Façade

Encounter

Weeks had passed before Elise was able to take Maeve back to the park they had previously gone to. They had gone to their local one but the girl had been begging her mother to go to the big one, so as soon as she was able to, Elise took her.

They had only taken a few steps into the park when Maeve sprinted off with an excited shriek, heading towards a little boy.

"Charlie!" Maeve yelled as she ran towards the boy, she played with the last time she was there.

Elise had completely forgotten about the young boy and his father but it seemed they were here once again, luckily at the same time they were. She could see Charlie's father sitting on one of the benches and she pointedly sat on another one, even though he apologised she still felt wary about the man.

Charlie turned to Maeve with a big smile and waved at her and they quickly got to playing.

Elise pulled out the book she had brought along with her the last time she was at the park, having still not finished it but her reading was quickly interrupted by a clearing of a throat causing her to look up.

She blinked up in surprise at Charlie's father, not expecting for him to be one who disrupted her.

"I want to apologise once again" The man explained, "I acted too harshly"

"You don't need to apologise, I understand" She really could empathise with him, "You thought your son was in danger, I get it."

The man nodded at her, internally grateful for her understanding. He glanced over his shoulder to where their children were playing before he turned back around and took a seat next to Elise.

"You would do the same for your daughter?"

Elise nods in agreement to his question, "I would do anything for her"

"Tommy Shelby" The man introduced himself, holding out a hand.

"Elise Easton."

Elise put her book away, finding that it would be rude if she continued reading whilst he was next to her.

"Charlie insisted that we come back every week, he enjoyed playing with your daughter but we were starting to lose hope after a while," Tommy told her, his eyes focused on their children

"This isn't the normal park we go to, it's out of our way so we only come when I have enough time and when I hope the crowds aren't large" Elise admitted, slightly embarrassed.

Tommy furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but didn't question it, thinking it wasn't his place and the fact that this was the first time they've spoken to each other, so he simply nodded.

Elise sensed his confusion and decided to explain her reasoning to him, "People aren't always the nicest to us, so sometimes it's better to come here when it's nearly empty."

She didn't know how or why it happened so quickly but despite her previous opinion and apprehension of Tommy, she found him relatively easy to talk to. He still gave off an intense and unfaltering vibe but Elise found herself easily speaking to him as if her previous nervousness and fear had evaporated. She had allowed her barriers to be lowered simply because he spoke to her as a human being, he didn't treat her as if she was below him and for that, she was grateful.

"Ah-," Tommy blinked in surprise when the realisation came to him.

"I should thank you" Elise spoke again, "For raising your son without prejudice. I think this is the first friend she's made other than the children she studies with, most of the time parents pull their children away from her."