Halfway to Love | A Joanne Fanfiction

Thirteen

I'm sorry I couldn't stay I would have loved to have met you, and I'm sorry for stealing this. I'm sorry. Dianne x

Joe couldn't help but be completely and utterly disappointed as he realised that Dianne had already gone. He'd had a great if slightly odd evening and had been hoping that meeting her would be the icing on top of the cake. But this cake didn't appear to have any icing on. He collapsed onto the bench, reading the message and the slightly smudged scribbly writing once again. The paper that had previously been filled with chocolate-covered raisins and the three-pound token he'd used for the carousel crinkled audibly in his pocket as he settled on the seat.

He felt his heart break at the message. The true purpose of the meeting, to him, was not this he thought as he picked up the camera that he'd been reunited with. The truth was, he didn't care about the camera, it was on its last legs anyway and was due to be replaced. But that girl, she intrigued him. From her previous messages, he hadn't realised the extent of her insecurities, but her constant apologies told him that she was struggling. He didn't want her to be struggling, especially not on his account.

Sighing to himself, he reopened Instagram and racked his brain for something to say.

Hi Dianne. I'm sorry that you couldn't stay- I would have loved to have met you to thank you for keeping my camera so safe and for your trail. There's no need to apologise for saving the camera, although I am intrigued as to why you decided to hang onto it. Would you be up for meeting for coffee sometime, I'd love to find out why and get to know you! X

He gazed at the peaceful boating lake and sighed once more as he got up and dusted himself off and prepared for the tube home.

Meanwhile, Dianne was almost home. Her smudged mascara and her continuous flow of tears were gaining her more than a few stares on the tube, although no one made a move to help her. Shakily, she stepped off onto the platform and hurried home, wanting nothing more to curl up and shut the world out for a while.

Unfortunately, she didn't have that luck.

"Dianne?" her roommate shouted as soon as she entered the front door. "How did it go?" she asked, knowing how nervous her friend had been when she left.

At her lack of reply, she came rushing out to the hallway and smiled sympathetically at her friend's state before bringing her into her arms. Sobs shook the air between them for a few minutes, and Oti could see no sign of them stopping.

"Come on Di, let's get you to the sofa, I'll make you a hot chocolate and then we'll talk about it. Chin up, girl."

Dianne smiled weakly, tears still silently trickling down her face and she followed her friend's instructions wordlessly. She curled up against the edge of the sofa, sniffing hard to try to gain some composure as Oti returned to the living room, a mug of a warm, steaming, sweet-smelling liquid in each hand.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as they sipped their drinks. "I messed up Oti." She said quietly.

"Do you want to tell me how?" she asked, trying to sound reassuring to save her friend from her tears returning.

"I was scared- I ran. I didn't even meet him. I set up this stupid trail which he probably hated, made myself out to be some great prize, sent him trekking across the entire park and then I couldn't stay." She admitted.

Oti was just about to reply but she wasn't finished. "I'm so stupid. I like him, I know you all have been teasing me about being a fangirl for him and it's true I guess I am. But I really wanted to see him, but then I realised that he wouldn't want to see me. He probably just thinks I'm an annoying stalker that steals things and I didn't want him to see him annoyed at me."