One

Chapter Twelve

Sliding the key into the lock, he pushed the door open quietly despite already knowing Dianne wasn't in. Treading carefully, he walked through the small apartment just to make sure he was definitely alone, which he was, before going back into the joint kitchen and living room. He knew where everything was in Dianne's little space and quickly found a small, glass vase. Placing it on the kitchen counter, he pulled the flowers out of the carrier bag he'd brought with him and arranged them neatly into the vase. He filled it with water and put some 'flower food' in just to be sure they would survive for as long as possible, not knowing when Dianne would be back from Birmingham; a quick google search told him there was a break from Birmingham to Leeds for the NTA's and he knew the cast of Strictly were going to be there so he was sure it would be soon. With the flowers arranged, he found a slip of paper and drew a simple 'smiley face' on it in black ink before fitting it into the bouquet. A smug smile on his face, he left the apartment, making sure to have turned off any lights and to have locked the door properly so nothing seemed abnormal. He left the building quickly and drove his car back home to his Mum's, just outside of London. His plan started, he settled into his bed with a beer and watched the football.

•••

In Birmingham, the cast and crew had just finished their last show of the first leg of the tour. Over the week they'd been there, Joe and Dianne had grown closer still and both were developing strong feelings for the other, but they would never admit it. Everyone was beginning to notice and, as much as they were happy their resident redhead was beginning to shine a little brighter, those who knew, or thought they knew, about her boyfriend were getting a little worried. No one wanted Dianne to be presented a cheater in the media but as far as they knew, she was still in a loving relationship with her man of two years. It had been bugging Johannes more than most; he and Dianne were very close and he was trying to look out for his friend. Once again, Joe and Dianne were sat together on the tour bus, adrenaline from the show still pumping through their veins as they sang loudly with Graziano, Stacey and Jake at the back. Taking the seat next to Graziano, Johannes joined in with the celebrations after deciding it was best to wait for the hyperactive emotions to die down in Dianne's body before trying to speak to her.

A good hour into the journey, everyone was becoming tired and sleepy. Dianne was leant against Joe, her head lolled lazily on his shoulder. Now. Clearing his throat, Johannes reached out his leg under the table between the seats and gently tapped Dianne's shin to get her attention. Her eyes flickered open as she felt the soft hit and she looked at Johannes, confused.
"Can I have a chat Di?" He asked quietly, trying not to disturb anyone else around them.
"Uh yeh okay." Dianne shook her head to wake herself up and followed Johannes to an empty double nearing the front of the coach.
"What's up?" She asked sleepily when they were seated.
"Di, sweet, I'm just trying to look out for you and I don't want you being.. labelled as anything you're not," he began, speaking slowly to give himself time to choose his words carefully.
"What are you on about?" Dianne stifled a yawn and ran her fingers through her ponytail gently.
"Don't take this the wrong way but you and Joe. There's something happening but I don't want you getting called a cheat-"
"A cheat?" Dianne interrupted. "I'm not a cheat!" She said defensively. "For one, there's nothing happening between me and Joe and two, I'm single."
Johannes felt his heart sink a little. "Since when?"
"Since uh," Dianne faltered, painful memories rushing through her mind. "It's a long story. But, properly single since just before we came to Birmingham."
"Sweetheart." Johannes stroked his hand over her shoulder. "Why didn't you say?"
Dianne shrugged her shoulders. "I-I don't really know. It was easier to ignore it and just move on. But I guess I should have said something. Does... does everyone think I'm cheating?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry," he said, his heart breaking a little. "No, no one thinks you're cheating; we were just a little worried about the media. You know what they're like."
She smiled softly. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault. I think I need to put something on social media or it'll end badly, won't it?"
Johannes nodded reluctantly. "I suppose it could." Dianne yawned widely, failing to cover up just how tired she was. "We'll have a proper chat at some point but not right now, I'm knackered."
"Okay, babes. I'm sorry for bringing it up."
"Don't be silly." Dianne held her arm out and hugged Johannes. The pair walked back to the seats and Joe, who had been asleep when they left, looked at Dianne through puffy eyes.
"Where'd you go?" He asked in almost a grunt.
"Just went for a chat," Dianne said quietly as she settled next to him, her head taking up the same position on his shoulder.
"Okay," he murmured. Joe let his head rest gently on top of Dianne's as they both drifted to sleep, the remainder of the journey going very quickly.