Joe and Dianne one shot book

The distance between us

Dianne yawned, laying back onto the couch in her Elstree dressing room, which she shared with her celebrity dance partner for the season max. Due to the current covid situation, both of them had to form a bubble together, excluding their family. It was hard for them both, but now week 1 had quickly came along, it was time for the pair to show the viewers what they had to offer.

The Saturday show nerves were high for Dianne, not only did she have the the stress of max remembering the choreography on national tv on her shoulders, she also felt the pressure from her fans, friends and family wanting to to them all proud and not let them down. She especially wanted to make Joe proud, to make the sacrifices they had both made for her to be able to perform tonight be worth while. Dianne did feel a slight sense of guilt that she was here doing her dream job, whereas her boyfriend was alone, stuck in yet another lockdown back at their home. But Dianne knew that Joe was in full support of her, and was pushing for her to go all the way this season, no matter if that meant months alone for him.

4 week prior

"That's the last bag, I hope I have remembered everything"
Said Dianne, pulling the last of her many stuffed suitcases down the stairs.
"Charger?"
"Assortment of many nut spreads?"
"Tooth brush?"
Joe replied, listing all the random things he could think of what his girlfriend was gonna want, when away.
"Yes yes and yes all packed"
"I'm not surprised, I'm pretty sure you have got half of our home packed in there to last you the next couple of however many months"
Joe replied, while popping Dianne's pack lunch into a carrier bag.

The reality hitting him, that this was it for the next of however many months. It was going to be strange without her there. Over the past year, due to a national lockdown the pair had been inseparable, doing pretty much everything together, walks, movie nights the lot. The two of them made the the most of the situation, knowing that they were un likely to ever get that same volume of time to spend together again due to there hectic work schedules.

A ping of Dianne's phone, pulled Joe back into reality.

"Cars 2 minutes away"
Sighed Dianne, up until this point she has kept her emotions at bay, knowing it wasn't going to help the situation if she turned into a emotional mess on Joe.
"come er you, let me give you one last hug"
Smiled joe, opening his arms up to his girlfriend, who came and wrapped herself around him, savouring the special moment together.
"You know I'm so proud of you right, I cannot wait to see you back on that dance floor doing your thing every Saturday"
Mumbled Joe, into the crown of Dianne's head.
"I'm gonna miss you"
"So am I Dot, but dance is where your suppose to be, it's your special place. But promise me something, if your ever feeling lonely, sad, stressed or just need to chat. Just call me yeh, I'm always here for a chat."
"Promise"
Dianne sniffed reaching up, linking her pinky finger with his.
"I promise Dot"
Joe replied, placing a soft kiss on Dianne's forehead, wiping her tear stained face, with the sleeve of his hoodie.

Now nearly 4 weeks on from when they last saw each other in person, the couples daily face times had become the new normal. They provided a escape and comfort from the outside world, somewhere they could both go to speak about their day, or discuss any issues which may be bothering them. These calls were often the way Dianne managed to drift of to sleep, even though her boyfriend may not be physically next to her, just the idea of him being there through technology, provided Dianne with enough comfort to feel safe. Which was something she often lacked when Joe was away.

But today, thanks to Joe being heavily involved in the strictly podcast, she got to see her boyfriend in person. But there was a catch, due to the covid restrictions the pair were required to keep a distance of 2 metres apart at all times.