Under the covers, the two were tightly embraced, the atmosphere in the basement turning thick and heavy.
They were like two playful, eager little animals, rolling and tangling on the bed. The quilt was kicked aside, and the narrow single bed groaned in protest under their combined weight.
Just at the critical moment.
Bang! Bang!
Two incredibly loud slams echoed from upstairs, followed immediately by Carl's raucous shouting and Debbie's complaining voice.
Carl and Debbie were home from school.
The sudden noise was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing the heated flame that had just sparked in the basement.
Both of them froze.
The intense kissing stopped, and their entangled limbs slowly loosened.
Shane gasped for air, looking up at the ceiling with furrowed brows, his face written with the frustration and annoyance of being interrupted.
Karen was panting slightly too. The haze of passion in her blue eyes hadn't fully faded, but a look of clarity—and disappointment—was creeping in.
She pouted and whispered:
"Damn it..."
The soaring passion was now like a popped balloon, deflating rapidly.
There was no help for it. In the Gallagher house, private space—especially for intimate activities—was a luxury.
They looked at each other and saw the same regret and amusement in each other's eyes.
Shane sighed, rolled off Karen, and lay back down beside her, pulling the quilt up to cover them both.
Karen turned on her side, curling into his arms like a kitten, resting her head on his shoulder, her finger tracing aimless circles on his chest.
Even though they couldn't go further, this moment of warmth and intimacy wasn't bad.
After their steamy tussle, both of their faces were still flushed.
But gradually, the noise from upstairs grew louder—footsteps, shouting, and Debbie's high-pitched laughter clearly signaling the return of the rest of the Gallagher clan.
Shane silently cursed his luck, regretfully hitting pause on this "deep exchange."
He didn't have a fetish for putting on a "live show" for his entire family to hear.
taking a few deep breaths to calm his racing blood, he exchanged one last lingering kiss with Karen. Shane straightened his slightly messy clothes and took Karen's hand to head upstairs.
In the kitchen, Fiona was busy at the stove, with Ian helping out.
Fiona turned around and saw the two walking up hand-in-hand. She grinned, teasing:
"Whoa! Look who emerged from the depths! The Gallagher family savior, the lucky star himself!"
Ian turned around too, joining in with a wolf whistle:
"Woo~!"
Immediately, they both noticed the residual flush on Shane and Karen's faces and the sticky, intimate atmosphere between them. They exchanged a knowing "we know what you did" smirk.
Shane's mouth twitched, but he didn't bother explaining. There was no explaining this kind of thing anyway.
He turned to Karen. "Karen, you wanna stay for dinner?"
Karen shook her head, running her fingers through her hair to smooth it out.
"Nah, I'll eat at home. If I don't go back, my dad will just nag me endlessly."
A look of obvious annoyance flashed across her face, but she quickly leaned in and pecked Shane on the lips. "I'm going, sweetie. Bye, I'll miss you."
Shane walked her to the door and watched her skip away around the corner. The Jackson house wasn't far, just a ten-minute walk.
He turned back inside and went to the kitchen to help Fiona and Ian prep.
As Fiona stirred the meat and veggies in the pan, she bumped Shane's shoulder, her tone mixed with care and curiosity:
"Hey, Shane, seriously. You and Karen are the most stable couple I've seen besides... V and Kev. How do you do it? Did you inherit some 'devoted lover' gene from your Asian side?"
Fiona laughed at her own joke before adding self-deprecatingly, "Of course, the title of 'Queen of Devotion' on the South Side belongs to me, you know?"
Ian burst out laughing. "Yeah, yeah, we all know that."
Just then, Lip walked in with his backpack. Sensing the unusually light atmosphere, he asked:
"What's up? What are you laughing at? Share the good news."
Fiona beat everyone to it, excitement in her voice:
"You won't believe it! Shane found a wallet today with over eight hundred bucks in it!"
Lip froze mid-motion, dropping his bag on the floor. His face was a picture of disbelief.
"What the f?! Over eight hundred?! For real?! What kind of idiot carries that much cash?"
"Of course!" Fiona proudly grabbed the brown wallet and fanned out a stack of bills in front of Lip.
Lip's eyes lit up. "Holy sht."
He walked over and punched Shane's shoulder hard.
"Nice work, man!" But Lip's street smarts kicked in immediately. "But why didn't you keep the ID or cards? We could've tracked the owner down and scammed a reward out of them too."
Shane was ready for this. He put on a look of "regret" and "fear," sticking to his script:
"I was just looking at the cash, man. My heart was pounding out of my chest. I didn't think about anything else. I just took the money and tossed the wallet right there."
Lip clicked his tongue, thinking it was a waste, but asked quickly: "Where'd you find it?"
"Just the alley by the supermarket."
Shane gave a vague location.
"Okay. Next time we shop there, gotta keep our eyes peeled. Maybe there's more than one idiot like that."
Lip made a mental note.
At that moment, Carl and Debbie ran down from upstairs, sniffing the air like sharks smelling blood.
Carl inhaled deeply: "Whoa! It smells like meat! Real meat!"
Debbie's eyes lit up too. They hadn't smelled such a rich meat aroma in the house for a long time.
In Season 1, the family's income basically relied on Fiona's odd jobs, Lip's scams, and Ian's grocery store wages.
In winter, they struggled just to keep the lights and heat on. Meat was a luxury item for the Gallaghers.
"Why are we having meat today?" Debbie looked up and asked.
Fiona dumped the pasta into the pot, not looking up.
"I won't steal his thunder. Ask your brother Shane if he wants to tell you."
So, surrounded by Carl and Debbie's adoring and curious gazes, under Lip's interrogation, and with Fiona and Ian's teasing commentary, a lively dinner was served.
The family gathered around the greasy table. The plates were piled high with meat sauce pasta (not a ton of meat, but a huge improvement), and the air was filled with the smell of food and laughter.
Fiona looked at the scene—her siblings wolfing down food, Shane and Lip bickering playfully—and a hint of unshed tears glistened in her eyes.