Adult

"I want what I give. Simple as that"
-R. H. Sin

Mariana's POV

I woke up tangled in Alfie's hold.
His warm chest acting as my pillow, his legs weaved with mine. He had one arm around my waist, it seemed to have snaked under the shirt I was wearing and I could feel his rough large hand against my skin, resting on my hip, the rings felt foreign against me.

His other hand was wound into my hair, holding me to him as his head rested on top of mine.
The sunlight was lighting the entire room up in a warm glow, seeing as he didn't shut the curtains last night.

I just laid there, watching him and revelling in the warmth and peace this morning was bringing me.
I tried to get up, but I was pulled back down by Alfie's big arms.

He nestled his face into my neck, making me laugh
I tried again, succeeding this time and slipping out of the bed.
The floor felt warm under my feet, considering the sun was beaming into the room.

I made my way round the bed to the door, leaving a small kiss on Alfie's cheek before trotting downstairs
I flicked the stove on and began making breakfast.
I planned on going back home later today, I appreciate everything Alfie's done for me, but I couldn't outstay my welcome.

I made eggs, bacon, toast, sausages and tea.
It was the least I could do for him.

Alfie's POV

My back actually felt quite better this morning.
I remember waking up earlier, the sun was fucking blinding but I couldn't be arsed to get up. So I went back to sleep.

Then I woke up again when the bed shifted, knowing Mar had gotten out of bed. I was going to get up as well but then she kissed my cheek.
I'm assuming she'd thought I was asleep. But it actually felt really nice.

Last night was foreign territory for me. I'd never really slept with a woman before. Just sleeping. But it was good.
She was soft and warm and I didn't have as many nightmares as I usually did.

I eventually got up, as I pulled a shirt on I could smell something cooking downstairs.
I slowly got down the stairs, to find Mariana stood over the stove, her hair draped over one shoulder and my shirt coming down to just above her thighs.

She looked like a painting, something you would never get tired of staring at.
I cleared my throat, sitting down at the small table in the kitchen.

She turned around and smiled at me
"Breakfast?" She asked, plating two eggs up
I nodded, taking the plate from her when she came closer.

"Thanks dove" I said, beginning to eat
She sat down opposite me, digging into her own plate.
It felt weird, but a good weird.
This was foreign to me... eating breakfast with someone else, having a woman in my house.

"You not working today?" She asked, glancing at the clock on the wall
It was 10.20 now, normally I would have been at the bakery hours ago
"No, thought I'd stay and uh... look after ya" I told her, clearing my throat after she wouldn't stop staring at me.

I didn't know how to feel when she stared at me. There was always something in her eyes I couldn't decipher, I didn't like it, I didn't like it understanding.

I only had today with her and then Tommy was going to pick her up. A decision I was regretting more and more as I sat and watched her. I wasn't even sure if she'd go with him.

She made this house more... warm I guess. Less lonely
She giggled at me
"You don't need to look after me, I'll be out of your way in a few hours" she dismissed with a wave of her hand.

"You're leaving?" I asked, pushing my finished plate away.
She nodded
"I can't burden you forever Alfie... plus I still have a business to run" she explained.

I nodded, slightly disappointed that she wasn't staying, but at the same time I was relieved she was going back to work, means she wasn't willing to 'recover' with Tommy.

"I'll uh- I'll drop you in a while then" I offered, earning a small smile from her
She stood up, gathering out plates and putting them in the sink.

She'd barely turned back around when there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it" I told her, it was my house after all and I didn't really want anyone seeing her in the attire she was currently in.

I opened the door, and there they were.
Thomas fucking Shelby, accompanied by another prick who looked just like him.
I'm assuming this was John Shelby then.

"She here?" Tommy asked
I leant against the door frame
"I believe I had another day with her" I questioned back
"Where is she?" The other prick said, nothing but bitterness in his voice.

"Tommy?" I turned around to see Mar in the hallway, at the bottom of the stairs
She stared at them and then at me, sighing and walking off back into the living room.

I followed after her, leaving the door open for those peaky cunts.
"Why are they here?" She asked me
I sighed
"He wants you back with them" I said

Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion
"If you didn't want me to stay you could have just said... I would have gone earlier" she said as Tommy and John strolled into the living room.

"No dove... it weren't like that, I want you here" I tried to explained, without sounding like a fucking idiot in front of these two pricks.
"What the fuck are you wearing?" John asked, pure disgust on his face.

"I want to stay here too" she mumbled, her eyes never leaving mine
"Hello? I said what the fuck are you wearing?" John asked louder.
"Shut it John yeah?" Mar seethed at him.

She turned her attention to the two men in the doorway
"Why are you here?" She asked, arms crossed
"Why are you walking around like that?" John asked back.

"Did you fuck him?" Tommy asked unamused, she didn't answer
"Did you?... Oi, did you fuck her? She's in a vulnerable state..."
"Vulnerable state" Mariana scoffed, cutting Tommy off.

"Mar" he said simply, his voice hard
She rolled her eyes
"No. I didn't fuck him. Wasn't really in the mood after being banged up for days with a rapist... something you probably didn't even know. Where were you Tommy?" She asked
He looked slightly taken back by her words, probably shocked that I knew about the prison guard.

"Huh?" She asked loudly
"I had business back home, I sent John" he said calmly, she just laughed at him.
"What business?" She asked.

"May?" She asked, Tommy's eyes flickered to the floor before looking to John
"Yeah... business" she scoffed
"Just get out" she said.

"You're not stable Mar, come home with us for a while" John said, his voice slightly softer towards her
"No" she said immediately
"No?" He laughed
"You heard me. I'm not a child. If I want to stay I'll stay, if I want to go back to work I will. If I wanna fuck Alfie i'll fuck him, it has nothing. To do. With you" she shouted.

"Nothing to do with us?" Tommy asked
"We're the ones that have been there Mar, we're the ones that are always coming to your rescue when your so fucked out of your head you don't know what's what" Tommy said, pointing up to his brain.

"Then where were you a night ago?" She asked blankly
"I tried" Tommy said, jaw clenched.

It felt odd not speaking much in the presence of these lot.
But I wanted to see how they acted around each other.
And it seemed to be quite fucking volatile.

"I don't need you Tommy, I never fucking have" she shouted
He chuckled dryly at her.
"Yeah you're right, you're completely right Mar, you don't need us. Like you didn't need me when you cried in the street eh?... like you didn't need me every time you blacked out and woke up with blood on your hands?... yeah I'm sure you managed just fine the other night with Milton's hands all over you" he shouted.

"Oi that's uncalled for" I began
"Shut the fuck up" John bit back at me
"Aye... aye, I respect your concern for her yeah... but don't you dare disrespect me in my own fucking house alright" I said calmly with a pointed finger. Fucking scum.

"Fuck you" John said bitterly
"Thomas... I'm gonna give you 3 seconds to get your cunt of a brother out my house. If not I can't promise you it'll end amicably, or with him keeping his legs" I said, glaring at John.

"I'm not going without her" John stated, putting his hands in his pockets and staring to Mar with a pointed look
"And I'm not going. Period" she smiled at him.

Tommy stood for a moment, looking at her
"John... wait outside" he said, not breaking eye contact
John obeyed with slight hesitation.

"Alfie... a word?" He asked, I looked to Mar, who gave a slight nod, waltzing off into the kitchen and shutting the door.
No doubt she was probably listening through the wall.

"We had a deal Alfie" Tommy said blankly, still staring at the wall.
"Yeah... yeah we did... but if she don't wanna go... well then she don't wanna fucking go does she?" I asked, sitting down on one of the sofas.

"Why's she in your shirt?" He asked
"Why'd you care?" I asked
"Like I said... she's vulnerable, don't want ya taking advantage" he said
"And there was me thinking you held me in a higher regard than that" I mumbled.

"She can stay-"
"Her choice" I butted in
"She can stay... as long as you keep me updated on how she's doing.
Even if she's being difficult, she's still hurting" he explained.

If it were any other man it may have sounded genuine, but there was something about Tommy's voice that let you know he didn't give one single fuck. Yet his eyes said something else.
He cared for her. In some fucked up way he cared for her, it was obvious.

"Is that all?" I asked lightly, bored of the conversation
He gave a small nod, and then left.
I sat for a moment, hearing the front door slam and then the kitchen door open.

"Gone?" She asked
I nodded, she smiled, then moved across the room and sat next to me.
"You really want me to stay?" She asked quietly
"As long as you want to" I said.

She hummed, looking out of the window at the Shelby's car that had started up
"I won't stay too long, just as long as Tommy's out of my way" she chuckled.

"What do you wanna do today then?" I asked after a while of silence.
I'd never really had a day off before, work was always in the back of my head.

She shrugged
"We could go out for lunch?" She suggested
Being out with other people sounded fucking terrible, but she seemed to have already read my mind.

"Or... we could have lunch here?" She asked, I nodded, smiling when she leant her head against my shoulder.

Tommy's POV

"Well what the fuck do we do now?" John asked, shoving a cigarette in his mouth
"Leave her. She wants to fuck around with him, let her. It'll pass" I explained, watching Mar in the window as I got in the car.

"We need to get ready for the derby"
If Mar wants to waste her time playing happy families then let her.
It'll fall apart, it always does with people like us.

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