"Di? Have you seen my black jeans?"

Dianne turned around to look at Joe as she tied her hair into a loose ponytail. "Which black jeans? You have about 90 pairs."

Joe shrugged. "Just... I need a pair of black jeans and I can't find any. Have they accidentally gone in your wardrobe?"

"Possibly" Dianne said. "Anyway, if you can't find yours, you could probably fit into a pair of mine!"

Joe smiled. "Probably. But I would prefer to pack my own trousers. Can... can I go and have a look and see if they're in there?"

"Of course you can. You don't need to ask, Joseph. I trust you." Dianne gave Joe a sincere smile as he left their bedroom.

When Joe got downstairs, he checked Dianne hadn't followed him before slipping into her wardrobe. His jeans were already in his bag, but he wanted an excuse to be in her wardrobe in case she noticed. Slipping a post-it note out of his pocket, he pressed it carefully to the mirror. Walking through into the bathroom, he put another on the back of the door and a third on the door to the shower.

The timing for a trip away was never perfect, but Joe felt as if this particular night could not have come at a worse time. Dianne was clingy, more than usual, and clearly feeling vulnerable. She could come with him, but she had her own work to do and London was the best place for her to be. As Joe closed the door to the spare room, he sighed. Aside from a few hidden love notes, he couldn't help but wonder what more he could do to calm his girlfriend's separation anxiety.

Dianne was down in the kitchen by the time he was done.

"Did you find them?" she asked.

"I, uh... yeah. I got them. Anyway, what's for breakfast?" Joe quickly changed the subject.

Dianne gestured to the pan in front of her. "Scrambled eggs and toast. Also, there's some bacon if you wanted it on the side. I was going to deliberately not cook it enough so that you would get sick and have to stay with me."

Joe reached across the kitchen island to take Dianne's hand. "Poisoning me is not a way to get me to stay" he said. "If you're that desperate for me not to go, all you have to do is ask."

Dianne shook her head. "No. I'm not doing that. I'll be fine. You know me; I get anxious about the 'what if', but I'll be fine once it's happening." She paused, concentrating on stirring the eggs. "Anyway, I don't want to be the kind of girlfriend who stops you going out with your mates. You and I both know that's not who I am. That's not how this relationship works." Spooning the eggs onto two plates, Dianne handed one to Joe. "Also, you need to be out the house tonight because I've got my other boyfriend coming over."

Joe rolled his eyes. "Oh really? So, while I'm in a Premier Inn in Birmingham for the night, you're going to be here with... what's his name?"

"Erm... Ronaldo."

Joe laughed out loud. "You could have picked any name in the world, and you went for Ronaldo? You aussies and your daft names."

Dianne grinned, showing off her mouthful of egg and toast. "What's wrong with Ronaldo?"

"It's just... I was expecting you to say, like, Chris or Ben or James or something. Where did Ronaldo even come from?"

Dianne shrugged. "No idea."

Joe leaned in and kissed her head, ruffling her hair affectionately. "I'll miss you, you know. Even just overnight." He turned to face her. "Are you sure you'll be OK?"

"I think so. I mean, I've got plenty to keep my mind occupied. And you'll call me when you get there and before bed?"

"Of course I will" Joe said, giving her another kiss. "And if you need me, all you have to do is text or ring. I'll be on the next train home."

"You won't need to. Don't... don't worry about me tonight."

Joe shrugged. "It's not you I'm worried about, Dot. It's the people around you. Crazy people taking advantage of my gorgeous girlfriend and making her sad."

"I get it" Dianne said, "but I'll be OK. I'm sure Ronaldo will look after me."

Joe elbowed Dianne. "Hey!"

Dianne smiled widely, before leaning in close and resting her head on Joe's shoulder. "I'm kidding. I'll be alright, though. I'm going to eat food you don't like, watch TV shows you don't like and lay down on the couch with my hand down my trousers like you do when you think I'm not looking."

Joe giggled. "You're rank!"

Dianne grinned. "It's comfy. And warm. Anyway, at least I'm just resting my hand there. I'm not... rearranging anything like you do."

Joe rolled his eyes. His phone vibrated with a notification. "Car's here." Pushing himself off the stool at the breakfast bar, he slung his bag over his shoulder and smiled at Dianne. "I bet people think our breakfasts together are so romantic. I'm going away, so you cook for me and make coffee and it's all cute, but then our last conversation ends up being about my balls. Well, that just about sums us up." He leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to Dianne's waiting lips. "I love you. I'll call you as soon as I get there, OK?"

Dianne nodded. "See you later. I love you too."

///

Most of the day had gone by quickly. Dianne had been sent a number of products to try out ready for rehearsals to begin, and so she had spent a few hours trying on various workout clothes and picking the ones she thought would be best for dancing. It was strange, she thought, that she was now sent so many products to try. She had never seen herself as an 'influencer' in any way, but her rise in popularity had come with an additional sense of demand. She was popular now, especially on social media, and companies could use that to their advantage.

Joe had views about influencers being used to sell products and, for the most part, Dianne agreed with what he said. However, at this stage in her career, she would take pretty much any opportunity that people were kind enough to offer her. The future was never far away, and everything could change in an instant. She had grown up knowing the true value of money and seeing how hard her parents had to work to pay for her to live the life she had. As an adult, all she wanted was to make sure she had enough savings for a 'rainy day', plus enough to cover the costs of flying to Australia at least once a year.

After trying on the clothes she had been sent, Dianne sent a quick email to the brand telling them what she liked and didn't like. A few of the tops were too small, so she had requested a size up so she could try them properly. Once that job was done, Dianne closed her laptop and wandered into the wardrobe to put the new pile of clothes somewhere safe (although, in true Dianne fashion, they ended up just being put on the floor).

From the corner of her eye, Dianne noticed a yellow mark. Turning her head, she realised it was a note stuck to the mirror. She peeled it off and read it, before holding it to her heart.

"You are more beautiful than any sunset I've ever seen."

Looking around, she couldn't help but wonder if there were any more. Joe had been in there that morning. Possibly, she wondered, he could have gone into the bathroom as well.

As she turned on the light, Dianne grinned as she noticed two post-it notes stuck in the bathroom. Picking them up, she read each one in turn.

"Your laughter is my favourite sound in the world."

"You inspire confidence in everyone you meet. You make me feel invincible."

There must be more, Dianne thought. Forgetting about anything else, she walked carefully around every room in the house. Joe was very good at hiding things, but Dianne was a treasure hunt expert. He had gone for obvious places; the side of a bottle of wine, inside the fridge door, on the toaster, inside a plant pot, on one of the stairs and on her pillow.

Once she was sure she had found them all, Dianne sat down on the bed and laid them out. Under her side of the bed, she kept a small box where she stored her most precious memories- her childhood teddy, her diary from when she was a child, letters and cards from her family and, now, all the adorable things Joe had given her since they had met. Taking a photograph, Dianne quickly typed out a message to Joe before she carefully placed them in the box.

Her phone rang.

"You are so cute" was the first thing Dianne said.

Joe smiled. "Did you find them all?"

Dianne nodded. "I think so. I got 10?"

"Yeah, there's 10. And there's another surprise." Joe smiled at Dianne's reaction. "Don't be worried, it's nothing crazy. I... I took the liberty of ordering you dinner. Your Deliveroo driver should be with you in half an hour."

Dianne smiled. "Well, you're adorable. Thank you."

"It's nothing. Anyway, I should go but I'll call you again later. Love you."

"Love you too."

Dianne laid back on the bed for a moment, just smiling to herself at how cute her boyfriend could be. She knew she was the first 'proper' girlfriend he had ever had, and somehow that made all of his gestures just that little bit more special.

A knock at the door pulled Dianne from her bed. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but raced down the stairs.

"Hey Dianne". The concierge manager, Marco, was stood at the door. "I got a message from Joe the other day asking me to check and personally deliver any packages and post? A courier just came in and asked me to deliver this for you."

Marco handed her an envelope. Dianne looked at him. "Everything OK?" he asked.

Dianne shrugged. "No, I just wasn't expecting... " she paused and looked at the man in front of her, "Joe's been full of surprises today. I was expecting dinner because he'd told me food was being delivered. But maybe this is just... an extra."

Marco nodded. "Right, well I'll let you know if anything else arrives. Have a nice night."

"You too" Dianne said as she slowly closed the door. Holding the envelope in her hands, she couldn't help but notice the sudden anxious feeling developing in the pit of her stomach. Joe hadn't mentioned anything else apart from the food. He would have said. She was sure.

Picking up her phone, she thought about calling him to ask. To check. She put it down just as quickly. It wasn't worth calling him and disturbing him over nothing. Over a stupid letter.

Dianne took a deep breath and opened the envelope. Inside, there was a hand-drawn sketch. A sketch of her.

Dancing.

Alone.

In the studio.

Panic rose in sharp flutters as Dianne let the letter fall to the floor. The girl had been there, watching her, and she hadn't noticed. She could be watching her right now. Suddenly, the apartment felt too exposed, too big. She closed the curtains in the living room and triple-checked the doors were locked before covering herself with a blanket on the couch. Every other room felt like a threat; someone could be behind a door or hiding in a dark corner. She daren't move.

The ringing of the doorbell sent fresh shockwaves of panic through her body. All her mind could conjure up was the idea that it could be her. That she could be outside, wanting to come in. Wanting to hurt her. Burying her head under a cushion and a blanket, Dianne pressed her fingers to her ears and squeezed her eyes shut until she was sure the noise had gone away.

///

"Hi, this is Pawel from Deliveroo. We can't seem to get an answer at the address you ordered to. Our policy is to wait 10 minutes for an answer. Unfortunately, as we have not had an answer, your order has been cancelled but you will still be charged."

Joe held the phone to his ear and played the message again. And again.

Pulling himself up from his still-made hotel bed, he slung his bag over his shoulder and left the room. Handing in the key at reception, he flagged down the first taxi he saw.

"Where to, mate?"

"To the station, please."