In Another World

Chapter 6

Joe felt reassured that he hadn't received another text message from Dianne the following Saturday night. Not that he didn't want to see her, but he hated seeing her upset; so, her silence suggested to Joe that she was fine. He and Dianne hadn't seen each other during the week, and – if anything – the conversations that they did manage to have on the phone and online were even shorter than before! But, given that ending up in the bottom two made Dianne determined to produce a better performance for the next show, it was hardly a surprise that training was her priority. And, although he wasn't an expert on the Cha-Cha-Chá, Joe had no doubt that their funky Back to the Future routine would be a hit!

Like the previous weekend, Joe had watched the show from start to finish, and made sure to vote several times for his sister and his crush Dianne. With their adorable American Smooth, Joe had no doubt that Zoe and Neil would be safe. But after the previous week, Joe had been nervous for Lee and Dianne, and he hoped that they wouldn't suffer the same fate this time.

Joe was trying to finish one of his videos later in the evening when he heard a knock at the front door. It was unusual for him to have visitors so late, so Joe assumed that it might have been Byron deciding to spend the night at home and forgetting his key. However, when he opened the door to let his flatmate in, Joe was surprised to find a tearful Dianne standing outside again.

"I'm sorry", she whispered sadly.

Joe knew that she was apologising for showing up unannounced, but he shook his head, "Don't be," he murmured before opening his arms out, "Do you want a hug?"

Dianne nodded gratefully and stepped into his embrace, "It happened again", she murmured into his chest.

Joe nodded, understanding why she had shown up, "I'm sorry," he replied, "I did vote for you guys, but I guess it wasn't enough".

Dianne pulled back, "Joe, you've done more than enough".

"Well, obviously not," he countered gently, "Otherwise you wouldn't be here".

Dianne shrugged, trying to draw attention away from her upset, "Actually, I just wanted a wine!" she joked.

Joe chuckled, "As in, a drink? Or to complain?"

Dianne considered this, "Both".

"Well, you've come to the right place!" Joe replied theatrically as he led her into the apartment.

"I know", Dianne smiled as she pushed the door shut behind them. She was so thankful to have someone like Joe in her life: 'sweet' and 'funny' didn't even begin to describe him. It was strange how quickly he had gone from someone that Dianne barely knew to the first person she turned to when she was distressed. But she wasn't yet ready to admit why. The redhead felt guilty that she didn't have the same feelings about her dance partner: aside from reassuring Lee that being in the dance-off wasn't his fault and that she was still proud of him, Dianne had barely spent any time with him once the show was over. He had gone out with some of the other cast members, whilst Dianne sought out the man who had supported her the last time she had been in this position; the only person she wanted to see right now.

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Glass of wine in hand, Dianne joined Joe on the sofa and told him everything about the show. Well, not 'everything', because there were some things that she was contractually obliged to keep a secret! Although Lee hadn't picked up the new routine as well as the last one, Dianne had still been happy with the result. The Cha-Cha-Chá was notoriously difficult – and their score wasn't quite as good as their previous dances had been – but Dianne had worked hard to make their routine memorable; she couldn't understand how it had gone so wrong.