Summer Girl || A Shourtney Story

.12 my fire was fate with you (epilogue)

A/N: Friendly reminder that this is Shayne's POV. The chapter has some adult themes, so be warned! I hope you enjoy it!

***

To say I admired Courtney Miller would be an understatement.

She was electric. She was outspoken. She was kind. She was loyal. She was stunning.

She was everything. My everything.

She just didn't know it.

I went into Summer Games in the same lull I had been in since Mythical picked Smosh up. No more contracts. No more black-and-white, steadfast rules. Our entire relationship blurred into a foggy haze. But our friendship was so ingrained in a routine that I didn't know how to get out of the box. I tried - trust me, I tried - to break through the invisible barrier. But I just never managed to let out those three words.

I loved her.

Okay, so maybe I had said those words to her before. But in her mind, our relationship was purely platonic. So, I settled for the next best thing. I placed myself tactfully as her dependable best friend.

It was as close as I could get to her without crossing the line.

But someday... Someday, things would change. Someday, I would tell her how her smile lit up my world. How her voice set my heart on fire. How my mind wandered to her subconsciously.

I just didn't know when.

***

"Dude, c'mon," Damien exasperated over the phone. "I've watched you pine over her for years. You gotta tell her how you feel."

It was the night before we departed for Summer Games. After our usual greetings and small talk, the exchange between us had quickly turned to my love life... or lack thereof. A certain blond bombshell dominated the conversation.

"I don't know..." I sighed. "She'd probably freak out. Court doesn't do well with surprises. Just think about our Halloween prank."

Courtney spent most of the prank screaming at the top of her lungs, heart pumping with terrified adrenaline. Despite her good-natured spirit about the whole thing, she was still on edge after we finished the video. We went back to her place after the shoot finished. Several beers and two romantic comedies later, I ended up sleeping on her couch since she asked me to stay with her. She was that freaked out by the surprise.

Damien sighed, bringing me back to focus. He was clearly frustrated with the familiar rhythm of the conversation. We had had it all too many times over the past few years.

"Look, Shayne. We're gonna practically be on vacation for the next week. You're gonna get to be with Court practically 24/7. If you can't tell her how you feel, maybe you should show her. Something's gotta give."

It wasn't an all too bad idea, to be honest. Courtney and I already spent a ton of time together. Little favors and compliments would go a long way, especially since I usually refrained from that sort of an action (it would blur the lines far too quickly). Maybe I could be a bit more affectionate. She might like it. And if she ever got uncomfortable, I could easily dial it back. Without a verbal "confession" of sorts, I would save myself the trouble of a major disruption between us.

It seemed foolproof.

I groaned, giving in to his suggestion. "All right, fine. I'll give it a shot."

My heart beat a little faster at the sound of Damien's victorious exclamations on the other end of the line.

***