Falling / Michael Gray x Reader

III - Meeting the world

III - Meeting the world

It was a nice place that Bertie was holding. It sure was not the grand luxe but it had the comfort and the good taste to be called a flat. I got rid of my luggage that had been a faithful companion of mine during my long yet pleasant journey. Amongst the few pieces of clothing I had, I had brought a dress that I had made myself a few years back. I did not understand how that dress could still fit me after my breasts had grown as fast as my hips did. But I was glad it did fit me. I promised myself not to wear it if it was for no particular reason. However, after a long journey like mine had been, I thought that I could treat myself with that dress.

I put up the lovely gown that was embroidered with blue lace. My neck was covered in yellow, so were my arms and thighs. It was no noble fabric but a feeling of pride invaded me as soon as it was on me. I surprised my nephew on the linoleum. He seemed to enjoy the dress as much as me. "That dress's great but we not goin' to a ball, it just a pub".

I noticed that he was wearing the same suit than the one he had worn all day long, from morning to dusk. I felt a bit silly for wearing such a fine dress to go to a pub. I wanted to wear something else but my nephew grabbed me by the elbow. "No time for that! The Shelbys despise people who're late."

I thought we would take the car to get there but as it was only a few yards away, my nephew decided to give me a little tour of his neighbourhood before getting into the pub. Women with cleavages were taken by the hand by dirty men, a couple of children were toying with a utterly destroyed plush. The sight was not jolly and yet I found some comfort in the dismay and pain that was strewing in every corner of each street. Contrasting the poverty I witnessed, the pub was enlighted with the rings of tobacco and the bulbs casting the golden holy water from the high ceiling. When we entered the pub, the smell of alcohol nearly made me sneeze. While growing up, I had been used to a delicate smell of brandy for that is the only drink my father drank but that smell was not brandy, more like whiskey.

"Hello", a middle-aged man said to both my nephew and I when we were at the level of the counter "You must be Y/N", he added "I'm Arthur, Tommy's brother". Of course he was. Now that he said it, I could see the resemblance with the sharp man I earlier met. He turned back and enjoined us to follow his lead.

We were now in a room apart from the rest of the pub. The smells of tobacco and alcohol were pratically unbearable. There was another smell that I did not reckon for I was sure I had never encountered it before.

I sat next to Lizzie as she gently made some place for me. Thomas Shelby started to speak. In the meantime, Lizzie whispered to me the names of the members I did not meet already. "That is Isaiah", she said by showing the man who was drunk earlier. He had clearly been helped to overcome this embarassing situation of his and was now clear-minded as a choir boy. He looked like he was swallowing Thomas's phrases. Literally swallowing them, with greedy eyes and a certain admiration for the man. "That is Ada, sister to Tommy and Arthur, that would be Charlie. Over here are Polly and her son Michael". The woman I was told to be Polly was both threatening and as a mother would be, very sweet. Something in her eyes made me believe she was a very protective woman towards her son. About him, I recognized the young man who had checked me out. Although Lizzie was whispering not to prevent the meeting to happen normally, Michael noticed he was mentioned. Or maybe he had stared at me since I arrived. One way or another, he smiled at me when I looked at him. We kept on looking at each other for about thirty seconds before Michael was asked about figures and numbers.

The meeting went on for yet another hour, Lizzie but also Ada and I were quite annoyed since the meeting was about things we did not understand. Ada suggested that we could go in the main room to get a drink or to talk outside. Linda joined us and so we talked. As I didn't know them really well, I listened to them more than I did the conversation. It was about their kids mostly but there was that time in the discussion when Lizzie talked about me as an upcoming teacher and recommended me as Finn's new teacher.