Tonight

Chapter 6

Joe sucked in a deep breath of outside air, the temperature cooling significantly while they had been in the tent. Turning to the girl who had been driving him crazy all day, he couldn't resist smiling, as he caught her watching him. She'd done it a few times throughout the show - though he'd tried to ignore it. She didn't move her eyes quickly enough this time, and so he held her eye contact for a just split second longer than was comfortable. He wasn't even sure why - but he knew it made his stomach do that weird flip-flop thing again.

"Um, we should probably find Mac," Dianne coughed awkwardly. "Get the key for this bloody thing."

Joe looked down at their connected wrists, nodding. For some reason, the thought of disconnecting from Dianne felt like a punch to the gut. He blamed it on the letdown from the show adrenaline. That was the only explanation.

"Let's ride the ferris wheel before it closes down," Delilah announced, grabbing his hand and dragging them forward. "Then we'll find the stupid key."

Joe glanced back at Dianne who shrugged, looking up at James who was busy on his phone, "Fine with me...James?"

"Huh? Ferris wheel? Whatever..." he responded distractedly, not even bothering to look up. Joe watched as Dianne's facial expression hardened, and he suddenly had the urge to punch James in the face.

"Come on baby," Delilah whined in his ear, pulling him forward.

"Slow down," Joe sighed, feeling Dianne stumble behind him. "You're not just dragging me."

Delilah pouted, and Joe wished he felt more sympathy for her. In fact, he had completely forgotten about her during the show - probably not the best behavior for a boyfriend to have, but then again, she had never been a perfect girlfriend either. Caspar's words from earlier in the day were echoing in his brain - he knew for his own sanity, they needed to break up. They had both been using each other for a few months now - Delilah using Joe for modeling connections, and Joe using Delilah to avoid loneliness late at night. The actual process of ending it, no matter how casual it was, had turned into a whole other issue though...and he wasn't sure Glastonbury while handcuffed to someone else would be the best time to do it.

"It's gorgeous," he heard Dianne murmur as they settled into their seats and began to move. Assuming she was talking to James, Joe kept his eyes forward, awkwardly rested his arm behind Delilah's shoulders, hoping that this would be the fastest ferris wheel ride of all time.

"Hi, Elise? Can you forward my calls to my cell tonight? Looks like I'm going to be here a bit longer than I thought..." James voice cut into the peace, causing Joe to look over at Dianne who was sitting closely on his other side. He saw the corners of her mouth turn down into a frown as James talked loudly on his mobile. As he hung up, Joe nudged Dianne gently with his shoulder, before turning his attention to her boyfriend.

"Mate, isn't this a great view?" Joe asked lightly, hoping to draw him back into the moment. For some reason Dianne's clear unhappiness in this moment was irking him, and while their good behavior truce was only supposed to last through the show, he felt an inexplicable need to defend her. "All of Glasto...right underneath us."

James sighed, "Yeah, I suppose."

Joe fought the urge to roll his eyes, nudging Dianne again, "And here with your cool rocker girlfriend, too. Your life is mint."

Joe heard Dianne stifle a giggle, but as he shot a glance her way she was staring straight ahead, her face carefully blank.

James sighed again, "Sure. I guess..."

"You guess?" Joe blurted out in a loud voice, sitting up straighter before he felt Dianne's soft hand press against his - effectively hidden from the others between their bodies in the tight quarters of the ferris cab. He sat back, his heartbeat still a bit faster than normal, feeling a bit of anger run through his veins at James's lack of caring. Shit, he barely liked Delilah and he was still treating her with more respect than James was giving Dianne.