𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒
𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬

Fawn sat in the betting shop, completely silent as she observed the room around her. She gripped the small pencil tightly between her fingers and discreetly scribbled on the paper. "What are you doing?" John's voice made her jump and she looked over her shoulder. "Tommy ain't got you workin' has he?" He asked, taking the paper from the table.

She pursed her lips together and shook her head. "It's just a rough idea I was thinking of." She said when noticing his eyes darting across the page. "It's nothing, really." Fawn reached up to take it from him.

John leaned over her to take a betting book and nodded. "You'd look beautiful in it, Fawnie." He said before turning and going back to doing his job. She shrunk in her chair slightly and took a deep breath. "John—" she called out to him. He spun. "Do you have a phone?" She asked, slight nerves showing in her eyes.

He thought for a moment. "Yeah but.. it's down at the Garrison." He explained.

She nodded to herself, wringing her hands behind her back. She slipped away from the betting den, the cold immediately consuming her — nipping at her pale skin.

Fawn's feet carried her toward the Garrison a lot quicker than she had comprehended and, before she knew it, she was weaving her way through the slight crowd that had gathered despite the early hour. Many apologies escaped her lips when trying to avoid clashing with the men she walked past.

She walked through to the back room of the Garrison and noticed Tommy sat at a table. "I'm sorry.. John said there was a phone here." She said, startled.

Tommy gave her a once over. "I don't bite, Fawn. The phone's in the corner." He told her.

She inhaled sharply and walked to it. Tommy watched her carefully as she dialled a number effortlessly — as if it were engraved in her mind. Fawn held the phone to her ear for a few moments but after a while she had no answer. With slight defeat, she placed it back down and looked toward Tommy.

"I was trying to get in touch with Alexander," She explained.

Tommy nodded in understanding. "He's a busy man, I hear." He sighed, leaning back and lighting a cigarette. He offered her one. Fawn was quick to refuse. "I don't smoke.." she said awkwardly.

Tommy shrugged and lit the cigarette, balancing it between his lips. "Have you met Polly's son yet, Fawn?" He watched her. She frowned slightly, her eyebrows furrowing. Fawn shook her head. "I don't believe I have.. I thought her children were taken away from her a long time ago." She recalled.

"You'd be correct. Her son is approaching his eighteenth birthday so I went looking for him. It wasn't hard to find him. He showed up last night apparently." Tommy told her.

"Oh, i'll have to introduce myself." Fawn tucked her hair behind her ears. A silence lingered over them. "I'll be going now then, Tommy." She dismissed herself, escaping before he could say another word to her.

—

"They do this to me all the time.." spoke Finn whilst leaning on his fist. Fawn directed his gaze toward him and offered him a sympathetic look. "It's like they forget i'm even their brother." He huffed. Fawn tutted. "I'm sure they don't forget."

"Well— they might as well have forgotten." He shrugged, flipping his pocket watch open and closed.

"You'll break that, y'know." She said, lifting her knees up to her chest. Finn slowly put the watch away and stared at the fire. "Do you ever wish that things were different?" Finn asked the brunette girl. She nodded. "Sometimes.. why?" She questioned, tilting her head.

Finn took a deep breath. "I dunno." He answered plainly. "I always wonder what it'd be like if I was born before Ada or if they would involve me in anything.. just anything at all." He ranted. Fawn twisted her lips to the side and before she could say anything, the door flung open.

"Oi, Fawnie—" John began, catching the door before it could slam against the wall, "we're going down to the Garrisin for a bit. D'ya want to join us?" He asked.

She glanced at Finn. "I'll come.." she started, "but only if Finn comes with us." She said.

Finn's eyes widened and he sat up straight and looked at her with confusion. John looked between the two. "What've you bloody said?" John pointed a finger at his brother. Fawn stood. "He hasn't said a thing," her hand brushed over John's shoulder as she reached for her coat that hung on the hook behind him.

John inhaled sharply and looked at his brother carefully. "Fine— you can come but behave yourself." He said.

"I always bloody do.." Finn muttered to himself.

Fawn grinned and winked at the young boy who just gave her a thankful smile. John had spun to grab his cap from the betting shop table before locking the door behind him. "All them lot have already started walking." He told them.

Fawn allowed Finn to step out of the house first and then followed after.

The chill of the night air hit her almost immediately and she could feel her face burn. John took out a cigarette and placed it between his lips. He noticed Fawn's strange look and frowned, pausing his process of lighting it. "What?"

"I didn't know that you still smoked." She sighed, shoving her hands into her pockets and watching her feet.

John continued to light it and inhaled before talking. "You didn't ask."

She shrugged and looked ahead. "I suppose not." She answered. Finn hung his head awkwardly at the interaction and just cleared his throat. "I'm just going to walk ahead.." he spoke.

The pair were left in silence and Fawn could feel herself growing red from embarrassment. "Polly tells me that Tommy tried to marry you off." She began. John nodded and inhaled more smoke. "Yeah.. d'ya want to know what I told him?" He asked. She nodded. "I told him to fuck off." He laughed the same playful laugh she remembered.
"I said I ain't marrying no bloody mushroom picker." He said.

A chuckle escaped her lips and she cupped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, John. She can't have been that bad."

"I wouldn't know— didn't make it far enough to see her face." He hummed, throwing the cigarette to the floor. "Anyway, it's you i'm waiting for." He winked playfully, throwing an arm over her shoulders and kissing the side of her head. She scoffed playfully and shook her head. "D'ya remember that deal we made when we were fifteen?"

She nodded. "If neither of us are married by the time we're thirty, we will marry each other." She said, staring at him directly. John nodded. "Only four more years, Fawnie. Do you reckon you could wait for me? I wouldn't mind marrying ya."He tormented.

Fawn rolled her eyes and tried to pull away from him but ultimately failed. "Oh so you wouldn't mind, would you?"

"I'd love to." He corrected with the same tormenting tone in his voice.

She grinned and shook her head. "Don't hold your breath." She told him to which his huffed and kissed his teeth.

They got to the Garrison and John held the door open for Fawn and she walked inside, searching for familiar faces. It didn't take long to spot Finn and Isiah at a table along the edge of the room. She walked toward them, John's hand on her back to stay by her side.

"Here they are— what took you so bloody long?" Isiah asked, sliding a drink toward John.

John sat and shrugged. "Me and Fawnie were talking weren't we." He said as if it were obvious.

It shouldn't have even been a question to Isiah. Ever since Fawn and John were teenagers, they were practically inseparable. They'd go everywhere with each other. And it seemed that their closeness had not changed despite her absence for the last two years.

"Do you want a drink?" John asked her over all the noise.

She thought for a moment. "I'll go and get one." She said. John nodded and she walked away from the table to the bar. She placed her elbows on the counter and Harry turned to her. "What can I get ya?" He asked the familiar face. She didn't have to think much. "A gin?" She asked.

"Of course." Harry said quickly.

Fawn looked around slightly whilst waiting and was taken by surprise when a hand tapped her on the shoulder. She turned cautiously and was met with a slight smile of Stevie — one of the blinders she had previously met.

"Can I help you?" She asked politely.

He cleared his throat. "I thought it was you." He confirmed. "You're John's girl, no?" He asked. She almost choked on her own saliva. "I'm not his girl— i'm his friend if that's what you mean." She said. Stevie nodded slightly. "My mistake, I got the impression you were slightly more."

Fawn tilted her head. "How so?"

He shook his head. "Not sure.." he said bluntly, "I hadn't seen you before John introduced you to me and Isiah." He said. Fawn nodded and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Well, i've been in Italy for a few years." She said. "I grew up here though."

"What took you to Italy?"

"You ask a lot of questions." She said, not sure as to why he was so curious. He said nothing. "My brother lives there so I went to visit. I also managed to start up my own company.. if I can even call it that." She doubted herself slightly.

Her work did extremely well in Italy. But Fawn Harrington struggled to see that. She didn't want to come across as arrogant or too proud.

"I bet you're proud of yourself then, eh?" Stevie asked.

She just nodded. "Sure." She said. Harry placed her drink on the counter and before she could pay for it, Stevie did it for her. She frowned. "Thank you.." she mumbled, taking the drink and walking away. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't really want to talk to anyone.

She joined the table once more and looked over her shoulder.

"You alright?" John asked with a furrowed brow.

She nodded, saying nothing.

John hummed and continued the conversation he was having with Isiah and another blinder that sat with them. He moved his knee slightly and rested against Fawn's — she didn't move. Neither did he.

Her eyes were glued to the floor, her hands wringing in her lap. She was chewing her lip so hard it almost started bleeding.

With a sudden push away from the table, Fawn stood. John and Isiah eyed her carefully and she just mumbled a quick apology before disappearing to the lavatory where she would stand, examining herself in the mirror. Her brown eyes stared back at her whilst she tucked her hair behind her ears and inhaled sharply.

Her heart raced for a reason she could not quite understand.

So, she just stood there, staring.

With a sigh and a raise of her brows, Fawn placed two hands on the edge of the sink. There was a knock at the door and she stood straight. "It's just me, Fawnie— just checking on ya. Are you alright?" John spoke from the other side.

She cleared her throat. "I'm fine."

"D'ya want me to walk you home?" He asked.

She thought for a moment. "Yes please," Fawn said once opening the door to answer him. John nodded and stepped aside for her to leave before him. She began walking, head down to avoid any further conversation with anybody.

John took her hand in order not to lose her whilst steering their way through the busy pub.

Once getting outside, John let go of her hand and her eyes shot down toward her now empty palm. "What happened in there?" John tried to laugh it off in hopes that she would talk to him.

"I'm just tired is all." She offered him a slight smile.

"Are ya sure?" He asked, trying to search her eyes for more but getting nothing. John knew his friend a lot more than she believed — he felt that something was off with her. "I'm sure." She nodded once and looked away.

John just hummed and they stay silent for the rest of the walk.

Once getting to Fawn's home, John shoved his hands into his pockets. "Will you be alright by yourself Fawnie? I don't mind coming in for a bit." He offered. She stared at the door whilst fumbling with her key and just nodded. "Goodnight John. I'll see you tomorrow."

He stepped backward and as she was closing the door he spoke, "hold on.."

She paused and kept the door open slightly.

"You look beautiful Fawn." He spoke.

She smiled. "Thank you."

The smile she was was like the same smile she used to give him when they were teenagers. The smile that John Shelby had fell in love with at the age of fifteen.

© gracessecretshelby