The others

Stranger mornings

It was early morning by the time Joe was forcefully awoken by a stream of bursting light through the window opposite. The harsh sun of the Autumnal morning falling through the window and resting onto the softness of his tired features. The radiating warmth flooding through his extremities as he settled further into the comfort of the bedding around him.

After the mess he had endured Yesterday Joe knew that he was in for it that morning. He knew that waking up, going into the training room and facing the woman who he had cried in front of earlier that night would be nothing but tormentuous. That having to hold her and dance with her to the dulcet tones of Rainbow Connection - the softest, most moving song he felt as if he had ever heard before - would cause him nothing but pain, Joe knew all of that. Yet beneath it all the sheer idea of seeing the redhead who had taught him far more than how to dance set the bubbly feeling in his stomach off once again, and seemed to take precedent over anything else.

Slowly opening his eyes, Joe squinted a little at the infiltration of light which had initially forced him awake. The soft chill of the morning air seeming to not take its effect that morning as the blinding light rested a warmth upon his features.

Opening his eyes fully, Joe took in his surroundings. No comforting mattress, or hefty weight of a duvet to give him company. No subtle sounds of cars driving past the bedroom window he insisted on leaving open a little at night. Nothing, other than the confusing enlightenment of his trusty grey sofa in which he rested his body upon and the alarming beam of light now clearly coming from the set of double doors in his lounge.

Pushing himself up from the sofa, Joe looked around the room. His eyes were still heavy with sleep, and after waking up in the unusual environment the younger man felt utterly baffled.

"Morning." A voice called from across the room.

Startled, Joe swivelled his head around to where the voice was registering.

"Jesus." He muttered as he pressed a hand onto his chest, the scare he had experienced from the unassuming Australian voice having sent him into a world of panic.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump like that." The redhead sat upon the kitchen stool continued sweetly, despite the obvious giggle in her voice.

"Well then don't sit there and start talking ten seconds after I've woken up." Joe responded, his voice gravelly as he cleared the remainder of sleep from his throat. "What are you doing here anyway?" He questioned with furrowed eyebrows as he looked across to her.

"Oh, I stayed the night." Dianne responded with a sheepish shrug of her shoulders.

"Oh... Okay." The brunette responded in further confusion. "Wait, we didn't... ya know... did we?"

"No you were crying far too much for my liking." The Australian responded, smiling softly as she watched the younger man physically cringe from across the room at the memories of the strange night before.

"Okay good... Well not good, for me anyway. For you that was probably a good thing considering the whole you still have a boyfriend bombshell you dropped on me yesterday."

Dianne froze for a moment. Her mind very quickly calculating if there were any benefits to enlightening the younger man with the conversation she had endured over the phone once he had fallen asleep.

"How come you didn't go home last night then?" He questioned further before she had a chance to come to a decision.

"Oh, I fell asleep not long after you and only woke up an hour or so ago." She lied with a gentle shrug of her shoulders, a crooked frown falling upon her features as she watched the brunette begin to make his way over to her, hoping to god that he didn't notice the obvious bags under her eyes proving that she'd had little to no sleep in reality.