Tonight

Chapter 5

Joe felt as if his heart was going to beat out of his chest as Dianne stood and waved, dragging him partially out of the stool he had been crouched on for the past hour during her set. The crowd roared, and he couldn't help but smile as he peered up at her beaming face - her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparkling. Two songs in, she had shrugged her thin leather jacket off her shoulders, letting it dangle between them. He had moved it out of her way immediately, beginning the intricate dance that continued throughout the show - Joe moving with Dianne, keeping up with the drumsticks in her hand, but also, somehow, anticipating her needs. He adjusted the mic when she needed it, he grabbed her water, and he even had fixed the alignment of the bass drum in the middle of a song, earning a grateful smile and mouthed 'thank you' from Dianne.

He felt strangely fulfilled by it - he was used to being onstage, but in full view, responsible for putting on a show...responsible for being the show. Being the invisible assistant to Dianne had given him a different view - he wasn't in the spotlight, and he was surprised by how much he had enjoyed it. He had felt their music - the Samba Sisters, no matter how terrible their name, were good musicians. Because he didn't have to focus on vocals or strumming his guitar, he had instead watched the crowd. Watched them respond to certain songs, sing a-long, and dance. In a way, he realized, he had reconnected with what made him fall in love with music in the first place.

"Thank you all - have a great night!" Amy screamed into the microphone, as Dianne continued to wave, the crowd roaring. He gazed out, grinning as he saw a few people point in disbelief as his head popped up from behind the drum set. He had attempted to remain incognito, but with Dianne standing and waving, his cover had effectively been blown.

"Joe! Joe Sugg!" a few girls off to the side screamed, and he braced himself for the dirty look he was sure Dianne was shooting his way. When he glanced over though, he was surprised to see her laughing - hysterically - raising their handcuffed wrists and continuing to wave. Joe smiled to himself, waving along with her - the girl who had been grating on him for the past four hours was beginning to look a bit different in his eyes. The uptight, sharp tongued, demeanor was gone, leaving a bright, energetic and happy Dianne in its place - if he thought about it too long, it kind of gave him whiplash.

"No encore?" Joe whispered in her ear as she grabbed her drumsticks and began to walk off the stage.

She shook her head, "We've never been called back on for an encore."

"Really?" Joe asked, somewhat surprised. The crowd had loved them - they were still cheering enthusiastically as they walked offstage. "I think you should consider it."

"Okay, sure Sugg, we'll keep that in mind for future shows," Dianne rolled her eyes playfully.

"No, like right now," Joe nodded back toward the stage where the crowds were now chanting the band name over and over again. "They want an encore."

"I don't know," Oti bit her lip, overhearing his suggestion. "We don't have any songs left - we just did everything in our normal set list."

"What about a cover?" Joe asked, an idea popping into his head. "We always do a dance version of Tainted Love when the crowd wants more. Absolute banger."

Dianne snorted, "We don't know Tainted Love. And we don't have a mixer, like Caspar uses."

"Doesn't matter," Joe tugged on the handcuffs as he began to walk back out toward stage. "The notes aren't hard - chords are super repetitive. You guys are talented, just follow my lead. Oti - pull your keyboard next to the drum set."

Smirking at the look of fear on all three of their faces, Joe tugged again on the handcuffs, causing Dianne to stumble back out onstage behind him. She waved, shyly, toward the crowd, bringing her hand up to shade her eyes from the harsh lights.