Milkshake Hearts

Chapter 112: 617

The third club satisfies the rest of their dancing and drinking needs, pushing through until they decide to return – by Uber, of course – to their hotel around 3am. They're all significantly drunk, by then, but they're also tired, stumbling through evening routines to move into their earlier-allocated bedrooms and quickly into bed. Olivia and Courtney take the opposite sides of their shared King-size, saying quiet goodnights to each other as they intend to both fall into sleep.

As tired as she is, though, Courtney struggles to find enough calm in her mind to fall asleep. She isn't anxious, but her intoxicated mind still jumps messily between happy memories of their night out and excitement at the realisation she will be married in just over a week, while she settles into the persistent reminder that she is not in the same bed as Shayne, and she really wishes she was.

She tosses and turns as she tries to find a position that might send her to sleep. She shifts her pillow down and hugs it in her arms, head straight against the mattress, but the pillow just smells like laundry detergent and she can't convince herself it's any kind of replacement for hugging her fiancé.

"Courtneyyyyy, why won't you go to sleep?" Olivia whines into the dark, turning onto her own side to watch as Courtney flips over again from the other end of the bed and shifts her pillow so she can bury her face in it.

"Because I'm drunk and I need cuddles with my Shayne," Courtney answers, voice muffled by the pillow.

"I'm drunk and I'm fine without Sam," Olivia points out, but Courtney shakes her head against the pillow, before she shifts again to face Olivia in the barely-there light of their room.

"Yeah, but you aren't marrying Sam in a week," she rebuts, "where are you guys with that, actually?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's just waiting until your wedding is done to ask. I think it'll be soon..." Olivia trails off, "I don't mind that it's taken a while, but yeah I guess we don't see anything ending between us and we love the hell out of each other so... why not?"

"Awww Liv that's adorable, he's definitely not allowed to ask at my wedding but he didn't have to wait until after it," Courtney enthuses, and Olivia shakes her head.

"Nah, I like that he waited, I've been busy with all this, work and things - which is a good thing - and I'd prefer that to happen when I've got my full attention on it. But also, Court, nice chat, can we please sleep?" Olivia's tone turns pleading, dripping with exhaustion.

"That makes sense. And okay," Courtney sighs, sliding back down in the bed to face away from Olivia, subtly grabbing her phone to slide under the covers with her. She gives it ten minutes before she switches it on, curled up under the covers so the light won't reach Olivia's eyes.

"I love you xxxxx" she texts Shayne, first, before continuing to type a string of messages.

"It's not our pre-wedding night until next week why are we sleeping apart?"

"I'm very drunk and I want Shayne cuddles."

"I miss you"

"Where are you anyway? Your party people are in the same hotel as me and the girls aren't you?"

She watches the messages send and sit on delivered for a few minutes, and she's about to give up and put her phone away to go back to missing him in silence when it switches to read, and the indicator he is typing quickly appears.

"loveeeee you more xxxx and also drunk and want cuddles can't sleep without you," his text arrives, quickly, Courtney smiling softly in response.

"I'm sharing a bed with Olivia she kept yelling at me but I think she's asleep now," she explains her own dilemma.