Hearing her alarm go off, Dianne groaned before sitting up and padding through to the kitchen, seeing her dad sitting on the sofa with Juno lying down on his bed.
"Morning Dot, come have some coffee."
She slumped down on the sofa next to him, sipping the piping hot cup of coffee before resting her head on his shoulder. Juno was sat by their feet, wagging his tail.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she thought about the brief messages that Joe and herself had been sending each other, neither of them having made plans to see each other again as of yet. As desperate as she was to see him, she thought better of it. She needed to distance herself from him. She couldn't deny that she was in love with him, and that saying goodbye to him would be hell.
"Early morning shift then?"
Nodding her head, she sighed. "Yeah, and then I have a class to teach at 3. It's gonna be a long day, but I better get moving." Crouching down, she let Juno sniff and lick her hand. "Bye buddy, I'll see you later."
A few hours had past and Dianne was desperately waiting for her shift to be over. Of course, she was grateful for the job she had but the urge to get to the dance school was overwhelming. She wished she could teach more classes a week and have it be a full time job, but she knew the school didn't have the funding for that.
Seeing the clock turn to 2:00, she frantically grabbed her bag and rushed out the front. For some reason she felt relieved when she was out of the café, never having felt like that before. She genuinely enjoyed working there, but something felt different.
Knowing she didn't have long to get to the dance school and eat, she shook her head and didn't allow herself to dwell on her thoughts, that could wait for another time.
She started walking with pace but stopped as she heard her phone ring. Reaching for it from her bag, her heart sunk when she saw who it was. Joe.
She let it continue to ring, knowing that she wouldn't have the willpower to not ask him to meet her later. She felt bad, but it was for the best.
//
"Hey, it's me. When you get this message, please call me back."
Dianne listened to the voicemail and felt her heart break a little. He sounded worried, and a little desperate. Heavily breathing out, she dialled his number.
"Hello?" She heard Joe say nervously.
"Hey. Sorry, I've been working all day and only just got your voicemail."
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And say that I missed you." Her heart melted a little at his words, she couldn't comprehend how someone was so sweet.
"I've missed you too. Are you busy tomorrow evening?" Dianne found herself saying before she could think. "My parents are out of town for the night and I could make you dinner. You know, if you want to." She felt her heart beating rapidly, awaiting his response.
"I'd love that. I'll see you tomorrow then. Sweet dreams, Di."
She threw her phone on the sofa, before frantically searching up recipes, realising that she couldn't actually cook that well. It was a spur of the moment thing and she just found herself offering to cook.
Curling up in bed that night, Dianne couldn't stop the negative thoughts swarming in her mind. She knew she was in too deep, and would be heartbroken when Joe left. It was something she had accepted, but it was worth it, just to spend three more weeks with him.
//
Hearing a knock on the door, Dianne jumped and ran to the mirror. She looked flustered as she had been cooking all afternoon, she wanted this evening to be perfect. And now Joe had turned up early, but of course she wasn't mad about that.
Grabbing the handle, she pulled the door towards her to reveal Joe, looking rather dishy if she may say so herself. She then looked down at his hands, holding a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers.
"These are for you." He said as he passed them over to her, before scratching his neck. Standing aside to allow him in, her lips curled up at his cuteness.
"Thank you, Joe. You know you didn't have to." She replied whilst reaching up to hug him with her free arm.
"I wanted to. I saw them and thought of you."
Dianne grinned. "Sitting room is just through there, although I thought we could eat outside since it's so warm?"
"Sounds great! Where's Juno? I feel like I haven't seen him in ages."
"My neighbour offered to take him for a walk. He should be home soon, though." She said as she put the flowers in some water. "I'll be back in 2 minutes, just need to check on the food."
Returning a few moments later, she saw Joe wondering round the room, looking at all the family photos on the wall.
"Those are my two brothers, and my niece and nephew. It was taken last year in Italy." She wondered over to him and leant her head on his shoulder.
"Do you see them often?" He questioned, clearly interested in her family's dynamics.
"Yes, both of them still live in Australia. One in Sydney and one in Adelaide. We try to see each other every month, but sometimes it is difficult."
Nodding, Joe stepped back and took both her hands. "I know I've only just got here, but thank you for tonight. And I'm really looking forward to trying your cooking!" He smirked, as he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.
Dianne didn't respond. She just leant in and kissed him hard on the lips. "Let's hope I don't poison you." She whispered as their lips parted.
Later, they were both snuggled on the bench outside, watching the sunset. Juno had his head rested on Dianne's leg, having arrived back from his walk a few hours ago.
"Hey, Joe? What's your full name?" Dianne slurred, after having one too many glasses of wine.
"Joseph Hotness Sugg." He replied flirtatiously, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Wow, cool name!" She giggled, before staring up at him. She began planting kisses along his jawline, before nibbling on his ear. "Hey, how about we go inside?"
Seeming to lose his ability to form words, Joe just nodded and followed her lead to what he assumed was her bedroom.
Quickly shutting the door, Dianne pushed him against it before kissing him, whilst she moved her hand to his chest, gripping his shirt to pull him closer.
She felt Joe push her off slightly, but before she could feel too much disappointment, he spoke.
"Are you sure you want this?" He said in a hushed tone, whilst caressing her cheek.
"Positive."
An: hi! i'm so pleased i was able to finish this today, i hope you enjoy it. next chapter will be up in two days time, fingers crossed!
