france changed us all

247 Days Before

He had been watching her for weeks, not saying much, but she had noticed. Whenever Tommy walked into the room, a tension came too, so strong it was almost palpable. Every time he looked at her she felt like she couldn't breathe, like all the oxygen in the room disappeared the moment her eyes met his. It hadn't always been like that, she thought. It was only recently, in the last week or so, but she couldn't figure out why.

Tommy spent more time around the house with Olly, he would come up with reasons to talk to her, ask her about her day, when he walked past her he would place a hand on her hip and let it linger. She didn't know if she imagined it, a part of her really hoped she wasn't. After all, why would Tommy Shelby be interested in her? She was nobody, uninteresting and average. People knew her as the one and only Olly King's little sister, and that was all.

Tonight, she was going to The Garrison with John. She knew her brother would be there, which meant by default Tommy would too. She could feel the butterfly's fluttering in her stomach when she thought about seeing him.

She and John took a seat, and it wasn't long until her brother, and his motley crew joined. When Tommy noticed her across the room, he smiled. 'Come on lads, I wanna have a drink with my brother' Thomas said, yet another excuse to be around the girl for whom he had developed a slight obsession. 'Fine but I'm not spending the whole night with my sister and her bloody friends' His best friend told him, and he nodded.

He walked ahead, taking the opportunity to sit in the empty spot next to Sienna. 'You alright Sen?' Olly asked, taking a seat opposite Tommy. 'I'm fine Oliver... yourself?' She asked, her voice soft. 'Not too bad, what you drinking?' He asked, and Sienna raised an eyebrow. 'Vodka' she mumbled, scared knowing her brother wouldn't be best pleased. 'John, why are you letting me little sister drink vodka' Olly turned to her best friend, who furrowed his eyebrows slightly. 'She's only had one, and I'm here to look after her.' He jumped to his own defence, and Olly looked back at his sister who was cowered in her seat.

I'm also my own bloody person, she thought, although she wouldn't dream of saying it. Why shouldn't she be allowed to drink what she wants, and have a good time without a constant chauffeur? It was infuriating, always surrounded by men and never having the right to choose. 'You can have 2 beers after that, and that's all. I'm not carrying you home drunk.' He told her, and she nodded before looking down at her lap.

Tommy felt sorry for her. She was so beautiful, yet she had no confidence. It made no sense, a woman like that ought to stand her ground. She grew up around men though, men who broke her down. Olly loved her, more than anyone in the world, but he didn't empower her. John loved her too, but the same could be said. If she'd grown up around a woman like Polly, maybe she'd be different. What if's and maybes were no use though, Tommy thought, and he was infatuated with her nonetheless.

'Shit' Sienna mumbled, bringing Tommy out of his thoughts. His blue eyes looked down to see she had spilt her vodka all down herself. 'I guess that solves that problem' Tommy joked, and she blushed. She stood up, patting down her dress. 'Sorry' Sienna said, as Tommy stood to let her past. 'I'll be right back' she said, and Olly just shook his head laughing.

Tommy watched as she went around the back. There weren't any women's toilets in the pub, so she was allowed to use the staff one. 'I'll be right back, need a piss' Tommy said, and without a seconds thought he was following her. Before she could shut the door to the toilet, he made his way in and closed it behind him.

Tommy looked at her, her perfect face flustered and confused. He wasn't sure what to say, he hadn't really thought this through. 'W-what are you doing in here, Thomas?' She stuttered, her palms growing sweaty with nerves. Why was he here? He couldn't even answer that question for himself. He just looked into her eyes for a moment before leaning forward and kissing her.

He hadn't expected her to respond in the way that she did if it all. It took her a moment to process what exactly was happening, but when she did, she kissed back. She couldn't believe what was happening, but as quickly as the moment came, it had gone. He leaned away, an unreadable expression on his face. He looked at the ground, and then back at her, for a moment it looked like he might say something but he just turned away and shut the door behind him.