35 Ways to Say 'I Love You' | Joanne (One Shot Series)

Shampoo (Acts of Service)

The highly-pressured jets of hot water seemed to massage Joe's muscles in all the right places. He turned around in the shower and reached for the shampoo, pouring a measure into his hand.

Leaning back, he massaged it into his hair, before sniffing his hands. Something felt weird. It wasn't his normal shampoo. Possibly, he realised, it was one of Dianne's special concoctions she used to keep her red hair so incredibly bright. Hopefully she wouldn't go mad when she realised he'd been using it.

The water pounded against Joe's scalp as he washed off the soapy lather. He wiped the excess water from his eye and blinked.

"Aaaaaaah!"

The bathroom door burst open as Dianne rushed in.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Joe managed to turn off the shower, his eyes screwed shut and held his hand out for a towel. Dianne gave it to him and watched as he tried to pat his eye.

"Holy... ow!"

"What did you do?"

"I... I got shampoo in my eye, so I went to wash it out. I forgot I had my ring on and I think I've scratched myself." He tried to blink, but the muscles around his eye had tightened. "I can't see" he said in a quiet panic. "Di, I can't see."

Dianne fetched some cold water and leaned Joe's head over the side of the bath. "I'm going to try and rinse this out as best I can" she said, hoping she remembered everything she had learned back in her hairdressing days, where getting chemicals in your eye was more of an occupational hazard than it was with ballroom dancing. "Lean back."

Joe did as Dianne told him, grateful that she was somehow staying calm. "Right" she said, "can you try and blink?"

Joe's eye was bloodshot, his skin raw. "OK. Can you see?"

Joe shook his head. "Not really. I mean, my eyes just want to stay shut."

"Right. I'm going to grab you some clothes. And then I'm going to call Ranj and see if he can come and check on you. I don't want to go to A&E if we don't have to. I'm sure he's got the first aid kit of dreams at his place."

Joe simply nodded and stayed where he was until Dianne came back. "I just got basic clothes. Comfy stuff."

She helped him dry off and get dressed, before leading him into the living room. "Ranj says he'll be over as soon as he can" she said, checking her phone. "Is it still stinging?"

"A bit. It, uh, it was your shampoo by the way. Well, I think so. That fancy one that smells like grapefruit?"

"Olaplex?" Dianne hissed. "That might be why it hurts so much. I'll check the bottle." At that moment the doorbell rang. Dianne turned on her toes. "I'll let Ranj in, then I'll get the bottle."

She opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief. "Doctor Ranj is in the house" she called to Joe, before leaning in to hug her friend. "He... he's still in pain. I'm just going to get the bottle. It's not even shampoo- it's a colour treatment. I know you're not supposed to get it in your eyes."

Ranj nodded and walked over to where Joe was now sat on the couch. "OK, brave little soldier" Ranj joked, "what can I do for you?"

Joe sighed. "Well, my eye really stings, but I can't open it. Not properly."

Out of the corner of his good eye, Joe watched as Ranj opened up the biggest first aid kit he had ever seen outside of a doctor's surgery. "I think I'm going to try and irrigate it. Am I OK to do that on here? You've got a towel."