I immerse myself in various creative pursuits during my leisure hours—writing poems, crafting short stories, and, of course, composing soulful songs. The delicate melody I produce on the piano fills the room, accompanied by the rhythmic purring of Olivia, one of my feline companions, lounging comfortably beside me. The tranquillity is abruptly shattered as my phone vibrates, interrupting the artistic atmosphere. With a sigh, I reluctantly lift the device to see a message from Tree.
Tree: You need to look at this.
A quick tap on the screen opens a link to a video. As I click on it, the familiar face from the recent show appears, the man who has managed to occupy my thoughts in the aftermath of the performance. He's featured on a podcast, discussing none other than myself.
The other participant in the video kicks off the conversation, "Speaking of Taylor Swift, I know you went to the Taylor Swift concert. How was it?"
Travis, the intriguing man in question, begins sharing his sentiments, and my heart sinks at his opening words. I had held out hope that he might be one of the few who truly understand.
"That she doesn't talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings," he continues. A soft chuckle escapes me, a release of the pent-up tension. Pausing the video momentarily, I collect myself before pressing play once more.
"So I was a little butthurt," Travis admits, prompting me to pause the video once again. My initial hope might not have been misplaced; perhaps he isn't one of those who simply don't get it.
Resuming the video, I hang on to every word as he expresses his disappointment, "I didn't get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her." The anticipation for the next 20 seconds of the clip becomes almost unbearable, and I feel the weight of stress settling in.
"You made her a bracelet," the other participant remarks, unaware of the tradition of exchanging friendship bracelets at Taylor Swift concerts. Travis, however, appears well-versed in the lore.
"Yeah, if you're up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets, and I received a bunch of them being there. But I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it."
As I watch the video, my face flushes, and the tension in the room escalates, creating an atmosphere charged with uncertainty.
"Alright, nah."
"Your number as in 87 or your phone number?"
"You know which one."
I pause the video, my mind buzzing with a mix of excitement and trepidation. Unable to contain my curiosity, I scroll to Tree's contact and text her back,
Taylor: Can you get me this guy's number?
Tree: Will you screw this up?
Taylor: I will try not to. Please, Tree, I will do anything.
Tree: I will see if I can get it for you. Please be careful, love.
Taylor: I will, I promise. I just need to talk to him.