there for me (shourtney)

xliii.

shayne's pov - 

Damien was the last person to leave the house after today's shoot. Swearing he could help us clean up all of the sand that had accumulated in our living room from Netflix and Chill. I gave him a grateful hug as I ushered him down our front steps, into the low afternoon sun.

"I promise you, buddy, we're all good. Thank you, though." I gave him a reassuring squeeze before letting him get to his car.

"Alright." He shrugged. "If you say so. See you soon, dude. Enjoy dinner with the folks." He smiled, flipped on his shades, then slid into his car. 

Making my way back inside, I could already hear Courtney rummaging for the vacuum and broom. 

"Parents will be here in an hour, Shayne!" She yelled as I made my way up the stairs. 

"I'm here, Court" I said, stepping up onto the main floor. "I'll deal with the sand if you want to tidy up the place for a legit tour? They'll probably want to see it." Kissing her cheek as I passed her on the way to the laundry room to grab the vacuum. 

"Sounds good. And if you finish before I do, could you throw the chicken on?" She asked as walked into our bedroom. 

"You got it." I winked. 

"Love you." She blew me a kiss. 

"Love you more."

-

"Dinner was absolutely amazing, thank you both for cooking!" Courtney's mom, Corey, said. 

"Of course, mom." Courtney smiled. "Wish dad could've come." 

"I wanted Kenn to be here as well." Corey glanced at the table. "Work." She sighed and shook her head. 

"Do you guys need help cleaning up?" My mom asked. "Rob and I could clear some plates." 

"Catherine, don't overstep." My dad whispered to her. Why'd you use her full name?

"No, please, sit, relax." I said as I stood up, looking over at Courtney. "It's not a problem, we can grab the dishes."

"Most of it is going in the dishwasher anyway." Courtney grinned as she took the empty plates from my parents and her mom. I worked in tandem to grab the platters of food and bring them to the kitchen island.

"This place is gorgeous!" Corey marveled, looking up toward the high ceilings. "You said your family owned it, Shayne?" She looked over at me in the kitchen. Bright eyes. Just like Courtney.

"Yes! My brothers' dad owned the place, and he eventually sold it to my brother Chris -" I started.

"Then we came along!" Courtney smiled, placing her hands on my shoulders to peek around my back at the table. The fabric of her white shirt brushed my spine, the mismatched patterns of her jeans pressed against my legs.

The table laughed. 

"I barely remember this place from when Chris had it." My mom said, glancing at my dad. "But god, you guys have done such a good job with it."

"Thank you, Catherine." Courtney smiled graciously, walking back to the table with a bottle of red wine, myself trailing her with five wine glasses. 

"Honestly, we haven't exactly redecorated, we just incorporated some of our things from our own apartments." I said, sitting down the glasses. 

"Wine anyone?" Courtney asked. Strands of red hair falling from her bun.

"I'd love some." Corey said. 

"Same here." My dad echoed. 

"Mom?" I asked, holding out a glass. 

"I'd love some water, please." She smiled. I nodded, taking the glass with me back to the kitchen.

"Grab the stopper, too, Shayne." Courtney called from the table, gesturing to the open bottle of wine. I held it up as I passed the drawer. 

"So what made you guys decide to pull the trigger and do it?" My dad asked us.

Courtney slipped into her seat again. Back facing the kitchen, she swirled her wineglass. 

"It was time. For both of us." She nodded. I placed a glass of water in front of my mom, then popped the stopper in the wine bottle. I snugged into my seat next to Courtney, placing an arm on the back of her chair. 

"We spent our first weekend out here months ago." I waved a hand as if pushing air away from my face. "It hit me how much I missed it."

"And I instantly fell in love with it. Granted, I was partial to the stories of little Shayne running around here thinking shells were legitimate payment." She giggled and leaned into me.

I rolled my eyes playfully. My mom chuckled. 

"And selling your apartments wasn't a hassle?" Corey asked. Eyes darting between Courtney and I.

"Mine was smooth. My buddy had a guy in mind and it turned out to be a match. I was lucky." I held my wineglass up for a moment before sipping it. 

"Mine, however, didn't go that well." I felt her body tighten. I'm here. "I also had a friend recommend a guy, he meant well but," She sighed, "Dude turned out to be a total sleaze. Unexpected. Didn't respect anything. It just stings because it was my apartment, you know?" She looked around the table for confirmation. It's okay. You're upset and that's valid. 

"Oh, Courtney, I'm sorry the guy wasn't great." My dad said. Shaking his head. Feeling her pain. 

"At least," My mom shook her head, "At least he's out of your hair." She tried to make the best out of it. 

"Yeah, I know, I'm much happier here." Courtney pressed herself further into my side.

"I'm so glad." Corey smiled. 

I caught my phone light up from across the room. Jesus, I need to put this thing on Do Not Disturb. I cursed myself. Excusing myself from the table, I walked over to the living area and hovered over my phone on the low table in the middle of the couches.

"Jax?" I said into the phone, walking into the bedroom, I shut the door behind me. 

"Hey, dude, I know your folks are over, but I think Kora may have broken her wrist. Sam and I are taking her to the E.R. Can you watch Jude?" He sounded frantic. My heart sunk as I heard Kora wailing on the other line.

"Of course. Don't think twice. I'm coming over now." I hung up the phone. 

Coming out of the room, I noticed people up and moving. 

"Court, hey, I gotta go get Jude. Sam and Jax are taking Kora to the E.R, so we're watching him." I said quickly. 

"What? I just - okay." 

The parents, not catching out interaction, shrugged on their coats. 

"Thank you so much for dinner you two." Corey squeezed her in a hug. "Gotta head back to the dogs. Talk soon." She headed down the stairs. 

"We're heading home too. Thank you for the wonderful food." My dad said as my mom kissed my forehead. 

As soon as they left, I dashed out the door onto the deck and down the stairs. Leaving Courtney reeling from an unexpected end to the evening. 

-

shoutout to @bellishipper4567 for giving me the idea to write about some parent interaction:) thanks! sorry for the abrupt end to the dinner, but i had to move it along haha