"Don't make me get up," Taylor groaned, moving her head under the pillow to block the bright light streaming in from the window.
"I'm afraid I don't really have the choice," Joe rubbed her lower back, leaving a kiss on her neck. "Rehearsals start in an hour and we have to drive to the stadium."
Taylor buried herself farther into the blankets, "But I'm tired."
Joe chuckled, "C'mon, I'll make you some coffee while you take your shower."
"Fine," Taylor whined. "Carry me?"
Joe lifted her up, carrying her on piggyback. He squatted down to set her on the edge of the bathtub. Taylor rubbed her eyes, still adjusting to the bright bathroom light. Joe twisted the shower knob for her, "I'll be downstairs, okay?"
Taylor mumbled an incoherent response, still half asleep. Joe chuckled, walking down the soft carpeted stairs towards the kitchen. Twenty minutes a more lively Taylor pranced down the stairs, dressed in denim shorts and a maroon cropped folklore t-shirt, a matching scrunchie tying her hair back in a low ponytail.
A steaming cup of coffee was waiting for her on the kitchen counter, which she gladly took. "Are you excited?" She asked Joe, who was making himself a cup of tea. Joe nodded in response. "Are you nervous?" Joe nodded again.
Taylor pecked him on the cheek, "You'll do amazing. Just think of it like acting on stage. But this time you're singing and playing piano. And it's in front of 60,000 people." A terrified look crossed over Joe's face. "Okay, maybe I'm just making it worse."
Tonight, Joe was going to be a guest star on the Folklovermore Tour, performing Exile in place of Justin Vernon. They stepped into the car, their hands gravitating back towards their familiar intertwined position.
Joe had gone backstage plenty of times, and knew the general gist of how the stadium operated. "What color are you thinking of for the light up bracelets?" Taylor asked as they walked onto the spacious stage.
"Blue," Joe replied without hesitation. It had always been his favorite color.
Taylor clapped her hands together, "Great! So we'll be performing after I sing Cardigan. You'll just rise up to the stage on this platform." Taylor made her way over to a small black square on the floor. "Then you'll walk over to the piano, and when you get the cue through your earpiece, you start playing."
Joe nodded, trying to retain all the information to ensure he didn't mess up. "Here, let me get you your earpiece," She ran to the side of the stage to grab a small set up from her assistant. She handed him a small headphone shaped object, "This goes in your ear. You'll hear a metronome, and you'll hear yourself. Try it on."
Joe put it in his ear, it fit just like a headphone. "Now this is your body-pack receiver," She held up a small walkie-talkie like object. It basically transmits the music and your voice. Here I'll clip it onto your jeans for you."
She set it in his back pocket, attaching it to his waistband. "If you want to touch my ass you can just say so," Joe whispered in her ear, eliciting a laugh and a playful punch on the arm from Taylor.
Taylor then gave him a microphone, "Speak into it, see how it sounds."
"What do I say?" Joe asked, taking the microphone.
"Anything," Taylor shrugged.
"Test," Joe said nervously into the microphone.
They got a thumbs up from the stage assistant. "Perfect!" Taylor smiled. "This is going to be amazing."
After rehearsing Exile, Taylor went through all her other songs. Soon enough, Joe was waiting backstage as the beginning chords to Cruel Summer began to play to start the show. Andrea was sitting with him, and could see his nerves.
