Tonight

Chapter 8

It was the music, Joe thought to himself as he continued to watch Dianne sway back and forth to the melody, her hand that he had just dared to grab, squeezing back with the slightest bit of pressure, her fingers lacing through his fitting like puzzle pieces.

Just the music.

 He gently loosened his hold on her, letting his pointer finger run up and down hers, almost as if to ensure this was actually real, tracing the lines on her palm before settling back down and interlocking again, this time, her squeeze more pronounced. He realized she didn't loosen - just grasped his hand tightly within hers, tugging it gently to rest in the center of her lap, on top of her free hand. He breathed deeply, the flipping sensation in his stomach going full throttle now - it suddenly became clear to him that it wasn't due to anger, which is what he had attributed it to earlier. It was because he...liked her. He liked being around her. And he really, really liked holding her hand.

As the singer strummed the last few notes on his guitar, the crowd erupted into applause, causing Dianne's eyes to lazily open, a smile spreading across her face. Joe quickly shifted his face to look forward, whistling loudly as his hands were otherwise occupied. He noticed her blush pink as she came back to reality, slowly loosening her grip on his hand, but not completely pulling away.

"We should probably go back?" Dianne whispered.

"Is that a fact?" Joe murmured back, "Or a question."

Dianne shrugged, turning to look him in the eyes for the first time since sitting down together for the show. It was as if he could hear her internal battle between what she thought she should do, and what she actually wanted.

"Yeah," Joe mumbled incoherently, suddenly feeling as though he was drowning in the light brown pools of her eyes. "Same."

Dianne giggled, breaking the trance, "I didn't say anything."

Joe shook his head quickly clearing his throat, trying to remember how to speak words that made sense. "Come on," he tugged on her hand, lifting her up and leading her back out of the tent.

Dianne was still giggling as they made their way back out into the chilly evening - something about the sound of her laughter was infectious, and Joe found himself chuckling along with her. Soon, tears were streaming down both their faces as they walked hand-in-hand back toward the overnight tent.

"You're insane," Joe gasped out between peals of laughter, "Or maybe I am. Why am I even laughing?"

Dianne sucked in a shaky breath, trying to calm herself down, until another wave of giggles hit her.

"I think you're both insane," a cold voice came from their right, as James appeared from their tent, with his arms crossed. "Insanely rude."

Dianne stumbled as Joe stopped, glaring at the man who had been nothing but disrespectful since they'd met that afternoon. Unable to cross his arms to mimic his stance, Joe chose to narrow his eyes instead, speaking before thinking, "So are you, for being a dick to your girlfriend all day."

"Is she even my girlfriend?" James retorted, turning his attention to Dianne who was staring at the ground. "Because a girlfriend would never flirt with another man right in front of me, and then sneak off with him in the middle of the night. I was so worried when I woke up and you were gone..."

"Oh stop it James," Dianne finally spoke, her eyes full of ice as she raised her head. "You're not worried about me. You're more worried about making your next big investment. I was just a fun time. An easy distraction from your real life."

"Was?" James asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, we're done. Not that we ever really got started in the first place," Dianne waved her hand dismissively, before cocking her head to the side, studying him closely. "You never asked me to be your girlfriend, you know. All you did was buy me drinks after shows. Tell me this, James. Did you even like me? Or did you just like getting drunk at small concert venues on weeknights? Did you just like the attention 'being with the band' brought you?"