poison • thomas shelby

eleven.

THAILIANA WILKINSON

"So, I heard you're going to the races with Mister Shelby, eh?"

The two barmaids were alone in the pub, having closed up together. They were sat at the bar, the blonde twirling her drink around in her glass and Thailiana tapped on the wooden counter.

"I guess so, is that alright?" Grace couldn't care less wether Thailiana was hurt or not, but she still needed to act as if she did. That way she'd wiggle herself into her life, get to know everything she could about Tommy through her in case it failed with him.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Thailiana said, faking her smile yet again. She seemed to only be doing that since she arrived in Small Heath, the few times she'd truly smiled were because of Thomas or Jade. "Mister Shelby and I aren't involved in any way with each other."

"You seemed like you were, what changed?"

You.

"Nothing, we were never very close in the beginning." She kept lying, her stomach aching from the guilt she felt for feeling jealous, for envying the sweet blonde. Thailiana was never the jealous type, especially not over men she'd known for a little over a week. She wished for Grace to be happy and if she found happiness in the man the Wilkinson girl had started to like, so be it.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must've misunderstood your relationship with him." Grace knew very well what type of relationship her colleague and Tommy shared, she also knew that he was quite fond of the brunette which is the main reason she looked so surprised at his offer. She took her chance though, the chance to get him to fall for her and not Thailiana.

"It's alright." It wasn't but she'd never admit it, finding her feelings invalid to make a fuss over it. After all, Thomas and her were only friends, now she didn't even want to be because she knew very well the effect he'd end up having on her heart and she wanted none of it if he were to be with someone she considered a friend. That was why she'd gone back to calling him Mister Shelby, whatever friendship they had between them was now gone. She was not about to be played by him, her heart already sensitive enough to feelings as it is.

"What do you think I should wear?" Grace inquired, staring at the young woman beside her. She wanted a reaction out of her, one that told her that she was right to believe that Thailiana had developed feelings, even if they were slight, for the Shelby gangster.

"Whatever he wants you to." Thailiana shrugged, hopping off of the bar stool as she moved behind the counter. She cleaned up Grace's glass, lifting her head at the sound of somebody banging on the pub's front door.

"We're closed Mister Shelby."

Thailiana dropped the glass, it slipping through her fingers as she realised who'd showed up. The shattered pieces splayed on the ground.

"Just get me a drink." Thomas pushed through the doors, eyes locking on the pretty brunette's behind the bar before she quickly dipped down, beginning to pick up the broken pieces. She hoped he wouldn't try and speak with her, her lack of confidence would be evident. He could read her so easily, Thailiana wasn't ready to have his blue eyes shatter her soul like she'd done with the glass a few moments prior.

Tommy coughed as he walked over to the bar, his gaze falling onto the woman on her knees behind it.

"Thailiana."

"Mister Shelby." She acknowledged as she threw the shattered glass into the bin under the counter. The brunette placed a bottle of whiskey and a glass on the wooden surface. Thomas remained put, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he heard how she'd called him. Her voice was cold, distant. So much more different than the usual happy, warm tone she used with him.

"Shall we leave you alone?" Grace called, joining Thailiana behind the bar. She hid the smile that grew when she felt the tension between them, more like the anger and hurt radiating off of her fellow barmaid and the confusion displayed on the gangster's face.

"I came here for company. Where's Harry?"

Thailiana knew what that meant. He came here for Grace. Why else? Who else? Not her, she was sure of that. Understanding her presence wasn't the one he required, she stayed in her sport behind the bar and watched as the blonde went over to him, tears soon blinding her vision. At this point, she was just putting ideas into her own head, putting herself down as her insecurities pinched at her heart. She just wanted to rush home, to sit in her bedroom and cry in front of her mirror as she picked out the flaws that ruined her happiness. The woman had never felt so sensitive, so broken before her brother's death and since then, her confidence went downhill. She'd simply learned to act.

"He took the night off, went to the pictures." Grace replied, smiling at Tommy. She sat at the table with him, watching him fill his glass. "How's your beautiful horse?"

"I just put a bullet in his head." He leaned back into the chair, eyes stuck on the blonde as he tried to ignore his heart that wished it were Thailiana in her place. Back behind the counter, the small woman stopped wiping down the surface, shocked by his words.

"Was he lame?" Grace gulped, remembering just exactly who Thomas Shelby was.

"He looked at me the wrong way, it's not a good idea to look at Tommy Shelby the wrong way." The man replied, eyes trailing back to the Wilkinson girl behind him.

"What a waste."

"Yeah, a waste is what it is." His eyes met Grace's and he found himself wishing they were someone else's. "You know, in France, I got used to seeing men die. Never got used to seeing horses die, they die badly."

"I dug out a dress, like you asked." Thomas held out a cigarette to the blonde woman and Thailiana decided she'd seen and heard enough. It had nothing to do with her and she couldn't bare the ache pinching at her chest. She shrugged on her coat and rushed out of the pub discreetly, leaving the two together. Finally, she let it go, the warm tears contrasting with the chilly air of the night. The street lights lighting her way as she walked home looking like an emotional mess, exactly what she was. She felt the pressure of the previous two years lift off of her shoulder, her built-up feelings having their chance to be free.

Who would've thought Adeline Thailiana Martinez Wilkinson would be crying over a man? A preview of the many moments that were bound to come, she'd finally broken after all this time keeping it in. She prayed her shattering soul wouldn't take too long to build back up, having split in only a few seconds.

Such a beautiful girl, carrying such awful burdens she'd never be able to get rid of. Such an idiot girl, believing Thomas Shelby would be the one to help.