Everyone in the room turned to look at you, their laughter quieting but not fully stopping. John stepped aside, letting you walk passed the crowd that surrounded the bed.Â
âY/n!â Finn exclaimed the moment his eyes landed on you, a large, dopey grin on his face, âHello!âÂ
âHello, Finn.â You could understand why everyone was laughing around him, heâd gone from being quiet to the loudest in the room., no longer trying to act like a serious adult around his older brothers.Â
âHeâs all fuzzy from the morphine, never had it before,â Arthur explained, âreckon he snuck some while we werenât looking though.â Finn nodded in agreement from the bed, the smile on his face not getting any smaller.Â
Heâd gotten himself into a fight earlier that day, a boy twice his size had said something about not having an apatite while someone like Isaiah was sitting a meter away. Finn didnât listen when Isaiah tried pulling him back, not realizing the consequence of standing up for his mate would be ending up bedridden for a few weeks.Â
âYou know, you know y/n is my best mate, Pol?â Polly smiled fondly at her nephew, last time he was so excited and talkative was back when he was still a child. âIâve known her since I was, I was-â
âFour?â Tommy offered, chuckling at the way Finnâs head had not stopped bobbing up and down, heâd be agreeing to anything if he was asked.Â
âIs she just your best mate?â John teased, you looked over at him, eyebrows raised, wondering what he was getting at.Â
âJohn,â Polly warned, you looked between them, unsure of what they were implying.
âCâmon, Pol, heâll say anything, ask him who really ate the entire tart before dinner that one Christmas, the one you beat me and Tommy for when he blamed us.âÂ
âIt was me and y/n!â Finn said proudly. You gaped at him, a secret kept for more than half your lives and it was just gone. Pollyâs eyes narrowed at him, remembering how angry sheâd been when she noticed the tart was missing. You and Finn were only six, not capable of doing any harm in her eyes. She believed you the moment you both pointed fingers at his older brothers, the two of them took the blame but they hung Finn out the window for a few minutes to get back at him. âShe said, she said she loved treacle, so I just, took it!âÂ
âAnd why did you just take it?â Tommy asked, he and John looked at each other, knowing what was about to happen. âWas there a special reason you took it, Finn?âÂ
Polly sighed and walked off, looking defeated by her nephews. Arthur followed, clapping you on the shoulder as he walked passed, leaving just you, Tommy and John in the room with Finn. Finn, who sat smiling at his brothers.
âBecause she loves treac-treacle tart and I love her!âÂ
You always knew you and Finn were far passed friendship, he was friends with Isaiah, friends with Michael, but the combination of knowing you since you were practically babies and spending almost every waking minute together, you thought your closeness was just something that came naturally. Not because Finn Shelby fancied you! You looked between Tommy and John, both looking amused and triumphant at his declaration.Â
âHe just said that because heâs drugged out of his mind,â you tried reasoning. Tommy shook his head, smiling down at you like a brother who was about to give some life changing advice. He placed a hand on your shoulder, leaning down so he was face to face with you.
âYou know as well as anyone, love, that Finn would blow up the fucking world for you,â he said, âthe only girl he has ever told us about is you, no eighteen-year boy has ever been as faithful as that one there.âÂ
âItâs true,â John added from behind you, âonly reason you two became friends was because he forced Ada to go see the pretty girl from the bakery.â
âVery pretty,â Finn mumbled, catching your attention again. He was dozing off on the bed, barely listening to the conversation, probably just repeating whatever it was he was hearing. âY/nâs very pretty, prettiest girl in the world!â His brothers burst out laughing, the sight of their youngest yelling with his eyes closed apparently the funniest thing in the world.Â
âCâmon, let him get some sleep,â Tommy said, guiding you out the door, âhe wonât remember any of this when he wakes up, so, you can either bring it up to him or wait until he finally comes around.â You only nodded, looking over your shoulder one more time at your sleeping best friend before John shut the door.Â
You arrived early the next morning, a tray of your motherâs cookies balanced on one hand as you knocked on the door. Polly opened it not a minute later, apron on, looking as if sheâd been awake for hours.Â
âNot my mumâs party cookies, sheâs baking a batch tomorrow I think, Iâll bring some over for you if she does.â
âYouâre lovely,â she moved aside, allowing you to step in before she shut the door behind you. âCanât wait until youâre old enough to learn to make them, by then youâll be a Shelby, meaning we get free reign on your family recipes.âÂ
âIâll be a Shelby?â You knew what she was referring to, but Finn still had to confess his feelings for the prospect of marriage to even be on the table. She shrugged, not saying anything as she continued cooking breakfastÂ
âWell weâre not hiding anything now that Finn declared his love to you last night.âÂ
âWhat if I didnât love him?â She stopped working and looked back up at you, an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face. You tried keeping yours straight, but you couldnât help but pull your bottom lip into your mouth, biting it to try and keep your composer under her stare.Â
âYouâre trying to lie to me, y/n? I helped raise four liars, I can spot one from a hundred meters away, love.âÂ
You may not have loved Finn for as long as they all claimed he did you, but there was some point in your long friendship that you stopped looking at him like a friend. You guessed it was the day Isaiah ditched the two of you for a girl, leaving you alone to eat the basket of food your mum made while sitting by the cut. Heâd said something that night, making you laugh and not stop for what felt like hours. Thinking back to it now, you remembered the look he was giving you when you finally composed yourself, it was the same look you grew up watching your father give to your mother. He covered it up by saying something against the way you laughed, in retaliation you pushed him into the water, laughing at his shocked face. He feigned the need for help to climb out but just used your arm for the leverage to pull you in with him. You had to hide under the overhang when a few coppers came around, stifling your laughter until they passed. You smiled at the memory now, and when you looked back up at Polly, she was still watching you, smirk not leaving her face.
âGo on, take this for him to eat, heâs probably awake now,â she said handing you a plate. You took it, placing a few cookies onto it as well before walking off, ignoring the knowing look she was still giving you as you did.Â
You knocked once on the door, opening it when you heard a mumble from inside. He sat up at the sight of you, wincing when he did so but smiling despite the pain.Â
âGod, Iâm starving,â he said as you placed the plate onto his lap. He instantly stuffed his mouth, moaning at the feeling of finally having food in him. You sat at the foot of his bed, crossing you legs and leaning back against the footboard, just watching him eat. âWere you around yesterday?â He asked, not looking up. He didnât remember then, you decided, if he didnât even know you were there he wouldnât know what he said.
âOnly for a few minutes before you fell asleep,â you said, âdo you remember anything before you passed out?âÂ
âNo, why, did I confess to the Tart Theft of 1914?â He joked, finally looking up at you. You smiled, his cheeks were full of food as he chewed.
âNo, well, yes actually, got me in trouble, but thatâs not what I was talking about.â He swallowed, raising his eyebrows in question, wondering what he managed to say in that state.Â
You watched him place the now empty plate on the side table, and before you could think against it, you surged forward, pushing your lips against his. As fast as you did it, you pulled away, lip caught between your teeth, waiting for his reaction. He just stared, wide eyed and frozen, unsure of what just happened.
âUhm, what was that for?â He finally asked, but only a second later he realized, âdid I say something last night? What did I say?âÂ
âYou stole that tart because you loved me,â you said quickly. He groaned, throwing his head back until it banged against the headboard. âItâs alright, Finn,â you assured him.
âNo, no itâs fucking not, you probably just kissed me because you felt like you needed to,â he spoke up to the ceiling, probably too scared to look back at you. You shook your head and moved back closer to him, being careful of his injuries as you got as close as you could. You made him look down at you, your hands staying on him when he finally was.Â
âI love you too, Finn,â you confessed, âhave for a couple of years.â It took a second, but his frown became a grin, not exactly like the one he was pulling the night before, but this one more on his own accord and not the side affect of his medicine.Â
âReally?â You nodded, your own face breaking into a smile to match his. He lifted his hand, ignoring the wince from the movement as he placed his hand on your cheek. You kissed again, this one less hurried, less one sided, and when you finally pulled away, you just smiled until your cheeks hurt.Â
âSo, pretty girl from the bakery?â You teased, he chuckled and pulled you back in, kissing your forehead when he did.
âThe prettiest girl in the world.âÂ
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