Summer Girl || A Shourtney Story

.07 running from the heat

"Seriously. I can't believe someone had the energy to clean the kitchen after. I was way too exhausted by the end."

"Oh, this? It wasn't too bad. Being drunk made it go by quicker," she chuckled.

"You mean, you did it?" I asked, astonished by her sense of drunken responsibility.

She nodded, "No worries though. Shayne and I were the last ones to leave, so we decided to clear the area a bit. Honestly, it was nice to spend some time with him, even if it was just cleaning." A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Oh, I see," I muttered, my brow furrowing. "Well, thanks. I better give this to Olivia," I said, gesturing to the second bottle.

As I strode back to the hall, my heart panged. The plan was to "test the waters," to see if I could act on my feelings towards Shayne. Instead, I got a moment of alone time that was plagued with doubt and exasperation from an almost kiss. Meanwhile, sweet, responsible Kimmy hit it off with him throughout the party. They even wrapped up the night together.

I shook my head to rid myself of the thoughts. Today was a new day with new opportunities. Anything could happen.

Well, a fresh start after this bitch of a hangover got out of my system.

***

After our second awakening and some much-needed carbs, the Smosh cast had piled into our cars to drive to the film site today. It was a short, 5-minute drive out to another section of the park. I settled down in the passenger seat of Shayne's pickup truck involuntarily. Despite the little green monster inside, I did want to spend some time with him.

Both dread and worry plagued my mind. I half-expected him to bring up last night but wasn't sure if I wanted him to. Would he bring up our almost kiss? Would he mention his budding friendship with Kimmy? Would he pretend like nothing happened?

As if on cue, he joined me in the truck. Quick, familiar movements switched on the truck's ignition, the vehicle humming to life. The second half of Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" played on the radio, a continuation of our previous night's adventures. Funny how now this album reminded me solely of that night under the stars.

"Something on your mind?" he prodded, pulling out of our parking area. Our truck followed the van closely, pivoting onto a sandy, beaten path.

His question brought back my focus. With a nervous gulp, I gave him a tight nod. "Yeah, just thinking about last night."

He laughed softly, "It was definitely one for the books. How was the rest of your night?"

"Pretty good. Lots of dancing, lots of drinking," I replied. "How about you?"

My heartbeat irrhythmically, anticipating his reply.

"Good. Sorry, we didn't get catch up too much. The night got pretty chaotic towards the end there."

So he did notice, I thought. His simple, sincere apology made me want to hug him tightly across the center console, claiming him as my own. At the same time, I yearned for more answers. Did he sense mixed signals between us, or was I just lovestruck?

Those questions remained unanswered. The risk of asking would be too much to bear, so instead, I settled for waving my hand dismissively. "No worries at all."

The quick drive was already over, and we slowed to approach the film site. The production crew really went all out for the shoot today. There was a massive operation table with all the works - punny pieces, tongs, and even a giant buzzer. To the side, a row of plastic chairs sat under buckets of slime with ropes attached. The whole system was rigged and ready to go.