𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖘𝖐𝖊𝖞 𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘, 𝐭. 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐛𝐲 ¹

✧ 11 ✧

Nellie inhaled deeply and held her breath before letting it go. "I've got a lot on my mind," she said honestly. "Lots of issues with the reconstruction. Bloody contractors are idiots." Nellie turned away and resumed staring at the horizon.

Her foot began to tap rhythmically against the floor, the sound echoing through the car, though she promptly ceased her movement when Thomas gently laid his hand upon her knee. Nellie's breath hitched in her throat, her eyes slowly focusing on the way Thomas's hand rested upon her skirt.

It was such a minuscule gesture, yet it dredged up old desires the young woman had been fighting to keep at bay since the moment she returned to Birmingham. She licked her lips, her eyes locked on Thomas's hand as the movements from the car jostled it further up her leg.

Either that or Thomas was subtly trying to slide his hand up Nellie's thigh...

"And?" he finally asked with a cough, his hand finally sliding from Nellie's knee as he spoke. The move was odd and almost seemed deliberate. As if he wanted to keep his hand on her for as long as possible. Nellie licked her lips, a shiver creeping up her spine as she adjusted in her seat.

"And what?" It took her a moment to respond, but she finally got a hold of herself after a few seconds of tense silence.

Thomas side-eyed her, his brow raising. "There's something else eating away at you." Nellie frowned. "C'mon. Tell me."

Thomas's expression was soft and welcoming, a drastic change from his usually stoic demeanor. Ever since Nellie got back, he had been nothing but closed-off and unwelcoming to her. She almost found the sudden change suspicious...as if he was trying to goad her into giving him information.

Nellie narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "What makes you think there's anything more?" she asked with a soft hmm, one brow quirking as she peered at her old lover.

Thomas smiled. It was rare to see such a thing from the man, but Nellie didn't complain. Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at his handsome face. God, how she missed those smiles. "I know there's something else," he said coyly. "I know you, Nell. I can tell when you're bothered."

Nellie didn't respond. She couldn't, not when he was smiling at her the way he was at that moment. Her stomach tingled, a slow smile spreading across her face. With a slight head tilt, Nellie found herself unable to stay on topic.

"You're smiling," she pointed out cheekily. "What a rare sight."

Thomas gave her a look, his brows coming together though his smile didn't fade. "Rare?" he asked, a small laugh escaping his throat.

"And a laugh?" she said with a giggle, her hand covering her mouth. "My, what a change." Thomas gave her a playful eye-roll, but Nellie could see that he was trying to wrangle his smile down. "What's gotten into you?"

Thomas looked over, his smile was smaller but still prevalent on his face. He said nothing as he stared at Nellie, but she could see the cause in his eyes. That look was far too familiar to Nellie for her to mistake what it was.

Her smile faltered and Thomas took notice. "Is it Grace?" she asked sincerely, trying to keep the playfulness in her tone.

Thomas immediately looked back at the road, his lips pursing in a straight line as he sighed. "Why does everyone keep asking that?" he asked softly after a moment of silence.

"You can't be serious?" Nellie laughed, but it appeared Thomas wasn't joking. He looked at her, his usual stoic expression replacing his beautiful smile. "Tommy, it's painfully obvious that you fancy her."

Thomas snapped his head over, his brows deeply furrowed as he stared at Nellie. "'Painfully obvious'?" he echoed.

Nellie nodded. Though it hurt her to say it, she wasn't going to lie to Thomas and let him think his feelings were hidden. "Everyone knows it. Hell, I was the first to pick up on it." Nellie bit her lower lip as she recrossed her legs and peered out of the window. "I've had to see it since the day I got back," she murmured almost to herself.