Chapter 12: the Joanne Saga

Trust

Joe's POV

It was Tuesday the twenty-fifth, and I woke up early, as I had to go and meet Dianne and the Strictly film team at the Paddington train station because today, we will be hopping on a train down to my hometown Lacock in Wiltshire to meet up with my Uncle Gary and teach Dianne to do some roof thatching, which will be the main focus of our VT, as our dance is roof thatching themed.

I was quite excited. I missed Uncle Gary and my roof thatching, and I get to spend time with Dianne again! I couldn't wait to show her around my hometown! But on that note, I also had a feeling of trepidation. I didn't know what Dianne was going to be like today. I don't know if giving it a day and having a good sleep has helped her or not, but for that, I had to be cautious. I needed to know how friendly I needed to be to get her in my good graces again. I needed to know how I had to act to earn her trust again.

But, even with that in mind, I wasn't going to resist one opportunity to do it the ThatcherJoe way!

Soon, I made it to the station, even if I was a little late. I know how much Dianne liked my jumpscare pranks, so I tried to find Dianne so I could sneak up on her and make her jump, but as soon as I saw Dianne, she locked eyes with me, spotting me, and it ended in failure. Then we went and had some lunch and I took the tickets as I didn't trust Dianne with them. We then made a joke about how our ticket seats were seats seventy and sixty-nine! Dianne claimed it was a sign!

Soon, we were on the train. It was quite crowded, and our seats were taken so we both huddled together in the corner. Soon, we got to Wiltshire and I introduced Dianne to my uncle. Then we got the scaffolding of the roof that needed to be thatched. I couldn't wait to show Dianne the ropes of roof thatching! She's taught me how to do the thing she's great at, and now I can teach her how to do the thing I'm great at. I'm sure Dianne will enjoy it; I really want to be able to have fun with her again.

Dianne's POV

Joe and I were sitting together on a train down to Wiltshire. I was rather nervous. I don't know why though. Maybe it's because it's another day with Joe. It was nothing against him. He's a really great guy. But I don't really know how much longer I can keep this act up with him. All I want is to spend time joking around with him as his friend! But I can't cross that line, or otherwise I'll be sucked into a black hole of tabloid gossip and rumours, and then what will happen to Joe and my relationship with Anthony? I mean, just minutes earlier, Joe failed to prank me, and we even made a sixty-nine joke! I can't let my guard down like this! But, it's for the better anyway. Joe was filming for his vlogs, and I decided to enjoy the moment for him and his fans. If I looked gloomy on camera, he and his fans would notice, and he'll be worried, and I didn't want him to worry. It's all torture, but maybe it's for the best? But... I just couldn't ignore the nagging voice in the back of my head claiming it isn't.

Still, I was eager to see Joe's hometown and learn roof thatching. In Australia, we didn't have these types of roofs, so this was all new and exciting to me. And since Joe's learning my skill, it'll be fun to learn Joe's! I think I can be forgiven if I let my hair down for one little thing.

We then made it to Wiltshire and met Joe's Uncle Gary, who was a really nice guy. He then took us to the scaffolding site to thatch the latest roof. It was so exciting!

"So, Dianne, this is why they call me ThatcherJoe!" Joe said, presenting the barely complete roof, "And today, you're going to be giving it a go." I felt a rush of excitement surge through me. I couldn't help myself! I was so eager to do this with Joe!

"Are you scared of heights?" Joe asked in advance as we walked past the gate. He was such a gentleman, looking out for me like that.

"Yes." I told him. I was terrified of heights.