• STRANGER • A Thomas Shelby Fanfic •

(5)

He took my hand as we walked, and that felt strange. The way his hand fit in mine, sure it was perfect, but there was something so new about it.

As we walk, and he talks to me about how I have a green thumb, and I recently got into growing zucchinis, I can't help but look at him and wish I knew the love he had for me. Growing up, I didn't get to see much of a household love between man and wife. My father died before I was able to even walk, right before Cathy was born. Mum never remarried so I never got to see her happiness flourish.

"How did we meet?" I ask looking up at him. I can't seem to take my eyes off of him, he's a beautiful person to look at. I get lost in those eyes, and I mean, the rest of his face is absolutely stunning.

Thomas smiles, looking down the yard before bringing his eyes back down to mine. "I don't want to say."

I scoff, throwing my hand up to hit his rock hard chest. "Why not?"

Changing the subject, he looks at me and raises an eyebrow. "What if we can rewrite our past, you know now that-"

"Tell me." I demand, raising an eyebrow back. "The truth."

He nods. "Alright, you were my gardener."

"Oh that's not bad." I reply before seeing that he's hiding something. My eyebrows pull together and I grow increasingly hot. "What?"

"You gardened the house for me and my ex-wife."

"What!?" My mouth drops, my hand falls to my side. "I-I ruined your-first marriage?!"

"I wouldn't say you ruined it, love, there was barely anything left of it before I met you." 

"I-" I shake my head before meeting his eyes. "Argh. I feel so....gross."

"Why?" He laughs.

"Because I ruined a marriage-"

"It was gone to shit!" He raises his hands before melting them against my cheeks. "I never felt this before, not with her, not with anyone except you. You fuckin' brought me from hell to heaven and I don't know how. Everything was ordinary before you, fucking bland."

I laugh at the way he says bland, also, the way he presses my cheeks together makes my lips squish together. I put my hands over his before trying to smile from under him, "I'm a whore."  I squeak.

He kisses me before smirking. "My whore."

I laugh against his lips, bringing tingles to mine and his. He smiles at me before tilting his head, I sigh. "Was I a virgin?" I ask, "I mean, before you?"

He nods. "You took the whole virgin thing quite seriously actually." Thomas blushes. "You're a good person, Cecila, not anything less than that."

I look at him, wondering who he was married to. But I can't really entertain the thought, feeling his lips fall over mine. So soft and smooth, I fall easily into him, shutting my eyes.

"Okay? You didn't ruin anything." He tells me before brushing his nose against mine. "If anything you pieced me back together."

"This is still bad." I whisper, shaking my head, unable to shake the fact that I was fucked up a marriage. Jesus.

"You said I had finalize the divorce before I was even able to kiss you let alone take you out, you made me call you ma'am for God sake."

That sounds a lot like me. I relax a little, taking his words to heart I stare into those eyes wondering how I pieced him back together. The way he speaks, it's from a place of remembrance and acknowledgement, he isn't talking out of his arse. There is a love so strong between us, it's unbreakable.