In Another World

Chapter 3

Standing behind the counter of his kitchen, Joe tried to convince himself that he wasn't sulking; he was just manning the bar. Sorting out drinks gave him other things to focus on besides Dianne, although that turned out to be easier said than done!

"So, this is where you got to", Joe heard a familiar Australian voice remark.

Joe shrugged, "Yeah, I'm just trying to be a good host," he replied evenly, "Can I get you another drink?"

"Well, you're doing a pretty good job," Dianne chuckled, then glanced around the table, "Do you have any sparkling water?"

"Um, I think so..." Joe muttered before fumbling around for the bottle, "Yep, got it".

"Thanks," Dianne replied, then frowned, "And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pretty much abandon you before".

Joe glanced up at her as he poured the water into a glass, "It's okay, I didn't want to interrupt you and 'not Lee Ryan'".

Dianne sniggered, "Still, it was kinda rude of me to ignore you," she argued, "You're the one who helped me keep some of my dignity intact; so, thanks".

"It's no problem," Joe assured her before passing her the drink, "So, aside from the 'Blue' and 'White' mix-up, are you having a good time?"

Dianne giggled at his joke as she received the water, "Thanks," she replied, "And yeah, I am; what about you?"

Joe nodded, "Yeah, it's been... interesting".

"That's one word for it!" Dianne chuckled, then studied him over the top of her cup as she took a sip of her drink, "Hey, do you fancy a dance?"

Joe pulled a face, "I don't dance, that's Zoe's thing now".

"No, dance is for everyone," Dianne countered, "Besides, 'not Lee Ryan' refused to dance with me, so..."

"Oh, so I'm second best, am I?" Joe interrupted facetiously.

Dianne shook her head thoughtfully, "I don't think so".

Joe held her gaze, "Okay, fine," he sighed, "But go easy on me".

"Joe, it's just a dance at a party..." Dianne pointed out, "Not training for Strictly!"

Joe was actually starting to resent the fact that he wasn't taking part in the show. Everyone that he had met from Strictly was so friendly, and Joe could envision himself hanging out with them on a regular basis. He had also never felt jealous of Lee Ryan before, until Dianne pulled him to an empty space on the floor, and Joe realised that the singer would be spending several hours a day with her for weeks. And – as a glowing Dianne started moving his limbs around and teaching him some steps – Joe wished that he could trade places with the boy from Blue.

The young man wasn't sure whether he wanted to dance with Dianne all night, or to stop dancing soon so as not to raise the suspicions of people around them. Fortunately, nobody seemed to be taking much notice of them, which was nothing short of a miracle. Or, if they did, neither Joe nor Dianne were aware of it! And despite her comments about this not being training for Strictly, Dianne was working Joe pretty hard on the dancefloor! He had never put so much effort into dancing before, and he found it really fun despite the challenge. From learning how to move his hips in a 'figure of eight', to mastering a Samba basic (though, Joe didn't consider it 'basic'!), he enjoyed himself way more than he had expected to. And the redhead was clearly enjoying it as well, if her bright eyes and beaming face were any indication! It seemed kind of clichéd, but Joe and Dianne were so caught up in the dancing that they pretty much forgot that they were at a party in the midst of a crowd. It was only when Alfie started shouting about the birthday cake that the pair were brought back to reality.