Devil | A Solomons

FOURTEEN - CARE TO DANCE?

The sun was setting when Alfie stopped the car outside Irina's home. The two had made the journey back down to London around midday after Irina had slept in longer than everyone else, Alfie not wanting to wake her, knowing how exhausted she must've been.

The drive was mostly silent, neither of them knowing what to say. Alfie hated awkward silences and the entire time he was in the car felt like one, but he could tell Irina wasn't in the mood for talking. He left her alone, staring at trees that lined the roads as they drove, occasionally wanting to make a comment about a town they passed through or a funny story he remembered, but his lips never moved.

He pondered in thought instead, taking guesses at what Irina was thinking about inside her head. He wondered if she was falling apart inside at the fact she'd lost her lover, or if she was too busy being angry at discovering who he really was to feel any grief. He couldn't tell by her face, that was certain.

Before they left Birmingham, Thomas took Irina to The Garrison where they stayed alone for over an hour. Alfie sat and waited at Tommy's house, knowing that she needed to be alone with him to get all the answers she needed. It was none of his business, of course, but he did wish he could've been there to witness Irina give Tommy hell for not telling her about Luca's plan.

"I should probably go to the office, I have a whole days work to catch up on." Irina mumbled as she walked up the steps to her home.

Alfie had instinctively jumped out of the car and followed on her heels, grabbing her coat from the backseat.

"Don't be daft," he said, handing her the coat, "You can do that tomorrow. You need to rest."

"People don't get rich by resting," she sighed and walked inside, hanging her coat up on the hook in the hallway beside a gold framed mirror.

"How much more money do you want," Alfie laughed, peering his head inside the door and looking around the parts of her home he could see, impressed at what he saw, "Your house is nicer than mine."

Irina kicked off her heels and pushed them beneath her coat, instantly becoming five inches smaller than she was before.

"You're right," she sighed, "I'll use wine as my distraction instead."

"Well, I could be your distraction? I mean, I don't have any plans tonight, and I have a bottle of whiskey Tommy gave me in my car if that tickles your fancy?"

Alfie leant on the doorframe with one hand behind his head, scratching the hair on his neck as he waited awkwardly for Irina to respond.

As soon as she waited longer than a second to say anything, Alfie instantly regretted his proposal. Of course she wouldn't want to share a bottle of whiskey with him, she'd just lost a man she cared about, being alone was probably all she wanted.

"Or, you know, I could-"

"Why are you being so kind to me, Alfie? It's over now, isn't it?"

Alfie looked up from the floor, his hand dropping to his side as he tucked one foot behind the other, still slouched against the wooden frame of the front door.

"Yeah," he nodded, "But that doesn't mean we have to stop being friends, does it?"

Irina narrowed her eyes, taking a moment to look Alfie up and down from the soles of his shoes all the way up to the hat on his head, her gaze lingering on the nervous smile and the way his teeth were slightly sunk into his bottom lip.

"I suppose not," she said blankly, "I'll get the glasses."

She turned and walked away, Alfie quietly letting out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding in. He watched her walk towards the kitchen, her hips swaying in the slip dress that came halfway down her thighs.