Late Afternoon.
The Kash & Grab.
Ian sat behind the counter, staring blankly into space, looking like his soul had left his body. He didn't snap out of it until a middle-aged man, dressed entirely in black with a scarf obscuring his face, stood right in front of him. Ian blinked, slowly coming back to reality.
The man in black gave Ian a cursory glance, didn't say a word, and walked straight toward the storage room in the back.
Kash, who was stocking shelves nearby, saw this and immediately stopped what he was doing. As he followed the man to the back, he called out, "Ian, watch the store."
Ian frowned slightly.
His ex-boyfriend was going to the back to hook up with another guy, practically right in front of his face.
Ian felt a pang of annoyance, but he just muttered, "Fine."
Kash didn't say anything else and quickly disappeared into the storage room with the man. Soon, they were getting down to business.
Ian turned his head slightly toward the back, but his mind inevitably drifted back to Mickey.
What is Mickey doing right now?
Is he thinking about me?
Ian zoned out again.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
Forced back to reality once more, Ian pulled out his phone and answered.
It was Fiona. She wanted Ian to come home for dinner tonight to celebrate Lip's return.
It was a Gallagher tradition.
Whenever a Gallagher got into deep shit and managed to come back, they had to celebrate. They acted like it was a triumphant return from war or something, though nobody really knew what there was to celebrate about barely surviving their own screw-ups.
Ian listened and fell silent.
He was lovesick—terminally so. It had been nearly a week since he and Mickey split, and he had zero energy for anything else. He didn't want to celebrate.
"Ian?" Fiona asked when he didn't reply. "Did you hear me?"
"I heard you," Ian replied weakly. Then, gritting his teeth, he added, "Okay. I'll head over in a bit."
"Come early, don't be late," Fiona said cheerfully.
"Yeah," Ian grunted, and hung up.
Creak—
The front door of the convenience store pushed open.
Mickey walked in. cigarette dangling from his lips, looking as cocky and thug-life as ever. But he wasn't alone. He had a pretty young girl on his arm.
Mickey shot a smirk at Ian, didn't say a word, and led the girl toward the aisles.
Ian, who had just put down his phone, watched this unfold. His pupils dilated instinctively. He clenched his fists, staring unblinkingly at Mickey.
Mickey caught Ian's reaction in his peripheral vision and felt a surge of satisfaction. But he didn't look at Ian directly. Instead, he smiled at the girl and said, "Pick whatever you want, babe."
The girl smiled and nodded. "Okay!"
Mickey slid his arm around her waist.
Seeing this, Ian's fists clenched tighter. He couldn't believe it. Mickey was with a woman!
A moment later.
Mickey and the girl walked up to the counter with their snacks.
Ian stood there stiff as a board, fists white-knuckled, staring at Mickey. He completely forgot he was supposed to ring them up.
Mickey wasn't in a rush. He just leaned back and smirked at Ian.
The girl waited two seconds, sensing the awkwardness. She spoke up to Ian. "Hey, cutie. Can we check out?"
The voice snapped Ian out of it. He hesitated, unclenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and started scanning the items.
Halfway through...
Ian couldn't hold it in. He squeezed the words out through his teeth, trying his hardest to sound casual. "Is this your girlfriend?"
Mickey grinned, arrogant as hell. "Yep. Girlfriend."
The word "girlfriend" hit Ian like a physical blow.
Instantly, Ian felt his heart seize up, twisting into a tight, painful knot.
Ian didn't say anything else to Mickey—he couldn't. He just clamped his jaw shut and scanned the rest of the items as fast as he could.
When he was done, he forced out the total amount to the girl.
Mickey smoothly pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and tossed it on the counter. "Keep the change."
Dropping that line, Mickey wrapped his arm around the girl's waist and walked out like he owned the place.
Creak—
The door slowly closed under Ian's pained gaze.
Mickey's figure disappeared.
In a flash, Ian's eyes turned red. He couldn't help but scream out a vicious curse.
"Fxxk!!!"
---
The Alibi Room.
Carl arrived after his shift. He had just sat down across from Peggy and hadn't even managed to say a word when Frank came rushing over.
"Ian! Your grandma is your problem now. I have an emergency. I'm leaving!"
After dumping that sentence, Frank tried to bolt.
Carl was speechless. He corrected him, "I'm Carl!"
Peggy didn't have the energy to get angry at Frank anymore. She just barked out an order. "Frank, where the hell do you think you're going?"
Frank stopped, baring his teeth in anger, furious at being leashed. But he didn't dare just walk out. He suppressed his rage, turned around, and slumped back toward the bar like a beaten dog.
"Where are you going? Go to Dex Restaurant. Order two dinners," Peggy commanded. A deal was a deal; since she made a pact with Dexter, she was going to torture Frank to death.
After barking at Frank, Peggy smiled at Carl. "Carl, what do you want to eat?"
"Beef noodles!" Carl replied instantly, looking happy.
Peggy turned back to Frank. "One beef noodle soup, one beef fried rice. Go. I'll pay Dexter later."
Frank's ugly face sagged. He asked weakly, "Just two dinners? What about me?"
"I'm your mother. You haven't bought me dinner once, and now you want me to treat you?" Peggy raised an eyebrow and snapped.
Frank folded instantly. He didn't dare talk back, so he obediently turned and walked out.
The second he stepped out of the Alibi, Frank started cursing a blue streak. He cursed all the way down the street to Dex restaurant.
Meanwhile.
Carl got a call from Fiona and listened to her invitation.
Carl didn't hesitate for a second. He rejected it. "Grandma just ordered me beef noodles from Dex place. I want to eat the noodles. I'm not coming back to eat."
Fiona was instantly pissed. Her tone sharpened. "Carl! Lip just got home today. You are a Gallagher. How can you not come back?"
Carl wanted his noodles. "I can see Lip tomorrow. Or I'll come back after I eat the noodles."
Family was important.
Tonight's dinner was supposed to be a family event.
Fiona, who was obsessed with keeping the family together, couldn't accept this compromise. "Carl, this dinner is to celebrate Lip coming home..."
Fiona went on a lecture.
Peggy, sitting opposite Carl, heard the gist of it. Her eyes lit up with an idea. She smiled and whispered to Carl, "Carl, tell her we'll come back to eat a little bit after we finish here."
Carl, whose IQ was somewhat limited, didn't see the trap. He thought it was a great idea. He nodded and said to Fiona, "Okay, I'll eat the noodles fast, then I'll come back with Grandma. Is that okay?"
Fiona: "..."
Fiona did not want Peggy there. "Carl, just you come back. Peggy doesn't need to come."
Carl, hearing this, didn't think twice. He turned to Peggy and relayed the message loudly. "Grandma, Fiona says you don't have to go."
The words went through the phone.
Fiona: "..."
Peggy chuckled. "I am your grandmother. Of course I have to go. Frank has to go too. We all need to celebrate Lip's return properly."
Carl thought that made sense. He nodded and went back to Fiona. "Fiona, me, Grandma, and Frank will all come back in a bit."
"?????" Fiona was speechless.
When Carl didn't get a response, he couldn't be bothered to keep talking. "Okay, that's it then. Bye."
Click.
He hung up.
Carl put his phone away and looked back toward the entrance of the Alibi, completely indifferent to how Fiona felt. He was just looking forward to his noodles.
Peggy was delighted. She beamed, lit a cigarette, and imagined the look on Fiona's face.
Oh, this was going to be fun.