The Catalyst | Joanne

Chapter 28

Joe turned the key, praying silently that Chippy would start. On the second attempt, the engine sprung into action. Joe cheered quietly and began to drive closer to his apartment building. The nearer they got, the more tense Dianne appeared. Her sharp eyes darted, checking every street corner and every underpass for people. For her. By the time they drove into the underground car park, her arms were wrapped tightly around her body, slender fingers gripping at the sleeves of her jacket.

Joe parked quickly and got out, grabbing their bags. He led Dianne to the lift and pressed the button for his floor. As soon as the doors closed, Dianne visibly calmed down. Unfortunately, it was short-lived. Joe opened the door to the apartment and Dianne pushed past him. She paced around the living room, looking out of every window. Once that room was clear, she went upstairs and did the same thing.

Joe sighed. Putting the bags down, he followed the path she had taken and closed the curtains. Dianne knew, because Joe had told her before, that the glass was covered so that people couldn't see in, but that wasn't going to help her right now. Joe knew that the only way to help her relax was to follow her lead and do whatever she needed to feel safe.

By the time she came back into the living room, now dressed in a pair of comfortable shorts and one of Joe's t-shirts, Joe had locked the doors, closed the curtains and put his phone on the side. He took Dianne's phone from her hand and put it next to his.

"Come on" he said, leading her over to the large, grey couch. "Talk to me."

Dianne followed Joe. As he sat on the sofa and held out his arm, she let herself fall into his embrace. Joe kissed her head and stroked her hair gently. They sat in silence for a few moments, both of them processing the changes they had just been through.

Joe spoke first. "Can I do something to help you relax?" Dianne shrugged, but Joe continued. "I could give you a foot rub? Or even a full pedicure if you like?"

Dianne managed a small smile and nodded. Patting her leg, Joe pushed her up slightly so he could clamber off the sofa. He found everything he was looking for quite quickly, only pausing by his phone to put on a playlist of gentle sounds and spa music. Dianne sat back as Joe put everything he had gathered onto the coffee table.

He began to rub her feet, his thumbs adding a little pressure. Dianne instantly relaxed; she had never liked having her feet touched that much, but Joe was really good at this. Really good. As he applied some of the sweet-smelling balm he had found in the bathroom, he looked up at her and smiled.

"This good?" he asked gently.

Dianne nodded. "So good" she said quietly. "I don't know why I pay for this. You can just do it here from now on."

"Anything for you" he whispered. "I just want to make you happy. And if this helps, I'll do it every day."

Dianne smiled. "I'll hold you to that."

As Joe continued his massage, his thoughts drifted back to the last few days. To the change he had seen in his girlfriend.

"Did you have a good time in Wiltshire?" he asked. "I mean, did it help?"

"Yeah. It was nice" Dianne answered. "It felt nice to just be us, you know? No cameras. Well, one person stopped us for a picture, but it was... nice."

Joe nodded. "And London is... not nice?"

"Not at the moment. I think..." Dianne paused for a moment, "I think it was just the idea of coming back and not knowing. I didn't feel safe here, which is why we left. And I guess I just panicked because... well. Because my brain is going into overdrive over that stupid letter, still. It just seems so small, but I'm convinced it's all connected. The letter, the girl outside and in the supermarket and then that guy..." She looked up at Joe. "Do I sound crazy?"

Joe shrugged. "You sound scared" he said honestly. "The hardest thing for me is that I don't know what you're scared of."

"I wish I knew" Dianne said. "I think I... I'm scared of what would happen if I saw her again. I'm scared of what she might say or what she might ask me to do. She told me I saved her, and I don't know how. What if... what if I try again and it's not what she needs and she..."

"Stop" Joe said firmly. He left Dianne's feet and clambered onto the couch, taking her hand. "There's a way to fix this, OK? We can talk to people and get some stuff in place. I know we can't stop people walking around, but I'll talk to some people and see what can be done. Alright?"

Dianne nodded and leaned into Joe's body. The familiar scent of his aftershave, mixed with laundry detergent and something undeniably 'Joe' relaxed her instantly. As she cuddled into his body, Dianne held his hand in hers and played with his fingers.

"What do you think she wants?" she asked curiously.

"I think" Joe began, keeping his voice low, "I think whoever she is, she needs help. Ultimately, I think she wants your attention. I think she wants you to make her feel special."

Dianne nodded, nuzzling her head into Joe's chest. "I don't think I'd feel like this if I hadn't seen her outside that time. That image- her in her coat, glasses on, smoking a cigarette- it haunts me. I think about it all the time. She knows where we live, Joe. Does that not freak you out?"

Joe took a breath. "I think people have a good idea about where we live. If they know this side of London, it's not hard to work out. But people don't know which block we're in. They don't know the full address. And they certainly don't know the number of this apartment. I've always been very careful about that. It would take someone with insane stalker skills to work out where..."

The doorbell rang.

Dianne's pulse immediately sped up. Joe- eyes wide with shock- walked towards the door. Holding down the button for the intercom, he spoke. "Hello?"

"Delivery for Dianne?"

Joe pressed the button for the front door and waited for the courier to knock. As he did, Joe opened the door to find a young man holding a bunch of flowers. Handing them over quickly, the courier turned back to the lift and Joe shut the door.

"Who are they from?" Dianne asked, taking cautious steps towards where Joe was now stood.

Joe poked around in the bouquet looking for a card. "No idea. They don't even say which company they've come from."

The colour drained from Dianne's face. She began pacing across the wooden floor, her hands automatically reaching for her hair. Leaving the flowers on the side, Joe raced over to her and took her hands in his. Looking into her eyes, he guided her to breathe with him, hoping it would calm her down.

"What if it's like that thing Zoe was talking about?" Dianne asked once she could breathe again. "What if... they're from her and she sent them to check she has the address right? What if that guy isn't really a courier, or what if he's got instructions to tell her that he saw you?"

Joe was at a loss. He had no idea what he could do in this situation. All he could think of was to stand with Dianne, rubbing gentle circles on her back.  Suddenly, his phone lit up. He raced over and picked it up. Reading the message, he breathed out loudly and looked at Dianne.

"It's mum. She says 'Nan said she sent you some flowers to say thanks for coming, but she got confused on the website and she doesn't think they'll come with a card. When you get them, can you text her to say thanks?'"

Dianne's still-shaking hand found the edge of the round chair next to the window. As she sat back, she looked across at Joe, fear in her eyes.

"I'm actually going mad, aren't I?"