••Ocean Eyes•• Thomas Shelby

Gangster Boyfriend

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I half-shouted, half-whispered.

"Wanted to drop by and say hello to your little boyfriend, but there was no one here... well until now." He smirked.

"Why are you acting like the bad boy in a YA novel, stop." I spoke through my teeth.

Luca laughed out loud and fell dramatically into the desk next to him. "You crack me up Tess, you really do. Do you want to go for a walk, I think we need to talk." He had suddenly become very serious. 

He was right though, and as I stood there looking at him, I realised, maybe for only the second time, how surreal our situation was. We shouldn't be here, it should be impossible...but here we stood...in a betting shop, in 1920.

"Ok, let's go." I said quickly, grabbing my coat off the table and throwing it quickly onto my shoulders. 

Luca looked shocked. "I really didn't expect you to say yes." 

"You are right, we need to talk about all of this." I said as I motioned to the world around us. 

Luca nodded. The smirk that almost constantly adorned his face was nowhere to be seen. He almost looked scared. 

As we headed off into the smoke-filled street, I pulled my coat to cover the lower half of my face. 

"Embarrassed to be seen with me?" 

"Luca you really don't understand." 

"No, I really do understand. I've done my research, and I'm sorry I can't say that without sounding really creepy. But living just outside the city, your little Shelby clan is hard to miss." 

"Please Luca, I will only continue to walk with you if we can talk seriously." 

"Oh, you sounded quite posh then." I glared at him. "Ok, ok sorry... I get it, only serious talk." 

"How long have you been here?" I asked quickly as we made our way towards the dock. 

"I think about a month, maybe just under...what about you? You said in the pub you had been here a few months." He looked away from me. 

"Yes, about 4 months now... I'm happy here." I said the last part quickly, he ignored that part.

"Tell me about yourself." He said shortly. "The new you I mean."

"From what I can gather. I'm Tessa Bridie, I'm the same age as I was in our...time..." I stuttered. "I grew up here...I have been friend with the Shelby's since I was a child, I had an alcoholic father. He died, my mother left me with Polly, the older woman from the pub, and that's all I really know. I'm an enigma to myself, it seems."

I let the information I had just given to Luca sink in. He didn't like it when I talked too much, said it annoyed him. 

"Well, not too dissimilar to your life at home, no offence." He said quickly. 

"None taken, at least here I have more than one friend here...no offence." Luca laughed, his fringe falling over his eyes as the rain continued to get heavier. I looked away. 

"You and that Tommy are more than friends I take it." 

I looked over to him quickly. He wasn't looking in my direction, but from what I could see of his face, he didn't look as angry as I expected him to be, he looked almost sad?

"Yes...we have been together since I was around 18 I believe. I am starting to remember most stuff...but it's like it isn't my life, like a movie I watched years ago and can kind of remember." His silence was disconcerting. "Do you know what I mean?"