there for me (shourtney)

liii.

courtney's pov -

I leaned against the doorway and adjusted my clothes back on my body to fit. Shayne popped out of the bathroom, dressed in the outfit we picked together. 

"Good?" I asked him.

He smiled and came closer, placing a kiss on my lips while his arms snuck around me. 

"I'm good." He said. Voice low.

"Shayne." I groaned, arching into him to try and push him away. "Baby, we gotta go." 

He sighed, nipping my lips one more time before pulling away. Eyes deep blue. 

"We have to?" He whined. I smiled, taking his arms from around me and placing them against his side. 

"We have to." I confirmed. "No more shenanigans." I touched his chest before walking out to the main floor. Searching the kitchen for my small purse and my phone. I glanced back at our room, noticing Shayne still lingered by the doorway. "C'mon!" I laughed. "We need to leave, dude."

He groaned playfully. Feining defeat. Stomping out of the room, he came to meet me. I rolled my eyes and handed him his phone.

"After?" Shayne asked as he grabbed his keys off of the counter and led me to the stairs. 

"I'm all yours." I smiled, leaning into his touch. 

-

"Over here!" A friendly, familiar voice called to Shayne and I as we entered the large auditorium. 

"I see Jax." Shayne said in my ear, taking my hand and heading over to the noise. 

He led us through crowds of parents talking, through rows and rows of plastic, foldable chairs. We got to just about the middle of the leftmost section, and I finally saw Jax, Sam, and Jude. Sam was dressed in a pretty yellow dress, while Jude and Jax both wore shorts and a solid shirt.

"Hey guys!" Shayne smiled, giving Jax a hardy hug before they sat down. Shayne sat on the isle, myself next to him, Sam beside me, and Jude was in between her and Jax.

"You guys made it!" Sam beamed. She glanced at the bouquet in my hand. "Are those for her?"

"They are." I grinned. "Shayne and I picked them up after work today." 

"You didn't have to." Sam cooed quietly. Her cheeks high with a smile. I laid a hand on her forearm.

"Of course we did. We adore her. And it's the least we could do for inviting us tonight." I said. Letting go of Sam's arm, I rested my arm on the armrest between Shayne and I. 

Sam chuckled. "Well, I'm happy it worked out. Kora is just about to get her brace off, so ironically, tonight is her last night dancing with it on."

Shayne bent forward from the other side of me to see Sam. "Has it bothered her at all?"

"No. Thank god. She complained about it for a bit in the beginning." Sam looked at me and groaned. Thinking back to the many texts I got from her saying that Kora would absolutely not wear the splint, I giggled. "But now she doesn't care. She's just happy to have it off soon."

"Oh I bet." Shayne nodded. "Is she in one dance tonight? I don't exactly know how this works." He laughed. 

Sam smiled at him. "There are about fifteen dances tonight and she'll be in four of them. I'll point out which ones." 

"Awesome. Thank you." I said. 

Looking back over at Shayne, I adjusted the flowers in my lap, and flipped the palm I had on the armrest up, asking him to take it. He smiled sweetly and did. Lacing our fingers together, he gripped my hand as the lights began to fade and the studio director came on stage to welcome the audience. 

I zoned out pretty soon after the director left the stage, my eyes blurring all the vibrant colors together.

Sam elbowed me gently right before the fourth dance.

"Kora's in this one." She said, pointing to the stage. I nodded, unsure if she'd notice in the dim lights. I wiggled my fingers against Shayne's knuckles. Kora's on.

The lights got brighter and about eleven small girls filtered on stage from the right-wing. Their hair pulled up into tight buns, silver glitter on their cheeks. Their costumes were my favorite part. Light purple leotard and tights, with delicate pink, flowing skirts tied around their hips with matching pink ballet shoes. 

I squealed quietly. My cheeks aching from smiling. 

I immediately picked out Kora. The brace on her wrist gave her away. But her wild hair that somehow didn't stay in a bun also gave up her identity. 

Shayne leaned closer to me, still grasping my hand. 

"I see her." He whispered in my head. I nodded, bringing his hand up to kiss his knuckles. I know.

I felt him relax as I brought our tangled hands back down to the armrest. 

Not his typical loosening of muscle, but an overall wash of peace. Every once in awhile I'd look at him. And I'd catch his smile, his happiness, as he watched little Kora twirl across the stage.

When the music ended, the girls lined up along the front of the stage and took an unorganized bow. Shayne cheered and clapped. Laughing as Kora waved at her mom before noticing us. Her bright smile made Shayne squeeze my hand and look at me. 

"She's so cute." He said to me. 

For all four of Kora's dances, she wore different eccentric costumes. Her hair done up in different ways, to match the vibe of the dance. 

The very last dance she was in was the final routine of the night. And as the other nine girls lined up beside her to take a bow, the rest of girls in the company joined them on stage. All of them holding hands and bowing. Some of them waved to their parents, others sat down on the stage, exhaustion kicking in, others just continued bowing. Meanwhile, Kora was fiddling with her glittery blue dress. Laughing as she faced her friends. 

The audience had given them a standing ovation. The young dancers loved it. None of them more than seven, they ate it up. 

The auditorium lights flicked on and the girls began to slowly filter off the stage. Some parents went backstage to help the girls out of the costumes, while some just waited in the audience. 

Jax shuffled over to Shayne and I, now standing in the aisle. 

"Sam is going backstage to help Kora get changed, and I'm taking Jude home to get to sleep. You guys good here?" He asked. A tired Jude clinging to his dad's hand.

"We're good." Shayne smiled, waving at Jude. 

"Awesome. Thank you guys for coming out. I'm sure Kora will love those." He smiled and gestured at the flowers. 

"She was wonderful." I grinned, side hugging Jax as he and Jude headed outside into the sea of people. 

"This was fun." Shayne said to me, turning back to the empty stage. People swarming all around us. 

"I'm glad we came." I said, sliding closer to him. I'm glad we did this for her. 

-

loved the thought of shayne and courtney at a dance recital like this haha