When The Boys Are Away

Part 9

After the meeting with the notorious London gangster, the men had all returned to the Garrison whilst Harlow decided to stay put in the stables and check on the horses. It was most definitely one of her favourite things to do, as it felt like a little bit of the relaxing countryside was hidden away in the great depths of Birmingham.

She rarely had time to visit the magnificent creatures as most of her day was spent negotiating deals and overseeing the company. Maybe now, Harlow would have more opportunities to do the things she once loved.

After what she thought was about an hour, she decided to head to the Garrison, only to find that the lights were off, and everything was locked up. Harlow had no idea that nearly four hours had passed during her time in Charlie's Yard and that she had nowhere to go.

When the boys were away, she had been staying in John's room to look after the children, but he had now returned and was certainly having the time of his life with a lady of the night. Harlow would rather freeze to death than walk into that. On the other hand, she could try her old house where Jay would be resided, surely with Lizzie alongside him. Another thing she did not want to witness.

Polly was the deepest sleeper going so she knew that her house was a no go and Arthur was just as bad as John when it came to sleeping around. Ada would be at Freddie's and Danny with his wife so that left only one person, Thomas Shelby.

Harlow remained motionless in the centre of Watery Lane, debating on whether or not to knock on his door. There was a good chance that he would have a girl on his arm and she'd never hear the end of it if she interrupted them. However, when a light in his window flickered on unexpectedly, Harlow jumped in suspense and finally gave in due to her hands almost freezing off.

Slowly sauntering over to the dark door on the corner, she knocked just loud enough to make her presence be known. Harlow listened carefully, hearing slight movement from within the house and eventually the door swung open dramatically. Tommy stood with a fierce look on his face pointing his gun at her head instantly as she cautiously took a step back.

His stern expression dropped when he noticed Harlow shivering in front of him, his heart aching as her innocent face stared up at him hopefully, "I'm sorry Tommy, I didn't have anywhere else to go." She whispered quietly, her voice wavering from the cold weather. Tucking his gun into his trousers, he waved her inside, placing a firm hand on her back as she scurried by.

He sat her carefully on a chair before turning his back to her to light the fire in the sitting room. Tommy didn't know what to say, he woke up from the most awful nightmare before pulling a gun on his Harlow, the girl who he adored most in the world. "Why are you out so late?" He questioned, not wanting to look her in the eye as he knew his would be filled with fear and madness.

Harlow hesitated, thinking that he was still upset with her; he wouldn't look her in the eyes or even face her at this point, "I was at the stables and I just lost track of time." She mumbled, almost inaudible out of concern of annoying him even more. There were only three people who scared Harlow, and one of them was Thomas Shelby

Once the fire was lit, he sat opposite her, lighting up a cigarette. Harlow had never smoked; she just didn't see the appeal of it; inhaling smoke only to blow it out into a room full of people was pointless to her. Nonetheless, she was used to the Shelby boys and Jay participating in it and she chose not to complain.

They sat in silence for a while, Harlow studying Tommy's sharp cheekbones and clenched jawline in the orange glow of the fire. He looked almost angelic, yet she knew he couldn't be further away from a saint.

After what felt like an agonizing lifetime, Harlow finally found her voice, "Are you mad at me?" She murmured, trying to meet his line of sight as he continued to avoid her. Tommy's breathing stopped for a minute, worried how his voice would come out if he tried to answer. Of course he wasn't mad at her, Harlow was the one person he could always be honest with, no matter what.

Raising his head to face her, Tommy noticed that her eyes were filled with sadness and he couldn't help but feel responsible. "I'm not mad at you Harlow. Come here." He nodded to the seat beside him, watching carefully as she moved towards him with an anxious expression on her face. However, when he placed an arm around her covered shoulders and pulled her into his side, she relaxed immensely.

That night, the pair fell to sleep downstairs by the warm fire, Harlow with her head on his large shoulder and Tommy lay his distressed head upon hers, desperately trying to remove the constant flashes of war from his mind. And when Harlow was around, it was a lot easier to do so.

Short Update