While Shane's brain was churning like a blender, Karen, seeing him just stare at her blankly, pouted in annoyance. She reached out and punched him in the chest.
"Hey! Earth to Shane! Did you cook? It smells so good! I'm starving, go make me some!"
Still not satisfied, she gave his shin a light kick.
"Okay, okay. I'm going, I'm going." Shane responded instinctively, his body moving before his brain could catch up.
He took out the eggs and pork he just bought, cracked open two packs of instant noodles, and whipped up a bowl of stir-fried noodles with egg and meat.
Karen didn't complain about the simple meal. She sat at the table and dug in, chattering away about school gossip and funny things that happened recently between bites.
Shane absentmindedly mhmm-ed and uh-huh-ed, but his eyes kept drifting back to Karen.
The real Karen had a girlish charm that was even sweeter and more vivid than in the show.
Wonder if she's just as... enthusiastic in other areas.
Eating and talking, Karen noticed Shane's intense stare. She blushed slightly.
"What? Is Shane Gallagher captivated by the beautiful Karen Jackson once again?"
Hearing that, Shane felt a sudden impulse. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
Karen froze for a second, then reacted instantly. Instead of pulling away, she tilted her head back and met him. They shared a short but sticky, sweet kiss right there at the dinner table.
When the kiss broke, Shane felt a bit lightheaded, and the sleepiness hit him harder.
He stroked Karen's hair.
"I... I gotta take a nap. Just leave the bowl in the sink when you're done, I'll wash it later. You can watch TV if you want."
He let out a huge yawn. Relying on muscle memory, he turned around, scooped up Liam, and headed straight for the basement, completely missing Karen puffing out her cheeks in frustration and stomping her foot behind him.
The basement door clicked shut.
Shane placed the already drowsy Liam on the edge of the bed and lay down on the other side.
Lying there, half-asleep, images flashed through his mind: Karen's face, the Temu interface, Frank's drunk mug.
"This damn transmigration... full of surprises."
Maybe it was the shock of the transition or the mental strain of adapting, but despite the full stomach, a bone-deep exhaustion washed over him.
His eyelids felt like lead weights. All he wanted to do was sleep and not think about anything.
He straightened out the covers on his narrow single bed, tucked Liam into a safe corner where he wouldn't roll off, and instantly fell into a deep sleep.
Somewhere between dreaming and waking, he felt a soft body slide under the covers with him. She snuggled up naturally, her arm draping over his waist.
He was too far gone to care. His subconscious knew who it was. He grunted, didn't resist, and instinctively pulled the warmth closer. They fell into a deep sleep together.
---
He didn't know how much time had passed.
Creeeak—
The sound of his basement door opening woke him up. It wasn't exactly soundproof.
Shane opened his eyes, alert but groggy, looking toward the door.
It was Fiona. She looked tired, but mostly relieved.
"Hey. I was wondering where you guys were."
Fiona kept her voice low. "It's past five. Did you buy all that food in the fridge?"
When she went to put away the groceries she bought after her shift, she noticed the fridge was stocked way better than it had been that morning.
Lip wouldn't buy real food. Ian mostly brought back snacks and soda.
Debbie and Carl? Forget about it.
So Fiona figured it had to be Shane.
Shane's brain was still rebooting. He mumbled:
"Yeah... yeah, I bought it."
He rubbed his eyes, trying to focus, then pointed to the conspicuous brown wallet on the desk.
"Oh, right. I found a wallet today. Had some cash in it. Take a look. I'm still tired... can you take Liam? I think we woke him up."
Sure enough, Liam started fussing at the noise and light, scrunching up his face. Judging by the smell, he had definitely "unloaded" again.
Fiona picked up the wallet skeptically and unzipped it.
When she saw the thick stack of green bills, her eyes went wide.
She counted it fast. Disbelief turned into pure joy.
"Eight hundred and eighty-eight bucks! Oh my god! Shane! You are... you are a lifesaver!"
Fiona's voice trembled with excitement. $800 was enough to buy food for two weeks!
She rushed over to the bed and planted a loud kiss on Shane's sleepy cheek.
"This money... this solves so many problems for us! Thank you!"
She carefully picked up the crying Liam, bouncing him to gauge the weight and verify the "situation."
"I'm gonna go make dinner and change this little guy. You go back to sleep. With Karen."
Karen?
Shane blinked, fully waking up now. He turned his head.
Karen was sleeping right next to him, breathing evenly, deep in dreamland. Her long blonde hair was spread out over his pillow, her cheeks flushed pink.
He didn't know when she'd snuck in, but she looked like she belonged there.
Fiona held Liam, completely unfazed by the two of them in bed together. She just gave Shane a "I get it" look and quietly closed the door.
The room fell silent again, save for Karen's soft breathing.
Shane could smell the faint scent of her shampoo.
He couldn't sleep now.
The drowsiness was gone, chased away by Fiona's excitement and the success of the "wallet" lie. Now, his attention was entirely on the sleeping girl beside him.
In the dim light, Karen was curled up like a small animal, looking incredibly precious.
Her eyes were closed, her nose slightly upturned. She didn't have that frantic, destructive energy she had in the show. Right now, Karen looked pure and harmless, like a kitten with its claws retracted.
"Damn it..." Shane cursed silently. This peaceful, sweet sleeping face was lethal to a teenage boy who had just transmigrated and was brimming with hormones.
An uncontrollable urge surged up.
Shane couldn't resist. He leaned in and kissed Karen.