In Another World

Chapter 15

Instead of falling into bed as expected, Joe and Dianne found themselves Waltzing around the hotel room to the melody of 'Rainbow Connection' playing from the redhead's phone. Joe had already been in awe of Dianne, but he was astounded that she still wanted to dance despite having had a full day of it! But when she had offered a hand for him to join her, Joe happily obliged. He was hardly going to turn down a chance to dance with an Australian Open Champion (they don't give those awards out to just anyone!) who also happened to be his girlfriend, was he?! 

It didn't take long for Joe to get used to the ballroom hold, but they eventually dropped the posture and ended up just box-stepping across the carpet, with their arms wrapped around each other.

"I miss dancing", Dianne suddenly murmured.

Joe pulled back slightly in confusion, "'Dancing'?" he repeated incredulously, "But you do it all day, every day!"

Dianne sighed, "I know, but it's different".

"You mean, with me compared to Lee?" Joe questioned

"Well, yeah," Dianne began, "But dancing here with you is so different from dancing on Strictly".

That seemed like an obvious statement to Joe, who suspected that there was more to it, "How do you mean?"

Dianne paused to gather her thoughts, "I didn't become a dancer to be on a show like Strictly, I did it because I love dancing and performing," she explained, "Strictly does give that opportunity to us and the celebrities, but it comes at a cost".

"What cost?" Joe asked, though he probably could have guessed.

"The stress", Dianne replied grimly.

Joe nodded, "Yeah, the pro's do have it tough".

"It's just part of the job, but that's the problem..." Dianne explained, "We don't teach the celebs to dance, we teach them a little routine of a certain style to learn in four days. No-one can learn how to dance in four days; it takes years of studying and perfecting".

"That's true, but those dances are awesome," Joe pointed out, "And they're a credit to your teaching and hard work".

Dianne nodded, "I know, and I love being on the show; everyone's amazing, Lee is a fantastic guy," she explained, "But it's not the same as doing this with you: no stress, just dancing".

Joe mulled this over as he pulled the redhead closer, "Yeah, this is great," he agreed quietly, "And I'd love to learn how to dance properly, if you ever wanted to teach me".

Dianne quirked an eyebrow, "Like I said, it takes years".

Joe shrugged, "Well, I'm still pretty young," he pointed out, "I'm hoping to be around for a while yet!"

"But am I gonna be around?" Dianne murmured.

"You're not much older than me, so I'd hope you are!" Joe retorted.

Dianne sniggered, "No, I meant 'do you want me around for years'?"

Joe drew back slightly, "I want you around for as long as possible," he admitted, "But only if you do".

Dianne smiled, "Yeah, I do", she replied before leaning up to kiss him tenderly. After pulling away, they returned to dancing for a while; simply enjoying the warmth of each other and the way they moved so fluidly together.

"Do you remember the last time we did this?" Dianne asked quietly, breaking the comfortable silence.

Joe nodded, "I remember wanting to kiss you, and being interrupted," he replied pensively before jokily grumbling, "Thanks a lot, Lee!"