You hadn’t seen Ian Gallagher in weeks.

Not because you didn’t want to—but because every time you tried, life seemed to shove the two of you in different directions. Work, family chaos, his shifts, your problems… everything piled up until the silence between you felt louder than any fight you two had ever had.

Tonight, though, you found him on the Gallagher roof, sitting exactly where he always went to think. Knees pulled up, arms around them, city lights flickering across his face.

You hesitated before climbing up. “Ian?”

He stiffened, then slowly looked over. Something soft flickered in his eyes—surprise, relief, and a shadow of something heavier.

“You’re really here,” he said quietly.

You sat beside him, leaving a small space between you. “I’ve been trying to talk to you.”

“Yeah,” he murmured, staring out over the street. “I know.”

Silence again—awkward, thick. Not the comfortable kind you were used to.

Finally, you sighed. “There’s a lot we never say, Ian.”

He let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah. That’s kinda our problem.”

You turned toward him. “Like… I miss you. I miss how it was. Before everything got complicated.”

Ian’s jaw tightened. He didn’t answer right away. His chest rose and fell like he was holding back something bigger than a simple response.

“I miss you too,” he finally said, voice rough. “More than I should.”

Your heartbeat stumbled. “Then why didn’t you say anything?”

He looked down at his hands—shaking just a little. “Because I figured you’d move on. Because I told myself you were better off. Because… if I said it out loud, it would make wanting you even harder.”

You swallowed. “Ian…”

He shook his head, cutting you off gently. “There’s a lot of things I should’ve told you. That I cared more than I let on. That I thought about calling you every damn day. That I regretted letting the distance… happen.”

Your chest tightened. All the unsaid things between you were finally forming cracks in the silence.

“I thought you didn’t want me in your life anymore,” you whispered.

Ian blinked, and for a moment he looked genuinely hurt. “I always wanted you. I just didn’t think I deserved to.”

Those words hit harder than anything.

You moved closer—not touching him, but close enough that he could feel your presence. “We can’t fix the past. But we can talk now. We can be honest now.”

Ian nodded slowly, like he was letting himself breathe for the first time in months.

His voice came out barely above a whisper. “I never stopped caring about you.”