FLAMES ━━ 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐛𝐲

𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣.

𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 | 𝘈 𝘛𝘈𝘓𝘌 𝘖𝘍 𝘑𝘌𝘈𝘓𝘖𝘜𝘚𝘠 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘞𝘌𝘋𝘋𝘐𝘕𝘎𝘚

｡･:*:･ﾟ✧ ｡･:*:･ﾟ

IT WAS CLOSING TIME at the Garrison, and Annabel dismissed her friend Grace so the latter could enjoy the rest of her night.

As she heard her leave, she went to lock the doors behind her to continue her work as she spotted Tommy leaning against a cart, waiting for her. She smiled.

Joy erupted through her body. Only two days had passed since their fateful kiss, and her mind had been swarmed by thoughts of Tommy Shelby and his warmth, his lips. They hadn't seen much of eachother; Tommy was busy ending wars, making his business legal and plotting schemes and Annabel was busy at the Garrison which seemed to be booming under Arthur, in part thanks to the barmaids.

Grace had actually become quite interested in the business, going so far as to ask questions to Arthur about how everything is run, questions Annabel herself had only heard the answers to briefly, in passing, whenever the conversation arose.

It started when the women were carrying boxes inside the Garrison and Grace opened one of them, only to be greeted with a stench that made Annabel scrunch her nose, making her friend giggle.

"These cigarettes have a strange smell, Arthur." Grace said, walking towards the office where Arthur was sitting, counting. She walked in and Annabel followed lazily. "They smell like, rotten water and look," She showed him a box. "The rats have gotten to some of them."

Annabel laughed.

"They're stolen, are they not?"

"Don't ask." answered Arthur.

"They smell because you keep them in a boat." pushed Grace, making Annabel furrow her brows and narrow her eyes suspiciously at Grace, who was asking a lot of questions. She feared something would end badly.

"Okay, Arthur, I bet you need me to check your adding up for the millionth time." said Annabel as she tried to push past Grace, used to the same routine. "I'll start to believe you're using me for my education." She joked, smirking, earning a smile from Arthur.

Before he could reply, Grace stepped in. "Let me," she said and crounched down the books.

Annabel was surprised at her friend's interest in the books of the Garrison, as she was always under the impression she was not as good as Annabel with numbers, but the red headed girl figure that Grace was just trying to score some points with the Shelby family, and stood down.

"You know, you should make a new start with this place," Grace stated as she counted. "Do it properly. These cigarettes are not fit to sell." 

Arthur inhaled the smell of the cigarettes sharply. "Smells like Gallipoli." Annabel was saddened. That bad?

"You should find a new place to store them," Grace said. 

"Has to be far away from coppers," Arthur replied. 

"But not rats?"

"All the wharfs have rats." Arthur said. 

"What's wrong with a dry warehouse?" Grace asked, and Annabel truly wondered where the sudden interest in Peaky Blinder business had come from. She thought at first it was all for attention, but now she seemed to be interested in the getdown of the business.