The Golden Girl ↠ Finn Shelby

CHAPTER 24 ↠ telling the bad news

"We can come here many, many times. However... I won't be able to come here again so soon."

"Why not?" Finn asks serene, as he plays with her long, loose hair.

"Tommy has asked something of me."

"And what was it that he asked?"

"To go to New York."

"New York?!" Finn bolted up. "Why?"

"Tommy wants someone to keep Michael in line and help him with the business, and he thinks I can do it."

"No. Don't go." He holds her face gently.

"I already agreed with Tommy that I would," Bea affirms.

"Why?" Finn asks in despair.

"Because he asked that of me, and one does not simply deny Tommy Shelby."

"I'll talk to him. I'll tell him you don't want to go."

"But I want to go," Bea pretends. "It'd be an opportunity for me to work for Shelby Company Limited and to travel. It's not everyday that you get to go to New York, you know?"

"You can work for the company here. And I'll take you to New York myself."

"Finn... Tommy already bought the tickets and sent a letter to Michael saying I was on my way and what ship I'd arrive in."

"What about me?"

"The time will fly by. I will miss you very much, but I need to do this for myself."

Finn didn't want to let her go, but he was mature enough now to understand that he'd never forgive himself if he made Bea miss out on an opportunity that she had wished for, and he knew she wouldn't forgive him either. Still, the selfish part of him wanted to stop her from going.

"When will you get back?" he asked instead.

"I don't know. Tommy didn't exactly give me a date..."

If it had taken two months for Bea to return from a place she hated, Finn could only imagine how long it'd take her to come back from New York, and exciting, new city where she could live out an adventure she had dreamed off.

"I really don't want you away."

"Look, it's not what I expected for when I returned either, but time will fly by and then I won't leave again. I promise."

Finn leaned forward and kissed her, slowly, savouring her lips and her tongue for a long time, since he wouldn't be able to do it for a while.

"So you'll be babysitting Michael..." he says incredulous, when they break apart.

"I actually consider it more like spying... controlling him..." Bea says diverging her eyes, thinking about what she'd have to actually do.

"Send me letters."

"You can't read," Bea reminds, amused with his request making no sense.

"I'll just see your letter and hold it, remembering you touched that paper and thought of me while writing on it."

"I shall write to you, then," Bea agrees with a smile before kissing him again.

On the morning before getting to a train to Liverpool to then go to the ship, Bea went to get two bags of her clothes to take to New York with and also to say good-bye to Polly.

She promised she'd be all right and she'd do the best to keep Michael in line, although she was almost sure Michael would be the most serious out of the two. Either way, she had promised Tommy and she hoped his trust in her didn't fail.

Bonnie and Aberama were the last people she saw before going on the train. She hugged them tightly, mostly because she would miss them, but a little also because she was hoping that if they didn't let go she'd miss the train and that would lead her to miss the departure of the ship. It wasn't like she didn't want to go, she was just half wishing that a small mistake would lead to her not getting there in time.

Like everything, it had its pros and cons.

Bea would finally travel, like she always wanted to, and to America at that. She would also be working for the Shelby Company, even if just by helping Michael with what he needed.

But Bea would also be a sea away from Bonnie and Aberama, and her new found romance would abruptly come to an halt. It was most certainly what she wasn't expecting when returning to Birmingham after two months. She had told herself that if the kiss with Finn would lead to something else after two months apart, then she would remain and explore that, but only after a couple of weeks that was no longer possible.