THE SECRETS WE KEEP.

- GO IN OR GO OUT (PART 2).

DIANNES POV:
After the scores came back, a wave of relief and shock washed over my whole body. Despite the mistakes I had seen, the judges had given us fair scores and some positive feedback on what we did well. This was defintley a proud teacher moment for me, knowing the amount of effort he put in behind the scenes. That was another thing I loved about Strictly. All the professionals and the celebs put in the most effort into every routine that they do, which most of the time is not shown. The public will see the dance on a Saturday night and whether it's been a good or bad week, they are voting on what they are seeing. Joe and I were defintley no exception this week. This week had been one of the most challenging for us, the technique was continuing to confuse Joe and the choreography wasn't clicking with either of us. Not to mention, last night as well.

Ignoring our backstage conversation, Joe and I had not spoken a word to each other all day. The tension between the two of us was so visibly thick you could cut it with a knife. I knew that he would be confused and upset over my leaving last night, a decision I am now regretting. But I also knew that if I stayed with him, so many questions would be asked and most of them, I don't even have the answer to at the moment. However, right now, those feelings of confusion and upset had been shunned to the side and Joe was cuddling me in tight to his chest. His thumb rubbing slowly against my shoulder gave me a sense of happiness I had never experienced before. Looking up at him in this moment, I felt at peace with myself and with us. The loud singing and music playing slowly quietened down, the background around Joe blurred out to make him stand out like a sore thumb. Now, there was not the glaring thought bubble of Anthony or Olivia, there weren't apart of our lives any longer. It was just Joe and I, and nobody else but us.

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JOES POV:
The night flew by fast after we had performed and now, we were making our way to our places for the results show. I guess the saying is true; time flies by when you were having fun. Going first wasn't as bad as I had built it up in my head. It was nice to be able to enjoy everyone else's performances without having that thought in the back of your mind that you may be next up. But my mind continued to torture me with the negatives. What if they have forgotten what we were like? Or worse, what if they saw something completely different? From the beginning, everyone was always reminded that nobody is safe on Strictly and this could be your final week. All I would hope is that my fans and the public would see how much I wanted this and would get behind us to vote.

Not only was I hoping for me, I was hoping for Dianne too. Every routine she puts together, is full of well-thought out choreography and hard work, which most of the time goes unnoticed. We go out for two minutes and perform a routine that may have taken her hours to come up with up. And on top of that, she spends all week trying to teach someone like me. From the start, I was considered a joke act by almost everybody. I mean, I've never danced sober, how will I compete in a dance competition? But now, I didn't want to be considered a joke act or somebody no one believed in. I wanted to get far in this competition, not just for me but for Dianne too. But right now I have no control over what will happen tonight. It is now in the hands of the public. The thought that our journey could be cut short is something I couldn't bare, especially since my feelings for her were growing rapidly. I just wanted to spend all the time I could with Dianne, inside and outside of practise.

The gleaming white lights were shining down on every couple around us when Tess called out their names, followed by claps from the audience. They had all shone down until it was just two couples left - us and Katie and Gorka. Our names not being announced made my heart begin to race in time with my breathing speeding up rapidly. On our assigned step, my arm was around Dianne's waist while hers rested on mine, our bodies in close to each others. "Dianne, I'm so sorry.." I whispered feeling full of disappointment before hanging my hand in shame to avoid her gaze. Without responding, she gave a light squeeze in reassurance.

But despite her trying her hardest to stay calm, out of the corner of my eye tears were beginning to fill up her eyes. The disappointment I felt in myself was tearing my heart into a million small pieces, and just to see her so upset made it feel worse. All of a sudden, the heavenly white light shone down on Dianne and I. A sigh of relief left my lips as I pulled her into a tight embrace. Our arms clasped around each other and our chest pressed together. No cameras looking at us, neither of us wanted to let go. We could of just stood there, in our warm hug, for as long as we could stand.

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DIANNES POV:
"Gorka I really am so sorry" I repeatedly apologised to him, knowing that maybe we were the reason they were sent home. I really did feel like it was my fault, they would still be in the competition if it was us in their place. Despite my guilty feelings, there was a small part of me that was happy to be able to spend even more time with Joe. This weekend had really reminded me of the fact that nobody is ever safe and that you don't know how much time you have left together. Knowing that, I want to make sure that I spend every minute I can in Joe's company, whether that is in or out of practise. Our now admitted feelings made that a lot easier to do, in spite of the amount of questions still up in the air right now.

"Dianne, it's okay just-" Gorka and I's conversation was interrupted by a hand placed on my back and a figure standing beside me, our attention both drawn to them. "Is it okay if I just take Dianne for two seconds?" The familiar country accent of Joe asked before I was whisked away by him to a small corner of the room. Everything seemed to be set up this way for a reason - it was a separated off area from the dance floor, shaded by plotted plants and huge lamps. Almost on cue, a slow love song began to faintly play in the background, to which Joe extended out a hand for me. "Want to dance with me?"

"I would love to.." Taking his hand, I was drawn into his chest with my arms draping over his shoulders and his doing the same with my waist. Loud giggles could be heard from Oti and Amy at the music box, who, when they caught our attention, sending us waves before rushing off to watch us from someplace else. My head lay rested against his chest with the thumping beats of his heart having a calming effect on me. His slow breathing caused my head to move up and down with his chest movements, the light aftershave scent filling up my nostrils. It amazed me how protected I felt with his arms around me like this. The way he held me in close, with the sound of his heartbeat in my ear, was a sort of calm I had never experienced before. The way Joe is as a person, spending even a minute with him makes you feel a lot more relaxed than you did before. Whether it's a brush of the hand or a wrapped around arm, made the stress disappear to nothing. For me, knowing someone like Joe, was almost a sure guarentee, that I will be okay.

Joe's singing made my head lift up to meet his gaze, our eyes fixing onto each others. I was mesmerised by ocean-blue eyes staring back into mine. As if there was no one else here, his fingers on my chin turned my head to look at him before he brushed his lips against mine softly. The lingering touch of his lips sent a shiver down my spine, making me tremble all over. These past weeks my imagination had run wild over how moments like these would play out. The feeling of his lips against mine made all my worries and stresses fade away until I couldn't feel them anymore. At the beginning of this week I never would have believed that we would be standing here now, kissing in front of all the people we know. I guess things do happen for a reason..

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thanks everyone for reading this chapter! i'm sorry if the end isn't that great, i was trying not to repeat myself too much but also make it as interesting from diannes pov. but i hope you enjoyed it anyway! the next one will come soon :)