𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐘 peaky blinders

xx. THE NOSEY CAT

ACT: TWO
CHAPTER xx: ' the nosey cat! '

           Grace was singing when Tommy walked through the door and locked himself in the snug, and she was still singing when Eli entered the bar and joined him. Much to the disappointment of the drunken men, the Galway woman finished her round of songs early to go behind the bar and help Harry serve the few remaining customers — while keeping an ear out for whatever was being discussed in the Shelby snug.

Eli wore an expression he'd never seen on her before when Tommy looked up from his metal case of cigarettes to see who was brave enough to interrupt him. She was white as a sheet, fear and panic hanging onto the delicate curves of her face. Her hands trembled by her sides, desperate in need of a beloved cigarette.

"What's wrong?" Was the first thing he asked, the thoughts of his own troubles and anxieties quickly quieting down so he could replace them with hers.

She inhaled shakily, the heavy static of her mind increasing the difficulty of choosing which thoughts had priority over the others. But it was a mess and before she knew it they were all spilling out at once, "I couldn't find Polly and my da's God knows where and the only friends he has still in the city are practically useless, especially given the circumstances-"

"What circumstances?" He interrupted in confusion.

Her eyes met his again having previously wandered away during her rant, and a new urgency ignited in the bright foaming seas of her irises. But she had no intentions of answering his question, instead proposing a couple of her own; "Tommy, what did Malacki Byrne say to you? What did he want?"

It was his turn to look away. His gaze dropped to the glass of whiskey on the table in front of him and he reached forward to empty it's entire contents between his lips. When he'd swallowed the strong liquor, his eyes returned to hers with a hallowed look in them. "He wanted the guns like you said."

The confirmation did not undo the knot in her stomach. No, it only twisted tighter and tighter the longer she waited for Tommy to elaborate. Although, it became apparent he was ignoring her expectant look in favour of the cigarette in his hand. "What did he say, Tommy? Word for word, what did he say?"

In that moment, Tommy came to the random realisation that this was probably the most serious conversation they'd ever had. The others were an odd conjunction of flirting, teasing and playfulness. Of course, the last conversation they had with one another was also serious, but it didn't compare to the sincerity of this one.

This time was different. This time Eli was frantic, having remained cool and collected in their previous ones. This time Tommy didn't want the chit-chat to never end.