Laura's Secret

Chapter 23 - same day

Tommy's POV

I watch Laura chase after my youngest brother. This is going to be so hard for her. We didn't even have time to prepare ourselves. I turn and look to my oldest brother who is avoiding me eyes at all costs. "Why the fuck did you say that?" I say strongly, standing up and walking over to Arthur. "I didn't mean to, Tom. It just slipped out. I'm sorry." He replies. I sigh deeply, pinching the top of my nose in annoyance. "It's alright, brother. It was going to come out at some point." I say to him, watching him relax as I sit back down. "Are you not going to go after them?" Polly asks me, raising her eyebrow. "They could have gone anywhere, Pol. It's best they sort this out on their own." I reply tiredly, pouring myself another drink.

3rd person POV

Laura sprints after Finn all the way along the cut. It's not until they reach Charlie's yard that they stop. Finn crashes into his uncle's strongly built frame and lands hard on the floor. "Woah there Finn lad! Where you off to?" Charlie asks as he helps his youngest nephew off the floor. "I'm getting away from Tommy and Laura. They had sex and I hate them for it." Finn says as he clutches his chest, not realising that Laura was doing the same directly behind him. Charlie looks up at the woman who he knows to be Laura before quickly turning his attention back to Finn. "Now, hate is a very strong word. Are you sure you mean it?" Charlie asks the young lad.

Finn takes a moment to think about his answer, meaning Laura can take this moment of silence to speak up. "Finn." She says breathlessly. "I'm so sorry you found out like that. We were going to sit you down and talk properly tomorrow." She continues, ignoring the fact that he tried to run away from her again as soon as he heard her voice. Luckily, Charlie held him in his spot. "Finn, listen to me." she says, holding his chin gently so he doesn't look away. "I'm in love with your brother, ok? Just because we're together doesn't mean I'm going to stop caring about you. You're still my favourite Shelby, ok?" she says gently, smiling slightly when Finn nods.

She lets out a breath of relief before standing to face Charlie. "I'm so sorry, Mr Strong. I tried to catch him long before we got here." she chuckles slightly, fixing her hair. "Please, call me Charlie. I'm guessing we're family now." The Shelby uncle replies, offering his hand for her to shake which she gladly takes. "I guess we'd best be getting back to the pub, ey Finn?" Laura asks with a smile. Finn enthusiastically nods and slides his hand into hers. "See you soon Mr Str- Charlie." Laura corrects herself before leading the youngest Shelby out of the yard.

It's not long before Laura and Finn are once again walking into the snug. "Is everything alright?" Polly asks the youngest Shelby as he walks over to Tommy. "I'm sorry for hitting you, Tommy." Finn says sadly, offering his hand out. Tommy slowly shakes his little brother's hand before messing his hair up and pulling him in for a hug. The entire room lets out a breath of relief. Well, everyone except for Arthur, who is currently staring at Laura in fear.

"Arthur, can we have a word please?" Laura says in an overly nice way, placing her hands onto her hips. All Arthur can do is nod as he slowly stands. "Come on, I don't bite." She teases as he gets closer to her. Before anyone can even imagine what is going to happen next, Laura slaps the oldest Shelby in the face. Polly and Finn gasp as John bursts into laughter. Laura sighs happily before patting Arthur on the shoulder. "That's better. Thanks." She says before walking around him and sitting in her original seat.

Everyone enjoys the rest of the night catching up, having a joke around, all in all just having fun with each other. After all, it has been a very long time since that happened. At around 10pm, Laura is tucking Finn into his bed. He had fallen to sleep on her at the pub about an hour earlier. She quietly returns down the stairs and walking into the Shelby's sitting room.

Tommy's POV

"I'm off home. No doubt I'll see you all tomorrow." Laura says to my family as she leans against the door frame. I quickly stand. "I'll walk you over." I say, prompting my brothers to smirk at each other. However, before John or Arthur can make a comment Laura holds her hand up to them. "Don't even think about it." She says in a firm tone, causing them to lose their smirks. "Goodnight, family." I say to them all before following Laura out the door.

Once we enter her flat, Laura kicks her shoes off sending them flying halfway down the hall. I hear her snicker to herself before pulling me into the lounge. I didn't realise she was this drunk. "What are you doing?" I ask her, trying to hide the amusement I'm feeling. "I want to dance with the man I love. Is that ok with you?" she replies with a fake attitude before bursting out into laughter. She pulls me closer and tries to get me to sway with her.

"Tommy why aren't you dancing?" she asks me, trying her best to use her 'teasing' voice. "I'm not in the mood for dancing." I say bluntly. I watch as her face goes from happily drunk to trying hide her hurt. "Oh, ok then. Maybe another day." She says, trying to shake it off. "I'm sorry. It's just been a really long day." I say as I try to pull her in for a hug. She pushes my arm away slightly and sighs in annoyance. "Yes, I know it's been a long day. You're not the only person who's had a long fucking day." She says, her anger towards me clearly growing. "Let's just get some sleep." She says, returning my bluntness from earlier.

I watch as she walks straight past me and into her bedroom. I follow cautiously, not sure how this could end. She changes into her nightdress and sits at the edge of the bed. I continue to watch as she clearly has an inner struggle. She sighs in disappointment as she rests her head in her hands with her elbows propped up on her knees.

She quickly wipes away some tears and looks over to me. "I'm sorry Tom." She says quietly. I walk over to the bed and sit next to her. "I'm sorry I got annoyed, I just- I'm sorry." She continues as she lays her head on my shoulder. "It's ok. I was being a dick. I'm sorry too." I say softly to her, placing my arm around her. "Can we just go to sleep?" she says with a small laugh. "Yes please." I reply, also laughing.

I take my clothes off and slide into the bed next to her. She curls into my side and snuggles into my warmth. "Goodnight. I love you." I say quietly to her, only to realise that she has already fallen to sleep. I smile to myself before pulling the blanket closer to us and falling into a deep sleep.