Joe and Dianne: Life away from you

The final night

Joe's POV:

I lent up against the wooden door frame to Byron's room, two beers in my hands watching him pack away his few remaining possessions, and begin to put covers on his precious guitars, leaving nothing but a few hesitant - yet much treasured - memories behind. As he stood up right, his brown locks covering his forehead, I held out a cold beer to him, which he gratefully accepted as he had worked up a sweat putting everything into boxes all afternoon.

"Thanks Bro" He said with a smile as he drank from the cold bottle.

"No problem mate. so...." I said wistfully

"So..." He replied giving the same exasperated voice as I had given him. We both knew what the other was thinking, but neither of us wanted to accept it. It was fair to say that Byron and I had had some of the best times of our lives living together, making music, being stupid or just chilling on the sofa together watching whatever the fuck was on Netflix whilst we ate the dinner that master chef Byron had cooked for us. But now, as I stood looking at the baron reminiscence of his room, I couldn't help but feel upset about the fact that by this time tomorrow, he wouldn't be here anymore. Noticing the saddened look onto my face he piped up bringing me a much needed bout of reassurance.

"Come on Joe, don't look at me like that - you know that you're going to be fine." He said comfortingly.

"Yeah I do" I replied trying my hardest to not let on how I was really feeling.

"Besides, Dianne's moving in here by the end of the week. Once she gets back from Liverpool of course" He was right. I was beyond excited to be moving in with Di. I had never got to this stage with a girl before, but now as I was mentally counting the days until I would be able to see her wake up next to me everyday for years to come, I couldn't hide how happy I was.

"Yeah she is." I paused momentarily, thinking of a way to get myself out of this conversation topic. "I think that there's some magic bacon in the fridge - its getting close to 7 pm do you want some dinner?" I joked bringing up our old jokes to lighten the mood.

"Yeah go on then" Byron smiled back at me, before following me through into the kitchen, to make us some much needed dinner for the night. Once it was made, we sat down on the sofa in our usual seats, eating our food whilst laughing and joking just like we had done for almost every night for the past 2 years. The topic of him leaving didn't come up until the end of the night, beer and food had been consumed and as the late winter night drew in, Byron and I took our last chance to speak to each other properly, away from prying eyes and ears, for the very last time.

"Joe, I just quickly want to thank you bro." He paused for a moment finishing off the last swig of his drink before setting the empty glass on the coffee table and looking me in the eye. "For everything that you have done for me over the past couple of years - not just as a roommate but as my closest mate over here. I mean, I know that I have Josh and Caspar from back home, but whilst I have been over here away from my family you have done nothing but help me out when this music shit wasn't going to plan and you have welcomed me into your own family. I know that we have had some fucking crazy nights in this place and as much as I can't wait to go live with Emily, I'm really going to miss this place and you, so thank you bro." He gave me his admittedly attractive model like smile and looked me in the eyes. Byron and I had always had non-stop laughs since we have lived together, but the fact that he and I could also have serious conversations together is what makes him stand out from my other mates the most. I smiled back at him - even after 27 years of life I really struggled to get out my emotional side. I had been a joker all my life, so to put my feelings out there - even to someone like Byron - was a real struggle in my life.

I wanted tot say stuff back to him but I couldn't get my words out. The silence of our apartment began to highlight how tired he was, so looking at his watch and yawning, Byron stood up and spoke to me before heading off to bed. "Thanks for tonight bro, I'll see you in the morning" He said before heading down the hallway into his room for one final night. But before he left completely, I put my worries beside me and said to Byron what he deserved after all that he has done.

"Byron wait a second bro." He spun around and looked at me intently, waiting for me to speak. "I just wanted to say thank you to you as well. For cooking, making me laugh, teaching me things about music and shit loads of other stuff and for ...." I paused for a minute before I thanked him for the best thing he has ever done for me " If it wasn't for you bro, I definitely wouldn't have anyone moving in with me next Saturday so thank you mate I love you." He smiled to me before nodding his head and walking into his room. It's fair to say that whilst I was on Strictly, Byron was a saint as every day he listened to me moan about my aching bones and muscles, cook me dinner to fix me and above all else he gave me so much advice as to how to tackle my continuously growing crush on Dianne, and I think that.... I know that if it wasn't for him then we wouldn't be together.

I settled back on the sofa before getting out my phone to text Dianne. Tonight was the first day she was away on tour, and tomorrow is her first show date, I knew that she and the cast were going out for drinks tonight so I sent her a text before I headed off to sleep on my own - tired, missing my girl, and upset that I'm loosing my boy.

Narrator's POV:

Dianne made her way out from under the covers, the cold air of the Liverpudlian hotel chilling her skin as she walked across to her phone that was on the other side of the room. After hearing her text tone for the first time tonight, she found herself gravitated to the machine she so often found her life depending on.

As she reached it, she found that Joe had left her a text, a smile came to her face as she read over the sweet words he had left her. She began to message him back, her heart full of love as she was reminded just how special her boyfriend was.

"Who is it babe?" Dianne however stopped texting when a deep Mancunian accent caught her attention from her hotel bed. She looked up from her phone and looked at the familiar face across the room, a thin sheen of sweat still present on his face.

"Huh... um no one really don't worry about it" The Australian replied to him.

"Well come back here then" he said tapping on the white bed sheet next to him, Dianne dropped her phone back onto the desk and went back over to her bed, getting under the covers, she felt a warm body press up to her back, and a pair of lips beginning to attack her neck.

Admittedly her body was thriving over the touches and kisses it was receiving but after her text from Joe, her mind was wracked with guilt - but one thought stayed in her head as well...

'what happens on tour, stays on tour... right?'