Milkshake Hearts

Chapter 129: Expectation vs Reality

Olivia had, to Courtney's surprise, kept her and Sam's engagement secret for over a week since it happened. She hadn't been in the office at all the previous week – she had a scheduled week off – but she was in the following Monday, the day after Shayne's quiet revelation to Courtney at home, and as they all shuffle into a final table read for a sketch they're shooting later in the week: the marriage expectation vs reality one Shayne had thought of a few months earlier, carefully scheduled to be filmed and released after they were in fact married.

The table read moves well, the jokes hitting and the points they make coming through with the right tone. Shayne is co-directing with one of their usual staff directors, having also written most of the script himself, but as they come to the end of the read, it seems to hang.

"It almost feels like there needs to be one more scene to close it out, it needs a stronger ending," Ian muses, evidently having the same thought as Shayne.

"I got an idea... don't want to hijack your video, Shayne, but..." Olivia trails off, grinning conspiratorially.

"Yeah?" Shayne prompts, laughing in mild confusion at her vague statement.

"The expectation is me playing a character fake married to Ian or something... the reality is the engagement announcement," she pitches, grinning as she does, "Sam's not shooting at the moment, still off for Summer, I could drag him in for a bit."

"Oooh!" Kimmy enthuses, "that would be a killer ending."

"Good one, Liv, I'm happy with that. D'you want to actually write it?" Shayne asks, quietly bypassing Kimmy's comment, Olivia nodding in response and starting to note down the idea as it comes to her.

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They film the sketch the next Wednesday morning, in a series of sets throughout their studio. They assemble roughly into couples for the episode: Jackie and Damien, Noah and Kimmy, Ian and Olivia, and of course, Shayne and Courtney – plus the bonus final scene of Olivia and Sam. For the most part, they dress up in clothing that makes it clear they're a character rather than themselves, but Shayne and Courtney remain in their own clothing, shrugging when Damien asks about it.

"We considered whether even in the reality ones we'd make it not really us. But like... I didn't write anything for us in the reality ones that isn't real, so..." Shayne trails off, giving a small shrug.

"So this is a sketch but also a little bit pit, huh?" Damien jokes.

"I guess so. But whatever, we're still close enough to it to be just married, deal with it," Courtney shoots back, grinning, Damien laughing when she does.

The first scene they shoot is the one that had inspired Shayne to write the sketch, when comments had started coming in questioning his desire to be committed for life the one time he'd let himself join Courtney's Instagram live (he hadn't since, being much more comfortable with pre-recorded content). He's in this one, as a supporting character, settling into raucous and boisterous noise as the guys of Smosh crowd around a bar booth table.

"Last night of freedom hey Jay-man!" Ian calls, raising his (empty) beer can in a faux-drunk toast to Noah, who gives an exaggerated groan in response.

"Damn guys, my last night without the old ball and chain!" he shoots back, to a groan from the rest of the guys.

"Can't believe you're actually doing it mate, she's holding you down for life," Damien emphasises, the director yelling cut only a few seconds later. The scenes are short, in this format, and it makes the shooting weird and disjointed, as a different combination of them then move into the bar set to shoot an entirely unrelated scene for another bit.