Dancing Dalliances

Chapter 54 - Could She Really? (Part 4)

A/n – Happy New Year to all you wonderful people. I hope that wherever you are in the world, 2020 brings you all the good health, happiness and love possible. It's been way too long since my last chapter and I am dearly sorry. Unfortunately, life had not really been going that great for me and I'd kind of been struggling over the last month or so especially. I am feeling much more positive now and am determined to turn over a new leaf this year and change my life for the better, so on the 1st I decided why not start with a chapter for you all- though you might have to go back to the previous parts to refresh your memory a bit! I haven't written in a while as I have been taking a bit of a break to clear my mind, so please bear with me if my writing is not at its optimum, I just really wanted to have something up for you all to start the year because you guys have been the best gift I could have asked for over the last year. Reading your lovely comments and seeing the amount of support that people who have never met one another, have for each other, really heals my heart. I am so grateful to every single one of you; you have all proved to me that sometimes it's the kind words of a stranger, living thousands of miles away, that can be your guiding torch on your darkest day. Thank you, Joanne family for being my torch and for shining ever so brightly. I wish you all a very blessed 2020. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's the longest I've written so far, approximately double the usual length, just to make up for all the lost time. Brace yourselves! All my love, A Xx

PS. The edit above is just a little token of my appreciation to all my followers and to all my readers who have left their wonderful comments and messages throughout Dancing Dalliance. Annoyingly enough, the quality detoriated significantly when I uploaded it onto Wattpad but hopefully you'll still be able to make the names out. Unfortunately, I couldn't include all the names of everyone that has ever voted because my notifications only go back a couple of weeks and so I can't possibly see you all, but please know that the little message in there applies to you all, whether you have read one chapter or all 54. You are all amazing! Thank you.

Dianne's POV

"Joe...uh...Joe and I...we...um," unable to find the correct verbs and nouns to follow the already confusing start to my story, I sighed in frustration. I looked at my two friends stood in front of me, their eyes wide with curiosity as they waited expectantly for me to spill my guts to them- something I didn't usually mind doing, but today couldn't seem to find the words to. Inhaling deeply, I found a spot on the edge of the shiny marble counter as I collected my thoughts, deciding the best way to go about this, was to probably start from the very beginning.

"When...when Tony and I decided to give it another go in June, you know how happy I was...I was convinced that we would be able to work this time, I refused to think about the what ifs and the maybes. I thought that if I didn't think about what went wrong the first time, it wouldn't happen again...but I was just kidding myself, really," I scoffed disappointedly, thinking back to how naive I had been. "Before the Strictly buzz started again, you both know how much time I would spend up North with him. I spent so much time there and I was so happy...even though he would come home late from filming...I was happy to just be there with him, to have someone to hold and kiss and have my dinner with...it was all I wanted," I reminisced as I picked at one of the silver gems on my dress, "And then August rolled around and as much as I tried to convince myself that everything would be fine and that nothing would change...it did. I didn't see Tony for the whole of August whilst we were prepping for Strictly, and at first...I blamed myself...I blamed myself for managing to go for my hair appointments and get my nails done but for not being able to make time to go up and see my boyfriend...but then one day it hit me; why couldn't he make the time to come and see me? Why was I the only one trying to make an effort? Whenever he would get an off day, he was always too tired to take the train down and I never said anything about it. Yeah it felt kind of shit that I literally spent weeks up there with him whenever I had a chance, yet he couldn't even spare a weekend...but I never blamed him for it, I always gave him the benefit of the doubt because I think deep down I tried to convince myself that his job was more important than mine," I shook my head frustratedly, wondering how I had turned a blind eye to the problems that were right in front me, "But anyway...our daily phone calls became daily messages which towards the last month and a half of our relationship, became weekly messages. With my entire family living half way across the world, I really relied on having someone to talk to about my day...someone to vent to...someone to just listen...and when that stopped between us, it really got to me...until I met Joe," I could feel my cheeks heat up at the very mention of his name, "From the very day we were partnered together at the launch show, another event Tony couldn't make, Joe and I just gelled...I mean there was no doubt that he was a nervous wreck that entire evening, but something about his innocent anxiousness made me smile and when he finally did let loose a bit, I realised just how funny and charming he was. He was such a ray of sunshine in a time that felt really dark to me. From our very first days of training, Joe had this ability to make me forget my worries...to make me laugh till my tummy hurt...no matter how I was feeling he would always manage to cheer me up. He would work so hard to get the routine right, yet he would still always find the time to crack a joke or lighten the mood when he knew I was getting stressed...and I guess that's what drew me to him in the first place," I smiled, thinking back to those very first days with him and how sweet he was, even back then, "It was just so nice to have someone put me first again..." I looked up at my two friends, their eyes sparkling with something I couldn't quite yet read, before my gaze quickly returned to the tiny crack in grouting of the shiny white tile on the ground, not wanting to see their eagerly hopeful faces as I delved into the next part of the story, a part that I wasn't necessary very proud of.