Fucked Up Gallagher (Book Two)

Chapter three

"Enzo, I think I'm gonna go home today. Drop me here thought." I give him a paper that has the address Ian texted me a few weeks ago. It was his boyfriends. He said in case I came home but he wasn't to look there. I walk up to the large doors and knock

"Hello? Can I help you" A man says. He's tall, cute and I can see why Ian likes him. "Yeah lookin' for my brother," I tell him, slightly stepping back. Mans scary as fuck. How can he be that tall and that- "Ian?" He says pulling me out of my thoughts. "Yeah, heard you two are a thing. He here?" 

"He will be in an hour, which sibling are you?" I laugh. Ian probably avoids me in conversation, I'm the secret sister who showed up for a year and then left with my insane mother. "One he doesn't talk about." I can see the man think for a second. "Amanda?" This is weird, I've never met this dude, he's JUST started dating Ian and I'm barging into his home. "Yeah. listen Just tell him I came by." I start to turn away. "No, Please stay. It's cold and Ian would never forgive me if I let you leave."

"Alright." he steps aside and I step in. "Names Caleb." He holds out his hand. "Amanda." I shake his hand and look around at his place.

"Your bleeding!" He grabbed my arm and looks closer at my hand. "Punched a wall on the way in."

"Why? Here let me wrap it. I'm a firefighter."  God that so protocol. He has down the whole, says what he's going to do, and then says why. It's the equivalent of a cop saying, Your under arrest by CPD. "Oh okay, why, Seeing my family for the first time in over a year," I answer him. "Where did you go?"

"with our bipolar mom. I had an episode and left with her." I shrug. "You and Ian are bipolar?" So he's told him. "Yeah, dipshit was the reason I ran. got caught and almost got sent to a nuthouse."
"You were with him?" Caleb asks me.  "Yeah, he told you bout that?"

"Not really, just know he was there" There's a long pause. 

"I'm surprised, you seem...nice," I tell him, not knowing what else to say. "Yeah, and whys that so surprising."

"Ian's south side. Bad relationships, they definitely don't like the homos where I'm from.  He dated my best friend for a while." he gives me a confused look. "Aret you a little.."

"younger? Yeah, my friends older than Ian by two years. They seemed good together when they weren't punching each other or running away to the Army."

"That explains how he was when we first met."

"Fuck first, ask later?" I ask, laughing a bit. "Yeah," Caleb says. "Most people leave or figure Ian's gonna leave."

"Whys that? he leaves a lot?"

"Nah, Bipolar though. Makes people do stupid shit. Our mom left, kept leaving. I left, Ian did once or twice. But he's on med now."

"Are you? On meds that is." His eyes flicker to mine as if he's trying to see if I'm lying to him when I answer.  "Nah, Didn't do much good when I was with our mom."

"Why'd you go live with her?" he asks. "I wasn't use to this." I motion around. "A house, people who care, not getting woken up with a gun in your face or with bottles of shit around." I make eye contact for a split second and I see him look at the scar-forming above my eye. "Shit scared me. Ian leaves for like a day, But he comes back because His family is here, his friends, he has a life. I knew them for a year, and then left."

"How'd you meet them."

"Went to visit Mickey, My friend. But I also was selling cars and I got caught by the cops trying to sell a car. They stabbed me and in the hospital Mickey busted me out. The Gallaghers found out about me because the cps asked about my mom. Ian found me at Mickey and got me to his house, Kept me there after my runaway attempts." I pause and look at him. "Ian is probably the nicest person I know, Saved my ass from freezing at night and kept me sane. Don't fuck him up more than he already is." I point a finger at him. "Yes, Ma'am." We talk for a few minutes. he mostly talks about his art and how he makes it. 

"He thought it was his fault you left. He said you two just started to become friends. When he got out and went to talk to you they said you ran off." He pauses. "You talk to anyone else yet?"
"No, I mean, I saw Mickey today. I wanted to see Ian, but he has a life now and I don't know if I should."
"He misses you."
"I'm gonna go. I'll talk to him later." He lightly grabs my arm. "Please Ian would be heartbroken." 
"Your like a therapist you know that. I don't even want to talk to you." He laughs. "Firefighters  have that effect on people."

I hear a knock at the door. "Since when is this locked?" I hear Ian yell into the door. "Coming!" Caleb says getting up. "Someones here to see you." He tells him while opening the door. "Who would-" He stops when he sees me. "Am I seeing shit?" He says almost about to cry. "No Ian, I'm here." He throws down his bag. "Fucking hell." He says as he hugs me. "Are you okay? where did you go?" I try to pull myself away but he holds on to me. "I'll fill you in."