Blurb: You’re at the Garrison when you accidentally run into, literally, the blue eyed man who takes an interest in you.
“A whiskey please,” your already drunk childhood friend, Eddie, announced to the bartender at the Garrison as you quietly stood next to him. It was his birthday and you, like the rest of his small circle of friends, obliged to follow him around all the pubs in Small Heath. This was the fourth.
Seeing the state Eddie was in, you decided against getting anything more to drink tonight.
“Here ya go mate, just don’t break the Shelby’s tables, eh?”
Eddie hastily wrapped his fingers around the glass and skipped over to the rest of his drunken friends. You shook your head in maternal shame watching liquor spilling over the crystal edges of the glass. You needed quiet. You needed air. Just a moment to breathe.
You looked towards Eddie again deciding that if the group was to leave you would most definitely hear and see them if you stayed outside by the Garrison’s door.
One foot before the other, you made your way to the entrance, your floral dress flowing behind you. But just as you reached out to the door, it swung back with such vigor you almost missed your own step. None other than Arthur Shelby emerged through the wooden portal, shouting
“Don’t fuck with the Peaky focking Blinders! Come on Brother! Get me another drink!”
Halting and nearly toppling over to let Arthur through, you felt a pair of gentle hands place themselves on either side of your shoulders.
“Sorry, love”
His deep voice vibrated through your body as you tilted your head up to the man’s voice. His pale blue eyes were already trailing yours. Speechless you gazed back not knowing if you were confused, flustered or just drunk. He nodded before squeezing your shoulder and proceeding to follow his brother to the bar, who was already downing glasses of whiskey and placing them harshly on the bar top. You felt your already warm face burn hotter so you finally took the chance to walk through the doors into the crisp outside air.
You leaned back on the brick wall next to the window hearing familiar voices muffled in the background. Slowly you closed your eyes entrancing yourself in darkness. Even if for a few moments the riddance of vision brought a smile to lips. You felt your heart beating with each breath. You couldn’t help but imagine those deep blue eyes again, almost attacking your own, eliminating the voice out of your head.
You sighed and opened your eyes again. Black dust rose and settles as you kicked around a few rocks with the toe of your leather boots.
“Ah the finer things in life,” you breathed as you heard another body slump back against the same wall you were resting at.
“And what may those finer things be?” The same voice in your head asked you now.
“Uh- um..” you must’ve not heard him come through the doors from all the yelling inside. Out of the corner of your eye you saw his hand scavenge his pocket for cigarettes.
“Well,” You looked up waiting for him to light it.
The lighter clicked, bringing a gentle glow to his deep cheek bones. He inhaled sharply and puffed out a line of smoke crossing his arms to look back at you.
“Well,” you repeated again when you caught his eyes, “the finer things in life come from the small moments of peace within your life.”
He looked back out to the distance. His fingers pulled the cigarette from his lips and he clicked his tongue. “I don’t have any of those.”
“Sure you do” you insisted watching his brows gently raise and averting his gaze back to you.
“Tell me some of yours.”
“Hm well earlier there was this man with very fine blue eyes.” He nodded. “And beautiful dark hair... like a bay stallion” you mused smiling to yourself .
“Does this man have a name?”
“No, I never got a name.” You crossed your legs leaning back on the wall again. “But he is now a part of me memory. He shall have whatever name I want him to have.”
The shadow of the man next to you shook his head taking another drag of his cigarette. “Why just your memory?” he asked in a gentler voice. “You don’t want to see him again ey, is that it?”
“No. That’s not it.” You replied still looking down at your boots. You felt a brush of wind flow through you as the blue eyed man stepped a foot closer to your side.
“Then what is it love?” Goosebumps began forming along your bare skin as the side of his arm pressed into yours.
He pulled another drag from his cigarette and waved it around the dark air “Just ask him for his fucking name”, he breathed out another cloud of smoke.
You tilted your head up to him and opened up your eyes. “What is your name, sir? I would really like to know.”
He brought his free hand up to your check and ran his fingertips over your soft skin letting a small smile play his lips. “Shelby. Thomas Shelby is me name.” You felt your heart quicken in realization of who you’ve just met.
“And I will be taking you out for dinner soon enough. I hope that’s alright Miss.....”
“Y/f/n y/l/n” you finished his sentence.
“My lovely y/n.” He let his hand slip further down the back of your neck. You didn’t realize you had taken a step closer to him.
“Yes Mr. Shelby, that is alright.”
“You’re the horse I’m betting on now. Don’t let me lose.”
———————————————————————A/N: Please comment what you think, this is my first Tommy imagine. I wanna know if I should continue writing or not/ what I could improve! Thank you guys I love you <3