In Another World

Chapter 8

As per the last couple of weeks, Joe watched the latest episode of Strictly, pretty much with bated breath! He tried not to over-analyse the dynamics on the dancefloor between Seann, Katya, Neil, Zoe, Lee, and Dianne; but it was difficult now that everyone knew what had happened the previous week. He really didn't want to pry – and it wasn't as though he was going out of his way to implicate himself – but it was difficult not to when Joe was faced with articles about Seann and Katya every time he opened a new window on his desktop! 

It had been a particularly tough week, and Joe had spent the majority of it worrying about his sister and her dance partner. Zoe had kept him updated – though, not as much as previously; which wasn't a surprise – and it still seemed as though there was an elephant in the room. She wanted Neil to open up, fearing that keeping quiet would cause more harm than good; to his work and to his mental health.

"And I know what that's like", Zoe had remarked during their last conversation.

Joe nodded, "Which makes you one of the best people he could go to".

Zoe smiled uncertainly, "But I also know that it doesn't help when people keep insisting that you talk," she countered, "When you feel like people are watching you, waiting for you to break down".

"But that's not what you're doing, is it?" Joe pointed out.

"Not intentionally," Zoe shrugged, "But I get how it could be seen that way".

Joe let out a breath, "Look, this is an intense situation: emotions are running high, but there's no point in stressing about things that you can't control," he began, "Neil knows that you're there if he wants to talk, but he might not want to; and that's okay".

"Yeah, I guess", Zoe sighed. Joe could tell that she was unconvinced, and knew that it would be futile to keep pushing the subject. Instead, he tried to distract Zoe by telling her about the research he had done on the Cha-Cha-Chá; giving her a few pointers in the hope of impressing her partner and the judges! And, after watching their performance on Saturday night, it looked as though his advice had paid off!

Joe made sure to vote several times for Zoe and Neil, and Lee and Dianne. And although he wasn't religious, the young man even threw in a quick prayer for the latter couple to avoid the dance-off!

Joe tried to distract himself from wondering about the result for the rest of the evening by focusing on his own work, and trying not to get too distracted by social media. A loud buzzing from his phone later on brought Joe back to the present, and his heart skipped a beat as he read the message.

Dianne Buswell: Hey Joe. Would it be OK for me to come over? X

Joe let out a deflated breath, automatically fearing the worst. There was no way that he was going to rebuff Dianne, especially when she was upset, so he responded immediately.

Joe Sugg: Of course you can! See you in a bit.

Wine and tissues prepped, Joe steeled himself for a tearful Dianne on the other side of the door. However, as soon as he opened it, he found his arms full of the young woman. She had launched herself at him, enveloping him in a hug; and Joe almost lost his balance as he caught her.

"We did it!" Dianne exclaimed, "Thank you!"

With the redhead in his arms, Joe's mind went blank as to what she was talking about, "Um... you're welcome?"

Dianne giggled and let go enough to look him in the eyes, "Lee and I got through, no dance-off!"

Joe beamed, "That's awesome, congratulations!" he replied enthusiastically as he drew her back into the hug. It lasted a while, with the pair just wrapped up in each other; until Joe broke the tension, "Shame you've just spoilt tomorrow's episode for everyone in the building though!"