Call it What You Want

22 - Sparkin' Up My Darkest Night

September 2017

Joe's POV

"Here they come!" Taylor called out excitedly through the house. I joined her at the front window as we watched eager fans unload from the massive bus parked in our driveway. Taylor had been nervously waiting for this day to come. Today would be the first reputation secret listening session at our place in London. Months ago, Taylor personally selected fans to come hang out and hear songs off of her upcoming album.

We spent the past two weeks preparing for today's event. The house was decorated with all of Taylor's favorite cozy things. Yesterday, I pushed furniture back and forth across the room so that it was arranged to Taylor's liking. Greenery hung from nearly every bare wall to use as a back drop for photos. Taylor's team triple checked the sound system in the living room to make sure fans had the best listening experience. In the kitchen, we had some snacks and treats to munch on through out the evening. The fans were going to love it.

As Taylor turned away from the window, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close. "You'll be amazing like always," I told her.

"I hope so," she said back in almost a whisper. Then, she leaned in closer and pressed her soft lips against mine for a long slow kiss. "I can't keep them waiting out there too long. Someone might bust down the door," she joked.

I sighed, "you're right. I guess I have to share you with the fans tonight."

"After they leave, I'm all yours," she hinted and gave a wink.

"Can't wait. Oh, your ring?" I asked, extending my hand.

"Right." She slid the engagement ring off her finger and dropped it in my open palm. "I still love you without the ring."

I chuckled. "Good, I'm glad to hear that. Now go get your guests!"

She flashed me a big smile before hurrying toward the front entrance. I climbed the stairs two at a time to put the ring away for safe keeping. Within a few seconds of reaching our bedroom, I heard Taylor open the front door. Shrieks of pure joy filled the house as the fans shuffled inside. Not ready to throw myself into the crowd, I decided to hang around upstairs for a little bit. 

"Pretty crazy huh?" I started talking to Meredith who sat perched in the center of our bed. "I don't blame you for coming to hide out up here."

With little to do while waiting, I pulled out my phone to check my messages and social media. A message from Natalie appeared at the top of my screen as I casually scrolled through Instagram. She sent me a message with a bus emoji and a flower. I responded immediately with the message 'tomorrow morning?'

There was always the possibility of our phone communication being monitored, so when we lived together we developed a series of cryptic messages. We used these frequently years ago when we were doing things that wouldn't have been approved by the agency. The only reason we used them now was to talk about our efforts to separate from the agency. The bus emoji with a flower meant that she wanted to meet at the botanic gardens we used to visit. This was a place we knew that had no surveillance in most areas.

Natalie soon responded asking if I could do tonight. I wondered why she needed to speak so urgently. Immediately, my mind started racing with questions. Had something gone wrong? Did the agency know we were the ones who leaked agent files? Needing to get answers quickly, I decided to skip our coded protocols and just call her.

"Joe?" she answered.

"Hey, now is not a good time. Taylor is having her event tonight." I tried not to reveal to much in case anyone was recording or listening to our conversations.