The silence was penetrated by a teardrop, splashing on the dark hardwood floor. This had practically become routine for Taylor. Every night she would go to bed, thinking that this was the night she'd be finally alright. But she knew she'd never be alright. Some wounds didn't heal.
Joe breaking up with her definitely fit into that category.
It came out of nowhere. Taylor thought everything was fine. Turns out she was wrong. Joe didn't give an explanation, one night he just... told her. Told her it was over. It had been two weeks since that night, and every time Taylor replayed the scene in her head, she burst into tears.
Worst of all, she was in the middle of her reputation stadium tour. How could she sing every night about the man that no longer loved her? She had already broken down crying while playing New Years Day, but had passed it off as happy tears.
It was hard, so hard. Hard to look out at the crowd, that had everything but the one thing she needed. Her friends and family had all tried to talk to her, but she shut them out. She just needed to process.
Trying to regain composure, Taylor stood up from the hotel bed. She had a show to play. Tonight it would be hardest, because it was in London. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to look at the city she thought of as home, knowing the one person she thought of as home wasn't there. The only people she'd told about the break up were her family and close friends, she hadn't told her team yet. Taylor just wanted to keep the news to herself for a while.
After forcing herself to get dressed and make an effort to look presentable, she headed to the stadium. Practicing her smile in the car's rear view mirror, she tried to reassure herself that everything was okay. Nothing is okay.
Andrea was waiting for her at the stadium. Taylor could tell that she was trying to act normal, while gauging how her daughter was feeling. Taylor smiled at her, fake, of course, "Hey mom!"
"Hey sweetie," Andrea said, holding the tall woman in a warm embrace. "You ready to rock the crowd?"
"Yup," Taylor grinned. "I'll see you out there."
Soon, she arrived on stage, a black hood covering her blonde hair.
"Are you ready for it?"
Taylor was glad for the cover that the hood provided, so no one could see the tears threatening to fall as she sang. She managed to sing through Ready For It without breaking her composure, and moved onto I Did Something Bad.
She tried to focus on the crowd. Their bright screams and cheers as they waved their light up bracelets in the air. Taylor avoided looking at the VIP section, not wanting to be reminded of what was once there.
Gorgeous was always one of the hardest songs for her to perform. But she had to do it. For the fans. For the fans, she reminded herself as she hopped around the stage, singing. AS she finished the song, she extended her arm out, pointing it towards the crowd. That's when she saw him.
Joe.
Standing in Club Meredith, a plastic cup of beer in his hand. Andrea was next to him, seeming unphased by the fact that Taylor's ex was right there. Taylor stood there in shock, why the fuck is he here. What. The. Fuck.
Taking deep breaths, she tried to control herself. Determined to ignore his presence, she continued on with the show. Once she arrived at the surprise song, she contemplated what to sing. She had planned on Cold As You, but was now having second thoughts. Strumming slow chords, she began to talk, "I'm sure many of you have experienced losing someone. Someone who you thought would never leave. And that... hurts. It hurts more when it's unexpected. Or when they don't even provide a single reason. They just leave," At this point, the speech was directed more to Joe then anyone else. "But they're always there with you. They always linger. Just like a last kiss."
