THAILIANA WILKINSON
"Why here?" Thailiana questioned as Thomas led her into the church. She glanced around, it was her first time in years stepping foot into the Small Heath church and she noticed it hadn't changed much since her childhood. They were alone in the candlelit room.
"You're a good catholic girl, aren't you?"
"I was."
"Well, then you know it's here people come to confess." Tommy smirked as they walked side by side, stopping at the third row of seats. He moved his hand, gesturing for her to sit down. "After you."
They sat beside each other and Thailiana kept her eyes on him, following every move he made. She rested her hands on her lap, playing with the material of her dark red skirt. She couldn't help but think the colour resembled blood. Such a cruel thought to have while in a church.
"Well here it is, Liana. I'll confess." The man spoke up, his ice-like eyes focusing on every detail of her skin. "I need someone. Kimber has an adviser, by the name of Roberts. He talks well, he keeps the accounts. He runs the legal side of the business."
"And you need a Roberts?" She fiddled with her fingers, something she often did while nervous. "I'm not an accountant, nor a lawyer."
"No, but you have something I need." He paused, turning his head so that their eyes would meet. Thailiana smiled at the sight of the rare blue, her nerves instantly calming, contrasting with the coldness that blazed beneath his irises. "Class. I need someone who looks right at the big meetings, Epsom, Ascot."
"Is this a job interview?"
"Arthur said you're good with numbers."
"Well, that's relative." She scoffed playfully, a small grin appearing on her face as she remembered the horrible mathematics she'd seen Arthur do. "He is quite poor."
"You keep the books in order."
"They were chaotic." The brunette persisted, amusing the man beside her at the same time.
They stayed in silence for a couple few seconds, taking in each other's presence.
"Look, Thailiana..." Thomas started, trailing off as he thought of his next words. "You washed up in a place you don't belong, for whatever reason. My good fortune."
"And perhaps mine." She interrupted, smiling lightly. Tommy turned, placing his arm on the back of her chair. The action meant they were closer, close enough that Thailiana could feel the heat radiating off of him.
"You know that most of what I do is illegal?"
"I'm not blind."
"And yet, you'd still be willing to work for me?"
"Are you offering me the job?" Thailiana's smile grew, watching him scoff and noticing a small curl of the corner of his lips. "Then I accept."
"There's something else you should know. A very important detail about my reasons for employing you."
The brunette looked at him in confusion, her eyes locked on his as she attempted to find the answer in the blue pools. She got caught up in them, she failed to notice him leaning closer until she felt his hand on her cheek, gently brushing her hair away.
Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips met hers, her hand laid flat on his shoulder as she drew herself closer to him. It was a soft kiss, one that lasted just a few seconds before it ended. Thailiana found herself leaning in as she opened her eyes, instantly meeting Tommy's.
"You disappoint me." She stated with a small grin on her face, it disappeared as soon as it showed once she noticed his face.
"Do you resign?"
"No." The woman found her smile again, wider than it had been for the whole day. "My appetite for the work has only increased."
And for you.
He caressed her cheek once more before standing, walking away from her. Thailiana watched him leave, the tingling sensation remained on her lips and she let out a breath. She hadn't expected her evening to end this way, especially not with him walking out on her.
-
"Thailiana!"
"What could you possibly want at this hour, Jade?" Thailiana groaned as she rolled over in her bed, warmly wrapped in her quilt. Her sister had barged into her room, disrupting her sleep.
"It's eleven o'clock, lazy." Jade giggled, jumping beside her tired sibling. "Anyways, you'll never guess what I just saw!"
"What did you just see?" The brunette was barely awake as she tried to pay attention to her, though sleep kept attempting to pull her back in.
"Tommy was giving Lizzie Stark money!"
"Who's Lizzie Stark?"
"She's a whore." The redhead laughed as she saw the older Wilkinson girl lift her head, her hair a mess and her nightgown was misplaced.
"Hold on, repeat that for me. All of it."
"I'll just tell you the whole story!"
Jade waited until her sister was sat up properly, fixing her hair and putting her nightgown in place. Once the brunette was paying attention to her, she continued.
"So, Tommy called her into his car, I tried to hear their conversation but I couldn't because of the noisy market. Moving on, at some point he started giving her cash and then he even touched her cheek, like romantically! I heard a few bits and pieces though." She paused to catch her breath, she'd ran all the way back to their house to tell her sister and now she was rushing to tell her every detail. "He said that she'd been serving him for over two years now and that he wanted her one last time before... I think I understood that his brother was marrying her or something."
"Oh..." Thailiana frowned, fully awake as she took in everything she'd heard. So he kissed her, and the following morning he went to see Lizzie Stark. Once again, she felt idiotic to have believed that he cared. "Wait, how do you know this?"
"I told you, I saw them in his car at the market- Oh."
Jade realised her mistake and made a move to leave the room, distancing herself from the woman. She wasn't supposed to leave the house, especially not without somebody to look after her and she was scared that Thailiana would be mad at her. She hated making her sister angry but the adventurous side of her made it impossible to not do so.
"I didn't get in trouble! Look, I had no problems with the police!"
"Jade, it's fine." The brunette laughed, motioning her sister over. "It doesn't matter, it's fine. Come here, baby."
The young girl moved towards her, lying yet again on the bed beside her sibling. They wrapped their arms around each other and Thailiana kissed her freckled forehead. They stayed like that for a long time, long enough for Jade to fall asleep in her arms.
Glancing over at the clock, the oldest sighed as she realised she had to return to the Garrison. She hoped to God that Thomas wouldn't be there, she couldn't face him after what she'd just learnt.
You don't know the full story, Jade said she heard something about his brother marrying her.
It made no difference to her, she had no reason to get angry over it so she didn't. She simply didn't want to think about him even offering to do anything with another woman, wether it be for personal needs or family reasons.
Getting out of bed, she combed through her hair and pinned it back. She slipped on her dress, it was one of her favourites. It ended just above the knees, it was dark blue with small, white roses spread all over the material. It had short sleeves, a tight top with a flowy bottom tied together with a thin belt.
Coating her lips with a dark red lipstick, she finished off her simple look with light blush and powder all over her cheeks. Stepping into her heels and grabbing her coat, she left her home. The trip lasted five minutes, as it had been doing for the previous three weeks, she'd gotten used to the short travel by now. Sometimes she wondered what it'd be like if she took a different path, maybe she'd discover a part of Small Heath she'd never been through before. Thailiana decided that's what she'd do, one day she'd leave earlier and go by a different route just to have a change of scenery.
The brunette placed her coat on the hanger after unlocking the door and walking into the pub, she was alone. Grace didn't seem to be working the same shift as she was and she was somewhat relieved. She began sorting out the drinks, making sure they were all full and in order.
Thailiana heard a door open, quickly turning around to look at whoever had made the sound. She found herself in front of Thomas, the one person she hadn't wanted to see, who held a bottle of whiskey and a half empty glass in his hand. She looked at him, waiting for him to move or speak. He walked towards her, placing the liquor on the counter as well as his glass.
"Get another glass." He demanded before clearing his throat, filling his glass up once again. The barmaid silently placed hers down on the wooden bar, waiting for him to pour the liquid into it. "You make a toast?"
"May you be in heaven a full half hour before the devil knows you're dead."
Tommy shook his head, downing his drink while she took a small sip of hers. The sour taste trickled down her throat, burning it at the same time. She wasn't used to it anymore.
"What are we celebrating?"
"Contract of employment." The man unfolded the paper, setting it down in front of her. She leaned forward to read it, eyebrows rising in surprise.
"Bookkeeper, Shelby Brothers Limited."
"I don't like that word, limited."
"To be respectable, you have to be limited." Thailiana noted, keeping her eyes on the tall man.
"That's what worries me."
She scoffed quietly at his words, shrugging her shoulders lightly.
"I had the phone put in." The brunette changed the subject, deciding to ignore her mind that called for her to speak of Lizzie. "It's in the back."
"If we knew someone else who had a phone, we could call them." Thomas lit his cigarette, the flame lighting up the woman's face. It gave him the opportunity to see her eyes properly and it showed the feeling she tried desperately to conceal, the hurt she felt inside of her.
"Since we're celebrating," She turned, grabbing the bottle she'd bought a few days prior. Once she faced him again, Thailiana forced her smile. "I had this delivered from Rackhams department store. Aren't you going to open it?"
"No, save it for a special occasion." Tommy licked his lips before placing it back on the counter. "Right, your first job for the company; I want you to get that to my sister."
"You don't see her?"
"No one does." He shrugged, glancing around the room. "She's hiding from me. I am told she goes to a bathhouse on Montague Street, on woman only days. She goes in disguise so I need to get someone inside."
"What am I delivering?"
"It's an invitation, to a family occasion." His blue eyes met those soft brown ones he's grown to like, the eyes that bared so many emotions he couldn't figure them all out. "I want her there, so tell her there will be a truce."
"Am I delivering bait for a trap?" Thailiana inquired, her curiosity getting the best of her. She'd spoken to Ada that one time she'd shown up, and she figured that if the small Shelby wasn't talking to her brother there was a good reason behind it. She was sure it was for her husband.
"If you check that contract, you'll find it doesn't say anything about asking questions. Give her the invitation." Thomas ordered, his gaze not once leaving hers. He suddenly turned around, grabbing his coat with his cigarette between his fingers. "And put that thing in the cupboard, until I say."
"How's Lizzie, Thomas?"
He paused, his arm halfway in the sleeve of his coat. He wondered how she knew, how she found out. Maybe John had told her, but he doubted that.
"What's it to you?"
"She may be a whore, but I'm not." At this point Thailiana was speaking without thinking beforehand, she was saying her honest thoughts. "I'm not sticking around for you to kiss me and then meet up with a prostitute merely hours later!"
Tommy set his jacket on the back of the chair where it had been before, extinguishing the flame of his cigarette. He went the other side of the bar, where he'd be able to approach the brunette properly.
"Are you jealous?"
"What? No. Of course not!"
"You sound like it." He edged closer to her, close enough that if he spread his arm, he'd be touching her skin.
"I'm not jealous, Thomas. I'm angry-" Thailiana paused, looking up at him. "Angry at you, for making me believe you cared. Angry at me, for believing your lies and for letting myself care."
"They weren't lies, Liana." Thomas took a small step, reaching his hand out to brush her hair over her shoulder. She grabbed his wrist before he could caress her cheek. "I spoke to Lizzie to prove a point. John wants to marry him, he thinks she's changed. I hoped he was right, he seemed happy with her, but she proved us both wrong."
The petite woman kept quiet, inhaling before letting out a breath. She released his arm and he placed his palm against her skin, it heated up her cheek as he did.
"To tell the truth, I haven't been with a woman since you came into my life."
Looking into his eyes, all she saw was the honest truth. It scared her how easily he could make her forget what she'd been angry about, almost like she'd never been mad in the first place.
Building up all the courage she had, she grabbed his face between her hands and brought his lips down to meet hers. Tommy's free hand went down to rest on her waist while the other stayed on her cheek, caressing the skin with the pad of his thumb.
The kiss started out sweet and slow, but soon became needy. The tension that had been flourishing between them was finally calming as their lips moved against one another's. They pulled away to catch their breath and Thailiana giggled as she glanced at his face. His lips were coated in a slight tint of red, more so than usual, and she imagined her lipstick didn't look as neat as it did before.
"Fucking hell, Liana."
-
so much action in this chapter, it's 5 in the morning and i'm rewatching peaky blinders again
CILLIAN MURPHY IS A GOD
thank you, good night. hope you enjoy.