The Catalyst | Joanne

Chapter 19

"And let's now open our eyes and breathe deeply as we come out of savasana. Take your time; only move back to sitting or standing when you feel ready."

Dianne sat up, her legs still stretched out in front of her, and exhaled gently.

"Namaste" the instruction said in her light, relaxing tone. "Well done for today, ladies."

"Namaste" the class echoed back. As people began to leave the room, Dianne turned her head and smiled. Amy was still sat on her mat and smiled back at her friend.

"How was that?" Amy asked, knowing Dianne had said how much she felt she needed this yoga class. "Helpful?"

Dianne nodded, pulling her hair out of its ponytail and combing her fingers through the ends. "I always love Shauna's classes. Her voice just... well, it's so calming."

Amy pulled herself to her feet, before offering a hand to Dianne. "It is. I feel really relaxed now and ready for the day. I'm hungry, though. All that mindfulness and contemplation just made me realise that the banana I'd picked up on the way wasn't quite doing enough".

Dianne chuckled. "Well, I know a nice place down the street that does a really good avo toast. Actually, they do a really nice everything. My treat?"

"That sounds perfect."

The two dancers, dressed in workout leggings and loose, comfortable tops, made their way out of the studio and into the fresh air. Amy followed Dianne down the street; this was a part of London she wasn't particularly familiar with, but her red-haired friend seemed to know exactly where they were going.

Dianne stopped outside a small café, holding open the door to let out a young couple with a pram. Once they had gone, she walked into the space and quickly found a table in the corner.

"This looks nice" Amy said as she sat down opposite her. "Do you come here much?"

Dianne handed her friend a menu, not needing one herself as she knew exactly what she would be ordering. "Joe and I have been here a few times. When we were using the studio near the park, we got lunch here."

Amy smiled. "Awwh, way back when you were dance partners... with benefits."

Dianne rolled her eyes. "Hey, no we weren't. We were..." she paused for a moment, thinking back to the handful of times they had been to this particular café. Were they just friends then? Had anything happened? She smiled at Amy. "We were just us. I don't think, the last time we were here, we'd put a label on anything. We liked each other, but that was about as far as we'd got."

"Honestly, you two are so cute. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. I mean, we knew you were close, but you're just meant to be." Amy looked up at Dianne, who was blushing slightly. "Aww, see? Do you still get that fluttery feeling when you think about it all? I still get it when I think about the early days with Ben. That's when you know."

Dianne nodded. "I don't think it'll ever go away. He just... makes me happy."

Their conversation was interrupted as a waitress came over to take their order. Once she had gone, Amy looked up at Dianne.

"So, how do you feel about the new series? How does Joe feel?"

Dianne's nervous hands fiddled with the salt shaker on the table. "I feel... prepared. I guess now I've got to the final I know a little more about what to expect. So, in that way, I feel good. And I'm excited about doing it all again. It's just going to be strange going back into it now everyone knows about me and Joe. I don't want people to compare me and him to me and my new partner."