Where The Soul Still Bleeds - John Shelby

End Of The Game

"You can stay, you know." Theodore softly told her, rubbing circles on her shoulder- way to ruin the mood, Nora thought, letting out a quiet sigh. From all the men she worked with, Teddy was her favourite: probably because when she didn't do business with him, she slept with him.

"Don't make me regret spending my last night with you, Teddy." She said, her voice sounding more tired than she wanted it to. Behind her, he shifted closer, his arm wrapping around her waist, his skin warm against hers. "It doesn't have to be the last night, is all I'm saying. It's been a good five years, Nora." "It has." She agreed, suddenly itching for a smoke. "But all good things must come to an end." She added, sitting up and dropping the sheet that was covering her body: she and Theodore were past trying to protect their decencies.

The room was barely illuminated from the glow of an oil lamp sitting on Theodore's nightstand- she blindly reached out for her cigarettes and a matchbox. Theo didn't speak for a moment, his eyes on her naked back- his fingers followed suit, gently tracing her spine. She placed a cig between her lips and then lit it, slowly inhaling, letting the smoke fill her lungs before exhaling. "When did you turn into a philosopher?" He said with a small chuckle- she didn't answer him. She merely took another drag of her cigarette and settled in the bed again, her back resting against the bed's headboard.

"I'll up your shares if you stay." Theodore murmured, looking up at her, his soft brown eyes pleading. "I'll even make you a permanent partner in my casino. Anything you want." "Anything?" She teased, her lips pulling up in a smirk. Theo was around thirty years old- one of the youngest and most successful casino owners in London. He was the kind of guy that knew what he wanted and didn't hesitate to do whatever it took to get it. Nora admired that in a man.

"I'll negotiate with you." He said, sitting up and revealing his torso- he was lean, with strong biceps, olive-toned skin, caramel brown eyes and curls in the same colour. She looked at him for a moment, her eyes appreciatively trailing down his chest and his arms before replying: "There's nothing you could tempt me with, darlin'." She finished her cigarette, stubbing the butt against the bedside table.

Under other circumstances, Theo would've told her off for ruining his mahogany table: that night, he stayed silent. She pulled the sheet up- the air had gotten kind of chilly. "I told you not to get attached, Teddy." She quietly said, meeting his eyes. "I'm not attached, Rowe," he countered "it's just that we work well together. In business, in personal life. This could be very good." "It has been very good." She corrected, gently smiling at him. "But I've overstayed my welcome in London. I should've returned to Birmingham a year ago." But I was too scared, too comfortable in this play-pretend life, she thought but didn't say.

She'd been sent away to London a day before the Shelby boys were enlisted: she hadn't even gotten to say goodbye. She'd gone kicking and screaming, promising her dad she'd crawl back if she had to. But the train took one day to reach London and it was too late to do anything but resign to her fate.

Her dad had rented her a small basement in the centre of London, almost next to her university: she had hated that place from the moment she laid eyes on it. It was suffocating, it didn't have any windows, it was dusty and dark and she could hear every passer-by that walked above her head.

For the first few days, she'd been, lonely, scared of that big city where nothing was familiar. Her thoughts were what really made her miserable though: thoughts of her dad all alone in Birmingham, of Polly and Ada and little Finn, and worst of all of Arthur, Tommy and John fighting at an unknown place, risking their lives for a fucking ungrateful country that kept taking and taking and taking.

She couldn't stay at home: when she wasn't at university, she was outside, roaming the streets, looking for a distraction. Which was how she met Theodore- she'd been at a nightclub, dancing and drinking, and pretending she didn't notice his eyes on her for the entire night. She was going from club to club and bar to bar every night, and he was always there, watching her over the rim of a whiskey on the rocks.