In Another World

Chapter 4

Joe practically had a spring in his step as he reached the café that he and Dianne had arranged to meet at. She had contacted him the previous evening, suggesting that they meet for lunch at a place that was local to both of them, and Joe had readily agreed; excited to see her again. He didn't want to seem too keen, however, so he mentally willed himself to calm down as he entered the place.

Joe was delighted to see Dianne already seated inside, but his heart fell when he spotted Lee Ryan sitting beside her. He didn't remember the singer being invited along, though he did recall Dianne using 'we' quite a lot during the arrangement; but Joe had assumed that she had been talking about the two of them, not her and her new dance partner. Then again, it made perfect sense: it would have been pretty rude of Dianne to arrange a break from training and not invite her partner along! But Joe still couldn't help feeling disappointed that it wouldn't just be him and Dianne as he'd expected. 

Joe tried to look on the bright side: having the opportunity to hang out with a member of a boyband from his childhood wasn't likely to happen again, so he should make the most of it. And, more importantly, any time spent with Dianne was worth it to Joe. With that mind-set, the young man approached their table with a smile.

"Hey guys", he greeted brightly.

The pair in front of him glanced up from the menu on the table, and the redhead smiled, "Hey Joe, glad you made it!"

Joe smiled sheepishly, "Thanks," he replied quietly before extending a hand to Lee, "Hey, how's it going?"

Lee shook his hand, "Good, thanks," he replied, "You're Zoe's brother, right?"

"Yeah, I am," the younger man nodded before jokily adding, "That might as well be my name, with how many people call me that!"

Lee and Dianne chuckled, "Sorry, I was just checking," he apologised hesitantly, "How's she finding training so far?"

"It's intense, but she's really enjoying it", Joe replied as he sat down opposite them. This wasn't a guess on his part: Zoe had been updating him on the training sessions at every available opportunity; pretty much every other hour! Joe was starting to feel like he was actually training himself with how detailed her stories were; he was living vicariously through her over the next few months, and made an effort to put his excitement ahead of his jealousy.

"Yep, that pretty much sums it up!" Lee agreed, "It's very different from the 'step and point' that I've been perfecting over the years!"

Joe laughed, "Yeah, I can imagine!"

Dianne rolled her eyes, "Well, as I've told you..."

"'You can't put 'step and point' in the Waltz!'" they exclaimed simultaneously, then chuckled. Joe sniggered, though not at the joke – which he didn't really understand – but at their synchronicity. 

As the conversation continued, Joe found it hard to believe that Lee and Dianne had only known each other for a couple of weeks. From inside jokes to finishing each other's sentences, it seemed as though the pair had been friends for years. But Joe could appreciate why: after spending so many hours in close proximity, it was inevitable that they would develop such a close rapport so quickly. He wondered whether Zoe and Neil had the same kind of relationship already; and, if so, Joe could only imagine how awkward Alfie would feel in this type of situation!

Caught between Joe and Lee, Dianne wanted to get the younger man as involved as possible; the drink was her idea in the first place, after all. Ideally, it would have just been her and Joe together, but after mentioning to Lee that she was meeting with Joe for lunch, she felt compelled to invite him along as well. It was nothing personal: Lee was a great guy and she was really enjoying dancing with him, but she would have preferred to hang out with Joe on her own. But Dianne wouldn't let herself admit why; justifying it as her simply making up for leaving Joe's party without saying goodbye. And for not getting him so much as a birthday card, or a bottle of wine (something which they discovered through their previous conversation that they both liked)... wow, she had a lot to make up for!