The Sun Will Rise | T Shelby

twenty one

"Come on darling, make yourself at home."

Angelina took a deep breath as she walked through the door of Alfie's home. She hadn't been back down to London since they'd first met, Alfie always insisted he do the travelling instead of her.

She suddenly felt very alone and isolated. She had only just got used to living in Small Heath and was happy with her circle of friends, but now, she had nobody around if Alfie wasn't there.

Alfie took her suitcase from her and set it down in the corner. He perched on the edge of the bed, tapping the space next to him and looking at Angelina with a warm smile. She sat down beside him, folding her hands in her lap.

"What's wrong, my love?"

She sighed.

"Nothing, it's just..." her voice trailed off. Truthfully, her mind was full of conflicting thoughts and she couldn't focus on a single one.

"Hey," Alfie put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him, "You barely said a word on the drive down here, talk to me."

Angelina looked up into Alfie's eyes. He looked concerned for her, worried about how she would cope being away from home.

"I'm sorry about what I said in the pub, it was really insensitive and-"

"No," Angelina sniffed, "It's not that. I'm just not sure if I'm going to fit in in London."

Alfie let out a small laugh, gazing down at a Angelina with a smile on his face.

"I know it's scary, coming to a big city like this and not knowing anybody. I just want you to know that you're never on your own, I'm always just a phone call away if I'm working, I'll be right here whenever you need me, alright?"

Angelina smiled sadly. Those words were all too familiar to her and she found them hard to put her faith in. She desperately wanted to trust Alfie and believe that what he was saying was true, but so far, her experience with English men hadn't given her much confidence.

"Angelina," Alfie whispered, gently lifting up her face with his finger under her chin, "I love you. I'll go to the ends of this Earth to make sure you're safe and happy, alright? I want you to never forget that."

Angelina broke down, coughing out the tears that she'd held back on the entire journey down to London. She put her head in her hands and sobbed, feeling Alfie's arms cradle her as she cried, his lips kissing her head gently over and over again.

She wasn't sure why she was crying. Whether it was the fact she'd left her brother behind in Small Heath, the ringing in her ears of the last words Thomas had said to her before she departed, or the way Alfie was prepared to love her more than her mind could comprehend, she didn't know.

"What's wrong darling? Come on, how can I fix it if you don't tell me what's the matter?"

Angelina dried her eyes and cleared her throat. She took Alfie's face in her hands and kissed him hard. She melted at the way his hands fell upon her waist, squeezing her gently, and the way she could feel his breath against her skin every time their kiss broke for a split second.

"I love you, Alfie. I'm just worried about being alone here, and I'm worried about the safety of my brother."

"Hey," Alfie smiled, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, "Thomas and the boys will look out for Enzo, you know that. He'll be fine, I promise. I know this isn't what you wanted, but let's try and make the most out of being with each other for more than a couple of days, yeah?"

For the rest of the afternoon, Alfie took Angelina on a walking tour of Camden. He showed her his factory, his favourite pubs, and ended with taking her for a meal in his favourite French restaurant by the locks.

Angelina felt happy with Alfie. She was in love. She was besotted by the way he took care of her, and how everybody would stare whenever they walked in anywhere. There wasn't less than five minutes that could pass without somebody saying 'Good Evening Mr Solomons', and even then, Alfie was sure to make them greet Angelina too.

He was a gentleman, and he was in love with Angelina.

The two of them took the long walk home, Angelina wanting to see as much of Camden as she could before they needed to turn in for the night. She wasn't sure what she would spend her days doing now that she couldn't go into work and see the girls every day, but she'd face that dilemma in the morning.

"I'll pour us a drink, why don't you change into something more comfortable? I'll have Mary unpack your things for you tomorrow if you like, no need to rush now."

Angelina nodded and headed upstairs to the bedroom. She hauled her case up onto the bed and opened it, pulling out a black silk slip. She took off her jacket and threw it onto the bed, only turning around when she noticed something fall from the pocket.

Reaching down onto the floor she picked up the envelope that she initially thought was the one from Luca, only once she realised it was still sealed, she knew it wasn't.

Angelina quickly closed the bedroom door, hoping Alfie would knock if he came upstairs. She sat down on the bed and tore open the envelope, pulling out the folded letter.

Angelina,
I am no good with words, I'm actually rather awful with them, as I'm sure you'll have noticed by now. I'm writing this as you're packing your bags to move down to London with Mr Solomons. You've left your coat in The Garrison and I'm going to put this letter in the inside pocket for you and return your coat before you leave. If you want to tear this up, I don't blame you.
I have been nothing short of a bastard to you since you arrived in Small Heath, and there's no amount of words I can say to apologise enough.
The day I saw you for the first time changed my life. I know I said to you that I don't change for anybody, but I was angry and too proud to admit that you'd thrown my life off balance from the second I told you to put a bet on Monoghan Boy.
What you said to me just now has made me realise that I am perhaps the biggest fool to ever walk the Earth. You were right. I had those chances to give you everything, and you gave me more shots than I deserved. I just kept on missing.
You don't deserve someone like me, you deserve somebody that will treat you like the Queen that you are and love you like there's no end. If Alfie Solomons is that man, then so be it. The way I feel inside when I see you and him together is what I can only describe as gut-wrenching heart break. When you ran to him today in the pub, I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces, each of them cutting up my insides as I stood there and watched, not being able to do anything about it.
But you look happy, Angelina. And so if he makes you happy, then I'll learn to be happy for you.
Despite that, it doesn't mean I can't tell you my feelings.
I'm in love with you. Totally, utterly, head over heels in love with you. You've called me a liar before, and I wouldn't blame you if you called me one again as you're reading this, but if you choose to believe one thing I say, believe this.
The way I feel about you is something I've never felt before in my life. I think about you every second of every day and just because you're gone, doesn't mean I'll stop.
You have my heart forever, Angelina Santoro.
Yours,
Thomas Shelby