In Another World

Chapter 20

Neil was equally as tearful as he took her hands in his own, "Well, thank you for everything," he began, "I'd been wanting a partner on the show for ages, and it was totally worth the wait; I struck absolute gold with you! You are one of the hardest-working people I know, and an utter joy to teach and dance with every day. I don't think I'll ever be able to put into words how grateful I am to have had you in my life these last few months; the highs more than made up for the lows. And I know that it's not the end, because I've made a 'friend for de life' with you!" he finished theatrically, evoking weepy giggles from the young woman clutching his hands; and from everyone else in the room!

Dianne and Lee barely had time to collect themselves before Tess started asking them whether they would miss each other. There was a pause as the pair exchanged a thoughtful look.

"Yeah, I'm gonna miss you a lot", Lee admitted.

Dianne smiled in agreement, "I'm gonna miss you more!" she added before pulling him into a hug. Despite the tension, they really had developed a close connection over the last few months, and were rather fond of the other; but they certainly wouldn't miss the drama they'd had to deal with!

Once Zoe and Neil had lifted the glitterball over their heads (and been lifted themselves by everyone else!), it wasn't long before the show came to an end. After that, it pretty much turned into a free-for-all, as the audience made their way onto the dancefloor to join the rest of the cast! Alfie was the first to reach Zoe, and he pulled her into a passionate kiss; neither of them caring who was watching.

The same couldn't be said for Joe and Dianne, however. Not only did they struggle to find each other in the midst of the bustling crowd; but once they did, the pair weren't sure what to do. Yes, their relationship didn't have to be hidden anymore, yet it still felt too soon to make it official; the cameras had only just stopped filming, after all! Instead, they just smiled at each other awkwardly until Dianne found herself being swept into a hug by someone who Joe could only describe as a 'blur'! His euphoria over Zoe's win was quickly dissipating as he was brought back down to earth. Joe and Dianne had waited so long for this moment, but they weren't actually sure how they were supposed to navigate it now that it had actually arrived.

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Joe and Dianne weren't the only people struggling with the aftermath of the competition: Lee was also feeling overwhelmed. After being in the dance-off for the first two weeks (and a couple of times later on), the singer hadn't expected to make it all the way to the Final. Which just made his behaviour towards Dianne during the competition even worse: she was one of the few people who had believed in him from the start, and it was down to her teaching that he had managed to get all the way to the end. Yes, she could have conducted herself a bit more professionally when it came to Joe, but that didn't mean that Lee had to stoop even lower in return. As though Dianne was psychic, Lee came face-to-face with his partner as they found themselves moving away from the crowded dancefloor.

"Hey," Dianne greeted, "How are you feeling?"

Lee let out a breath, "I have no idea," he replied with a shrug, "I'll let you know once this has all sunk in, though that might be at three o'clock in the morning; so, sorry in advance!"

Dianne chuckled, "I think we're in the same boat there!"

Lee grinned, then glanced back at the crowd as he held the door open for Dianne, "Have you seen Joe?"

"Briefly, yeah", Dianne replied awkwardly as she stepped past Lee into the corridor.

"But...?" Lee prompted.

Dianne shook her head, "It's pretty busy out there," she replied dismissively, "Anyway, it doesn't matter: this is about us".

"For the final time", Lee smirked.