Milkshake Hearts

Chapter 96: Play Awkward

They meet with their wedding planner a few days into the new year to go over the plan for what they still need to do. They've already settled on and booked most of their vendors – they had ended up going with most of those recommended by the venue, because when they started looking, they were coming up as the best and aligning with their preferences anyway. Catering was sorted, they just needed to send invitations and get RSVPs for the final numbers and dietary requirements side of it. They'd picked someone to make the cake, although they still needed to actually do cake tasting and settle on what they wanted, but the bakery didn't request as much notice as some of the other vendors. They'd booked a photographer – a friend of a friend of a friend who they'd been randomly recommended, in the end – and the venue's recommended florist had been so enthusiastic about how they wanted their wedding to look that they booked them immediately to bring it to life.

"So, basically, the thing you really need to do now is send out actual invitations and get RSVPs back, then comes the finicky details like getting back to the caterers with all the information they need and working out seating plans, which I'd recommend getting your wedding party's help for," she explains to them, Shayne and Courtney nodding in understanding.

"Well, we've pretty much designed the invitations and we know who they're going to, so how about we get the sending part out?" Shayne prompts. It becomes their next move, and while they also sort out the whole cake thing – neither of them are huge cake people, so they end up going with a fairly classic base and letting the bakery do their thing with a design to fit into their theming a little – in the meantime, it means the wedding planning sits at a sort of waiting point until they hit their RSVP-by date.

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A new year at work, while their content continues being posted uninterrupted, does start with a flurry of planning and writers' meanings to come up with ideas for the new year. Plus, the have the always-fun task of digging into the archives a little to see if there's any weird ideas hanging around that they think they could actually use, with the fresh eyes of a new year.

After two solid days of meetings, they are finally set to move into filming videos on the Wednesday after they return, starting with a handful of sketches. They film a youtuber parody that morning, and both Shayne and Courtney finish with their scenes before most of the other cast, ending up sitting beside each other flicking through their phones in the break room.

"Hey, look at this," Courtney comments, nudging his side and tilting her phone screen to show a TikTok she found of a bird screaming, "it's you."

Shayne laughs, jostling her side slightly in response to push her back away from him. He's about to make fun of her in return, but they are interrupted as Monica steps into the room with a couple of scripts.

"Hey, we have a bunch of just stupid short scripts hanging around, not really written for any cast in particular, but we thought this one might be funny with you guys if you were up for it. Something you could film, like, this afternoon while other people are doing other stuff, it's a quick one," Monica explains, pulling out a chair just near them and handing over the scripts, "it's just basically playing on awkward first dates from dating apps. Just, basically, a lot of two people being really goddamn awkward, wanting to kiss but being too scared, making excuses to put it off. Oh, and I don't know who because this was a group write, but someone added in at the end that they make out with either side of a closed door. So, you know."

"Oh, wow," Courtney laughs, flicking through the short script Monica hands them, "so you want us to play awkward, huh?"

"I mean, it wasn't written with you guys in mind but- just a thought I had, could put it in the humorous irony basket. Actually, I think it was meant to be Damien and Jackie, but Damien isn't as cool with playing up the sexual stuff even in character. All good if you guys don't want to, though," Monica explains.