Joe and Dianne: Dancing is better with you

Chapter 10 - forgetting you

Joe's POV:

Shutting the wooden door behind me I stepped into the studio that Dianne and I were training in. I liked this studio with it's red walls and multi-toned flooring; Dianne and I had some good memories over the past 3 weeks within this room, but something in the back of my tired head was telling me that by the end of today it wouldn't quite feel the same.

This was our second day of training for movie week and If I learnt anything from yesterday it was that,  1) I am not made for ballroom and   2)my encounters with Dianne are now more than awkward to say the least.

We didn't talk about it yesterday - we didn't really say much at all unless it was dance related. I don't know about on her part, but for me I didn't want to talk about it, but I also didn't want to think about anything else. I hated the awkward silences that filled the room when the music wasn't playing. I hated the fact that she couldn't look me in the eye anymore. I hated that I had said what I said and scared her off. And I hated that there was nothing I could do to fix it.

I made sure that I came in to the studio much earlier than Dianne this morning. Firstly so that I could practice the routine on my own before she got here, and secondly so I could be awake enough to talk to her about this situation. I couldn't bare another day of awkwardness between us, I had to have my relationship with Dianne back to the way it was - if not for my own sanity, then for the dance and the competition. After all, that's what I'm here for. The dancing. Not falling head over heals for a woman a million times out of my league.

I had been in the studio for an hour already and was going over my steps for probably the 10th time today. I had made some progress but without Dianne, I'm like a blind man walking into a road. Just as I finished the final turn I saw the door open and Dianne walk in with her head down and her eyes fixed firmly on her phone.

As she heard the music I saw her look around, until eventually she settled her eyes on me.

"Didn't expect to see you here so early Joseph - how long have you been here?" She questioned me. She looked reasonably disgruntled and she could obviously still see the awkward fog that began to settle within the training room between us.

"About an hour or so..." I said casually, secretly hoping that she would be impressed by me. She smiled sweetly at me and then stood awkwardly not knowing what to do or say to me. I plucked up some courage and opened my mouth to sort this out once and for all.

"Dianne sit down please." The moment I said this Dianne looked on the verge of tears, she let out a large and nervous breath before she placed her stuff next to mine in the corner and settled down on the floor with her back to the mirrors.

"Listen Di we can't keep going like this. It's to awkward and......" I was cut off by the sharp ringing of a phone. I looked at Dianne who hadn't moved, obviously knowing that it wasn't hers. I walked across to my own phone to see it ringing from an unknown number.

I answered it bringing the speaker up to my ear. "Hello?" I questioned. I was greeted by a low, male voice that I didn't recognise at all.

"Hey is this Joe? Joe Sugg?" He questioned

"Yeah - and who are you?" I questioned feeling more than weary of this mysterious caller.

"I'm sure you might hang up after I tell you but please don't. I'm Anthony....Quinlan."

I paused checking that I heard right. Why the fuck was Dianne's ex-boyfriend calling me at 8 o'clock in the morning on a Tuesday?

"As in D-..." He cut me off before I said Dianne's name.