Together

Backstage Pass

I must've written this chapter late at night, because dang, I caught a lot of typos while proofreading lol. This is a fun one today. No update tomorrow as I've got lots going on in my life (nothing bad- lots of quite fun things actually!) but I'll see you all on Saturday or Sunday, depending on how things work out for me. Enjoy this one, and don't be afraid to leave a comment/vote hehe. I love you all, thanks for reading!
-ab

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December 7, 2025

Patrick

Not too long after the concert ends and the people start to trickle out of the arena, I hear my name being called. Looking up from my phone, I see my gorgeous fiancee running toward me at top speed, her arms wide open for a hug.

Of course, I gladly accept that hug. She holds me tightly, and neither of us ever want to let go.

"That was some crazy stunt that Tay pulled up there onstage, hm?" I whisper in her ear as I lift her off of the ground just slightly.

"I loved it," she whispers.

"I did too. It was so special." I pause. "Tay wants us backstage with the rest of the group, if that's alright with you. Ness, Kath, you two, too."

I set Harper lightly down on her feet and finally loosen my grip on her. It seems that the closer we are to being married, the more I want to spend my every moment with my arms wrapped around her, though, so I weave my fingers through hers once we are broken apart from our hug.

"Oh, yay!" Kath exclaims.

Harper takes this moment to finally look around at everyone that is in the sound booth with me. "Hi Mrs. Swift, Mr. Swift," she smiles. "Elizabeth, Richard..."

"Harper, honey," Andrea says, placing her hand on my girlfriend's shoulder, "you can call us Andrea and Scott."

"Alright," she laughs. "The show was brilliant tonight."

"Taylor will be thrilled that you thought that," Andrea tells Harper. "She adores you, you know?"

Harper simply smiles shyly in response.

"Well," Joe announces after we all make small talk for a few moments, "Taylor is ready for us back there, if we want to be heading backstage..."

"Perfect," Andrea replies. "Oh, Harper... I'm sorry, remind me of your friends' names again..."

"Nessa and Katherine."

"That's right," she says. "You three need to wear these passes back there."

Andrea hands over the lanyards which the rest of us are already wearing, and all three girls slip them over their heads.

Andrea leads the way as we head backstage, Harper and I looking ever so loved up.

"You two are the cutest," Nessa groans. "It's disgusting."

"Shut up," Harper retorts. "You're just jealous."

"It's true," Nessa shrugs.

Once we are backstage, a security guard checks to be sure that Taylor will have us in her dressing room, and then we are all let in.

"What the heck," Harper whispers to me. "This is so much bigger than my dressing room at Anastasia."

"That's becuase your dressing room is like... a closet," I tease her.

"It's my own little closet, though, and I love it."

"I know, love," I tell her.

"Hey guys," Taylor smiles, walking directly over to Harper and I. "That was some little trick that you pulled tonight."

"We just wanted to sit up in the nosebleeds in costumes and dance all night," she explains. "If you knew that I was coming, then you would've insisted on giving me good tickets, and that wasn't the point of this. Bad seats add to the experience."

"Well, how was it?" Tay asks, clearly holding back laughter.

"It was glorious. And oh my gosh, Tay, you played us a song!"

"I couldn't resist," she tells us with a cheeky grin. "I knew that it was your last concert before you were officially an Alwyn, Harper."

"It's such a weird feeling. I don't even know how to describe it."

"It's even weirder that I've never attended a concert with you," I murmur, causing everyone to laugh.

"Hush. You don't need to see my concert dancing until after we are married."

"I see how it is," I tease her, lightly kissing her cheek.

"Seriously, though, Tay, it really meant so much to us tonight," Harper states. "I'm never going to forget tonight for as long as I live."

"Hey, it's the least that I could do for my biggest fan turned sister-in-law."

"Almost," Harper winks. "In sixteen days. But who's counting?"

"Clearly, you," I state. "But don't worry. I am too."

Taylor takes the time to talk to everybody else in the group, then we decide to take some pictures before having to head home.

"Mom," Taylor says, "Harper, Patrick, Nessa, and Katherine don't have rides. Could you ask my driver if he'd mind dropping them at home?"

"You really don't have to, Tay," I protest. "I can call an Uber, and these two," I motion to Nessa and Katherine, "are sleeping over at my flat tonight."

"Geez, Patrick, you're brave," Joe laughs. "Are you sure that you don't want to come crash at my flat tonight? There's gonna be a lot of females in yours tonight."

"I'll be fine," I insist. "Thanks, though."

"Alright, but we are dropping you four at home," Joe states. "Car will be here in fifteen minutes. Tay, do you have all of your things?" He looks at his wife and she nods.

"Perfect."

"Tay," Andrea says, "your father and I are going to head out."

"Alright," she replies, hugging each of her parents before watching them walk out.

"We are going to be on our way, too," Elizabeth and Richard remark, giving us all a final hug.

"Patrick... we might not be seeing you again until the big day," Richard tells me.

"I guess that's true," I reply, with a smile breaking onto my face.

"Well, congratulations, you two, and we will see you then," he tells Harper and I.

Then, all of the parents are gone and we decide that it's time to start making our way to the secret exit where Taylor's car is scheduled to pick us up.

Once we are back in the flat, the girls pump up an air mattress in our living room. Nessa and Katherine share that, while Harper parks herself on the couch.

"Are you girls good?" I ask. "Can I go to sleep?"

"For sure," Harper replies. "You've got to work bright and early tomorrow, love."

"Don't remind me," I state.

As I prepare myself for bed, I can hear them giggling every now and then. I'm exhausted, though, so pretty much as soon as I crawl under the duvet and get all comfortable, I'm asleep. I need all of the rest that I can get before my alarm goes off in the morning.