying his way as he takes a glass from my boyfriends hand. "And Ethel says you work with horses." Julia adds interested. "Uh, not really." He says shaking his head slightly. I avert my eyes from the man, wondering if he's changed since I knew him last and his love for working horses diminished. "I so nearly went for a job in business. It seems yours is very successful." Julia continues on as I bring my eyes back up to Tommy. I feel Frances' eyes observing me from her spot on the couch beside me.

"Yeah, no, it's been really good..." The Birmingham man states looking to Andrew who stands beside him. "Really, really good. Yeah." My boyfriend agrees with him about the business before Frances jumps back in the conversation. "Thomas, what was Ethel like as a business woman?" She asks with a big smile, I can tell having too much fun with pretending she doesn't know the man. "Uh...Smart." He replies. I rip my eyes from the man again taking a sip of my drink. "Well, obviously, but what was she like?" Frances eggs on with emphasis on the like. "Uh..." Tommy starts with a smirk and closes his eyes slightly. Andrew to his side stares at him with a clueless smile, waiting to hear what I was like.