working girl » tommy shelby.

chapter twenty-one

The sound of frequent, loud shootings echoed through the trenches, men dodged the bullets - some successful, some not. Tommy watched on in horror, ignorant of what to do in that situation. It was his first day in the trenches - unaccompanied and without his brothers. His only comfort was some of the residents from Birmingham, including Freddie and Danny, and strangers from all over the UK but nobody was talking, leaving him alone with his feelings.

Although nobody was speaking, the shrieks, screams and cries spoke a thousand words. Horrified men, miles away from home, no family around them and not knowing if they were going to survive the feared War. Not one part of Tommy wanted to be there, but he had volunteered so he could fight for his country... for the king. Once Tommy had blocked out the sounds of terror, there was only one person on his mind and that was Rosie. He was desperate to know how she was and what she was doing now that almost everyone she treasured was on the front-line. 

Tommy did not fear death. He feared losing Rosie. Nobody knew when the war was going to end. It could be days, months, years or not end at all. Tommy didn't even know if he was going to return home well and safe, emotionally scarred or in a body bag. He just knew that if he was lucky enough to return home, he wanted Rosie to be there waiting for him. Her blonde hair swaying in the wind, a wide smile on her face, happy. He could picture her stood at the train station, her arms open and ready. The two of them would not hide their relationship when he got home, Tommy wanted everyone to know that Rosie was his girl.

"Are you alright, Tom?" Danny asked him. It was the first time that they had spoken since getting off the train. Danny's voice was quiet and fragile, a contrast to how the man came across. Danny was strong, well-built and would easily win in a fight but at that moment, he was shattered and fearful.

Nobody knew about Tommy's relationship with Rosie and for months on end, he had been on the receiving end of Arthur's jokes about Tommy not being able to get a girl. As much as Arthur infuriated Tommy, he was desperate to see him, John included. All Tommy wanted was a piece of home to remind him of the good times. Not the mud, screams, tears and shaking.

"I'm fine," he managed to say with a small smile. Danny nodded as he understood that it was difficult for Tommy to be away from his family. "I met someone..." Danny was unsure of what to say so he let Tommy speak and unwind. "It's been about eight months since we first met. I remember the first time I saw her so well, I'll never forget it. She walked down the stairs at her home in a white dress, went just below her knees, and her hair was all curled. Most people fear me, Danny, but not her. She had so much confidence, so much beauty.  There was something about from the second I met her, do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah," Danny answered, although he didn't really know what Tommy meant. There was a smile on the young man's face as he spoke about this mystery women and that was enough for Danny.

"She smiled at me, an honest proper smile and I swear down my heart stopped."

"What's her name?" Danny asked, his inquisitiveness increasing. He had never seen Tommy so invested, and in love, with a woman before.

"Rosie. God, Danny, I fucking miss her already."

Tommy's defenceless side was coming out. His hand was tight around the cup of hot tea that was revolting compared to the one at home and his breath was speeding up as he thought about the special moments that him and Rosie shared.

Then his mind went back to the last time they had dinner, when she was wearing the red dress that sent him wild. He told her that he was leaving for France and he saw her heart break into a million pieces. Rosie tried to keep the tears back as the two of them shared their last night together in the privacy of Tommy's bedroom but as soon as she arrived home, the tears came flowing from her eyes. Her parents didn't question her swollen eyes or snivelling nose, they already knew the reason.

As much as Tommy and Rosie liked to believe they were being secretive about their relationship, the reality was that they weren't. Rosie's mother would pick up on the grin that Rosie would have whenever Tommy was coming to see the family - the exact same smile she had when her and Rosie's father were adolescents. Rosie and Tommy were young and in love and even though he wasn't a perfect partner for their descendant, they valued Tommy and had no undesirable feelings towards him. Over the eight months that Tommy had been going to see the family - towards the end it had become more for pleasure, rather than business and often found himself turning up just so he could chat to the Mason family - Tommy had become a well-known man around the magnificent household. Maids would nod their heads and say morning, Rosie would show him around the house and talk about art history with him – he had to pretend to be interested - and Rosie's parents would discuss business and how things were down in Small Heath with him.

"I haven't seen her since I told her that I was leaving. She promised to wait for me and I promised to survive. I don't know if any of us can keep those promises."

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Authors note: This is just a little something that I wrote up a bit back. This shows how Tommy dealt with War and being away from Rosie. It also shows how the relationship started, Rosie finding out about the war and what not, you get the point. I thought it would be nice to see Tommy's vulnerable side for once and if you want to see this again but in Rosie's POV, so how she dealt with the War and loosing Tommy and her father then let me know. Please vote, comment, follow and leave feedback.