Limelight || A Shourtney Story

.27 goodbye (courtney)

TW: Implied violence, threats, and references to abuse.

Being apart from the SMOSH crew had been harder than Courtney anticipated. The staff only planned the trip to span for one to two weeks, but each day passing felt longer than the last. She hadn't realized that most of her close friends happened to be on that very cast. Of course, there was Jackie, but she was out on vacation with her cousins from Seattle. A few new hires worked at the coffee shop when Courtney swung by earlier, and the pit in her stomach grew tenfold.

She missed Noah's sarcastic quips and fully-fledged confidence in her directing abilities despite her lack of experience. She missed Olivia's sage wisdom over two glasses of red wine. She missed Damien's stupid podcasts during their drives - the ones that would spur deep, sincere friendship talks between them on their way to work.

And then there was Shayne. Blue soulful eyes pierced her own if she squeezed her eyes tight enough. His affectionate teasing and balmy laughter would brighten her bouts of anxiety. His thick, homely arms would wrap around her waist as buttery whispers of sweet nothings calmed her racing mind. But then, she'd have to open her eyes again to nothingness. The warmth he provided disappeared like a figment of her imagination.

"Shit," she muttered to herself. It was time to focus, not to miss her boyfriend.

A bright, crisp computer screen stared back at her. While Shayne jet-setted to London to sip gin and wear fancy clothes, she remained stuck in Ian's office at Padilla Studios. The dark cherry furniture of the office contained a variety of knick-knacks - from little superhero themed paperweights to a suspicious looking pink donut figurine. She sighed. The time neared 10pm, far too late for any other office workers to be cooped up like she was.

She had promised him that she'd finalize the proposal for Cherry, and hell if she didn't keep that promise. Especially after he permitted her to work from his office.

A yawn escaped her mouth, drawing attention to her drowsy state. She'd been looking at the PowerPoint for the last five hours and her patience wore thin. Plenty of slides had been added, but she just needed to re-edit the talking points.

Another yawn stifled her mouth. Wiping her eyes groggily, she decided to call it quits for the night. She could re-read the notes at home and send the email over to Ian and Tommy first thing in the morning.

With a quick snap of her laptop, she shut the device down and slid it into her backpack. After switching off the office light, she opted to taking the elevator back down. Only a short drive separated her from a hot bowl of instant ramen and some much needed sleep.

A security guard sat at the front desk. She waved passively to him as she made her way to the front entrance. Glass doors opened for her automatically as the security guard bid her a gruff "get home safe, kid."

The moonlight shone beautifully on the pavement. The night sky remained clear of clouds, offering some sense of serenity on this quiet night. Damien's car sat in the parking lot ahead, only a few yards away.

"Hi, Courtney."

A thousand chills rippled down her spine. That voice. She knew it. She hated it.

Every fiber in her being prayed that her mind was playing tricks on her.

"What, no how are you? Good to see you?" the man sneered.

Courtney turned around in place. Two sets of steel chairs sat on either side of the front entrance. Normally, these seats remained unoccupied as they were meant for tourist groups who came to view the studio. Tonight, all remained empty except for one.