✓ | GOLDEN LIAR ↠ Thomas Shelby.

38.

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT.

               DEJA FUCKING VU. THAT was what Felicity had as she turned the corner onto Watery Lane and caught sight of the blond boy standing in front of her with a wide smile spreading across his cheeks as he caught sight of the girl nearing him. She remembered all too well the days where he would wait for her, back against a wall and foot kicked up against the bricks as he smoked a cigarette that he had no doubt only got because his mates in the school yard had managed to nick them from their parents. Because Jack's didn't smoke ― it was all too dirty a habit, they said. Although they must have been the only ones in the whole of Small Heath that thought so.

"Jack?" She started to question, slightly startled at the sight of him.

The blond―haired boy grinned as he nodded, taking steps towards Felicity. "Hiya, Lissy."

Lissy. 

Curse his old nickname for her ― it was far too close to Tommy's, after all. She almost choked out a cry and walked away. . . but she didn't. Felicity held her ground and forced her eyes to meet her old childhood friend's.

She took a small step backwards as she returned his grin with a tentative grin. "What are you doing?" Felicity asked slowly. "What are you doing. . . here?"

"I live over the road, don't I?" Jack answered. 

He was so evidently amused by her confusion, no doubt taking it all to be a jest or a joke, and whilst he registered that he was stood outside of the Shelby residence. . . or at least, she reckoned that he did. He had to. They'd grown up together, well aware of the three ― then four ― brothers that roamed the streets with their ever―growing confidence and disturbing lack of fear that only seemed to accelerate when they came home from France. 

"I know," Felicity returned with a small huff. "But, what are you doing. . . you know, here? You always would tell me to not go across the road to this bloody house, but here you are now."

"I guess that changed when I saw you on the arm of them Peaky Blinders, eh?"

Felicity swallowed the lump that had taken to growing in her throat. So he knew. And then she shook herself, because of course he knew! This was Small Heath, for Christ's sake. It was in the name ― Jack could have heard of the news from anyone or everyone. . . or, hell, he could've seen it for himself because it wasn't as though Tommy and Felicity had been secretive. Secret relationships weren't really a thing when you were with the leader of one of Birmingham's gangs. 

And even when you weren't with one, not technically anyway, it wasn't as though the rest of the city were aware of that. They only saw the shining razor blades in the caps of the men beside you, surrounding you like a shield even though their general was trying so hard to ignore you. 

"Yeah, I guess," she eventually responded, pressing her lips into a small line and hoping that Jack wouldn't notice how anything was wrong. 

"You'll come by mine one day, won't you?" Jack asked her, and Felicity let out a sigh of relief once it was evident that he didn't notice a single thing. "Or, you know, by the factory. How you used to, yeah?"

Felicity nodded ― a little too hurriedly, as she wanted to finish the conversation as quickly as possible. It didn't help that he emphasised the 'how you used to', either, and she prayed that he might leave soon. It was getting far too late, anyway, so that could be her excuse, she supposed.