Fallen

He was about six drinks into the night when he stepped outside, cigarette in one hand and the other searching his pocket for a light. The city air was putrid the type of putrid that burnt from the nostrils down to the lungs, his body longed for Moseley Forres, for the smell of pine, horses and damp earth. Nature had always been his escape but for his brothers, it'd always been pints and music he however had never really been fond of music, especially when it came from a rowdy crowd of drunk men who couldn't even sing in tune. He stuck the cigarette in his mouth, his fingers still stumbling around in his pockets in search of the match and when he found it he lit it and closed his eyes and let the nicotine silently coarse its way through them. he opened his eyes to a cloud of smoke and when it faded away, the ash particles mixing with the air above, his eyes found her.

Eve stood across the street, eyes roaming the pub windows. It was 8pm on a Friday night all the workmen had come down to the Garrison but he had a clue who she was looking for. There was a hesitancy in her face like she wasn't sure quite what she wanted. To turn her feet and continue her walk or cross the road and find him. Like the angel that wasn't sure if it wanted to stay in the paradise of heaven or given in to it's whims and fall down to Earth.

"You coming in." If it weren't for the alcohol in his system he mightn't of called out to it's not as though they were close. She was something to the other members of his family but to him, she'd always belonged to John. John's crush, the girl from John's class, John's friend. Tommy had never seen her beyond that before the other night, of course, he'd looked out for her as he did any person that meant something to his family. He supposed by calling out to her he was looking out for still.

Her eyes flickered from the windows to Thomas, then back to the Garrison. She sighed begrudgingly, Martha had briefly mentioned that they might have drinks down the pub this Friday to celebrate the extra littlun, she was hoping Tommy would be caught up at the betting shop or with Charlie down the stables."I'm on my way back home Thomas ! "

He opened his mouth to argue, it wasn't often that a person stopped there walk to stare at a place unless they wanted something. "And no I don't need you to walk me home again." She said, remembering how he'd told Martha he'd practically had to carry her back the night before. When in actual fact they were both as drunk as each other and both extremely capable of walking perfectly fine.

"I don't remember offering !" Tommy yelled in response, there was a smugness in his tone that made Eve roll her eyes and yell back."But you were thinking it!" He never heard her though her voice was drowned out by a group of men exiting the pub chanting "oi oi Johnny boy."

Thomas took another drag of his cigarette and smiled at one of the men in the small crowd. It was John grinning ear to ear, naturally Eve's lips twisted into a small smile. "Two kids Tommy! the way the pubs going on I think you'd the fist man in Small heath."

"I know John, we're all very impressed." Tommy replied before taking another drag of his cigarette, it'd burnt down quite a bit during his conversation with Eve and he wasn't planning on wasting any more. He'd never thought John would be the first of them to start a family, he'd always thought It'd be Arthur or maybe even him.

"What you looking at anyways." John noticed Tommy had been glancing across the road.

"Your mate across the road." Tommy tilted his head to Eve, who was still lurking across the road, in her blue flapper coat and hills. Her eyes hadn't left Johns from the moment she spotted him, she couldn't help it old habits were hard to beat and her feelings for John were no more than a habit. See when you love someone for so long even on the sidelines it's hard to forget how to stop. So she wished a bit harder to forget him - was she an idiot for putting her faith in tea leaves. John sprinted over to her, the ear to ear grin replaced with a smaller more playful one. The exact same grin that he'd use to convince her to get mischief as teens. "Eve, what you doing out here and not in the pub ?"

"Making my way back home." She repeated what she'd told his older brother only a moment ago. John frowned and took a hold of Eve's hand, her hands were freezing, she must of been standing out here a while. "Not just yet." It felt like he hadn't seen her in forever like his oldest friend was drifting away, Martha had mentioned it too. How odd it was she slipped out the door without a word.

"I just told your brother no, so what makes you think my answer for you would be any different aye? " He looked back at her dumbfounded, it was probably the first time Eve had told him no."Martha will be gutted." He could always use Martha to goad Eve into doing stuff, the two were like sisters, John quickly learned that if Martha wanted something Eve would do it and vice versa.

"Is she in there ?" Eve hadn't caught sight of her through the window and she'd been looking, they hadn't spoken all week and she missed her like crazy. She wanted to know about the babies and married life but she was worried she'd be the third wheel again.

"No she's at home but-" Eve cut him off

"Home ? funny that's exactly where I should be heading."

"Not even a small one just to wet the babies heads."

"Usually people wait until after they're born John."

"Well I'm excited Eve! Can't a man be excited?" She looked at him and smiled the only time she'd seen him this happy was in his wedding day, she still wasn't over her idiot best friend being a dad

"Fair enough, I'll go in only one drink though." She'd been decided from the moment he sprinted over but it was fun to tease him.

"One and I'll get Tommy walk you back home." John agreed adding a sweetener onto the deal, not that Tommy Shelby was all that sweet. Eve would say he was smart assed and only nice when he wanted to be. She'd already told Tommy no to a drink she didn't need him to walk her back either.

"The deal was done at one drink, I don't need Tommy to walk me back." She said firmly.

"Alright miss independent, I'm sure he'll be happy to hear it. I would of offered Arthur but he's already round the ringer."

" Shame if it were Arthur I would have agreed, he's the only likable Shelby boy apart from little Finn."

"Oi, what's gotten into you." John feigned hurt over her banter but saw her eyes were somewhere else the same way his brother's had been only minutes ago. Eve's gaze was across the road looking at Tommy's spot, empty apart from a cigarette butt discarded on the floor. Had he taken off that soon? The blokes that'd been screaming Johnny's name had disappeared too. "Come on, let's go in." She whispered.