Maze of Memories

Waltzing in a New Direction

"Ah, I see. Dianne's 'details' were finally figured out week four," Philip mused, scratching his chin. "Is that what you're referring to?"

He watched as Dianne nodded shyly, "It was the end of one chapter of my life - it was difficult, but necessary."

"We all go through things like that, dear," Holly replied in a soothing voice. "Ending chapters can hurt."

Dianne nodded again, before shifting her gaze toward Joe who was sitting quietly next to her, his eyes silently darting over all of her facial features. Philip could tell it was to ensure she was okay, without even speaking a word.

"Ending chapters can definitely hurt," she murmured, "But starting new ones can be quite exciting."

---

Joe squeezed his shoulder, wincing in pain. "Dianne, I can't hold my arms up like that anymore," he whined, "It's not humanly possible."

He watched as she rolled her eyes, heading to the closet and rifling through a pile of equipment. She straightened when she found what she had been looking for, holding a strange strappy device with buckles in her hands.

"What the hell is that?" Joe yelped as she continued to walk toward him, a devious look in her eyes.

"Come here," she demanded as he began to shrink away from her.

"I'm not getting anywhere near you," he responded, "Until you assure me that's not some sort of torture device."

"Well..." she grinned, unbuckling the straps and reaching for his shoulders.

"It's a torture device isn't it? Oh for fucks sake Dianne, you've done enough to me today," he groaned as she roughly slipped the straps over his shoulders and tugged to tighten the buckles.

"This," she gestured to the straps, "Will help your posture. We can't have a wobbly waltz mister."

"I'm a wobbly boy though," Joe replied in a whiny voice, feigning an imbalanced walk toward her. "I'm floppy."

"Your hair is certainly floppy today," she murmured, reaching up to brush it off his face. Joe felt himself blush at the intimate gesture, matching her cheeks that had suddenly also turned pink. She dropped her arm and cleared her throat, heading back toward her phone that was plugged in.

"Come on Mr. Wobble, a few more runs," she announced. "I want this to be looking better before your sister visits tomorrow."

Joe sighed, heading back to the center of the room. This hadn't been the first awkward interaction since the news of Dianne's breakup had hit the papers over the weekend. They hadn't spoken about it. Joe didn't want to pry, and Dianne didn't seem to be willing to bring it up. Joe knew it was probably for the best, but he was also curious. About how she was feeling - and also where things stood between them. Their close friendship had always teetered on the edge of something else...he just wasn't sure either of them were ready to go there.

Dianne was still reverting into teacher mode most of the time - but he had noticed her slipping into more comfortable behaviors around him. She was sitting closer to him during their breaks. They were sharing their lunches. They were both touching each other more - although her fingers running through his hair was certainly a new development.

As Dianne approached him, the opening notes of "Rainbow Connection" echoing through the studio, he took a moment to really take her in. She was happy, and it wasn't just because this was one of her favorite songs. As he brought her into ballroom hold, he smiled softly as their eyes connected, beginning to lead her around the room. He could feel the dancing getting easier...yet somehow, controlling his emotions, was not.