𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨 | 𝐟. 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐛𝐲 ON HOLD

thirteen

♤

"Another whiskey, Micky." The boy shouted. He was laid across one of the seats in the Garrison.

The boy's brothers were sat alongside him. Thomas knew how the lad felt, heartbreak was something the man had experienced regularly.

"Finn, maybe that isn't the best idea. You're already pissed out of your fucking mind." Arthur spoke, causing the younger man to look at him, "Fuck off, Arthur."

Tommy set his notebook down, reaching for his cigarette tin, "Arthur's right, Finn. There's no point in drowning your sorrows in whiskey."

"You did the same when Grace died!" The boy shouted, soon realising what he had said, "Shit, Tommy, I didn't mean it."

"Finn. Vivian isn't dead. My wife took a fucking bullet meant for me, and died from it. She left me with Charlie, to care for on my fucking own. You can still try with Vivian, I can't with Grace."

The boy looked to his brother, "I'm sorry, Tom."

Tommy lit his cigarette, "It's fine, Finn, just don't bring it up again."

A little time passed, Tommy was scribbling in his notebook, Arthur was reading the newspaper.

Finn noticed the poster for the boxing match on the front, "Shit, that's tomorrow isn't it, Tom?" He said, motioning to the page.

"Yes, it is, remember what I said? Make sure you have a gun on you at all times, boy."

He nodded, "Yeah. Uh, Tommy, could you possibly ask Ms Winslet if she wanted to go along with Aunt Pol and the others?"

Tommy raised an eyebrow, "And why might that be?"

Finn's cheeks went red, "Uh, so I could have a talk with her." He said, his head sinking to the table.

Tommy released a chuckle, "I'll think about, Finn boy."

♤

Tommy walked into the girls office, he saw her scrawling numbers onto a piece of paper, "How are the numbers looking, Ms. Winslet?"

The girl jumped slightly, startled by the man's sudden appearance, "Jesus, Thomas, don't you fucking knock?"

The man shrugged, "My building, don't see the need to knock."

Vivian rolled her eyes at his statement, setting her pencil on the desk, she spoke, "Yeah, they're good, Tom. With everyone's wages, we're still making great profit."

"Good." The man went to the door, ready to leave, "Oh, Vivian, Finn would like you to attend the boxing match tomorrow with the rest of the ladies."

This surprised her, she hadn't seen the boy since the night they kissed and she said they shouldn't do it.

"Right, why didn't he just ask himself?"

"Probably thought you'd say no. But he knew if I asked for him, you would have to say yes."

Vivian chuckled, "Clever boy, your brother. Tell him I'll think about it."

"Very well, Vivian." He said, closing the door after he left.

"Fuck." The girl said, leaning back on her chair, she sighed, thinking of the boy. She hated how she'd hurt him. She knew she had, if she hadn't she would have had seen him again after that night.

She stared at the ceiling, counting the slats of wood which made up the roof. She liked her office. It wasn't too big, nor too small. It had a wooden floor, as well as a wooden ceiling. The windows were fogged, as were the rest of the windows in the office building. Her name was etched into the door, telling bypassers who resided within the walls.

She could hear the distant sound of footsteps somewhere in the building.
It sounded like a woman's heels hitting the floorboards.

The girl sighed, realising she still had work to be getting on with. She lifted the pencil, and began writing, working out complex addition in her head.

The sounds of heels stopped as they approached her door, a light knocking was heard.

Vivian looked up, trying to see who was at the door through the fogfed glass, "Come in." She spoke.

The handle twisted, the door opening to reveal Polly Gray, "Hello, Vivian." The woman said with a smile.

"Hey, Pol." The girl replied, returning the smile. Vivian had always admired Polly Gray. She admired how the woman had been able raise the five Shelby siblings after their mother had died, and after their father had abandoned them.

The older woman looked around the room, hanging her coat on the back of the chair, situated in front of Vivian's desk.

The girl watched, as the woman wandered around the room, picking up stray books and sheets of paper which had been carelessly tossed on the floor.

The two shared a comfortable silence, Polly moving to sit on the chair opposite the girl.

The woman looked at her, watching her movements, "Yes, Polly?"

The woman narrowed her eyes, as if she was trying to figure something out about the girl before her, "Finn's not good, Vi. He's been out drinking to all hours of the morning, picking fights with random people. And then ends up sleeping half the day, then repeating the night before."

The girl looked to her, "I'm sorry, Pol. But I don't think I'm in the right head space to be with him right now. And he's asked me to go the fight on Sunday, as he says we need to talk." The girl sighed, setting her pencil down.

"I hate how I've hurt him, truly, I do. But, relationships scare me. I've only ever been known as a whore. And nobody wants to be seen marrying a whore."

Polly listened, taking in every word she spoke, "Vivian, you know Finn sees you as far more than that, I have never seen him act this way before. He sees a strong, confident, beautiful young woman, who he loves very much."

The girls breath caught in her throat, "Sorry? 'Loves'?"

Polly nodded, "Yes, Vivian. Finn Shelby loves you."

"Oh, God." The girl leaned back in the seat, her hands on her head, "Fuck, I've lost him, haven't I? My being scared of getting close to him has made me lose him. Fuck." She threw her arms down in frustration.

The woman reached across the table, taking the girl's hand in hers, "No, you haven't, Vi. Come to the fight on Sunday. See what he has to say, then we'll see."

Vivian sighed, "Okay, Pol."

"That's my girl." The woman spoke, before grabbing her coat and leaving the room.

"Finn Shelby, maybe there is hope for us after all." She whispered, before grabbing her coat and rushing from the room.

♤

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EWW THIS IS SO BADD