Dianne felt Joe's sweaty palm squeeze her hand tighter and she swore she saw him wince in preparation for the words about to come out of the host's mouth. She looked at him in concern, wondering why he seemed so nervous - they were all aware that new people would be coming into the house every week, so she wasn't sure what was causing such a worry-filled reaction.
She focused her attention back toward the host, who was loudly announcing, "...the newest addition to the Oasis Island mansion...is Mia!"
A small, tanned girl with long wavy dark hair, dressed in a short white sundress, came prancing around the fence line, bouncing her way toward the group, a massive smile spread across her face, her hands clasped in front of her. Her eager energy was emanating off her body in waves.
Dianne stared, unimpressed by the overt show of enthusiasm, and unintentionally gripped Joe's hand even tighter. "It's okay, you have Joe,"she thought to herself, trying to quiet the voice in her head that was screaming at her to be worried. "He wouldn't kiss you like he did this morning and then just skip off to another girl."
The host wrapped up the introduction section, and cameras moved back, allowing the group to begin interacting without the host leading the conversation.
"Hi everyone," Mia exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. "I'm so happy to be here!"
"Are you? We couldn't tell," Dianne heard Quinn mutter. For the first time since arriving to the mansion, Dianne felt a flash of warmth instead of rage toward the tattooed woman beside her.
The group went around introducing themselves, making small talk along the way. They all had gravitated back to the bar, alcohol clearly becoming necessary to cover up the awkwardness of letting a new person into the fray.
"So, Mia," Luke started, as he cracked open a beer. "Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do?
"Well," she started, the smile still wide across her face. "I'm 23, I live in London and I'm a social media influencer!"
Dianne held back a groan and looked over at Joe who was stood closely at her side, rolling her eyes and pretending to gag. Joe gave her a weak smile back, and averted his eyes.
"That was weird," Dianne thought to herself, before her attention was brought back to the conversation in front of her.
"You seem like a fun girl," Steve commented, ignoring the glare Hannah was shooting at him across the bar. "What kind of guys are you interested in?"
Mia smiled coyly back at Steve, before raking her eyes across the entire group, stopping toward the end of the bar. "Well...you're all gorgeous...but I can't lie, I'm here specifically for Joe."
---
Joe felt himself choke on the sip of beer he had just taken, hearing the murmurs of disbelief around the bar, he forced himself to look up and saw Mia smirking, batting her eyes toward him. He could see out of his peripheral vision, Dianne's head swinging around at record speed, her eyes searing holes into the side of his head.
"Um..." is all he was able to get out, before Jay interrupted.
"You're here for Joe?" he asked in disbelief. "You're in for a major letdown, love. This bloke hasn't left Dianne's side since day one."
Mia smiled at Jay briefly, before swinging her eyes back to Joe. "I'm not too fussed. Things can change."
"This can't be happening,"Joe thought as he felt his face go hot. "The girl who can reveal my secret is also obsessed with me."
Joe felt panic rising in his chest, and he could still feel Dianne's gaze burning into his cheek. He had to get control of this situation. Now.
---
"Joe, don't pretend like you're not one of the most sought after bachelors in London," Mia stated loudly, as Dianne felt Joe's hand grip her wrist and pull her away from the bar, across the lawn. She felt anger bubbling just beneath the surface of her main emotion - which was confusion.
"Joe, what the hell -" she started, before she was silenced by the look on Joe's face as he turned around, still hurrying her across the yard. His eyes were filled with panic mixed with something she couldn't quite decipher...was it anger? Rage? Disappointment? Whatever it was, it was intense enough to make Dianne bite her lip and stop talking.
She followed him through the sliding glass door, through the bedroom, and into the narrow hallway between the bathroom and the sitting room. It was the spot they had all realized only had cameras positioned up above - so there was no clear shot of facial expressions. Joe stopped, nervously running his hand through his hair and letting out a shaky breath.
Dianne's previous anger and confusion turned to concern - she didn't like seeing him like this. Taking his hands in hers, she looked up and whispered, "Hey...talk to me. What's going on?"
---
Joe felt as if he could barely look at her - he knew if he made eye contact, he'd be lost in those sparkling hazel eyes again and he'd be tempted to keep withholding all the details he knew he owed her.
"Joe?" he heard her whisper. "Do you...do you know Mia?"
Joe's head snapped up as he shook it vigorously back and forth. "No," he heard himself deny vehemently. "I've never seen her before in my life."
Dianne rocked back on her heels, letting her hands drop and her arms crossing in front of her, the normal sparkle in her eye gone as she raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure?"
Joe sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. "Alright," he started after a few seconds, finally tipping his head forward to look her directly in the eye for the first time all day. "There's something I need to tell you. But I promise, I did not keep this from you for any reason other than my own insecurities. Okay?"
Dianne nodded hesitantly, her arms still crossed.
"I don't know Mia...but Mia knows me."
He watched as her brow wrinkled in confusion, opening her mouth to say something, before stopping and closing it abruptly. She tilted her head, her brow furrowing even deeper.
"I actually am not sure how nobody else here knows me - It's a freaking miracle that you're from Australia, and that you liked me before I tell you what I'm about to tell you - well at least I think you like me..." Joe rambled as he nervously looked up to the ceiling. The sound of Dianne's frustrated sigh brought his eyes back down.
"So, basically," Joe started, his heart rate quickening, "Lots of people know me in the UK...because I'm a famous YouTuber."
He closed his eyes, waiting for the verbal lashing he was about to receive, wincing as he was met with silence. He hesitantly opened one eye, and then the other, as he realized Dianne was just staring at him, her mouth slightly agape.
---
He had misspoken. Or she had temporarily lost her hearing. Dianne had sworn she had just heard Joe say he was a famous YouTuber.
"You're...you're a what?!" she exclaimed, louder than she had planned, when her voice finally came back to her.
Joe groaned as he slid down the wall, ending up seated on the floor, his head in his hands.
Dianne stood staring down at the man who had stolen her heart - she felt a rush of emotions, part disbelief, part anger...and oddly enough, part hysterical laughter. Not knowing what to do next, she found herself turning and sliding down the wall next to him, close enough their shoulders were touching.
After a few minutes of silence, Dianne couldn't take it anymore. She nudged his shoulder with hers, before murmuring, "So...tell me more."
Joe's head slowly raised out of his hands, an incredulous look on his face. "Are you serious? You want to know more? You're not ready to, I don't know, punch me in the face? Run away? Go tell the world I'm the biggest liar on the planet?"
Dianne snorted in response, "You think I'd actually punch you in the face, Joseph?"
Joe let out a deep exhale and leaned his head back against the wall. "Well...I didn't lie about my name at least. I actually didn't really lie about anything - I just held back a lot. I'm Joe Sugg, the famous YouTuber, and aspiring manager. My sister is Zoella - well, her name is Zoe, but her channel is called Zoella - she was one of the first massive YouTube stars out of the UK, and I'm not ashamed to say I sort of used her fame to launch my channel back in 2012. One thing led to another and I started gaining subscribers."
Dianne opened her mouth to interrupt, but quickly closed it as she realized he wasn't done.
"Today I have over 8 million subscribers on my main channel, along with a couple million on my two others. I've released a few books and my buddy Caspar and I made two movies. Casp and I also are in the beginning stages of launching our own management company - that's why when you mentioned "managing artists" on that first night, I just went with it."
Dianne felt herself softening by the second. She could tell Joe was telling her the absolute truth, the honest confessions seeming to pour out of him.
"Anyway - as of recently, my audience has been shrinking. The world of social media is super fickle. The content I make is apparently not good enough for today's younger generation - so my manager thought I needed something to make me a bit more mainstream...and that led me here." Joe continued quietly. "I didn't come in here intending not to talk about my life or my career - but when I realized nobody recognized me, I thought it might be nice to live incognito for awhile."
Dianne turned her body so she was fully facing him, her hand reaching out to stroke his forearm that was still hugging his knees.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I didn't intend to hide anything...but I also never expected to come on here and meet someone like you."
---
Joe felt exhausted as he finished his explanation, as though he had just run a marathon. Dianne's silence up until this point was a bit unnerving - although he did feel a bit better when she reached out and stroked his arm a few seconds ago.
"Joe," Dianne spoke softly, squeezing his arm, "Thank you."
Joe looked up, finally connecting their eyes again. "For what? I lied to you for five days in a row...and I have the one career you hate."
Dianne quirked an eyebrow, "I don't hate YouTubers."
"You gagged when Mia said she was a social media influencer...I hate to break it to you Di, but that's basically what I am."
He watched as her lips turned up into a small smile. "I can almost guarantee, Mia doesn't have eight million subscribers, a few books, two movies and a management company."
Joe found himself smiling, realizing she had been listening to every detail he had spouted off minutes earlier. "She probably posts a lot of Instagram ads in bikinis, though," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows.
Dianne's solemn exterior finally broke, as she giggled, leaning her head onto his shoulder. "I meant thank you for telling me. I really appreciate your honesty..."
Joe felt as though she had more to say, but she remained quiet, her head heavy on his shoulder, her arm linking through his, connecting their hands on his knees.
"Well, thank you for listening," Joe finally responded to fill the silence. "And for what it's worth, I really am sorry...and sorry for what might happen moving forward. Ben pulled me aside right before Mia's entrance-"
"Who's Ben?" Dianne interrupted, raising her head off her shoulder.
"Oh," Joe said, "My producer."
Dianne looked at him inquisitively, "Has he been pulling you aside a lot?"
Joe shrugged, "A few times now. This morning was the first time he's told me anything useful though. Usually it's just to keep me in the loop on the schedule for the day. Why do you ask?"
"Because my producer, Marisol, has done the same thing. I wonder if the other couples are getting the same treatment?" Dianne replied, her eyes lost in thought.
"I'm not sure," Joe shrugged again, before groaning, "I just wish Ben had told me earlier so I could have avoided that scene at the bar. I don't want to go back out there and face them...her..."
Dianne squeezed his hand before pulling them both up off the ground. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close. "It will be fine. Just tell them everything you just told me, I highly doubt they'll even care."
Joe nodded, holding her close, his lips finding her forehead as he pressed a lingering kiss along her hairline.
"And leave Mia to me," Dianne added with a wink as she pulled away, leading him back down the hallway and toward the door. "I think she needs a lesson in tact and I know just the 'firecracker' to give it to her..."