Out Of Focus (Wattys 2023)

4. Good Day Mate.

"Forget the coffee, I need the tea, like yesterday; and maybe a little bit of coffee!"

It's a very aggressive good morning from Max as Shayne opens his eyes slowly. He realizes very quickly from the fact that the sun has just started peaking through the curtains that Max has woken him up way too early.

He realizes, slowly, that Max has hurled a pillow from his bed in the studio all the way over to Shayne's head on the pullout couch.

"Were you a basketball star in another life?" Shayne asks, avoiding the topic while reaching for where he remembers setting his phone.

He isn't surprised at all when it's not there, and he's shocked even more awake by Max throwing himself into the couch while it's still pulled up and pulling the side lever to pull it down into a seated position. He's also holding Shayne's phone.

"I swear if the big shot in these texts is Oliver fucking Henderson and you're holding out on me I'm going to cut off your dick," Max says.

Shayne realizes in a state of shock how painful and 'axe murdery' that sounds. He also reminds himself not to tell Lily about this when she picks him up in a few hours (God knows she doesn't need any more fuel for her growing suspicions).

"First of all ouch," Shayne says, grabbing his crotch in a show of ghost pain. "Second of all, I wouldn't consider it holding out. The guy is still probably a self-absorbed prick. It's not my fault I can get a free cup of coffee out of stroking his ego a bit."

Max raises a brown eyebrow, in contrast to the dramatically blonder hair Shayne still needs to ask him about. Maybe he's having a quarter-life crisis, or trying to impress a girl on Tinder? God if Shayne knows, or cares really. He honestly thinks if he did ask, Max wouldn't be able to shut up about it so he's sticking with playing dumb.

"I'm not buying it," Max says.

Shayne responds with a groan, throwing Max's pillow back at his face and yanking his phone out of his hand.

There isn't a single new text from Oliver. He's not sure why part of him cares about that. He's not sure what he was expecting either. It's just all very strange and....yeah, he needs some coffee.

"That's the beautiful thing about Hollywood Max," Shayne says, before stretching out, getting up, and heading over to start the Keurig. "I don't have to give a flying fuck whether you buy it or not."

Max dramatically throws his hands over his heart in fake pain, giving Shayne a signature pair of his puppy dog eyes.

Shayne groans again, wishing he had literally anywhere else to be before today's group date shoot.

"Fine," Shayne finally says as the Keurig chimes to life with a groan. "What do you want to know?"

Max smirks triumphantly, clearly satisfied with Shayne's reluctant acceptance. He hops off the couch and joins Shayne by the Keurig, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Well, for starters, spill the details on this Oliver guy," Max demands, his curiosity piqued. "Hadn't you already written him off as a Hollywood dumbbell for brains? Surely he couldn't have miraculously become more interesting in a day."

Shayne chuckles, shaking his head as he inserts a coffee pod into the machine. "He was an ass, and then he tried not to be as much of an ass. I called him out on his whole, bad boy who thinks the world owes him everything deal. Now I think he's trying to prove he's different."

Max raises an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Sounds like the plot of a bad rom-com, enemies to lovers and all that. Wonder if he wants more than just coffee."