If He Wanted to, He Would

Night Out

Taylor looks up from her fettuccini to see Travis staring at something in the distance. 

"What are you looking at?" 

"There's a pap at three o'clock" he said. 

They're at dinner together.  Travis had come to visit for a short between practices and the pair had decided to go on an easy, little date night to Taylor's favourite Italian spot in New York. Going out, especially in New York, was a sure way to get attention she and Travis both knew it but Taylor had  felt like going out even if it meant getting photographed. Travis, being Travis, was down to get dressed up and venture out. He didn't even bring up the paparazzi issue when she'd voiced her desire for a date night out of the house earlier in the day.

"Love, we can't go out to eat. We never enjoy it with all the people taking pictures of you." Joe reminds Taylor, crushing her plans of a date night at one of their favourite Italian spots in the city. Taylor knows he's right, anywhere she goes there will be paparazzi or fans trying to get her attention. Joe absolutely hates the attention she attracts.

"I know, but we haven't gone out in months" Taylor replies. Her tone comes out whiny, which she knows will annoy Joe. He hates when she behaves 'like a spoiled child; but she, screw it, wants to go on a dinner date with her boyfriend.

"Taylor, it's just not feasible for us with you in this career. You know that." his speech is curt in a way that Taylor knows the conversation is over. She retreats to the bedroom, laying out to scroll through her phone for a recipe for dinner.

'In this career' plays over and over in his head. It echos. She hates the way Joe always brings their disagreements back to her music and stardom. Like if she stopped making music, stopped attracting attention all the issues in their relationship would be solved. If she abandoned her career and blended into Joe's world entirely she could have the fairytale love she had yearned for throughout her youth. A big house in the country with a wrap-around porch and a thick forest surrounding it. They could have as many blonde hair, blue eyed children as she wanted. They could raise them with every toy and experience they desired. It could all happen, is within her reach, Joe would promise her, if she left the public eye.

"I'm sorry" she said, feeling pangs of guilt enter her consciousness. 

"Why?" Travis asked, looking confused. He averted his gaze away from the offending paparazzi and focused it on her.

"Because they're not going to leave us alone now and they're going to take as many pictures as they can" she explained. 

Once a paparazzi found her, they liked to stick around and get every possible angle. The more pictures they could get the higher the chance one would show some an unflattering angle that could be sold to the media for a pretty penny. Something that she had had to get used to over the years. The paparazzi was all new to Travis and while he claimed he didn't mind it, he'd grow tired of it soon. It's invasive having someone watch and photograph your every move. It was too invasive for Joe; who loathed going out with Taylor for fear of being photographed. 

"Let 'em" Travis said with a smirk. "Then everyone can see what a beautiful lady the big yeti landed."

"Travis, oh my god," Taylor burst out laughing. Leave it to him to find the silver lining in being stalked by old men with cameras and then turn it into a joke.

"In all seriousness though Tay" he posited, reaching across the table to grab her hand. "I know you worry that all the attention will be overwhelming but it's a small side effect of getting to love you. I love you, Taylor. There is nothing in the world that could make me shy away from that."

"I love you too" she returned his proclamation. .