— 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 —
⁰¹²

"Cecilia are ya ready?" Rafael shouted up to her when realising what the time was. "Just a second, Da." She assured, putting her earrings in and fixing her hair. It was the night their new club opened which meant Cecilia had to look perfect.

They also had a car to catch down toward Birmingham so she couldn't really waste any time.

There was no doubt that Tommy was going to show up. With his liquor being sold there and the fact it was close to his own territory, he would definitely make an appearance. And Cecilia didn't care. It didn't bother her. In fact, she wanted him to be there — she thrived off seeing frustration in his eyes.

With her hair curled and laying perfectly across her shoulders, Cecilia met her father downstairs where he stood with one foot out of the door and chatting to their driver.

She stepped outside and flashed their driver with a smile before getting into the back of the car.

Rafael was quick to drop his cigarette to the floor and pat the man on the shoulder before joining his daughter. "I've never in my life met someone who spent such time getting themselves ready."

"It isn't easy being a woman." She said whilst staring out the window. Rafael just huffed and shook his head in disapproval of her time spent that evening to ready herself to leave.

—

Cecilia ran her hands over the expensive interior of the new club. The music had already started and Rafael stood proudly as he examined their new property. Cecilia approached her father and grabbed his arm, joining him to admire everything. "Oh, it's beautiful." She gasped with a wide grin.

Rafael looked down at his daughter and nodded with agreement. He took a deep breath and pulled his time piece from his pocket and looked toward the doors. "Well.. I think it's time to open the doors." He matched her grin and she followed him toward the front of the club.

He nodded and let her do the honours of opening up the doors where people were already waiting to enter.

She stood before them all and nodded slowly. "Welcome to Cecilia's." She looked back and Rafael winked at her. It was the first club that the was publicly owned by the Abbotts. The biggest giveaway was that Rafael had chose to name it after his daughter.

She stepped aside and people began pouring in — most nodding to Cecilia out of respect whilst Rafael watched them with careful eyes.

Cecilia was met with the face of Peter himself as he entered with a proud smile and greeted his friend with an embrace. "This place is great, Cecilia." He complimented. "You've really out done yourself."

She shrugged. "I'm glad to see your face." Her tone was sincere and honest. "Your drinks are on the house," she whispered into his ear. Peter nodded and briefly touched her shoulder whilst leaving her side to find himself a place to sit for the night.

Cecilia wandered the place, looking for any sort of familiar face that might have visited Esmerelda's.

The club was booming after just half of an hour and Cecilia noticed one reserved table that remained empty. She raised a brow and went to check the name that sat on the 'reserved' note.

Her eyes read over the all too familiar name and she felt herself exhale with frustration.

She scanned the room once more and as if on queue, the doors open and in came Thomas Shelby. Cecilia placed her hands on her hips and quirked up an eyebrow, staring him down. He locked eyes with her and approached the table with his hands in his pockets.

"Congratulations." He held his hand out for her to shake it.

She stared at it and gave herself two options: she could be petty and leave him without a hand to shake or she could be professional and shake his hand.

Cecilia chose the latter.

"Thank you." She took his hand and shook it.

Tommy removed his cap and placed it down on the table. "You should be proud of yourself. This is a nice club." He complimented with honesty.

Cecilia inhaled sharply and gave him a once over. "You reserved a booth yet you came by yourself. Do you have people coming later?" Cecilia asked. Tommy stared into her eyes. "Do you want the truth?"

"Always." She responded.

"I was hoping you'd sit with me if you got a free moment. I understand that owning a club isn't easy work and you have people to tend to so if you choose not to take my offer then I won't argue." Tommys accent was thick.

Cecilia thought for a few moments.

"You'd be correct in saying I have things to tend to. I'm a host— I cannot disappear only a mere half hour into the opening." She explained. Tommy hummed. "But, if you'll have me, I have no problem with joining you later on tonight."

Tommy took out a cigarette. "May I smoke?"

"You may."

Tommy placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "As long as this booth remains empty, the invite is still there."

Cecilia took a cigarette from his box and balanced it between her fingers. "Then i'm sure you will see me later tonight." She said with a hidden insult that implied he would not find any company.

Tommy kissed his teeth and his eyes followed her once she walked away from him. She wore and wine red dress that matched the colour of her lipstick. He exhaled and didn't remove his eyes from her. She stood being spoken to by a man and woman — who he assumed to be there together.

Cecilia spoke with her same smile and careful eyes.

Tommy admired her. Though he'd never admit it to her face — he truly admired her. From a professional point and a personal point. She was interesting in various ways. She respected herself. She seemed to hate him — or at least acted like she did. And that only made him more obsessed with her. Every aspect of her.

Cecilia spent her night tending to people who came to her to praise both herself and Rafael.

Other than that, she stood behind the bar, observing the people around her. And that was all she did apart from a few conversations. And for the most of it, Tommy had his eyes glued to her, the memories of the moments they spent together playing in his mind.

He hadn't noticed her return until she sat down and he cleared his throat. "You attract quite the crowd." observed Tommy.

She held her drink to her lips and said nothing until placing it down. "That's what happens when you know how to run a club." She said. A silence lingered over them — Cecilia avoiding the eye contact that Tommy was offering. "Did you find a man in Boston?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be sat here right now." She answered. She folded her arms, placing her elbows against the table. "And you.. did you find a woman?"

"No. No woman." He leaned back in his chair.

"I struggle to believe that." Cecilia chuckled to herself and picked her drink back up. Tommy tilted his head and laughed slightly. "Do you remember that night before the Derby— the one we spent together." His voice was low.

Her heart dropped as she remembered. She answered with a simple nod.

"We sat in the Garrison and you asked of the woman I once loved and I told you she was in the past and that the past was not my concern." Tommy began to explain, "I then told you that my love resided with somebody else—"

"And I asked who the unlucky woman was.." Cecilia cut him off, remembering the night she had pushed to the back of her mind.

"And I told you that I would feel insulted if you deemed yourself unlucky." His eyes were burning into hers. She could hear her heart pounding and her skin burn. "You didn't seem to understand what it was I was saying to you. Did you, Cecilia?"

"I don't believe I did." She swallowed hard. He watched the realisation dawn upon her and he waited for her to say something. "But I fear that I understand now." She whispered, looking down into her lap.

Tommy exhaled. "We shared a night together and then only twenty four hours later you disappeared and I never saw your face again. Not until a few weeks ago."

"You don't need to tell me that, Thomas. It was me who left." She said bitterly, not liking the hold he had over her.

"You didn't call." He stated.

"Neither did you." Cecilia retorted with frustration.

"Because I believed you despised me." Tommy fired back.

"You believed correctly." Her tone was harsh. His face didn't alter — not even a little bit. He had gotten to her and that was what he had been aiming for. He wanted her to crack. "You fucked me and then acted as if speaking to me was a chore to you — as if it was messing up that perfect schedule of yours." She hissed. "You made me feel used, Thomas. Like another piece in your game."

"You were not just a piece in my game." He mumbled, taking his glass of whiskey.

"What was I then? Tell me, hm. What was I other than another woman who let you into their bed." Her voice was angry.

"You were everything, Cecilia." Tommy stared directly at her when speaking. Her face fell, the anger fading from her eyes. "What?"

"You were everything and more." He was serious. The words falling from Tommy Shelby's mouth were nothing that had fell from it before. If his family would have heard him talk the way he was speaking to Cecilia Abbott, they'd think he was going mad. "I would've killed a man if you asked me to—"

"But you wouldn't do that now." Her words were more like a statement rather than a question.

Tommy shook his head slowly. "I'd do anything you asked me to Cecilia." He whispered, leaning forward, "that's what you have done to me."

"So why did you let go of me so easily?" She asked.

Tommy shook his head slowly. "You left and I let you— I didn't call because I knew you could have found another man whilst you were in Boston. Cecilia I believe you could have any man you wanted. That's why I didn't call. That's why I didn't try. You deserve more than to be with a man like me."

"A man like you?" She asked with curiosity.

Tommy nodded.

They didn't expand on what it was he had meant by that. Cecilia looked over her shoulder to ensure that her father hadn't seen them speaking. She didn't want questions.

"But i'm back, Thomas. What does that mean now?" She asked unsurely.

He kept his eyes on her. "It means whatever you want it to mean. If you wish to never see me again i'll walk out of that door and you'll never see me again but if that's not what you wish for then I will not move from this seat." He spoke.

She gave no response — so he stayed seated.

"How am I supposed to trust you?" She asked.

"By believing me when I say I didn't so much as look at another woman without searching for you in their faces whilst you were away. And not a single one of them were good enough for me."

He was sincere. She could tell. The Tommy Shelby that sat before her, speaking, was not the same Tommy Shelby that people knew. She made him go soft — he was vulnerable when it came to her.

"This is pathetic.." Cecilia realised and shook her head, realising how she was acting so out of character. She had let her guard down — let him in. And that was not something she found herself doing often. "Goodnight Thomas." She spoke, walking off before he could even utter another word.

He exhaled with frustration and closed his eyes.

"Dad i'm leaving." Cecilia caught her father's attention who seemed to be having a half serious conversation with a few serious looking men. She gave them a once over and Rafael glanced at her. "Excuse my daughter Cecilia." He apologised. "Gentlemen this is Cecilia— she's the one whose name you'll see out front." He smiled proudly.

She breathed deeply and offered them forced smiles. "Thank you— now if you'll allow me to, i'm leaving." She said again.

He looked at her with slight disapproval but accepted anyway and allowed her to leave his side. She swiped her jacket from beside the door and left without looking back.

The sound of her heels against the cobble echoed and it pained her ears as they began ringing. She hugged her arms around herself and thought of the words Tommy had spoken to her only mere moments earlier. How did one man have such control over her — even after he had dismissed her so easily before she had left.

She had let him in again so easily all because he turned up to her club reopening — and she hated herself for it. It was not like Cecilia whatsoever to care so much for a man.

Her feet carried her home — her mind racing and unable to comprehend what she was doing.

"Cecilia— Cecilia.. wait!" A voice breathed with frustration.

She froze and instead of continuing to walk like she usually would have, she waited for them to catch up to her. It was Tommy. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let me walk you home, eh?"

She just nodded and continued to walk without saying another word.

They both walked in silence but it was somewhat comforting for them. Their silence said everything they needed to hear. "Would you like tea?" She asked hesitantly once reaching her home.

Tommy was quick to accept with a nod and waited for her to unlock the door and follow her inside.

Cecilia hung up her coat and Tommy did the same, scanning over the house.

Cecilia made the tea quickly and sat at the table where Tommy soon joined her. "How is your brother?" He asked after some more silence. She sipped on the hot drink slowly and took a deep breath, "he's married to a woman called Anastasia." She told him.

"What's she like?"

"I can't fuckin' stand her." Cecilia scoffed which caused Tommy to let out a chuckle. "She is only with Reggie for his money and i've tried to tell him that but he just won't listen." She complained. "It seems i'm the smart one out of the two of us."

"And that's why it's you here in London with your father?"

"Exactly." She confirmed. "He's older than me yet lacks the common sense he needs to survive in this world. He's too soft for this kinda shit." She mumbled.

"Not everybody is cut out for this work, Cecilia." Tommy reminded her. "Maybe he is one of them."

"Yeah— it seems it." She shook her head. "I'd rather that than him follow me round like a fuckin' sheep." She eyed him, "like your brothers. They follow you round like dogs— obeying their owner.. wagging their tails." She quirked up a brow. "You throw the bone and they fight to see who'll get it first."

Tommy's jaw tense at the subtle insult toward his brothers and he just looked down at the cup of tea.

"It seems the same with you and your father. He's the dog, you're the owner." Tommy said calmly.

She sat up straight. "You have some balls talking down on my father." She said. Tommy furrowed his brows slightly — she had just spoke down on his brothers. "You insult someone who's game is not a fair match to your own." She added, defending her father. "But your brothers— they're only little." She grinned, "John does what he does to fit in and Arthur— he does it to earn your approval." She shrugged, her mind wandering to the other two Shelby brothers. "You have them wrapped around your finger."

"Like you have your father wrapped around yours." He snapped.

"Just like I have you wrapped around mine." She leaned forward, whispering and making his mind go back to that same night in the Garrison when he told her she had half of Small Heath and London wrapped around her finger as well as himself.

Tommy, realising she had outsmarted him, pursed his lips into a straight line.

"You speak to me like you think you are better than me." He hissed.

Cecilia leaned closed, their faces only centimetres apart. "I am better than you." She whispered, taunting him. He held his breath and glared at her. His hand made its way to her chin, gripping it tightly. No words left his mouth. He just continued to glare at her.

Her lips twisted into a tormenting grin and she grabbed his wrist. "I thought you would have learnt by now not to grab me in such a way." She spoke, remembering the numerous times he had done this to her when feeling intimidated by her. "You're supposed to be a smart man, Thomas Shelby."

"Fuck you." He whispered.

"You already have." She whispered back, tightening her grip on his wrist and pulling it away. Tommy stood up abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor, and walked to her side of the table. He stood before her knees and grabbed the sides of her upper arms to pull her to her feet.

Cecilia looked up at him, her heart pounding.

Tommy examined her face. "Do you enjoy doing this to me?" He hissed, "why do you try and anger me so much Cecilia? Is that your way of having fun— tormenting people?"

She nodded.

Tommy leaned down, holding the sides of her face — his eyes pleading with her. She tilted her head upward and it was only a matter of seconds before he closed the gap between them, kissing her.

And she didn't pull away. He didn't pull back either.

After Midnight
Chapter 012
[gracessecretshelby]