S.O.S/The Winner Takes It All

Chapter 15

I stare at Courtney's defeated face before walking over slowly to join her on the couch.

"Shayne, we can't just ignore this." She pauses before punching a cushion in anger. "God, I'm so stupid!"
I sit down next to her. "Courtney, it's okay, I-"
She turns to me, her face streaked with tears. "Oh it's okay? It's fucking okay? This is my fault!" Courtney pauses, taking a breath before snatching her phone from the coffee table. "I'm not going to work today." 

She begins texting, and silence fills the room. After a few minutes, she slams the phone down next to her, staring defiantly at the wall at the other side of the room. There's a few minutes where I am afraid to speak to her. Most likely because she'll rip me apart. And it's not her fault that she's angry.
I finally summon the courage to talk.
"Courtney?" I ask tentatively.  
"Yes Shayne?" She glares at me, a burst of frustration making her emphasise my name before she buries her face in her hands again.
I wince against her harsh tone. "Do you want to talk about what happened? It's not something we can avoid."
Courtney lowers her hands from her face. "I guess. We can't really pretend this didn't happen."
I exhale in relief. I almost expected her to storm away, tell me she didn't want to talk.
She pulls her knees away from her chest, sighing. It seems like her frustration has melted away. "Shayne, can I tell you something?"

"Of course." I say, smiling softly.
"You remember how I told you Kristen and I were friends?" Courtney asks, biting her lip anxiously.
"Yeah." 
"Well, when I told her to go and say hi to you, I regretted it. Because as soon as I saw you I knew that she didn't deserve you. But I wanted the best for my friend. Her, a lying bitch, and then you, the sweetest guy I know." She sighs again, gazing straight into my eyes. "Shayne, what I'm trying to say is that I love you. I have for a long time."
I stare at her in shock, unable to form words. 
Courtney stands up, her face dropping, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry. This was a mistake." She rushes to the door, but as she opens it, I stop her, turning her around to face me.
"I love you too." I push the door closed, placing my hand on the back of her neck, drawing her lips to mine. For a moment, she doesn't kiss me back. Then she seems to snap back to reality, her hand moving down slowly to hold mine. 
Suddenly we hear a sharp knock on the door. Courtney freezes, her lips inches from mine. I motion for her to hide in the bathroom. She understands immediately, moving slowly to the bathroom door, closing it softly behind her. 
My heart beating erratically, I place my fingers gently around the handle of the front door. "Who is it?" I call out cautiously. 
The voice on the other side of the door pipes up. "It's Olivia." 
I let out the breath I didn't realise I had been holding. I open the door, smiling at her. "What's going on? I thought you were supposed to be at work."
"I don't need to be on set till ten thirty. I thought I would drop in and see how you're doing." She frowns, staring at me. "You look a little rough. Your hair is all messy and your shirt is creased."
I hold the door open wider for her. "Thanks Olivia. That might be due to the fact I haven't had a shower, nor had my coffee." 
Olivia walks in, and I shut the door behind her, following her into the living area. "So. Did you hear that Courtney is taking the day off work?" 
I shake my head, my heart slowly beating faster. "No. Is she okay?" 
Olivia steps closer to me. "Well, I went over to her house, and she didn't answer the door. It almost seemed like she wasn't home."
Somehow I remain calm. On the outside. "Olivia, she's probably sick." 

"I texted her too. This morning. She didn't answer." She takes another step closer.
"Maybe she woke up sick. She's most likely asleep right now." I smile, walking back to the front door. "Could you please leave?"
Olivia nods, following me. She stops at the front door. "Do you mind if I use your bathroom before I go?"
I can't say no. That would be kind of weird and suspicious. I nod, terror and dread washing through my body.
Olivia opens the bathroom door, stepping past the threshold. No Courtney. It's almost as if she had never been here. Olivia closes the door behind herself, and I frown, wondering where Courtney could be hiding. 

After a few minutes of me waiting, Olivia finally emerges from the bathroom. She smiles at me, opening the front door. "Bye, Shayne." 
"See you later, Olivia." I close and lock the door quietly before rushing into the bathroom. "Courtney?" 

My ironing cupboard opens, and Courtney stumbles out. She exhales before grinning at me. "Was it Olivia?" 
"Yeah. Are you okay? That was a bit of a tight squeeze." I walk over to her, placing my hand on her shoulder.
"I'm fine. But what about Olivia? I think she's suspicious." Courtney scratches her neck, her smile slowly fading. 
"But how would she know about anything? We haven't told anyone." I look a her for confirmation. "Right?"
"No, I haven't said anything. She always suspected that I had a crush on you and you had a crush on me." Courtney shrugs. "Maybe she was just trying to get you to admit something she didn't actually know was true." 
"Maybe. But we have another problem. How are we going to hide this?" I step out of the bathroom, making my way to the kitchen.
"I don't know. We just need to keep everything private. It might sound wrong to lie to our friends, but this is our lives." Courtney follows me, leaning on the counter as I turn the coffee machine on. 
I sigh, taking my cup out from the cupboard. "It doesn't matter for now. Do you want a coffee?" 
Courtney nods, and I reach for another mug. 

A few minutes later, we're sitting on my couch, drinking coffee in peace. Courtney places her cup on the table in front of us before shifting over to me. She rests her head on my shoulder, placing her hand on my chest. I wrap my arm around her, pulling her closer to me. 
And we just stay there for a while, relaxing in the comfort of each other's silence.