When Thomas had called in unexpectedly at John's house, Kaia had left without giving him chance to say another word. He'd desperately wanted to call out after her, to follow her down the street and beg her for just five minutes of her time, long enough for him to look into her eyes and get some kind of feeling back into his life.
But of course, Tommy knew better than to chase Kaia after she'd walked away, right from the very beginning. And so, he let her go.
The Shelby family had signed a contract paying for a house not far away from where the Gold's used to live. It was a bigger version of their small country cottage with the same charm and flare that their original home held, something sentimental about the place, even without their belongings cluttering the walls and floors.
They'd signed it over to Aberama, who over the past four weeks had become strong enough to live day to day without Kaia's help. Bonnie was still in the hospital on the first day of March, but doctors said he was on track to be discharged by the spring.
Aberama had personally thanked Thomas and his family for their kindness. He wasn't sure what had happened between Tommy and his daughter, but the way she shut down the question each time he tried to find out told him that he was better off not knowing.
Kaia was working more hours than she ever had before. Aberama wasn't able to bring any money into the family so the responsibility had fallen on Kaia. The Shelby's had extended their kindness again, offering to help with payments for food and clothes, furniture to decorate the house and make it more homely, but Kaia declined. Accepting the house in the first place felt wrong to her, but ultimately, she had no choice.
It was a lovely home and she was eternally grateful for their willingness to help the family, but the independent nature within her meant that she could never properly settle there, knowing it would never truly be their home, even if paperwork said otherwise.
Tommy hadn't seen Kaia in person since the night she found out about her home being ruined. After watching her walk down the road that evening, it was as if a dark cloud had settled over him, one that hadn't shifted ever since. It cast grey shadows on him in the daytime and even darker ones at night, leaving him with no choice but to lie awake thinking about his mistakes when he couldn't fall asleep. He deserved it, he knew that, but the torture was crippling. It was as if the meaning from his life had disappeared again. His family were safe, stable in every way, but he could no longer see a purpose to living. The colour Kaia had brought to his dull life had faded right before his eyes, washing away in the rain that never seemed to stop.
He needed a fresh start, perhaps just a new house to start with, somewhere with no memories stowed in the walls, flashes of a once-lived happiness every time he looked at a certain spot. A place that would remind him of nothing, somewhere he could start over again, try and pick himself back up without the pressure of everybody around him.
And so, that's exactly what he did. Thomas bought a house out in the countryside, one far bigger than a man living alone would ever need, but a beautiful place to call home nevertheless. His family were supportive, knowing that once he'd made his mind up, there was no changing it anyway.
The day of the move, Thomas was packing away the last few bits of clothing from his wardrobe when he found the box. Buried under a pile of old shirts and shoes he didn't wear anymore, the leather bound box had been sat collecting dust for over two months, not crossing his mind once.
He sighed, biting down on his lip as he pulled it from the wardrobe, his heart rate increasing as his fingers fumbled over the latch, slowly lifting the lid. He knew exactly what was inside, but he was in denial, hoping that he'd be mistaken.
"Fuck." He whispered to himself under his breath, pushing himself up from his knees and to his feet.
Pulling on an overcoat and his cap, he grabbed the box and stuffed it under his arm as he walked out of the house. His breathing became heavier as he walked, unaware at how fast his feet were carrying him. His heart was thumping hard against his rib cage and he felt sweat gathering on the back of his neck, the cold air lifting now winter was slowly drawing to a close.
Pausing on the doorstep, he held his hand inches away from the door, asking himself one more time whether he should knock, or just leave the box on the doorstep and wait for somebody to find it. He chose to knock, never being cowardice in his life, gritting his teeth as he waited for an answer.
The door swung open and Tommy felt as if the breath had been knocked from his chest when he saw Kaia. It had been over a month since he'd laid eyes on her and even though he'd dreamt of her every single night without fail in that time, seeing her face before him was like nothing any dream could ever conjure up while he slept.
Her pale skin looked brighter, her blue eyes deeper than before and her lips stained the same red they always were. She wore black tailored trousers and a white blouse, her hair pin straight down her back and her nails painted for the first time, the same red as her lips. She looked beautiful, he thought, his chest tightening as he looked at her, his lips slightly parted.
"Hello." Was all she said, her voice soft and sweet, quieter than he'd remembered.
"Kaia," he cleared his throat, nodding at her.
"Is there something you need? Do you need to speak to my father?"
He quickly shook his head, "No, I came to see you, actually."
She sunk down into her heels, her hand clasping the side of the door as she stood with one hand on her hip. Tommy could tell she was hesitant to even speak to him, but he'd also noticed the way her eyes had been tracing every inch of his body while he'd been stood there, knowing that she'd also felt the flicker of a spark in her chest when she'd opened the door to him.
Kaia looked at him, trying to keep a straight face. She'd had a dark month trying to care for her father while working over fifteen hours a day, the sight of Thomas was a welcoming one at first, Kaia unable to fight the initial warm sensation that flared up in her heart when she locked eyes with the blue-eyed man that had become something of a stranger to her ever since the Italians.
She had missed him, she'd missed the feelings he'd given her, his kindness and thoughtfulness, the way he knew what she was thinking and feeling by just looking into her eyes. Though now, she felt alone. The way she woke up every morning feeling excited, the buzz about life that he'd injected into her had now disappeared. She lived life in an endless darkness when once upon a time, the sunlight had been him.
"Please," he began, pulling the box from under his arm and handing it do her, "Forgive me for not returning it sooner, I'd forgotten I had it."
Warily, Kaia took the box, their fingers touching ever so slightly at the exchange, both of them looking up into one another's eyes at the feeling.
She stayed quiet, heading into the house. Leaving the door open, Tommy held back for a second, wondering whether to follow her inside or not. In the end, he did, not wanting to leave without looking into her eyes for a little longer.
He closed the door behind him and walked over to the kitchen table where Kaia had set down the box. She fiddled with the latch for a moment before flipping the lid over, her eyes falling onto the contents of the box.
Tommy watched as her eyes began to fill with tears, one hand covering her mouth as she used the other to lift up the string of pearls that were tucked safely inside a small bag in the corner of the box.
"How?" She whispered, looking up at Thomas with glossy eyes and a weak smile, "And Bonnie's blanket, the photo album..."
He held back a smile, clenching his jaw as he watched her flick through the pages of the photo album, the blanket cradled close to her chest. As he looked at her, it was as if he could see her heart being pulled back together. Each shattered piece was being slowly stitched up, filling her with a sudden radiance that he hadn't seen in her in a long time.
"After Charlie sorted my arm out the night of the shooting, Curly told me where the Italians had been hiding out, I went there myself and retrieved what I could from the mess. I'm sorry I couldn't bring everything back."
Tommy had stayed because he'd wanted to hold her gaze for as long as possible before saying goodbye forever, knowing that after he'd return her belongings, he'd have no excuses to ever see her again, but he got more than he'd hoped for when she threw her arms around his neck.
Frozen at first, smelling the sweet scent of her perfume and feeling her soft skin against his own, he eventually warmed, holding her body against his tightly, squeezing his eyes closed as he nuzzled his head down into her shoulder.
To say he had missed Kaia would've been an understatement, he hadn't stopped thinking about her since the day they'd crossed paths for the first time and he knew there would never be a second in his life that she wouldn't be in his thoughts. He missed her voice and her laugh, the way she said his name and the sound of her heels against the floor when she walked, the way her legs looked so long and elegant when she would strut through town in her suit that made all the men stare would only grow his passion, his mind and soul revelling in the fact that she would only ever look at him in a room full of people. He couldn't have Kaia, but he knew he couldn't ever possibly fall out of love with her.
"Oh Tommy," she whispered, her fingers stroking the back of his neck as she clung to him, "Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me, to all of us."
Kaia had often wondered what had taken Tommy so long to return to Ada's house that night. In her mind, she'd come to the conclusion that he was afraid to face her and that he was drawing it out as long as possible, which was true in a sense, but while he was putting off seeing Kaia after holding a gun to her head, he was doing something that proved he was still the man Kaia had fallen in love with, even if he had been close to pulling the trigger on her.
"You're welcome." He replied, his voice low as he tried to hold himself together. His emotions were getting the better of him as his body adjusted to the fact that his reality wasn't a dream, Kaia really was in his arms again.
She lingered on his chest, silently adoring the way it felt for him to hold her that way again, to feel safe and protected by his frame as he cradled her against him, hearing his breathing growing faster, listening to his heart beat inside his chest. It felt like home to her, one of two that she'd managed to lose through the winter.
"Kaia," Tommy whispered, not being able to help himself as he so desperately needed to look into her eyes, tilting her head up gently with his fingers.
The way she looked at him would never make him feel anything apart from euphoric. She sent shivers down his spine, made his hair stand on end and his soul feel like it was leaving his body as soon as they'd lock eyes. The chemistry they had together was unlike anything any two humans could have, deeper than a once in a lifetime romance.
"I don't have the heart to be hurt anymore, Tommy." She replied, knowing in her gut and by the pull of his eyes where he wanted the conversation to go.
He looked down at her, his hand caressing her cheek, bringing their lips closer together, just like he'd dreamt of the past month.
"Let me give you back the heart you had to love instead."