reputation

Opening Night

May 8, 2018.

Eleven - Emma

The adjustment from New York's comfortable spring weather to Arizona's scorching hot temperatures was unpleasant to say the least. Taylor had been running around all day making sure everything was in order and, albeit her somewhat grumpy attitude, seemed like the heat didn't bother her in the slightest. Emma, on the other hand, could feel the sweat droplets running down her neck and gathering at the waistband of her shorts.

She had spent most of the day in Taylor's dressing room, but the multiple fans and air conditioning weren't helping all that much. A knock sounded on the door and, before Emma could say anything, it opened. Taylor walked in and held up the black bodysuit from the fitting Emma occumpanied her too.

Taylor sat down on the couch and pulled three pairs of tights over her legs. "What are you thinking about?"

Emma laughed and leaned back on the couch. "You're asking me that?"

"That is what I just did, is it not?" Taylor stood up to pull the sparkly bodysuit up and gestured towards the zipper on her back. "Can you zip me?"

"Yeah, smartass, I can."

Once Emma had zipped the outfit up, they both sat back down on the couch. Taylor laid down and put her feet in Emma's lap. The sparkly black boots she was supposed to have put on with the outfit sat forgotten on the floor. "You didn't answer my question."

"I'm thinking about how excited I am to see the show and how absolutely amazing I know you're going to do."

"Do you really think that?"

"Of course I do. You are so incredibly amazing that it would be impossible for you to not put on an amazing show." Emma knew it was what she wanted to hear right then, but it was also the truth, and she really hoped Taylor believed her.

Taylor picked her head off the cushion upon hearing Emma's words. Taylor sat up and moved to the middle cushion to be closer. Emma kissed her forehead, careful not to mess up the makeup that someone had just spent a considerable amount of time and effort applying.

Another knock sounded on the door. "Ten minutes, Taylor." The person on the other side said.

"Shit, I've got to go. I love you." Taylor kissed her hastily and barely gave her enough time to respond before picking up a water bottle out of the small fridge next to the couch and following the person behind the door to wherever she was supposed to be right now.

Andrea had offered for Emma to sit in the tent with her, Scott, and Austin, but Emma said no for tonight at least. She had seen parts of the show, but the didn't want to be sitting in a confined space with Taylor's entire family before watching the entre show. Especially one song in particular. She took her seat by Eloise, the girl from the New York secret sessions all those months ago, just in time for the intro visual to start playing on the screen. Videos and pictures of Taylor from various points in her career ran across the big screen with an overlay of various voices reading headlines about her.

The actual concert started with the loud booms of a base and bright flashing lights while Taylor came from in between the screens on a moving part of the stage. After the first song, Taylor shrugged off her hooded jacked and started signing a part of I Did Something Bad in a way that Emma hadn't heard before. The entire performance was something else. Her facial expressions, her voice, everything. Emma was prepared to say that it was the best of the concert without even seeing the rest.

Eloise turned her attention to Emma the second the opening notes to Gorgeous started playing. "I get it," She gestured towards the stage as if that would make Emma understand what she was talking about. "You are very pretty."

"Thank you," Emma replied. She never knew what to say to compliments, so she hoped that would suffice.