Halfway to Love | A Joanne Fanfiction

Eleven

Joe woke up the next morning with an unusual spring in his step. As per usual, London's dull beginnings of winter were not awe inspiring by any means, but not even the dark clouds threatening to rain could dampen his bright mood. Despite not sleeping particularly well due to the excitement coursing through his veins that he couldn't quite quell, his body bounced with nervous energy. His roommate simply stared at him in complete bemusement.

"You alright bru?"

"I'm good, really good. Do you want me to make breakfast?" he offered.

Byron noted that he had already showered and changed, something that didn't normally take place until at the very least two hours later. He cut to the chase. "Okay so I'm guessing she was the right Reddo?"

Joe's face spread into a small, shy smile. "Yeah, Dianne is."

"So what happened? Are you getting the camera back?"

"She's agreed to meet me to give it back tonight."

"Tonight? Where?"

Joe took out his phone from his back pocket, smiling again as he read over their Instagram messages. "5pm at Montamarte carousel in Winter Wonderland."

"Woah that's soon. I wasn't expecting it to happen that quickly."

"Neither if I'm honest mate, but it'll be nice to see her and-uh-get the camera back." He reasoned quickly.

"Are you not worried that she's not who she says she is? Do you want me to come with you or something, I'm not doing anything tonight." Byron asked, knowing all too well what his roommate's answer would be.

Joe paused for a moment, and the bacon he was cooking sizzled in the saucepan through his silence. "No, I'm good. I believe her."

The certainty in his voice caused his roommate to raise a solitary eyebrow. "Besides, I've been there plenty of times before-we both know it's a very public place and I know my way around. I'll be fine."

"I know you will, but I worry sometimes you know?"

He smiled, plating up the sandwiches. "I know, thank you."

The men tucked in, any remnants of their conversation lingering in the air between them along with Byron's unanswered questions. "Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you fancy her?"

"Dianne?"

"Yeah, who else?" He'd asked, laughing slightly.

A look of realisation crossed his face. He blinked, shaking his head with an unnecessary vigour, unconsciously hoping if he shook it hard enough, he would rid himself of the thought entirely.

"No, no of course not! I'm just intrigued as to why she took the camera in the first place." He began, as casually as he could manage.  "Besides, I barely know anything about her!" he protested weakly as a rising red flush flooded his neck and cheeks.

Knowing better than to interfere further, his roommate smiled down at his sandwich before changing the subject of their conversation. The two of them continued to aimlessly chat for the next half an hour about nothing and everything as they finished their meals and simultaneously tidied up. This was unusual, on a normal day Byron would have escaped to his room to continue composing, but today he recognised that his friend needed the distraction. By midday, however he knew that he had to get on, so left Joe to his own devices.

By two o'clock, Joe had figured out exactly which tube lines he'd need to take to arrive in time, had committed the Winter Wonderland map to memory, and had frantically tidied the dirtying flat but he still couldn't quell his nervous energy. He'd attempted some editing, and had half-heartedly replied to some outstanding emails but time's carriage would not pass quickly enough. He'd not expected to be so distracted by something so small- something about that girl had managed to find its way under his skin and there was no way he could get rid of her. That, and this latest misadventure had been one of the most exciting non-work-related things he'd done in years.

By three, the nervous energy had started to frustrate him. "Byron??" he called, spinning absentmindedly on his chair in his office.

"Yeah?" he asked, wandering into the room, guitar in hand.

"Can you help me pick something to wear? I want to make a good first impression you know?"

He smiled, propping up the guitar on the wall. "I've not seen you so excited for anything in well, ever?"

Joe blushed again before defending himself. "You know me By-ron, this is the most exciting thing to happen to me that's not entirely work related to happen in the longest time. I want her to like me." He confessed.

Byron took a step back in understanding. As happy as he was for his friend, he could see that his friend wasn't looking forward to getting back his camera, but for talking to the girl. He just hoped he didn't get his hopes up too high.

"Of course I'll help you. But for the record Joe, Dianne has no reason not to like you, especially not with this outfit that I'm about to choose for you."

He smiled half-heartedly. "Thanks mate, I appreciate it."

"You go hop in the shower, I'll leave something on your bed for when you get out."

Joe smiled properly this time. "Thank you By-ron I owe you one." He said, as he walked into his en-suite.

By the time that he'd showered and towel-dried his hair, an outfit was sitting ready for him. He smiled to himself, setting a mental reminder to thank his roommate later, before getting changed. Nervously, he managed to spray on more aftershave than he had initially intended, and it took him an agonising five times the amount of time it normally would to sort out his hair (not that the windy London air would have let it stay in place so he needn't have bothered) but finally, he was ready.

The tube ride passed far more quickly than normal. It was busy, busier than normal but for some reason this didn't annoy him- despite spending the last five minutes with his head directly under a man's armpit. Travelling to the other side of London was something he often tried to avoid, but as his stomach bubbled with nervous excitement he realised that he needed to do this more often. Far more often. He absentmindedly scrolled through her Instagram when the tube finally emptied out enough for him to take a seat. He'd barely even thought about his camera, but Dianne, or Reddo as he had still been calling her in his mind, had managed to take over his every sense without them even meeting.

Entering Marble Arch, he wiped his hands on his trousers before exiting the train. Hyde Park was never so beautiful, so bustling with people and Christmas spirit, so sparkling under the Christmas lights. He heard the traces of chatter and laughter from the event as soon as he'd left the platform, and his smile only grew wider as they became louder. Truth to be told, this was one of his busiest, most stressful periods in work, so he hadn't had the chance to go and appreciate the park that year. He internally promised himself that he'd have to organise something with his friends as the memories from the previous year came back to him.

He passed through the gates at two minutes to five, the three pound coins in his pocket being the perfect objects for him to fiddle with. He couldn't help but smile at the arcades as he strolled past-with their arrays of gigantic stuffed prizes they were hard to miss. Just as the clock stroke five he arrived at Montmarte Carousel, the attraction being an almost exact replica of that in Paris. It was ornate, old-fashioned and quite frankly- it stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the snow machines and rollercoasters. His foot tapped nervously in anticipation as his eyes flitted through the crowd, looking for the red hair he hoped would stick out just as much.

He opened Instagram, typing almost immediately.

I'm here, I can't wait to meet you x