2016 was the best of times and the worst of times for Taylor Swift. Her reputation had never been worse, and intimate details of her private life and relationships were being splashed all over the headlines as if she were a plaything for reporters t...
Taylor let the water stream over her newly bleached hair as she stood in the shower washing off the dirt of the weekend. Even though she'd been in there for thirty minutes and was probably cleaner than she'd ever been, she still felt as though there was a layer of grime coating every inch of herself. With her body wash worked into a lather, she scrubbed until her skin was tingling and had turned a rosy colour. Once the suds had slipped down the drain she took a shaking breath, finally switching off the water, patting herself dry and slipping into a silk robe.
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The weekend hadn't been bad. In fact, it had probably been one of the best trips of her life. Not only was she at a music festival, getting to listen to some of her favourite, and the greatest artists, but she was surrounded by friends, family and Adam. He had even played a set, and she was so excited for him that it felt as though she were the one getting on stage in the buildup to his performance. Time had slowed down. She had noticed the nervous butterflies in her stomach and heard her heart pounding in her ears as he swaggered onto the stage. Her breath caught in her throat. Around her the crowds went wild, but she was frozen; fixed gazing up at him as he took his place on the stage.
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The set was magical. Taylor was surrounded by the people she loved most: Este, Karlie, Britany, Todrick, Ella, Camilla and Adam only a few hundred feet away on the stage. When he brought Rihanna on as a special guest the audience went crazy, and Taylor went wild with them. She'd never had so much fun with her friends in her life.
But it was what happened afterwards that stung. She'd pushed her way through the dusty crowds at the end of his performance. The busy throng of festival-goers was a double edged sword because although it meant that people wanted to see his set, it also meant he was harder to get to. After quickly clearing security checks, which only took slightly longer because of her unrecognisable hair, she found herself in the backstage area.
She spotted Rihanna first, and ran over to give her a hug. After all, she had been one of the highlights of Taylor's night, and Taylor was so grateful that she'd agreed to do this for Adam. Their exchange didn't last long, because Taylor was so excited to see Adam after the mayhem of the last few days - from here on out they could enjoy the end of the festival weekend together, because he didn't have a set to prepare for.
They'd agreed she would come to him after his performance ended, so knowing that he would be in his trailer, she ran over to where it was parked and didn't hesitate to turn the handle. Inside, the room was dark, and as Taylor fumbled for the light switch she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. As the bulb flickered, she saw what she had been fearing. His dressing room had been cleared - it was as though he hadn't even been there at all. There were no clothes strewn over the backs of chairs - not even an empty glass of water on the side table. She knew he was low maintenance, but even the least glamorous male performers that she was friends with tended to have a trainwreck of a trailer.
