poison • thomas shelby

two.

THAILIANA WILKINSON

Thailiana ended up going home at around three thirty in the morning. The bar kept getting busier and busier as the night went on but it started to clear out as soon as the clock struck one. She was relieved, to say the least. The Shelby brothers left after every one else, leaving Thailiana alone to tidy up and clean the place.

When she arrived home, she found Jade sleeping peacefully on the sofa covered in a small blanket and a copy of one of Thailiana's favourite books. You could easily tell that she was the main person to raise her little sister, they were so much alike. Jade thought of her older sibling as the perfect role model, an independent elegant woman who managed to balance a social life and looking after her family all in one.

The next morning, Thailiana woke up around nine. She never slept after nine, she hated it, felt like she was wasting her day away. She decided to make breakfast for herself and her sister, cooking up some eggs and toasting some bread. Jade soon joined her in the kitchen, grabbing the plate her sibling prepared for her.

"How was your first day at the Garrison?" The ginger haired girl asked, chewing on the slice of toast she held in her hand.

"It was alright. Quite busy, nothing I can't handle of course." Thailiana bit the inside of her cheek, knowing her baby sister would want to know if she met any men who could possibly be of interest to her. "I met the Peaky Blinders."

"God, Thai! That's so fucking awesome!" Jade exclaimed, she'd always had a passion for gangs and danger.

"Language, young lady." The older woman scolded, not appreciating her choice of words. She may be fourteen but that didn't mean Thailiana would go easy on her vocabulary. "I met the leader, too. Handsome man, he is."

"I can't wait for you two to fall in love." The teenager squealed, already imaging her older sister in a relationship with a mysterious gang leader.

"We are not going to fall in love, Jade. The most I've spoken to him was a simple question of what he wanted to drink." The brunette huffed and rolled her eyes, she'd met the man the previous night and here her sister was making up stories about her being with him. All she said was that he was handsome but she soon realised that it didn't take much to make the ginger's imagination run wild.

"That's going to change, I can feel it! He's going to walk into that bar again and you're going to have the best conversation of your life."

"Any conversation would be better than this one. Which by the way, is now over." Thailiana ruffled the small girl's hair before taking both of their plates to the sink, leaving them there for when she was next going to do the washing up.

The red head complained, she was enjoying teasing her older sister about a man, she rarely got to do so. Her sister had never had a boyfriend before, though she knew she'd had men come over once in a while. It used to confuse Jade, not understanding why she'd see a man disappear into her sibling's bed room and why she'd notice him sneak out in the early morning. As she grew up, she learnt about the things men and women do together, she wasn't overjoyed about realising that her role model wasn't as pure as she'd hoped.

Jade grabbed the book she'd been reading the night before, the one she didn't get to finish as sleep took control of her body. Thailiana had been the one to teach her how to read while her brother fought at war. Pride and Prejudice, one of her sisters favourite books, was what she had chosen to pass her time. She knew she'd be proud that she'd chosen such a significant book.

The petite brunette pressed a kiss onto her sister's forehead, rushing off into her bedroom to prepare herself for the busy evening to come. A maroon dress that ended just before her knees, her favourite heels on her feet and a tint of pink lip colour on her soft lips. She left her hair in soft curls, liking the innocent vibe it gave.

Thailiana shrugged on her coat, calling out a goodbye to her younger sibling before beginning her journey to the Garrison.

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Three hours into her shift, Thailiana was exhausted. The pub seemed to get busier as each minute passed, workers celebrating at the fact they had got through another hard day. They drank to praise themselves, telling themselves they deserved a couple pints of the finest beer before returning home to their families. At least, for those who still had one. Family wasn't a given factor in Small Heath, most people having lost most of theirs from the cold years in the war.

She pitied them, drinking so much just to forget any pain they could possibly have. Yet at the same time, she understood them. Losing family was a hard thing to get past, something you'd never properly forget and you'd blame yourself for anything that had happened to loved ones.

The barmaid admired the strength of every person present in the bar, they all managed to keep smiling and enjoying themselves throughout the horrific consequences of a war.

Each minute, she had a new glass in hand and a new request of alcohol. There were those who settled on a beer, and others who rushed towards the liquors that could kill you if you drank too much.

"Take a break, relax in the snug for little bit, love. You look exhausted." Harry told his employee, who looked hot and bothered from the non-stop working.

"Is there anyone in there?" She couldn't help but ask, not wanting a run in with any of the Shelby brothers. Deep down inside of her, she knew she wouldn't mind seeing those blue eyes that reminded her terribly of winter and ice. She'd never admit that out loud though, embarrassed to be affected so badly over a man she'd barely spoken to.

"Shouldn't be, no. I ain't seen anyone go in there." He nodded at her, telling her to go into the snug.

Thailiana decided that she'd take the risk of somebody being in there, although she wasn't sure she felt comfortable going in there for peace and quiet when she knew it was an area reserved for the Shelbys.

Making her way into the snug, she saw that nobody was inside the small room and let out a breath of relief. She took a seat on the comfy sofa, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. The young girl hadn't smoked in a while, not wanting to do it when her sister was near because she knew very well she'd want to try.

By the time she'd taken the last drag of her cigarette, she exhaled the smoke from her mouth and squashed down the cigarette into the ash tray.

"May I ask what you're doing in here?"

"Fuck!" Thailiana jumped at the sound of the voice, she hadn't noticed that she now had company. The last thing she wanted was to speak with Thomas Shelby again, yet here she found herself once again staring into his soft blue eyes.

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