Joe was shaking like a leaf backstage, and couldn't find a calm presence the amongst hectic atmosphere he seemed to be flooded in by. It was drowning him almost, the music ringing through his ears mixed with the never ending flow of noise, feeling as though peace and quiet were a far fetched idea. There were all kinds of crew; stage managers, some stressed runners, all types making sure the show run smoothly, a few other celebrities also present, taking everything in, which all seemed so surreal, to all of them.
He was dressed in a coral suit, which, to his surprise, he had come to really like, especially the shirt which had more than one colour on it, patterned somehow. Although there weren't many dashing sequins, Joe didn't feel the need for them with the vibrance and the bold hue of the suit.
He walked into the star bar, hoping to find it a little quieter than backstage, which it was. His eyes scanned the room, Stacey Dooley sat on a sofa and signalling him over. Internally, he sighed with relief. After sitting down, he placed his hands on his lap.
"This is it. We're finding our partners out Stace, any one you're hoping for?" She shrugged, looking to the left slightly. "You're lying." Joe chuckled, Stacey burst out laughing and cursed herself, aloud.
It's funny how one look can give so much away.
"Damn it! I was hoping to get out of that one. So, I know we're not meant to have anyone in particular, but between me and you bro, I really want Kevin. I mean, he's been in the final four times!"
Joe smiled, nodding. He had grown to become close mates with Kevin, they were like the two amigos, almost a double act. Joe and Kevin, that would be plastered all over billboards one day, at least that's what Katya Jones said outside the Studio one time while the two boys had been goofing around.
"Oh I like Kevin, he's a legend. You two would work really well. You never know, you could make it to the final this year, or even win!" Stacey chuckled, coyly. They noticed a runner looking around the room, finding her next contestant.
"I don't know about that, but I'll try. How far do you want to get?" Stacey took a sip of her water, gulping it back in one swift motion. Lee Ryan also came to sit, also dressed in a dazzling ensemble.
"Blackpool. For my Nan, she used to dance there when she was younger, competitions and things. Saying that, yesterday I found out that was week nine so I don't know, but I'll give it a go." Stacey cooed, Lee grinned.
"That's sweet." Joe smiled, but before he could say anything else the runner came to the three of them, in a rather panicked state.
"Joe, Lee. You're up, we don't have much time." They both stood up, Stacey tapping them both on their shoulders at the same time. Part of her was eager to see who they would be spending the next few months with, part of her was sad that they couldn't chat away more.
"Come on mate, lets do this." Joe nodded at Lee, both hurriedly walking away with the runner who was a few metres ahead, the nerves settling into them both swiftly. Stacey looked around, no one else in the room. Silence.
"Because I'm all alone, there's no one here beside me..."
///
"You mentioned that you wanted to get to Blackpool for your nan?" Joe nodded, too nervous for his own good.
Standing there with Tess felt so surreal for Joe, the judges all watching along with the audience who cheered and clapped at every opportunity, creating an electric atmosphere. There were four girls stood on the cake stage, one of which was fortunately Dianne. Oti was stood at the front, the other three on the raised part of the stage. They all looked confident, almost like pageant contestants.
"Yeah, my Nan, Phyllis, she used to dance at Blackpool tower when she was younger, long time ago, Sorry Nan." There was an amused chuckle in the room, Tess certain that the viewers at home would too be laughing at his comment.
"But then I realised that was in week nine, so setting the bar pretty high." He gave a nervous chuckle.
"Alright, you want to get to Blackpool for your nana." The lights went down, signalling this was it. Silence, making Joe all the more eager and apprehensive.
Joe scanned all four girls, wanting nothing more to know, and for it to be the red headed Australian who he had gotten to know so well already, the two having laughed until their stomachs hurt on more than one occasion.
"The girl who'll be keeping you in line, when you're not online, is..." All the judges watched intently, Bruno looking as though he was on the edge of his seat, Darcey chuckling at his suspense, almost as if he were waiting to see if he had won the lottery.
Dianne stood waiting, stood confidently and stood praying, praying it was her name that was about to be read out. She just kept her eyeline on one of the spotlights opposite her, prepared to fake happiness if the stars didn't align. With the tense Strictly music in the background, it didn't exactly help her nerves, any of their nerves for that matter.
Silence.
"It's Dianne!"
Relief. Happiness. A rush of excitement.
Joe grinned from ear to ear, holding his arms out for the red head. The red head had threw her arms up in the air, squealing at the top of her lungs, punching the air in victory as she swiftly made her way over to him, taking smooth swift strides across the dancefloor, glee overcoming her. The other pro dancers smiled at her, seeing their friend so happy. Cheers filled the room, louder than ever from Bruno, who was amusing the judges who too clapped.
Lifting her up, he twirled her around, his little arms just about carrying her but with time he would soon be doing the most daring of lifts, but for now that was fine. She reached the ground at the end of the music, both of them stood arm in arm with Tess, they looked as though they were twin Cheshire cats.
"What a reaction, I take it you're pleased?" They both nodded, Dianne going to speak. Lee was stood at the stairs, smiling over at his friend. He had seen the pair of them get on so well, so he was over the moon to see them paired together.
"Get out of town! Honestly, I cannot wait to get started!" Her Aussie accent was so apparent, mixed with the high pitch in her voice. Joe grinned, nodding in agreement as he saw the judges all watching them, looking at them as a duo, they looked really good together to say the least.
"Well I cannot wait to see you guys on the dancefloor together, but for now go and get acquainted, Joe and Dianne everyone!" They took hands, jogging up the stairs and into the booth in the royal circle where Claudia and the other pairs were all stood, receiving a round of applause as they made their appearance.
Soon enough, they were both heading down the corridor to the star bar, the stage nerves now completely out of the window as they weren't on air anymore.
"So Tell me about yourself Joe, and can you also explain what a youtuber is, I've never really met one before." Dianne said a little shyly, interested in his job and wanting to know more about the boy she had started to get feelings for, slowly but surely. She felt a small amount of butterflies creep into her stomach at the sight of him, floating around lightly.
"Well, I'm Joe Sugg, I'm twenty seven and I grew up in a place called Lacock, near Bath, in Wiltshire, countryside, and I have a sister called Zoe, who also makes videos. And a youtuber is basically someone who makes videos and posts them on the internet, and they get viewed somehow by a lot of people."
She nodded, smiling. YouTube had always just been a viewing platform to her, and she never had realised that it was a career for some people, and could create a livelihood. They turned a corner, passing Janette on the way.
"Oh that's so cool, I've always wanted to know." You could hear the enthusiasm in her voice, Joe finding her impossibly cute, the way she had become so excited about little things, and the adorable dimple on her cheek that seemed to be appearing more and more often.
"Thanks, and what about you?"
"I'm Dianne Buswell, I'm twenty nine and I grew up in a small town called Bunbury, and came over to the UK just over a year ago, for Strictly. I have been dancing since I was two and competed when I was younger."
Joe grinned. "Oh nice, I love Australia. I went to Perth one time for a tour, it was amazing." He said somewhat shyly, Australia had been his favourite country. He loved everything about it from the beaches to the accent, he was fascinated by it all.
"Oh I love it too, the beaches especially, I miss it. Sometimes it even distracted me in school, but it's just so beautiful out there."
"It really is. I didn't exactly have much to be distracted by, just loads of farm and animals, proper countryside where I grew up. Must be nice, growing up by the seaside."
"It was, but I also love it here. Oh by the way, before I forget, can I have your number so I can tell you about the rehearsal times and things?"
"Sure." They exchanged details, Kevin popping by and seeing the interaction, they were stood quite close, not exactly the most professional of body language but it was what had come naturally to them. Kevin raised his eyebrows to himself, curious already.
"Hey you two, what's going on here then?" While Joe typed in the last of the details, Dianne rolled her eyes at Kevin. "And I got Stacey Dooley, in case you were wondering. I reckon I'm onto a winner." Dianne raised her eyebrows at the Grimsby boy, who mirrored her expression from moments before.
"Bring it on, and that's nice, you and Stacey will make a great team, I can already tell." Kevin smiled over at Joe.
"I'm sure we will, and same for you two, you'll make a great team." The pair looked at each other, soft smiles all round.
Joe's eyes seemed to diallate, without him even realising, the blue hues appealing to Dianne, much like the beaches in Australia, who had big brown eyes that Joe could describe as pools of chocolate or honey. They had the ability to take him in the currents, drowning him in them. None the less, he found it pleasant torture. She was enchanted by his smile, his striking jawline like a carefully carved out sculpture, him in her eyes an almost work of art. He felt heat rise throughout his entire body at the sight of her dimple, part of the smile he could see himself longing for whenever it would disappear.
It's funny how one look can give so much away.
"Yeah." Joe said, nodding slightly at the red head, knowing the next few months would undoubtedly be the best few months of his life.
Dianne nodded back. "Yeah, we will."
Of course at this point they were referring to dance, but would they be a team past the ballroom?