the stars in your eyes | t.s. one shots

when the lights go down

Taylor takes in a deep breath of the city air as everything swirls around her. Cars pass by her on the street as she stands outside of the stage door of Six on Broadway. She is a little bit nervous about this one. She hasn't been to a Broadway show since before the pandemic. Things got a little crazy after she released folklore and evermore. She's eternally thankful for the response that they produced- she gained so many new fans, and she's so happy to have them join her in her little magical world that she invented. However, that's a lot of new eyes on her.

Before the theatres shut down, she came to Broadway shows all of the time. They sparked a special kind of creativity in her. She loved the way that she felt when excitement bubbled inside of her as the orchestra played the overture, or the leading lady belted out a powerful 11 o'clock number. She had it all down to a science- how to fly under the radar at the theatre. Now, she has to hope that those same protocols will keep her unnoticed nearly two years later.

By all logic, it should be even easier now, with a new and strictly enforced masking policy. Covering half of her face certainly isn't going to hurt anything.

Next to her, Joe squeezes her hand. He can tell that she's a bit nervous. She's fidgeting with her fingers and behind her mask, she's probably biting her lip. He knows that she does that when she gets anxious. "It's all going to be okay," he tells her. "Don't worry."

Just a moment later, the usher comes out- a young man who can't be older than college-aged. With a quick verification of their vaccine cards and IDs, he brings them into the theatre.

"Welcome to the show," he says. "I'll take you two up to your seats."

"Thank you," Taylor replies sweetly. She smiles at him, but is taken aback upon realizing that he can't see her smile. It's a little weird, to be out in public for a night on the town after being cooped up in her apartment for so long.

They walk around the hallways in the backstage of the theatre and through a door. Taylor and Joe suddenly find themselves submerged in a room of people. They are sat on the side of the orchestra, near the front. It seems to be a good view, but also a seat that is subtle enough to not draw attention to the celebrity getting seated by an usher.

"The show is going to start in about two minutes. Let me or any of the other ushers know if you need anything," he tells them, before walking away. "I'll be back at the end of the show to make sure that you get out of here." He holds out two Playbills, which Taylor accepts. 

"Amazing, thank you," Taylor says. She sits down in her seat on the aisle, with Joe next to her, acting as the barrier between her and whoever has bought the next seat.

"Are you excited, love?" Joe asks.

"Of course," Taylor replies. "Thank you so much for booking these tickets. It was an amazing surprise."

"I thought that you might like it," he says. "Don't worry. The lights will be going down any second now, and then you can just enjoy the show. Look, nobody around us is minding us any business."

Taylor looks around and realizes that he's right. Most people in the room are either reading their Playbills, scrolling through their phones, or trying to get the perfect selfie with the stage. Nobody seems to notice her.

Almost as if on cue, the lights go down after that. Taylor does exactly what Joe suggested to her: she sits back and watches the show. Not once does she think, "what if someone is taking pictures of me?"

That's something that she really loves about Broadway shows. During the performance, it's a phone-free zone. Even if someone does see her, they can't photograph her. At least, not easily. It's dark in the room- the phone or camera screen would produce light, and even if they did somehow get a picture, it wouldn't be a very good one. Not without a flash, which would be so obvious. It would get anyone kicked out of the theatre instantly.

Taylor thinks back to all of the shows that she has seen in the past- how intermission was always a whole thing because she had to go find somewhere out of sight to stay while everyone was up and walking around. This show is much easier- it's all in one act. It's high energy and fast-paced. Before Taylor knows it, it's over. She can't stop smiling. It was incredible.

The lights come back up in the theatre, and just as promised, the young usher is standing there to escort Taylor and Joe out of the building. They hurry out and into the car, which is waiting on the street outside of the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

Taylor and Joe look at each other once they get in. They keep their masks on for the safety of the driver, but they don't need to see each other's faces to know that they both had the best night together. It felt so good to be back at a Broadway show.

The next morning, they wake up and check the Google news headlines by searching "Taylor Swift." Lots of things come up, as expected, but nothing about Taylor and Joe being at the theatre.

Taylor smiles at Joe. "We did it. Just like we used to."

Joe's heart melts at how excited that she is. Before the theatres shut down, it was always a safe place for her. He hopes that it will be able to be that way again.

"We did," he says. "I knew we would. I love getting to go to the theatre with you, hon."

"I love it too," she says, resting her head on his shoulder and snuggles in close to him, their comforter still pulled up to their chests as they sit in bed.

"I love you," he adds. "So much."

"I love you too," Taylor smiles.

"I'm glad that I got to have a great night with you out in the city. Our city. I love to see it coming back to life."

"Me too. Thank you, Joe. For everything."