Maze of Memories

Blackpool Bond

"Welcome back to This Morning - I'm Philip Schofield joined by my lovely co-host Ms. Holly Willoughby - we have been reminiscing this morning with our good friends, Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell," Philip paused, allowing for the raucous applause to stop before continuing on, "Joe and Dianne have been kind enough to indulge us on a quick re-telling of their love story - before we went to commercial, we had landed at Blackpool week, which if you've ever watched Strictly, you know how important that week is."

"I think I remember seeing a vlog of yours, Joe, where you asked Dianne to move in with a letter and a framed pair of Lego people dressed like you and Dianne at Blackpool, is that right?" Holly continued, shooting Joe a sly look, "Clearly, Blackpool holds a special place in your heart. Why is that, eh?"

Philip couldn't hold in his grin as he watched Joe and Dianne share a guilty look.

"Okay, you two, say no more," he began, laughing as they both blushed a bright red, the memory clearly still fresh in both of their minds.

---

Joe stared at himself in the mirror, straightening his bow tie and gliding his hands down the sleeves of the black suit coat, smoothing out the wrinkles. His heart was pounding in his chest - which was a normal occurrence every Saturday - but somehow the beat felt even more erratic now that he was standing in Blackpool Tower. Since the very beginning, he had hoped and prayed that he'd make it to this week - mainly because he wanted his nan to come and watch. She had danced here when she was a young girl, and it was the first thing she said when he had broken the news that he would be joining Strictly. But now - he was here, and his nan was in the building, and all he could think about was the redhead getting changed down the hall.

After the whirlwind of the last few weeks, Joe had barely had time to consider everything that had happened in his life. He had made it to week nine of Strictly Come Dancing, proving not only to himself, but also to the rest of the UK, that he was capable of more than just talking into a camera with goofy voices and filming his days. He was surprised by the entire trajectory of his life these last few months - but nothing had surprised him more than the current status of his love life.

He was never the one in his friend group to have a girlfriend - never the one to get infatuated or distracted by girls. He had watched many friends of his go through the tumultuous ups and downs of relationships in their early 20's, and he had decided he would wait for that to come to him, instead of actively seeking it out. As he had crept into his late 20's, he had felt the clock begin to tick, but knew deep in his heart, he would know when he was ready to take that next step. Girls came and went, and none lasted longer than a few weeks - most only lasted a couple of days.

But now, his heart was practically bursting out of his chest, as if it was screaming "YOU'RE READY". He didn't plan on falling for his dance partner. He had only hoped they would be close friends, able to put up with each other for a few months. He had been relieved when his hopes had come true and they had fallen into a close friendship immediately. And now they'd somehow come through all the unexpected obstacles of the competition and in their personal lives, closer than ever. He had felt a shift in their relationship causing them to teeter precariously on the edge of "something more" before he had kissed her - now, after many more kisses, sleepovers, and a casual introduction to his friends - Joe knew he had fallen over the edge and had arrived directly into the zone he had always avoided, but somehow always yearned for.

He was broken out of his thoughts by a sharp knock on his door. Opening it slowly, he felt his face break out into a big grin as his blue eyes met a matching pair, his dad staring back at him.

"Hiya, you bloody idiot, what're you doing back here?" Joe greeted his father in the joking manner he always did. He pulled him into a short hug, closing the door behind them as he led his dad across the dressing room and to the sofa.