Milkshake Hearts

Chapter 11: Pining

"What did she say?" Courtney asks him, clearly worried, as she curls up against him on his couch that evening. They had been trying to keep their nights at each other's apartments to the weekends, however they were slowly bleeding into regular weekdays, too, and Courtney was too stressed about the ten minutes he'd been with Kari at lunch to leave this discussion any longer.

"Well, she asked a lot of questions. I talked a lot more than her. She wanted to know why she should trust that I'm as in love with you as I say, why we've done this now, what I want long term, what's changed now we're dating, all that. Also how I see consent and whatever."

"God, half of that would be unnecessary if she just accepted I'm a grown adult that can look after myself in a relationship," Courtney grumbles, "I don't know why she's gone so harsh on you, or why she's acting like this is some big thing pushed on her unexpectedly. I'm sorry you've had to bear the brunt of it."

"I'm sorry that you're having to deal with her not accepting what you say at face value - but I'm fine, you don't need to apologise. It wasn't... easy, for me, to be clear and open with her about how much I truly care about you and how much attention I'm putting into this. But I'll do whatever necessary to defend our relationship whenever I need to, because you're absolutely the most important thing in my life and I need everyone else who is important to either of us to see that too," Shayne presses a soft kiss to her cheek when he finishes, and she sighs happily and grips the hand resting on her thigh.

"I'll defend us to all ends, too. Thank you. I love you so much," Courtney's reply is soft, and they pause in comfortable silence for a minute. "She didn't pry too much, did she?"

"She tried to ask about us sleeping together but I dodged that one. I mean, she asked how I felt about marriage and kids and the like which was a lot given we haven't even talked about that. And the consent question also asked if we use protection, so... yeah. I straight up told her that one was too personal," he explains, and Courtney nods.

"To a degree I get asking about consent because the way you talk about it is such a representation of how gentle you are. Protection... she's going to get a damn earful for that, that's none of her business. As for marriage and kids... well," Courtney pauses, head twisting awkwardly to the side in contemplation.

"Hmm?" Shayne presses her to continue, gently, and she shrugs.

"It's early for us to talk about that. I don't know whether it'd be weird to say, did you tell her where you stand on them?"

"Yeah, I couldn't really dodge that one. And I mean- I kind of want to talk about it with you now, because I don't like that she knows and you don't," Shayne admits, and Courtney nods.

"I want to marry you one day if you're up for that. I know I want to spend my life with you. It might not be any time soon, but I know I want that eventually," Courtney tells him, self-assured, "I don't know about kids. I've never really wanted them, but the idea is a whole lot more enticing when it's not just kids but it's being able to raise a family with you."

"I told her pretty much the same thing, I'm kinda the same with both," Shayne replies, goofy grin adorning his face as he pulls her closer with his arm around her shoulders. "I just want to experience life with you. You make everything better."

Courtney's ring tone interrupts the peaceful silence they have settled into a couple of minutes later, and she groans as she has to pull away slightly from him to lean over to the coffee table and see who it is. Sighing as she angles the phone towards Shayne to let him see the caller ID for a moment, she slides across the screen to answer and pulls the phone to her ear.

"Kari," she greets her, evenly.

"Hey Court," her sister's voice is softer than she expects, "are you free at the moment? I just want to have a little... follow up chat."