Out Of Focus (Wattys 2023)

26. That's Definitely A Threat.

The next handful of hours, days, and weeks for Shayne fly by faster than an early 2000s montage.

-Oliver has his one-on-one with the women to "reassure them."

-The ladies all agree to continue with various group dates that Shayne tries to keep his distance from (they're even more cheesy if you can believe it).

-He tells Lily and Max over group chat what went down (which he swears nearly has Lily booking a round trip ticket and Max sharing an obscene amount of inappropriate sexual innuendo gifs).

-He tries his best to avoid giving Ethan false hope but texts him when he can.

-He and Oliver text each other sparingly between all of the cameras, interviews, and speculation; but there's a distance there that makes it a thousand times more frustrating.

It's a routine that almost becomes as easy as breathing. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, and suffocate on a steaming pile of lies that are spiraling out of control.

***
Before he knows it, the show is in its final week of filming and he's sitting in his hotel room trying to focus while he waits on his morning filming assignment. He's pulled his laptop closer to him from the hotel room desk and is deep in thought as he stares at the screen.

"You can stumble around like a zombie for weeks, but you can't solve your own damn writer's block?" He asks himself.

He's been trying to come up with an ending to his script (one he feels like is laughing at him at this point). It's something Lisa has been EXTRA pushy about since their heart-to-heart, promising to at least get his name and some of his copy to the network for review. His best chance, she's told him, is getting to write for a few episodes of a pilot project to prove himself and working his way up from there.

"It's a long game," she had said. "But after dealing with these....interesting personalities for weeks, something tells me you'll manage."

Shayne rubs his temples and sighs. "Yeah, sure, Lisa. Just need to find that spark of creativity buried deep within my exhausted brain."

He leans back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling as if seeking inspiration from the hotel room's generic design. "What would Oliver do," he mutters to himself (because Jesus has given up on helping him).

His phone buzzes on the desk, interrupting his self-reflection. He glances at the screen and sees Lily's name flashing. Relief washes over him, grateful for the distraction. He answers the call, eager to hear a familiar voice.

"Oh, thank God you're calling. I need a break," Shayne exclaims.

Lily cackles through the phone. "I bet you haven't written any more dialogue for that thing since we last talked."

Shayne chuckles. "Bitch, you know my ass too well."

"Obviously," she says. "So, tell me, Shayne, how's our dear Oli doing? As traumatized as I still am picturing you two getting it on in his agent's room, I still ship it. What did Max call it, Sholiver? Olayne?"

"Olayne sounds like a 1950's grandma name," Shayne points out.

"Boy bye," she says. "I'm going with Olayne then. I'll loop Max in."

Shayne's cheeks flush slightly, but he can't help but smile. "You know, I can't help but realize you've suspiciously changed up how you talk about my roommate you were all but convinced was chopping people up."

Lily gasps dramatically. "Oh no, no, no. You do not get to turn the tables, Adele."

Shayne chuckles, deciding to push her a little further. "You guys been spending more time together while I'm over here or something? I mean, I've seen both of your Instagrams, some of those location picks look pretty similar if you ask me."