Arabella || Peaky Blinders [Michael Gray]

two

Chapter Two
"Carved by God himself."

"You did what?!" Mallory Harmon exclaimed incredulously from the other side of the room, the pretty flowers in her hands tumbling to the floor as a result of her shock. "Are you crazy?!" She asked, mouth falling agape.

Arabella shrugged nonchalantly, chewing on the edge of her pen. She remained focused on the many pieces of paper spread out on the desk in front of her - this week's costs for her to work on. "Apparently."

Arabella and Mallory had been friends for as long as Arabella could remember. Their families had been close, their mother's best friends, which meant, by right, that Arabella and Mallory had to be too. They spent a lot of time working together in the local florist shop, and even most of their free time was also taken up by each other's company.

The girls had everything and nothing in common all at once, and their friendship only seemed to grow stronger and stronger as the years went by.

"Bella, you realise what they do, right?" Mallory asked, eyes full of disbelief after hearing all about her friend's most recent encounter with the Shelbys. "Like, just so we're clear, you haven't completely lost your mind." 

"Of course I do, my brother is a peaky blinder for christ's sake." Arabella shook her head, turning back to her papers. "You're overreacting."

"Overreacting?!" Mallory almost shrieked. "They blind people, Bells! Cut out their tongues. Beat–"

"Okay, enough," Arabella placed the pen down. "I know exactly what they do."

"They protect this town, and in return we have to respect them," Mallory reminded. "That's how it's always been. Don't need you going in all guns blazing and getting yourself bloody shot or something."

Arabella chuckled quietly as she watched Mallory bend down to retrieve the flowers she'd dropped earlier. "They're not gonna shoot me."

Mallory whirled back around, pointing at Arabella accusingly with the flowers in her hands. "You don't know that "

"I do," Arabella countered, trying to hold back the amused smile surfacing in response to Mallory's melodramatics. "The Shelbys aren't a lot of things, but they have always been loyal to my family."

"Wow," Mallory sat down in a nearby chair. "Never thought I'd see the day you were defending the Shelbys."

Arabella scoffed and picked up her pen again, ready to continue with her work and move away from the subject. "Not defending them."

"Sounds like you are," Mallory teased, a hint of a smile pulling on her lips.

Arabella slowly lifted her head to see her friend busying herself preparing a bouquet. She rolled her eyes, and though Mallory didn't see the act, she could definitely feel it. "Whatever."

Arabella quietly continued with her sums, whilst Mallory finished preparing the flower arrangement she was working on.

Arabella had been so engrossed in working on the papers that it hadn't even felt like much time had passed when she sensed a presence in front of her desk. She sighed heavily, directing her eyes away from her papers. As she looked over the top of her round reading glasses, she noticed Mallory leaning against the desk with a coy smile.

"What?" Arabella groaned, reading the look on Mallory's face very well.

"So..." Mallory trailed off. "Isaiah kind of asked me out tonight."

Arabella raised her eyebrows. "Again?" Mallory nodded eagerly. "And what did you say this time?"

"I said that I might see him there."