On That Midnight Street | Joanne

Chapter Thirteen

Joe woke up slowly, stretching out his still-sore muscles.

Blinking his eyes open, he sat up in confusion.

This wasn't his bed. And the other side of this bed had definitely been slept in.

But it was now empty. And cold.

Oh God. They were making out. He had thrown his jeans. Oh. And he had fallen asleep.

Well, great. No wonder she wasn't still in bed. What a disappointment he must have turned out to be.

Joe ran a hand through his sleep-mussed hair and listened, wondering where Dianne was.

Through the wall, he heard her laughing.

Did she have a roommate he didn't know about? Joe thought to himself. Or was she on the phone?

He reached over the end of the bed and pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket to check the time. It was still pretty early, but he didn't want to wander through Dianne's flat in his underwear in case there was someone else there. And he didn't want to get up and get dressed because it was Sunday morning and he was comfortable.

He scrolled through his social media, listening to Dianne's mumbled voice coming through the wall. He paused as he heard what he was sure was a child's voice.

"Ok, honey. Mama loves you too. I'll call you again before bedtime, OK? Have fun at the park!"

There was a couple of minutes' silence, before Dianne's bedroom door slowly crept open.

"Hey, sorry. I didn't know if you'd still be asleep."

Joe leaned back on his pillow, resting his head on his arm. "I've not been awake long. Did you sleep alright?"

Dianne nodded. "Yeah. I didn't have you down as that much of a cuddler."

Joe smiled. "Sorry, it's only when I drink. Also, should probably apologise for falling asleep on you like that."

Dianne climbed back under the covers. She had thrown a t-shirt on over her underwear when she had woken up, but nothing else.

"your legs are freezing!" Joe exclaimed as she moved closer, cuddling back into him. Dianne nodded.

"Yep. Warm me up, please."

It was strange, Joe thought, how much more comfortable they were than he had ever been with another girl after a second date. Dance was probably a lot to do with it- they had broken down so many boundaries during their training sessions. He trusted her so much more than he had any other girl. And it was clear she trusted him, too.

"So, was that Emelia on the phone?" Joe asked.

Dianne nodded, her head now resting on his chest. "Yeah. She wanted to show me her new helmet for her scooter. I ordered it online and had it delivered this weekend- I knew she'd want to go to the park, and her old helmet was getting a bit tight on her. It's a Frozen one. Her favourite."

Joe smiled. "Oh, god. How many times did you have to watch that when it came out?"

Dianne groaned comically. "So many. And it hasn't stopped, either. The bloody film has been out for years now and she's still obsessed."

"You should take her to Disney. Meet Anna and Elsa and stuff."

"Oh, she'd love that. Tokyo would have been closest from Australia, but actually maybe I could take her to Paris on the Eurostar if she came to stay here."

"Has she ever been to London?" Joe asked.

Dianne shook her head. "Not yet. She was only four when I got this job and nobody thought it was a good idea to put a hyperactive kid on a long-haul flight. She could probably manage it now, though. She's like her mum- she can sleep anywhere."

Joe let out a deep breath. Dianne turned closer to him, her expression more serious.

"Does it bother you?"

Joe looked at her quizzically. "What?"

"Does it bother you that... that I have Emelia?"

It had been playing on her mind since she had met up with Chloe. She had a child. She was a parent. And, if Joe stuck around, he would have to understand and respect that her daughter would always be the most important person in her life. If this was going to turn into a relationship, if she was going to admit quite how deeply her feelings already ran for Joe, she needed to be sure that Emelia would not be an issue for him.

Joe shook his head. "Of course not. I think it's amazing. And, if she's anything like you, I bet she's amazing as well. I... I thought a lot about it when you first told me. Not that it was an issue or anything, but could I be what you both needed. If this becomes something more... long-term... I needed to make sure that I was comfortable. I wouldn't be here- in your bed with you- if I hadn't decided it was worth the risk."

Dianne pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "You are full of surprises. I didn't realise you'd given it that much thought." She smiled to herself, knowing she had been guilty of worrying probably even more about exactly the same issue.

"I mean, I overthink everything. But I really like you. And I like where this is going. And I'm not scared."

"Me neither." Dianne rested her hand on Joe's chest. "It just feels good." It did feel good. To be with someone without secrets. Someone she trusted with her whole life. Someone she wanted to be around all hours of the day. Someone who still wanted to be around her, even after she had spent thirteen hours correcting his footwork and making him prance around a dance studio.

The two of them laid in Dianne's bed, enjoying a few quiet minutes together- both of them in deep thought. "Do you want any toast or anything?" She asked quietly, breaking their comfortable silence.

"Not right now. I'm happy here. I'm comfy."

Dianne smiled, and rolled over to pick up her phone. Scrolling, she found what she was looking for and pressed play.

Soft music filled the room. They laid for a few moments, just listening.

Dianne broke their silence to explain "I used to dance to this. It was one of my contemporary pieces. I think I used it in an audition a couple of times, too."

Joe smiled, kissing Dianne's shoulder as they lay together. They listened as the music changed, becoming deeper and more like the music they had been dancing to the previous evening. Both of them laid still, willing the other to make the first move. It was a slow game, and the tension became thick.

Joe's hand slowly wandered down to Dianne's waist. She turned into him, her own hand delicately running along his bare torso.

She closed her eyes as Joe moved closer. His lips found hers and she melted into him. The tension broke, and the mood shifted. Things heated up. Their hands moved quicker, more desperate now. Their kisses hot and passionate.

Dianne rolled onto her back, Joe on top of her, never breaking their kiss for more than a second. Her hand found his and she clasped them together, moving so that her arm was now resting above her head.

"Are you sure you want this?" Joe asked delicately, looking into her deep brown eyes.

Dianne nodded, biting her lip.

"Definitely. I... I definitely want this. I want you."