Here's To Us [Shourtney]

15. No, don't break!

When she still doesn't respond, I decide to call another person, the only man I can trust other than our lawyer.

"What's up, mi amigo?" Damien greets me upon answering my call. "By the way, you're making lasagna? For me? I'm no Garfield, but thanks, bro."

"Yeah, happy birthday tomorrow, how'd you know I was making lasagna? But anyway can you call Courtney for me?" I reply, pacing around the apartment. "She left a while ago without telling me where she went and we had just gotten into an argument. She isn't responding to any of my calls and texts."

"Ooh, okay, let me give it a shot and I'll update you, man." He hangs up, and probably after five minutes, he calls back again. "No responses to any of my calls, wait for a few more minutes for the texts." After another five minutes, he calls. "No response."

"Dang it," I mumble under my breath. "Okay, I'll try to go look for her. Thanks, dude."

"Good luck, mi amigo!" he exclaims before hanging up.

I get into my car and try to think where Courtney would meet both of her parents this late at night. I don't exactly know where they live and I didn't have Kari's number to ask her. Where in all of Los Angeles would Courtney go to meet her parents? Why would they even meet up with her this late? They could just meet her tomorrow or even just call her so I'd at least be beside her when she had to explain.

Just before I was to take a swift turn into the midnight bottleneck, Courtney finally returns my call, so I greet her with a, "Where are you?"

"Do you...," she says before sniffling and taking a deep breath. "Do you remember that small diner nearby Defy?"

Sighing, I reply, "Yeah. Are your parents there already?"

"Not yet, they're close though," she answers. "Kinda close. I'm with Kari right now. You... you don't have to worry about me."

"Yes, I do," I tell her, making a U-turn to head to the nearest turn to Defy. "And if they're close, well, so am I." I hang up and focus to getting to that diner as quickly as possible.

Thankfully, when I get there, I see Courtney's parents arrive in separate cars. Afraid that they'd lash out, I only watch from my car to see them calmly take their seats and watching Kari explain. I'm not a lip reader or anything, but I'm basing off of their facial emotions that things are escalating from calm to mildly aggressive. And here I am, staring at my wife trying her best not to cry for a mistake with only half of the responsibility as hers.

When Damien calls me, I immediately answer as he says, "Hey, how's it going with Courtney? You found her yet?"

"Yeah," I reply, keeping my eyes on her. "It's... it's bad, man. I thought everything would be alright, but now her parents are furious with her. It's both our fault, but dude. God. It just hurts me to see her like this. She doesn't deserve this."

"You know why it hurts you, right?" he asks.

"Of course," I answer.

I feel my heart sink to my stomach when I see her wiping her eyes. God, I felt terrible, so terrible that I just had to get out of my car and go inside the diner which was surprisingly full of people at night. When Kari spots me from their booth, all of their heads turn to me and I walk towards them nervously.

"Oh, well if it isn't Shayne," Mr. Miller says, obviously annoyed by my presence at their family meeting. "Perhaps you have some words to say about this mishap?"

"I have, yeah," I reply, gazing at Courtney who's looking at me all confused. "I'm not the best writer out there and I think I'm just saying this in a moment of passion, but... well..."