OMG LOVING IT!!!

Let the Irish smoke zaza in peace ✋🏻

Sorry but why he makin that face…

Pookie, you good?

Found this on Pinterest at 2:30 in the morning.

Back when the internet wasn't a thing, only your family knew you're stupid.. 😔

Don't be shy, toss the router to the bin

You all are trash. These are real fucking people. You're so delusional thinking if he's cheating, he'll wanna sleep with you. A fucking delulu who spends her time spreading rumors about a marriage she isn't even part of. Leave them alone. He has a private life for a reason, and the reason is...he respects his wife, his sons, and the time they spend together.

There is this thing called grass, go touch it.

Can't wait to see where this is going! xx

F*ck Buddies

Part 14 ( more here)

Pairing -Modern Thomas Shelby and Reader

Warnings- 18*, swearing, violence, sexual content

I do not consent to my work being copied.

Feeling your happiness deflate, you turned to look at him. Leyton, your ex. Taking a step out of his embrace. He looked just the same, even had the same jacket on, was it actually painted onto his skin? He was a good looking man, yes, you would admit that. But, he always looked like he needed a shave and a bath.

No doubt, he thought he was going for the rock star look. He was in his thirties now though, time to smarten up, maybe? Your eyes grazed from his feet to finally meet his eyes. He was smiling, but it didn't seem a genuine happy to see you smile. It seemed strained, he seemed strained. Stressed even.

Had he ever been stressed in his life? You doubted it.

He was too laid back, had no... ambition, couldn't keep a job, couldn't keep a tenancy agreement. Didn't even have a car. You now wondered what you had seen in him? Your relationship had been... rocky. You were oil, he was water, you were fire, he was ice.

You were ambitious, liked to strive for more. Go on holiday, see the world, he was happy in his local pub. In the same seat, with the same friends... He would probably do that for the next fifty years.

"You look good, girl," he winked, eyes landing on your cleavage. Urgh, girl? Really? that used to give you the ick, it still did. You were a fully grown woman. Not a girl.

Ignoring him, you paid for the drinks. "Do you want something, or is this a general chit chat?" you eventually spoke, head tilting to look at him. Warily. What did he want? Money? Cigarettes?

"Straight to the point, as always. That dress is sexy," he licked his lips, raising a hand, he let his finger travel along your bicep, taking a step closer.

Grabbing his hand, you bent it back. Stepping on his foot with your heel, "Do that again, I will break your hand," you warned, through gritted teeth. Picking up the tray of drinks you began to walk towards the table. Hearing him follow close behind you.

"Thought I could smell bullshit in here," your friend Sophie announced, loud enough for him to hear. The whole table erupting in laughter. Hiding your smile, you slipped into the booth. Taking a long sip of your Bellini, it was much needed.

Shooting Sophie a scathing look, Leyton stood in front of you. "I need to talk to you, it's important," he stated, his tone serious. Unfazed by the glares from your friend group.

“So…” you encouraged him to continue, rolling your hands like you were wrapping him up. “Spit it out,”

“I … I not here Y/n, please,” he shifted from one foot to the other. "Just give me a minute,"

Pressing your hands against the table, you stood up. Irritated. If he was going to tell you he couldn’t pay back what he owed, it would be no shock. Once a loser, always a loser. As you walked to the dimly lit corridor with him. It hit you.

How different he was from Tommy. Tommy was successful, ambitious, determined. He worked long hours, had many business ventures. He was family orientated, a doting father. He took care of his body and appearance.

Leyton blew out a long breath, as you came to a standstill. He still looked nervous, sweat was forming on his top lip. Maybe he should remove the damn jacket. “Ok,” he began, holding his hands up defensively.

“I’ve, I, just need to.... I’ve,”

“Jesus, spit it out,” you snapped, tapping your foot. He wasn’t going to take up your time all night.

“I’ve got something, Y/n. You need to get checked,” he couldn’t look at you, as he finally said the words. Shifting from foot to foot.

“Sorry,”

A nervous laugh left your mouth, but you realised he was serious. He’s got something? What did that mean? Got what? A job hopefully. Still smiling, you waited for him to elaborate.

"Got what? What do you mean?" you quizzed him, feeling confused.

Reaching out for your elbow, he steered you further away from the crowd. "Chlamydia," he announced, like it was no big deal. Your whole body ran cold, you felt the blood drain. Ears ringing, the sound of the bustling bar fading onto the distance. No.. No...that couldn't be true.

No.

Looking from your group of friends across the room, back to him, you laughed nervously again. "No..., that can't be true, no, you.. you're not serious,"

"I am, I wouldn't fucking joke about this. I had to be tested, you should too," he stated, tucking his hands inside of his jacket. "It was fucking embarrassing, girl,"

It had been at least six months, since you last had sex with him. You would know if you had an STD surely? "But, but, I would know, I'm fine, I haven't got anything," you stammered out, holding onto the wall for support. Oh god... Tommy.... had you given something to him?

How would you ever tell him that?

"The nurse said it can be in your system for months, you don't always get symptoms," he shrugged. He fucking shrugged, the bastard, that was it, that was the last straw. You lost it, totally lost it. Dived at him, gripping onto him, trying to scratch him.

Hitting him over and over.

Letting all of your anger out. On him.

Feeling yourself being dragged away, you were ushered outside. Your friends following you. "Calm the fuck down," a voice warned you, gripping your arm so hard. It was the security guard.

“Shit, I know you don't I, you are Tommy's woman?"

Immediately letting go of you, he gave you space to calm down.

Tommy had just been drifting off to sleep in his King size hotel bed, when his phone rang. Groaning, he pulled himself up. He had rang your four times, and sent you five texts. Clearly, you were ignoring him. Rubbing his eyes, he answered without screening the call.

"Boss?" a deep voice said, he had no clue which one of his men it was. "Er we've had a bit of a problem your girlfriend was in a fight. We had to had to erm, we had to chuck her out,"

Tommy tried to process the words, "Y/n?" he asked, instantly feeling worried for you.

"Yeah, Y/n, that's her, I recognised her. I only recognised her after see, or I wouldn't have pulled her outside. So that was a mistake and ..." he tried to apologise. Shit, if Tommy had seen him put hands on you, he would be in the river.

"Mark, shut the fuck up, what happened?" Tommy asked, immediately beginning to dress.

Sitting on your sofa with Daisy, you poured out another glass of wine. Four you had downed, since you got back home. You were drunk.

"I broke a nail, the bastard," you slurred, sloshing the wine around the glass. Watching you from the open plan kitchen, Daisy poured you a glass of water. Your phone was ringing again, how would you even begin to explain this to Tommy?

"Drink some water, maybe you should go to bed. Try and rest," she suggested, sitting beside you. Your face with stained with mascara from crying, eyes red rimmed. "Do you want me to answer, call him back?"

You shook your head no, draining the glass of wine. "How embarrassing is this, Daisy? I'm gonna have to go to a clinic," you hiccupped, beginning to cry again. “A clinic at my age!”

A knock on the door stopped her from answering. "If that's him, you can tell him to fuck off," you shouted, realising how drunk you sounded. Head spinning.

Tommy could hear shouting on the other side of your door. What could have happened, to make you get into a fight with a man? And who was he? If he had laid on finger on you, this would be his last day on earth. He would see to that with a click of his fingers.

As Daisy slowly opened the door, he tilted his head to see you on your sofa crying into a wine glass....

"Tommy," you cried out, dissolving into sobs. Stumbling across the room to fall into his arms….

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Lizzie and her pain. a baby, little you and me.

Jackson Rippner is exactly the kinda guy who would unironically share Tommy Shelby sigma male memes.

i stay up late to be happy for a few more hours

Leave comments guys, let me know if I should continue with this or maybe not!

LOVE YOU WITH MY EYES CLOSED

Thomas Shelby x Reader

Part one Part two Part three

Summary: At a young age Y/N was given away for marriage, years later the dust began to settle and her life caught a rhythm she stopped fighting. Is Tommy, the man she once knew too well, ready to play along and let her go once again?

Word count: 2.9k

Warnings: depression, heartache, mental and physical abuse

A/N: Slow introduction, next chapter will pick up on pace. Enjoy

Coming back to Birmingham ignited more mixed feelings than Y/N expected it ever would. Pushing through the difficult changes back in the day caused her to stomach so much pain and.. distress at the inability to make her own choices. She thought there was nothing in her to cause fear anymore.

A weird kind of fear it was, this time. Looking out the window as the train plummeted through the fields, shaking and groaning under the weight of people all heading to the city she couldn't shake off. Four years passed so quickly, in a pace she didn't understand when she looked back at the first months of constant struggle she endured. Leaving everything behind. Becoming nothing more than a tool to life of.. prosperity for her family.

She fought it for so long, back then. Much to her father's misunderstanding, her unbreakable spirit made everything so much more difficult.

Yet eventually everything must come to an end though, in a reality where her value was tightly connected with how pretty she was, and how aesthetically pleasing she looked, hanging on the arm of a man she barely knew.

It was much easier to ignore from the distance, but the closer she got to Birmingham, more wounds began reopening, hurting and itching despite her neutral expression and unmoving figure.

One of his hands rested on her thigh, the other one holding a newspaper. The lack of communication was nothing short of normal between them. After all, when nobody was around, they didn't have to pretend as much. Nickolas Winterbourne, a man coming from a life where nothing ever ran out, where pantries were never empty and clothes never dirty. He existed in a controlled environment snuggly clothed in money at every corner, shielding him from any difficulties life planned to throw his way - unaffected by the simple disdain of modern times they happened to live in.

For what it was worth, Y/N considered herself lucky. He was… polite, usually gentle which was way more than she could have ever asked for from people in his social class. His hands were smooth, untainted by physical labour that he never had to do. His disposition contradicted his father's, a man purely self-absorbed and cruel with one purpose – wealth.

Y/N was grateful for the person he was deep down, even though he was forcing her into situations they could avoid, yet rarely violating her physically or mentally.

Nickolas was… indifferent. His demeanour calm, collected and bordering on bored most of the time. His eyes looked at her with a never ending patience and neutrality she grew to appreciate, after watching the way many of his brothers treated their own wives. She was lucky.

The mindset she worked so hard to build, throwing away the values she dreamed of as a little girl, the warm dreams of having a loving marriage with several kids, conversations that would seem to go on forever sprinkled with tender kisses on the forehead and warm touches that would warm her up on cold nights. She exchanged those hopes for expensive dresses and a mansion much too big for any amount of wood to warm. There were continual expensive dinners and meaningless conversations with people she wouldn't care to see ever again with fake seemingly polite smiles. These people never stopped beckoning for their service, acting like the simple action of pouring themselves tea was too much to burden their minds with.

So she was grateful, playing along with the quick pace of life they had. Dressing up quickly, perfecting the empty smile she got used to wearing on a daily basis.

“Be grateful, because you could have had it much worse” she mentally repeated to herself.

A soft squeeze of his hand tore her out of her thoughts, his brown eyes watching her patiently. He witnessed the difficulties she struggled with back then. So her silence rang louder than ever.

”We will spend two days in Birmingham and be back on our way. Tomorrow is the day of the gala, and the day after you will spend on your own matters.” He spoke quietly, reading the troubling emotions in her eyes. He always saw through the mask of neutrality he taught her how to wear like her second skin: a mutual understanding.

Her eyes slowly followed along the lines of his face, finally settling on holding eye contact. Slowly nodding, she covered his hand with her own before forcing out a small smile.

”Thank you” She responded, straightening her back before the train started slowing down before coming to a full stop.

Patting her thigh for the last time, he pulled away.

”Come on. It's time to go”

~~

After getting out of the train, Y/N watched how after stepping out her boots immediately covered in mud.

Some things never changed, she thought with a smile as the scent of smoke filled her nostrils.

”Christ” Nickolas muttered, his face twisting in disgust. Birmingham was nothing like the London they were used to, first expression of the city obnoxiously underwhelming for Winterbourne.

Standing by the road sign they waited for a moment before the designated car pulled up, halting by their feet as the driver opened the door, offering to help in packing the luggage.

Y/N seemed distraught, looking around as she immediately recognized the streets despite small differences and the fact she didn't leave even remotely close back then. A city centre it was, fair distance from Small Heath. A place she used to call home.

”Come on, get in the car” Nickolas whispered, noticing her distracted gaze, grabbing her arm lightly and nudging her towards the vehicle, bringing her out of memories thick like smoke. Looking at him she nodded, obediently getting inside before the car took them to the hotel.

One she had never been in before. This whole situation felt suffocating in ways so weird, she was barely able to look him in the eyes. Even as they moved to the building, getting all the formalities done she couldn't help but let her mind wander towards the ghosts of her past.

Loud, obnoxious laugh filled her head bringing a little smile on her red lips. One that definitely belonged to John, his eyes glimmering with mischief like most of the time. Through the eyes of imagination she saw Ada's long, dark hair she constantly complained about, sighing dramatically in a way that never ceased to make Y/N roll her eyes. Suffering from success, she used to call it, teasing her friend with whom she grew up so close.

A sound came to her ears as lift brought them to the right level, she moved seemingly on an autopilot when her husband fumbled with keys, looking for the right one.

As the door swung open she let out a silent sigh as she remembered. The memory she worked on suppressing so long caught up randomly, big, blue eyes surrounded by thick, dark eyelashes. Colour so dynamic, swiftly changing with the feeling simmering beneath his tough exterior, yet always so bright and clear when he looked at her. She felt like she saw him for the first time, despite it being nothing but her exterior shell shattering at the unwanted memories flooding back in.

Suddenly, she felt out of breath and barely an hour after checking into the hotel, she was in bed facing away from Nickolas. The wall she put up between them nearing the height of one he tried to shatter after getting to know the girl. She seemed so small as she lay on her side, every inch of her body hidden under covers. Hair scattered on the pillow, keeping his gaze away from her features.

They just got here, and he was already losing, Nickolas thought, before remembering the small detail that could shatter his reality if ease if looked into.

”Goodnight” He whispered, pressing a kiss onto her shoulder before turning away and giving her space as the lights went out.

It was only so long he could bend reality to his will, he thought, before closing his eyes and allowing Morpheus' embrace to swallow him up.

In contrast to him, Y/N didn't fall asleep once. The unknown anticipation swirled around in her stomach, pushing her even further away from the man sleeping by her side. Something was coming, and she knew it.

~~

”Do you really trust what you're saying?” Her voice came to his ears, quieter, less confident than usually she'd speak to him.

Leaning forward on his arms, he let his head drop in defeat for a moment before lifting him up. Strong, unyielding gaze meeting her worried, slightly anxious eyes.

Her position in the family and in company made her learn how to deal with emotions on her own for years.. which was never an issue. Woman could only be so vulnerable after raising that many kids and protecting them from the disgusting reality with her fragile hands and soul on her shoulder. But she managed.

So the rare vulnerability she displayed that evening, looking in her nephew's eyes was nothing short of special. The string of responsibility connecting them in ways none of his siblings would understand.

Staring blankly for a moment, he ended up nodding.

”I know, Polly.” He spoke up, his voice heavy with exhaustion and the fear he tried to bury somewhere between his ribs, to never be seen again. But it was there, alive as ever, making his heart thump in an unnatural rhythm. Reminding him of one of survival. Desperate attempts to stick to life even when the dirty earth in the tunnels tried to swallow him alive.

”You need to trust me when I say things will go back to normal. I waited for long enough.” His voice came out sharper than he'd like it to. Blue eyes soothing the damage his voice has done and Polly understood.

Being a witness to the struggles he faced on daily, responsibilities piling on him like layers of clothing, giving no space to grieve the loss of someone who was never supposed to be gone.

…and so he didn't. Instead building an empire on his bitterness and pain, trusting that… whatever was up there would provide if it was meant to be.

That day for once in his life Thomas wanted to pray.

~~

“You need to pick up your pace, Y/N. We can't afford to be late to such an event.” Nickolas snapped, his usually calm and collected demeanour dishevelled with stress as he watched time ticking away on his watch.

She didn't sleep, almost at all. Putting on the mask was more difficult than usual, having to layer the makeup on her tired face, exhausted eyes. The years of struggles managed to catch up in the nine hours she spent on trying to fall asleep. Dreamless nights and loveless days connected with the anticipation in her stomach making it impossible to close her eyes.

”What will they think of us if we show up late, Y/N?” He shot once again watching her movements with his chin higher than he usually carried.

In moments of distress Y/N saw his father in him, usually perfectly hidden away lack of spine showing through the wounds of what the perfect life did to him. Minor inconvenience making him furious.

”Put on your jacket and smoke a cigarette, Nickolas. By the time you're done I will be waiting.” She responded in a neutral way, already taught to not feed into his bitterness in such situations. Not because he was right, but rather to avoid making him cranky as he would surely ruin her already difficult evening.

Watching her with contempt for a moment, he let out a heavy breath before stepping away.

”Five minutes or you will walk there. I'm not going to be late because of your irresponsibility.” His voice faded with the distance growing between them.

Y/N sighed looking at her reflection.

A man that was never supposed to be a husband.

All eyes were on them as soon as they arrived. Y/N smiled, nodding along to the people she saw for the first time as they spoke to Nickolas. She was to not speak unless spoken to, Mr. Winterbourne taught her four years ago. Smile, look pretty and watch your husband. Be attentive and elegant at all times.

Entering the event took them about fifteen minutes with all the pleasantries Nick kept giving away to his associates. Deep down she hated it. The constant need to pretend, not a single movement one of her own.

”Mr. Winterbourne!” A voice came from behind their back as they walked into the main room. An older man with jet-black hair approached quickly, his arm wrapped around the waist of his wife. Glancing at her, they exchanged a joyful look before standing right by Y/N. “Long time no see” His voice was low, but not threatening. Something about the tall and broad man was inviting, friendly.

”Indeed, it's been a long while.” Nick responded, straightening his back before greeting the older woman, getting a hold of her hand gently and kissing the temple. ”How is life treating you, Sir?” His tone mannered and calm, just like always whenever he was in a public eye. After getting a response, he began talking about the details of the gala before the woman suddenly interrupted him.

”...and who is this beautiful woman?” She spoke completely relaxed to which Y/N’s eyes widened in surprise. If she interrupted her husband or any man he was currently talking to in such a manner, she'd get severely punished if not slapped at the spot. Nicholas raised his eyebrow but quickly put on a collected exterior again.

”This is my wife, Y/N” He introduced her, slightly embarrassed that he forgot to do so in the first place. What would they think of him? The older man reflected, kissing her temple with a smile and his wife took her hand in her own.

”Oh, I see” She said, looking at the ring on her finger. ”Absolutely beautiful, how about we get something to drink while men talk about the important matters?” She suggested light-heartedly, winking at her husband who chuckled, shaking his head before giving a simple nod.

”Great idea. I will find you in just a few moments, Precious.”

The way their interactions took place made Y/N truly shocked, she's never seen such behaviour among people in their class before. Were people of Birmingham different than them?

Waiting for his approval obediently Y/N only moved when he gave her a stern nod, clearly not pleased with his own performance, yet he would never admit it.

His behaviour was different this time, she could clearly see it. He was more emotional in the wrong way, every little detail making him visibly angry.

”I’m Meredith” The seemingly fourty year old woman stated, glancing at Y/N sideways. ”You seem to love these kind of events, don't you?” She joked, seeing the way Y/N’s smile dropped as soon as they turned away from their husbands. Internally she panicked hearing the elegant woman's remark, her eyes widening with fear. ”Oh, no worries. We're on the same page… besides. They serve really good drinks, so soon enough it will be bearable.” The tone of her voice was light and amusing as she gave Y/N a little shove. Her demeanor was relaxed and open, matching her husband's which was… refreshing.

”Better get to it then” She mustered a smile in response.

To be fair, time did start passing faster as they settled by the table, slowly sipping on tasteful drinks and talking in a way that allowed Y/N feel much less comfortable than she was at first. A breath of fresh air.

”We’re local. My husband, Christopher, is the owner of several businesses passed down through the family. That's how he knows Winterbournes.” She explained eventually before leaning in closer. ”He doesn't get along well with your father in law. Tradition and peace are the only things keeping them tied together.”

Y/N listened carefully, appreciating that after a couple drinks Meredith's tongue got a bit loose. Usually she'd never hear a single detail about her husband's business or family. She wasn't family by blood, so her access to information was very restricted.

Getting lost in her thoughts again she zoned out for a second before Nickolas’ voice came to her ear from close proximity.

”This is my wife, Y/N Winterbourne.” He introduced her and it took a second to stand up, smooth out her dress before her eyes met the guests.

…and just for a second, her heart stopped, mouth slightly parting as she met the blue gaze she dreamed of for so many years.

”May we dance, Mrs. Winterbourne?” Thomas Shelby asked, standing side to side with her husband. Slightly shorter yet visibly towering over him.

For once she forgot her manners, not able to tear her eyes away from him as she gave a quick nod and without another word, he grabbed her hand pulling her towards the dance floor among other couples. Completely stiff and frozen, her vocal chords were not cooperating as she was on the verge of a panic attack.

His hands grabbed her own, setting them on his shoulders as he pulled her closer.

”Breathe” He said quietly in a husky tone as his scent almost made her faint.

After Hours

Part 9

Previous part here

……………………………………………………………………………

How long was he there?

How much did he see?

Has he been there before?

Did he know it was me onstage?

What is he thinking?

The questions that she had no answers to were swirling around in her head nonstop, and as Y/N kept reliving the moment she and Robert’s eyes had met outside the club, she felt like she was going to die both from embarrassment and from the nervous anticipation of when they’d see each other tomorrow.

Of course, she was completely unable to sleep, instead worrying about how Robert was going to react, what she was going to say to him, and how this would affect them.

It couldn’t be that big of a deal, right? It’s not like she’d done anything wrong. And while it’d only been earlier that same day, she had told him she had another job.

As she remembered that, Y/N groaned and pulled her pillow over her head. She was positive that this was not the kind of job Robert would have imagined her having when she’d told him that.

But what was he doing there? In all the time she’d worked at Plume, she’d never seen him there before. Had he been there but she’d just never noticed? Had he seen her other times, but never said anything?

As she got ready for work the next morning, Y/N’s heart was pounding the whole time. Of course, the easy thing to do would just be to call in sick, but Robert would know she was just avoiding him if she did that. And despite how awkward it would be, she decided it’d be better to just face him and address it than dodge the situation. She couldn’t avoid it forever, and she prayed that it wouldn’t be anything that would throw things off between them too much.

She could only hope that it would end up being something they would laugh about.

•.•.•.•.•

“So, with the selection of our school for the grant, the Dean would like to recognize Fischer Morrow at the upcoming alumni dinner.”

Sitting at the large table in the boardroom, Y/N was only half listening as the meeting with the board and the representative from the School of Arts continued. The meeting began first thing in the morning, and Y/N and Robert had yet to connect.

Sitting across from each other at the table, their eyes had met several times, but Y/N couldn’t read the look on Robert’s face, and she’d quickly looked away each time for fear that he’d see her blush. She could sense a vibe from him though, and she was nervous, as he seemed to be…she didn’t know what, exactly, but it wasn’t what she usually felt from him.

He was very much his business self today, all authority, serious, a firm tone, and brief answers. She couldn’t help but think it had everything to do with the fact that he’d seen her last night, and she now worried that his opinion of her had changed.

It shouldn’t have. He knew her well enough to know that her working at Plume didn’t mean she was suddenly a different person, or so she thought. She just had to find a moment to explain things to him.

When the meeting finally came to an end after what felt like an eternity, Y/N’s heart began to race again. Everyone rose from their chairs to leave, and she knew she had to try and speak to Robert now, because she just couldn’t wait until later.

Fortunately, someone had stopped him to talk on the way out of the meeting, and so he and Robert were still standing near their chairs at the table as everyone else filed out of the room. Y/N discreetly made her way nearer to them, lingering close enough to tell when their conversation would be over, but not hovering. Her heart began to race again as the two men started to wrap up their conversation. Once they’d shaken hands and began to move towards the door, Y/N stepped forward, a little surprised that Robert clearly didn’t plan on staying behind to talk to her — she knew that he knew she was still there.

“Robert?” she spoke up before he’d made it to the door. “Can we talk for a minute?”

Why was she so nervous? She hadn’t done anything wrong.

Turning his head over his shoulder, Robert finally acknowledged her.

“Sure, but you’ll have to make it quick,” he said very matter-of-factly. “I have another meeting in fifteen minutes.”

Finally, he fully turned to face her, and Y/N took the remaining steps to close the distance between them, stopping in front of him. He looked at her not with the warmth he usually did, but with the chillier business persona he used when things were serious.

Taking a deep breath, Y/N spoke.

“Are you upset with me?” she asked him quietly.

“No,” he replied, but his attitude didn’t have her convinced. “Should I be?”

“Listen, I know it was probably a surprise for you to see me there last night,” she began, both of them knowing exactly what she was talking about, not needing to elaborate.

“A bit,” he agreed simply.

“Had you, I mean, were you…have you been there before?”

“No,” Robert lied, shaking his head. “But a friend of mine has been, and he’s considering investing to open another location. He asked me to check it out and see if I’d be interested in going in on it with him.”

Y/N nodded slowly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, I’d heard about that possibly happening a while back,” she said.

Robert shifted and put his hands in his pockets as he stood up straighter.

“So, when you didn’t want to make plans last night, I went there instead and finally checked it out,” he said.

Y/N shook her head and frowned.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to make plans with you,” she said adamantly. “But I had to be there last night. They were expecting me.”

“I’m sure they were,” Robert said coldly, his expression condescending.

Y/N frowned again. Her heart pounding once more, she could tell she was losing him, but she wasn’t even sure exactly why. Why was he so angry?

“Robert,” she began again, shaking her head, “I’m…I mean, I realize you must be wondering a million things, but I—”

“Can I just ask one question?” Robert suddenly said, cutting her off.

“Umm,” Y/N’s heart was racing and she felt like she was being interrogated for a crime she didn’t commit. “Sure.”

“Do you choose the songs you perform there?” he asked, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow.

Y/N’s brow furrowed, unsure where he was going with this.

“Well, yes,” she said slowly. “Why?”

Robert shook his head and made a face of dismissive judgment.

“Just wondering,” he said. “Obviously, you must have chosen them because you can relate to the songs based on…personal experience, right?”

For a moment, it was completely silent in the room. But as Y/N processed what Robert said and his implication, he saw her expression slowly change from nervous and confused, to pained and shocked. And then the silence was suddenly broken when the loud smack of her hand slapping across his cheek echoed through the room.

Robert barely had time to register the change in Y/N’s expression before he felt the sharp sting of her palm across his face. When her hand had lowered and he looked at her again, she gave him no chance to say anything before she looked down and pulled her planner out of the stack of work documents in her arm. Shifting, she then dropped everything but her planner onto the table, the sound of which echoed in the room almost as loud as the slap she’d given him had.

Looking up again, Y/N met Robert’s eyes a final time.

“I quit,” she said to him.

Then she turned and grabbed the door handle, opening the door and walking out without another word.

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You and Arthur and a couple of the Lee boys, you'll be in charge of getting Barney into position. He'll be up in the lighting gantry. We'll need chains and a twitch, Tom. No. I will medicate him. Peaky Blinders | 5x06 Mr. Jones