I Met You, Red Caps And Everything

10

The Miller siblings walked to Courtney's house seemingly as the night fell through the end of the day. They got caught up buying clothes and having a long line at the cashier that it took them a day to get home finally. "Is it okay if I crash here again? Or the night before the premiere?" Kari held her shopping bags and placed them on her sister's couch, plopping herself next. The exhaustion catching up to her as she sunk farther and farther on the cushions. 

Courtney placed her things on the glass table in front of her sister and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. "Yeah, sure." it was a simple reply that the blonde writer was thankful for. Kari looked up her sister's apartment yet again but this time, her greenish eyes fixated at the sloppily placed boxes not farther away from her. There was a pad of paper on top of it and she noticed handwritten words jotted onto the paper. 

She looked at Courtney for a moment, minding her own business with a her phone in her hands. Kari forced her body to stand up though her muscles protested against her, they obliged once she stood up quickly but slowly walked to that pad paper. She read a couple of words in it and she felt as if relief washed her. 

"Kari!" Courtney's protest of a squeak jolted the writer from her reading. Her hand placed in her chest when shock consumed her. Courtney immediately grabbed the pad and slumped it on its backside to stop her sister from reading. 

"You're writing again!" it was good news, Kari curled her lips into a grin. Her muscles cursed her existence when she slumped her body to Courtney for a hug and her actions made her feet ache more. It didn't even matter - Courtney was writing again! "Let me read it!" Courtney immediately grabbed the paper on top of the box and kept it under her arms with a shout of No.

"It's not good, and I am trying to write again, but It's not good. Not even finish" Her smile slowly formed into a frown. She read it, it was a draft of course, but she read it and it was finish as a first chapter - it was good. "But I read it..." her eyebrows met in confusion. "It's good"

"Kari!" it was the same tone of embarrassment and haste in her voice, but this time Kari didn't have a heart attack. "Either way, I'm happy your writing again. It's good to see you like this" Courtney looked away from the writer, her finger unintentionally picking her cuticles. "I'm hiding this" she placed the pad in her bedroom for a time being. 

"Are you going to cook? Or take out?" The writer asked as she sprawled her arms and legs on the couch she was again sitting on. "I'm feeling lazy, Kari" it was a muffled reply from Courtney in her bedroom so Kari, half shouted "Take out it is" grabbing her phone to dial a fast food restaurant. 

"I almost forgot. Mom wanted to give you this" Courtney came back with a notebook in her hand. "She said it might've fell out in one of your boxes" Courtney noticed her sister stiffened, shock at the sight of the notebook. She gave it to her and stepped to the kitchen to get a bottle of wine and two glasses. 

"It's nothing. Well maybe not, but it's the draft of my first ever script. I've written it on this notebook. I'm really happy mom found it" she smiled not looked at her. "You should call her..." Courtney suggested. A sigh left Kari's lips as she thumbed the contact of their mother. "I've been overreacting, haven't I?" The older Miller grimaced as she looked at her younger sister who sat beside her. Courtney shook her head "Of course not. Look, that's our childhood house, that's where all our shenanigans and little skits happened and I guess it's hard losing something so comforting" there was a pause in the air and this gave Kari the guts to apologize. It rung a few times before it picked up. "Hey mom" melancholy run through her voice and Courtney took this chance to leave them be. 

She looked at the sloppily placed box and this gave her the chance to open up the first one after weeks of placement and packaging. Fortunately, the box was small, enough for the night and enough for the wait for the food. She looked at Kari when the door rung and mouthed "I'll get it". She looked through the peephole and opened the door, paying the delivery man and said her thanks. 

Courtney unpacked the food on the small table in the living room and Kari pushed the speaker phone so that Courtney could also talk to their mother. "Hey, Mom" she greeted. Both talked about their day, the upcoming premiere, their jobs - excluding the disastrous interaction with her supervisor, and their unpacking situation all in all. Kari hung up the phone after the three of them said goodbye and they started digging for food. 

"Apparently, Mom's hanging out with..." The blonde writer winced for a name, it was in the tip of her tongue. "David" she snapped her finger. "Hanging out? Mean dating?" Courtney asked. She watched her shrugged "Maybe? Maybe not? Either way, I think it's good she getting herself out there after she and dad broke up" Courtney agreed. 

"Hey, If I told you gossips about anyone, Would you let me read your story?" Playfully Kari questioned which earned a playful eye roll and an outcry of "Stop it!"

-

The day of the premiere was stressful. Uber was booked, and it was hard to find transportation in the middle of an event. The sisters decided not to take their cars if they're going to attend the after party and actually enjoy it, meaning alcohol might be involved and driving home would be a hassle.

They were 10 minutes late, and Kari's manager fidgeted when they found her outside the theater. Her sister's manager immediately held the blonde writer's hand, pulling her to the sea of paparazzi.

Once they reached the red carpet, the noises sunk in Courtney's ears. She was here, inside of the theater, with people surrounding her. The commotion waved along with the beat of her chest. They were shouting anything to get attention, and it made her stomach coil in fear. She breathed out, not letting her anxiety take over her sister's moment, not again.

"C'mon, Courtney!" She heard her sister from the other line, inviting her to the path of the red carpet. "There's no time, Kari." But Kari's manager cut her off, pushing her to the flashing lights.

Kari once again tried to reach for her but failed as the bouncer stopped Courtney on the way. This made her fear spike up; she didn't want to inconvenience anyone.

Another cry of excitement reached her that made her head turn to see who it was. It was Damien and Shayne walking towards her. Before the pale black-haired could even talk, he was whisked away towards his co-stars for their photos.

"Are you with her?" If the woman with the headcam piece didn't acknowledge the blonde man, Courtney wouldn't even know he was there with her. Shayne nodded rather awkwardly and shuffled to step aside; Courtney followed suit. It seems like they were both left behind, unfortunately.

"Does this happen?" Green eyes were locked to the ground as she spoke. If she couldn't see the floating heads screaming, maybe the bubbling anxiety wouldn't bear within her. "Rarely," his short reply made the air slightly awkward.

"I- uh- Like your tux. It's Red" the blonde pharmacist smiled at him but behind her smile, she continuously scolded herself at how lame her statement was. "You look good. Sorry, I mean you look awesome" Shayne winced, showing how cringey his word were.

Courtney couldn't help but chuckle. His expression made her ease her nerves. "Don't you get nervous at events like this?" Shayne shuffled before responding. "Sometimes, it's quiet pressuring, I guess. You just have to breathe" Courtney watched him sigh, absentmindedly doing the same.

"Do you have your phone?" She nodded, gripping her purse hard to feel the outline of her phone inside. "If you want, you can text Kari and tell her you're with me. Some of my friends and I will meet Damien on the way to the seats. I'm sure, Kari will be there too."

In the corner of Shayne's eye, he could see how the crowd surrounded another group of people. Ian caught his gaze and gave him a nod. He could feel how anxious the blonde woman was; he was feeling a little bit stuffy too. Keith and Olivia walked beside Ian and they were greeting him even from afar.

"There's my fr-" he was cut off by one of the managers; he guessed it was Kari's as she spoke with Courtney about the writer.

Courtney fumbled before facing him. "Kari's manager told me she's inside; she's waiting for me." A pause lingered in the air before she opened her lips. "I'll see you inside," Shayne noticed her small smile.

"Yeah, I'll see you there too." He gave her his own.