SWEETHEARTS

Sophie's hair blew wildly in the wind, her long curly locks completely airborne at the speed her horse galloped. King was her favourite horse to ride, he was definitely the fastest horse they kept in the stables and could definitely be a strong contender for the races if he wasn't so strong-willed. Sophie had been the only one able to actually ride him without being bucked off or even been able to mount him in the first place. She'd seemed to develop a special understanding with him, two wild souls connected. It took a lot of dominance to get him to do as she said but eventually he had learnt to respect her and allow her to ride him. So now months later she pushed him as fast as he would go, bursting through the fields on the outskirts of Birmingham.

Sophie's nose and cheeks had reddened from the harsh cold wind as it whipped at her face, her scabs burning from the sensation. Her head felt foggy, clogged with thoughts and memories of everything that had happened in the past few days. Wandering Italian hands crawled across her brain as glasses smashed against the walls and her shouts at her brother echoed. Polly had been uncharacteristically overbearing since she'd been home, an obvious sign that she was worried about the young girl. While Sophie appreciated the concern, she was too caught up in the demons in her head to let her solemn resolve melt to reassure her aunt. Her head pounded and ached and it felt heavy on her shoulders.

Tightening her grip on King's reins, she clenched her thighs around his body as he leapt over the frail wooden gate leading to the overgrown field next to the road. The grass had grown long, with beautiful wild flowers growing amongst it. Her mind began to clear as she felt her freedom under her fingertips. She'd found the clarity she'd been yearning for on the back of this horse. Sophie inhaled deeply, the fresh cold air tickling her lungs as tears streamed steadily down her cheeks. King slowed to a walk, happy to graze on the long grass. Her eyes fluttered shut while she focused on her balanced breathing. She could faintly hear the occasional car speed across the long road into Birmingham.

Letting the world refocus and calm in her brain, the cold started to seep in. Her thin red dress had hitched up to her mid thighs, unable to drop to its full length due to her position on top of the horse. The burgundy corset was tight on her ribcage, with black stitching outlining the boning. Its flimsy thin straps that held the loose fabric covering her breasts barely held onto her shoulders. She'd stolen one of her brother's large tailored coats, its black expensive fabric was bunched around where she sat and the sleeves reached past her fingertips. Partially hidden by her dark bushy hair, she wore gold hoops in her ears, a gift from Polly from when she had turned eighteen. She could almost hear her aunt's voice, telling her how she looked like the wildest gypsy she'd ever seen at the sight of the girl sitting on top of the bay horse. Somedays Sophie thought about surrendering to that part of her, hitching a wagon and travelling around England, but she often shrugged the idea off as nothing more than a ridiculous notion.

Her lungs inflated and deflated slowly, clean crisp air clearing away the dark mist inside her body. Her throat almost burnt at the cold freshness of it. With a particularly large inhale, Sophie immediately felt at peace and assuredly wiped her tears away. She knew she'd overreacted with Thomas earlier, sure she had a right to be angry- furious even- that she'd suffered as a result of his actions, but she knew her brother hadn't anticipated her to get caught up in it. While she worried about how invested Tommy was in the business, she knew he meant no harm. In truth, Sophie believed he was only so deeply infused with the business because it stopped his mind from wandering to things he was trying to avoid. He'd been different since the war; John and Arthur too. She'd heard stories of Arthur's uncontrollable rage and violence, and knew his mind had never really came back from France. John had become quieter, in between the teasing and laughing there were moments where he would sit quietly lost in a memory that he couldn't seem to shake. Thomas on the other hand, had complete tunnel vision. Anything that was not in the interest of the business would have to wait, put off for another time that would never come. He still cared deeply for his family, but he was somewhat afraid to show it. Weakness or vulnerability was not a place Tommy was comfortable hovering between. He'd been a fairly reserved person before France, but it had been catapulted to an icy level when he'd returned. Sophie was talented in reading people, and she could see his sorrow in his eyes when he'd found out about the attacks she and Ada had endured. She'd pretended not to notice the Peaky boys that would linger at the edges of the fields she rode and slept in, their pathetic attempts at hiding becoming futile, and she'd known it was Thomas making sure she was safe.

Swept up in her heavy thoughts, she'd lurched King into a light trot, slowly making her way around the field with no clear direction. The movement seemed to make her thoughts flow more freely, a natural release to coax out the issues that had been plaguing her. She began to make plans in her head to apologise to Tommy, guilt beginning to creep in. As much as it gave her a great sense of autonomy and tranquillity, she also knew she needed to stop sleeping in the fields. She could see the worry it was causing in her family and while she detested their overbearing care for her, she didn't want to upset them.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sophie noticed a fancy black car pull over on the side of the road next to the gate she'd jumped. Instinctively, she tightened her hold on King's reins and prepared to sprint away. Flexing her right foot, she could feel the switchblade she'd hidden in her boot as it constricted against the laces tied up to above her lower calf. The rigidity that had flooded her bones quickly released as she saw a familiar burly figure exit the back door of the car. Her heart warmed and a large toothy grin appeared on her face as she watched him from afar. She could see him motion in the air in exasperation, clearly shouting at whoever was driving the car. Sophie giggled at his antics, kicking King into a canter and speeding towards Alfie.

"Fucking hell Ollie I know we are on our way to the hellhole of England, don't mean you have to send me to actual hell on the way mate. Fucking never getting you to drive again." Alfie grumbled. Swallowing the nausea that had built up in his throat from Ollie's shaky driving, he turned to face the field they'd pulled up next to and watched his beautiful girl ride her horse towards him. Completely transfixed, Alfie's eyes darted across the girl trying to capture the memory of her untamed curls flowing freely in the wind and her picture-perfect smile as she neared.

"Now that's not very nice of you, Mr Solomons." Sophie teased, slowing to a halt a few metres before him. The horse turned to the side, letting Alfie's eyes gaze over her exposed leg. He could feel the heat rush to his crotch as memories flooded his eyes of those pretty pale legs wrapped around him.

"Well if Ollie fucking learnt to drive properly, there'd be no need would there?" Alfie smiled, leaning against the three feet high stone wall that separated the two of them.

"Can't believe you dragged poor Ollie out here, not capable of driving yourself, Mr Solomons?" Sophie joked, a cheeky smile on her lips.

"Poor Ollie, eh? Pay him well enough, he can drive me up to your shithole every now and then." He shot back, his eyebrows raised at her teasing.

"I'm gonna tell Raisa you said that." Sophie mocked.

"Always so fucking cheeky." Alfie smiled, shaking his head at her in disbelief.

"C'mon then." Sophie said, tilting her head back, motioning for him to come closer. She swiftly dismounted the horse, and moved to open the gate for him. As she lifted the latch to pull it open, Alfie approached her and took her face in his hands. Gently pushing her hair back, he placed his palms on her cheeks and pulled her in for a deep kiss. His warm lips pressed passionately against her cold ones. Her heart sung with happiness, any lingering worries or fears vanished. Alfie separated from her, keeping her face in his hands as he stared intently into her eyes. Her cuts had begun to heal nicely, seeing no signs of infection in her scabs set his mind at ease. Wetness around her eyes had him narrowing his gaze at the young girl.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" He spoke softly.

Sophie let out a long breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding as she cast her eyes down to avoid Alfie's intense gaze.

"I had a big argument with Tommy." She muttered, taking a step back and moving towards King. "The whole family is worried about me, apparently."

"Because of the attack? You have been a bit on edge, love." said Alfie, his brows furrowing as he watched her take hold of the horse's reins.

"I know, I just… can't stop thinking about it." Sophie exhaled deeply, looking out over the vast field. "Just feel permanently disgusting, I can feel his hands on me all the time. I sleep out in the fields because the house is just too quiet. Polly kept coming into my room to check on me at night- it's just too much."

"Is that what you were arguing with your brother about then?" Alfie asked, studying the distant look in her eyes. He had a tight grip on his cane, anger flooding his veins at the thought of anyone but him putting their hands on Sophie. He'd spent the days since everything happened wishing he could change time and spare his beautiful girl from such ugly acts.

"Well that was part of it." She chuckled under her breath, angling her head to look directly at Alfie. "I told him about us."

"Right." He said, eyebrows raising in surprise. He'd figured when Tommy had made no mention of his sister at their meeting that she was going to keep it from him. While he didn't care if Thomas knew or not, it certainly made his life a lot easier if her brother was kept in the dark.

Sophie threw her head back in laughter, his surprised expression was foreign to her and his bushy eyebrows lifting above his wide eyes looked almost comical. Alfie's surprise quickly melted into a trance of awe as he watched her laugh. She looked so pure and child-like when she laughed like this, completely free of this world. He was transported to their first meeting, as they had held each other close on the dance floor and she threw her head back in laughter at something he'd said.

"According to him, you're using me." She scoffed, reaching out for his hand. Their fingers interlocked as he gently tugged her towards him, wrapping his other arm around her waist.

"Don't tell me I have to explain to you how fucking stupid that is, right love?" Alfie chuckled, delicately pressing their foreheads together.

"No, I know. That's why I threw a glass at him." Sophie spoke, smiling up at him.

"You fucking what?"

The pair erupted into laughter together, his deep bellows intertwining in the air with her tinkling girlish laugh. To an unknowing onlooker, the pair looked like young sweethearts in the early days of an unproblematic life long relationship. In that world, they'd go on to get engaged, married in a big but modest wedding and have multiple babies in a peaceful family home. There would be no territory wars, no politics and no sinister family businesses. Maybe one day they'd have the picturesque family home somewhere far away and all the nastiness of London and Birmingham left behind them, but Sophie wasn't certain they'd ever be able to untangle themselves from the difficulties of their lives. As their laughter died down, Sophie rested her head on Alfie's shoulder with a quiet smile. Alfie had wrapped his arms around the young girl, holding her flush against his chest. Cherishing this perfect moment, so sorely needed in that moment, they swayed together silently.

Omg I'm so sorry it's been so long since I updated, this chapter was so hard to write I had major writers block lol

Pls pls review and lemme know what you guys think of the story so far and what you'd love to see happen!

Thank you for reading guys! 3