In The Bleak Midwinter | T Shelby

FIFTEEN - A TOKEN GESTURE

It was just before seven o'clock in the evening by the time all three of the Gold's were dressed and ready to leave to go to John and Esme's house for dinner.

Kaia had gone back and forth debating whether to wear a dress or not, but in the end decided that she was most comfortable in tailored trousers and so, she chose a pair of those with a slim fitted shirt and black court heels. Her dark hair was curled that evening, almost reaching her waist, and her lips were stained red like they were most days.

Although the good weather had held up from earlier that day, Bonnie would give any excuse possible to drive his new car. Kaia didn't mind, though, knowing that heels and cobblestones didn't really make the best combination.

The arrived at John's house bang on seven, Aberama clutching a bottle of red wine in his hand as a token gesture for the family. Kaia was happy to have been invited. It wasn't often that she got to spend time with both Bonnie and her father and she was glad they'd been invited to something as a family, even if it had been because of a chance meeting earlier that day.

Kaia stood lingering by Bonnie's side as their father knocked at the front door. She'd persuaded him not to wear his hat tonight, the new haircut he'd had was making the world of difference to his appearance and Kaia didn't think her father needed to hide his face under the brim of a hat. He'd taken her advice, but Kaia could tell her felt bare without it on.

"Come inside, food's almost ready. That for us? Cheers Ab, you didn't have to."

John opened the door with a huge smile on his face, taking the bottle of wine from Aberama and looking at the label excitedly as he stepped aside to let everyone in.

The house was warm and smelled like garlic and tomatoes, fresh, homemade cooking that reminded Kaia of being a child. Of course, she cooked almost every night for herself and the boys, but it had been a very long time since somebody had cooked anything for her.

John let them through to the sitting room where the eldest Shelby brother, Arthur, was sat with a woman, as well as a man she recognised as Michael Gray.

Immediately blushing, she heard Bonnie snigger beside her as he noticed Michael rise to his feet and walk over to them. Bonnie tugged on his father's arm and guided them away, leaving his sister alone with Michael.

"Evening," Michael nodded, his hands hanging loosely in his trouser pockets.

"Hello," Kaia smiled confidently. She might've felt incredibly embarrassed, but she sure as hell wasn't going to let it show, "Long time no see."

"Yeah," he laughed, raising his left hand, "I got it back."

Now, though, Kaia did look embarrassed. Her cheeks grew hot as Michael smirked, showing her the ring on his finger and the chain around his neck. It was mortifying, but what didn't help was that she could see Bonnie doubled over laughing out of the corner of her eye.

"Good, wasn't sure if Thomas was going to keep them for himself."

Michael drew in a breath, "I'm sure he's got plenty of rings and chains of his own. Anyway," he leaned in closer to Kaia, lowering his voice as his lips almost grazed her ear, "If you're not doing anything later, you're more than welcome to spend the evening with me."

Kaia parted her lips slightly, taken aback by Michael's suggestion. He shrugged his shoulders, eyebrows raised as he stood before her.

"Just think about it, yeah?"

She nodded, still not saying a word before he turned his back and went over to speak to Arthur.

"Say anything and I'll break both your legs, understand?" Kaia muttered under her breath, narrowing her eyes at her brother as she walked back over to them both.

Bonnie just laughed and shook his head, handing her a glass of champagne. The first time his sister had slept with someone that Bonnie knew, he went absolutely mental. He gave Kaia hell for her actions, shouting and screaming at her until he was blue in the face, but over time, he realised that she didn't listen to anything anybody ever said, and she certainly wasn't going to start with him. He grew to not mind in the end, in fact, it provided some light entertainment for him some days, wondering what she'd bring home in the mornings that she'd stolen from men as they slept.

There was a knock at the door and John rushed past everyone to answer it, telling them that they were free to take their seats at the table in the dining room.

Kaia threw herself down next to her brother, her eyes being drawn upwards to the high ceilings and the gold chandelier that hung from it, candles littered around the room as well as golden framed pictures of John and his family. She wondered if Bonnie would ever make as much money as the rest of the men.

She was content, looking forward to the food after not eating much else all day to make sure she was hungry. It was a nice, intimate atmosphere with people chatting amongst themselves as Esme served out the food. That was, until the chair directly opposite Kaia was pulled out.

The look in Thomas' eye was painful. She thought it would be sorrow, apology, begging her for forgiveness, but instead, it was empty. And as for the seat next to him, Lizzie avoided Kaia's gaze completely, but the smirk on her face and the way she placed her hand on Tommy's shoulder as she sat down made Kaia clench her fist underneath the table.

The girls at work hadn't been able to confirm whether Lizzie had in fact snook off at lunchtime to see Tommy, however the fact that they'd arrived at John's house together gave Kaia the clear answer she needed.

She endured the meal, not speaking much but making sure she contributed enough to the conversation so nobody would think anything was wrong. Thomas avoided eye contact with her for the rest of the time they were sat at the table, however the smirk on Lizzie's face didn't falter once.

John suggested that everyone continue drinking in the sitting room they were in before, so one by one everybody made their way out of the dining room with their drinks in their hands.

Kaia pushed her chair under the table and picked up her half empty glass, turning to follow Bonnie into the sitting room. She had her head down, feeling incredibly sorry for herself, and also feeling angry at herself for allowing her emotions to get the better of her over a man.

"What are you doing?" Kaia hissed, glaring up at Thomas who held his finger to his lips after yanking her by the arm into a separate room and closing the door behind the two of them, sliding the lock shut.

"Let me explain-" he began, only to stop speaking when Kaia dramatically rolled her eyes and crossed her arms at her chest.

Tommy couldn't help but think to himself just how beautiful she looked. She oozed confidence and self-assurance, telling him without saying word that she didn't need him. But that only made him feel angrier.

"Did you fuck her?" Kaia asked bluntly.

Tommy sighed and said nothing, just stared at her with his lips pulled into a tight line.

"Alright." She said, taking his silence as a response and heading towards the door, only for him to hold out his arm and stop her.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't owe me an apology. You can do what you like."

"Then why are you mad?"

Kaia looked up at him. She thought that for a man of his intelligence he wouldn't have needed to ask such a question, but then again, he was a man at the end of the day.

She had so much she wanted to say on the tip of her tongue. She was angry at him for making her feel the things she felt, furious at him for sleeping with her and making it seem like he cared, only for him to do exactly what her father had always said he was the type of man to do.

As she forced herself to weave reality into her perspective, she didn't have the grounds to be mad, nor did the have the grounds to say half the things to him that she wanted to. Tommy hadn't put a ring on her finger or confessed his love for her, there hadn't been anything like that. It was just her own feelings that had made her heart break.

"Like I said, you can do whatever you like. But you chose to do this, you didn't choose me."