Devil | A Solomons

FORTY SIX - WORD TRAVELS FAST

"Jesus Christ."

Irina looked up from the stack of papers she was signing at her desk when Thomas Shelby knocked twice on the door before walking into her office.

It had been four months since the two of them had last laid eyes on one another. Tommy had been busy doing whatever it was he did on a day to day basis, which Irina still wasn't 100% sure about other than selling average gin.

They hadn't spoken at all since a week after Joseph Levy's death when Tommy had called her to ask how she was doing. He hadn't wanted to call so soon, but he found himself wondering how she was coping with the aftermath of everything that had happened, even if she did have Alfie to take care of her.

Since then, there had been a silence in connection between the two of them. Once he heard through the phone that Irina was fine, he forced himself to take a giant step back. There was never really any reality that could spawn that would involve the two of them together, but there was a glimmer of naive hope that festered itself into the depths of his mind anyway.

"Do I look that bad, Mr Shelby?"

Tommy smirked at her remark as he sat down on the chair opposite her, taking a moment to admire the warmth of her skin and twinkle of happiness in the corner of her eyes as she looked up at him. Despite her quick tongue, he knew she was glad to see him, as he was her.

"It's hard to see you, actually, the sun reflecting off that giant rock on your finger nearly blinded me."

Irina scoffed, shaking her head. Alfie had taken her shopping for a ring the week after he proposed, letting her pick out whichever one she wanted. Trying to be humble at first, she lingered over a smaller diamond ring, though Alfie knew instantly that she was just trying to appear less materialistic. He asked the sales assistant for the most expensive diamond they had on a platinum band, and that was exactly what Irina left the shop wearing.

"I think you're supposed to say 'congratulations', Thomas."

He smiled at her, staying silent for a moment as he watched her slide a the pile of papers to the side.

"Congratulations, Irina. I'm very happy for you, for both of you."

She flashed him a genuine smile, one that wasn't tainted with sarcasm or anything deeper. It was laced with soulful, pure happiness that made her radiate the same angelic magnetism that he'd seen in her the night they slept together for the first time, only now, there was nothing he could do about it.

A group of men were heard laughing and talking far louder than they needed to beneath the window. Irina sighed, clearly tired of the vulgar language used while she was trying to get on with work.

She rose to her feet and walked over to the window to pull it closed, Tommy's eyes widening for a vulnerable moment when he saw the bump beneath the black dress she was sporting that day.

"You're pregnant?" He spoke without thinking, immediately regretting the way his words sounded as she turned to look at him before sitting back down.

"Yes," she breathed with a smile, cradling her stomach for a moment, "Did Alfie not tell you? I thought you two spoke often?"

Thomas swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat. He'd spent the last four months continuing on with his life in the only way he could, taking each day at a time to accept that he and Irina were only destined to be friends, and friends at most. He had made peace with his reality, though he hadn't prepared himself for how he'd feel when he saw her pregnant with a diamond ring on her finger, a vision he once toyed with that included himself, not another man.