Milkshake Hearts

Chapter 80: Fifteenth

The official start time of their 15th anniversary party is 7pm, and by 7:30 almost the entire staff of their company – plus Rhett and Link – are comfortably gathered in a large private room downstairs from a popular bar and restaurant. They start with speeches – Rhett and Link first, briefly, before Ian gives a speech of thanks to all of them that manages to make more than a few people in the room tear up. Courtney, for her part, sniffles lightly, thankful she had gone for waterproof makeup when she added a little more as part of her outfit change between work and the party.

There are three long tables set up in the room and they all mix across the tables, cast and crew intermingled across the space as they start the evening off slow with light drinks and dinner, even Shayne and Courtney splitting for once. Courtney finds herself sitting with Monica, Olivia, Link and two of their camera crew, while Shayne finds himself one table over with Sarah, Garrett, Matt and some of their editors. The room is loud and chaotic, but it manages to feel warm and peaceful at the same time. They really do feel like a big, messy family, and alongside the memories and nostalgia the 15th anniversary gives them all the energy to keep pushing for even more anniversaries to come.

The night had been divided into two parts when information had been given: dinner, and drinks. Large sections of their team make their leave after dinner winds down a couple of hours into the evening – mostly those with partners and children back home, or less of a penchant for partying. The remaining group, approximately half of the original size, manage to condense onto just one of the tables. It allows the bar staff to – as planned – quickly move the other tables back out of the way and open up access to the pool table and sofa setups over the far side of the room which had been blocked off beforehand.

The drink ordering picks up from that point, Courtney and Shayne having ubered to the venue with both feeling like they won't exactly hold back. Much of their team seems to have had similar plans, and somehow despite their group halving in size, the noise level stays constant.

Shayne finds himself with one of his go-to IPAs in hand, leaning back against the wall beside the pool table talking football with one of their editors and someone from props - the only others in their team with even a shred of interest in sports - as they watch Tommy absolutely smoke Ian at a game of 8-ball, much to Ian's embarrassment.

"How did you get so good at that?" Ian whines, cutting through much of the rest of the conversations around them with his volume.

"The cute guy in my dorm at college in Florida was always playing pool," Tommy confirms, earning himself a laugh from a handful of those around them before the cues are passed on to another set of players.

Courtney, for her part, has ended up sitting down on the sofas with most of the remaining women at the party, conversation flowing freely as they drink an assortment of ciders and cocktails. Olivia is the first to suggest shots, and after some deliberation and story-swapping about blacklisted alcohol categories they decide on tequila.

"Any of you guys ever actually done body shots?" One of their makeup team asks, after their tequila arrives and they all cheers their glasses before shooting them in unison.

"Not that I remember, but Kari did one off me once at some random party we went to because some guys were being pushy about it but didn't think to tell her she couldn't de-sexualise it by doing it off her sister," Courtney comments.

"I think I might have at college but those college party memories are quite fuzzy," Sarah jokes.

"You'd ever do it now?" Rachel asks the follow up.

"I mean, sure, if the boyf was up for it," Olivia replies.

"It seems like an inefficient way to consume alcohol. Like, if I really wanted to take a shot and kiss Shayne I would literally just... take a shot and kiss Shayne, I don't need to be trying to eat a lime wedge out of his mouth," Courtney comments, most of the girls around her quickly agreeing with the inefficiency.