(I will take a break for my health. At least for a week before I will post something else here. Enjoy the chapter)
[Edward POV]
The finale of the performance unexpectedly fell into my hands as the crowd chanted my name.
"EDWARD! EDWARD! EDWARD! EDWARD! EDWARD!....."
Taking a deep breath, I slinged my guitar over my shoulder and walked on the stage. Pepper and the other stage conductor were a bit too late to try and stop me as I appeared on stage next to Taylor, causing a massive audience reaction akin to a meltdown beneath the stage.
"Hey. Why do I hear people calling for me?" I asked in confusion after Taylor gave me a microphone. The audience laughed and Taylor said, "Well. You're the only one who knows how to play my new song."
"Ahh. That one. I will get paid right?" I joked, causing the audience to laugh once more.
Taylor smirked and said playfully, "No?"
I shrugged and said, "Too bad. I wanted to use the money for the new PlayStation. I guess I will have to wait for my birthday present from you then.."
At the audience seat, the Missouri born Taylor S. fan laughed gleefully as Taylor and I did our whole improvised bit.
Cam said to Mitchell, "Oh my god! Oh my God! They're really close to each other. You think Edward can get me to meet Taylor?"
"Don't put more pressure on him, Cam!" Mitchell said with his arms crossed. Then, he shyly nudged Cam and said, "Ask him if we can both go and meet her."
At the backstage, chaos ensued between the organizer and Taylor's staff members. The meek co-writer had changed into a full blown raging 'Karen' and tried to stop the performance from happening by any means necessary, "This isn't in the contract. Any extra shows will open you up for a lawsuit. Are you prepared to do so?"
Mr. Killington sighed and replied, "The decision to play one more song or not is the artist's call. Not ours. However, we also can't let you storm the stage and pull her away just because she is doing something she wants to do."
The veteran stage conductor could hypothesize why Taylor was being so abrupt and disobedient right now.
"She wants to be free…even if it's just for a moment. I won't let you stop her." Mr Killington murmured to himself after he asked the security there to stop the teenage pop star's staff from interfering with the show.
"Just don't have a meltdown will ya." He said as he took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth before lighting it.
Back on the audience seat, Haley quickly texted Abby who had already arrived home and told her about my last performance.
"Seriously?" Abby asked in disbelief as she had already entered her house.
"Yes. I will hold the call for you to hear it. Tara will record the performance and we will show it to you later." Haley said as she held the phone in the air while I was still talking with Taylor.
As I familiarized myself with the guitar, I said to Taylor, "Let's not waste any more time. I need to get home after this as I have school tomorrow."
The crowd booed me playfully, so I turned to them and said, "Remember kids, stay in school, and don't do drugs."
"That's so sudden." Taylor laughed together with the crowd and finally the light on the stage dimmed, putting both of us underneath a spotlight. I used a microphone stand to sing as I was playing the guitar at the same time, and Taylor held a microphone in her left hand as we stood together side by side.
[Love Story- Taylor]
Only my guitar played the melody for the song as there wasn't anyone else around that knew the song.
When I asked Taylor why she wanted to perform the song at this concert in the future, she would answer, "I was…jealous of you. I longed to be free while on the stage, but I lost all of my freedom after I signed with the agency. This…was my first little rebellion against them. Like you, I also wanted to truly interact with my fans as a person…just like you…and not as a fake idol they worship."
♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪
Taylor swayed her body to the rhythm and we stole a glance at each other before we burst out laughing. The romantic song fans couldn't help but fanned their hot faces as they saw us flirting with each other.
Taylor: " ♫♪We were both young when I first saw you…I close my eyes and the flashback starts, I'm standin' there…♫♪"
She suddenly walked toward where I was standing, pulled my face that was watching the crowd with her finger, so that I would look at her, and continued, "On a balcony in summer air…"
"KYAAHHH!" The crowd let out an uncontrollable cheer as she did that, and even my heart couldn't help but skip a beat as I watched her in her performing mode up close.
I smiled while looking at her as she continued, "♫♪♫See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns
See you make your way through the crowd…"And say, "Hello"...." (Ed: Hello)
We acted as if we're performing a musical, and without missing the beat we harmonized our voices.
Ed and Taylor: Little did I know~♫♪
Without us realizing it, our voices perfectly melded together – stunning the crowd below and the crew backstage below. I let Taylor sing while I harmonized with her using our own playful lyrics.
Taylor: "♫♪That you were Romeo, you were throwin' pebbles( Ed: ♫ I was Romeo, I was throwing pebbles)"
"♫♪And my daddy said stay away from Juliet", (Ed:♫ "and your daddy said Stay away from Juliet")
She pointed at me while saying Romeo, while stepping back a few steps as if fearing her dad before she reached her arms at me from afar.
♫♪And I was cryin' on the staircase ♪Beggin' you, "Please don't go…"
Taylor: "And I said"
She ran towards me while stopping inches away from my face before singing…
Both:♫♪ Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run..You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess" (Ed: ♫♪ "I'll be the prince and you'll be my princess)
Both: It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"
Taylor returned to her inital spot while I become the lead singer this time,
Ed: "♫♪So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet, 'cause we're dead if they knew…" (Taylor: ♪ 'cause we're dead if they knew)
Together:: "♫♪So close your eyes…"
Ed: "♫♪Escape this town for a little while, oh oh ♫♪"
Taylor's cheeks couldn't help but blushed red as we gazed meaningfully at each other while some of the audience members had tears in their eyes.
Wiping his eyes with a handkerchief, Cam said, "No…Romeo and Juliet…! Why? There are no good endings for them.."
Ed: "♫♪Cause I was Romeo (Taylor:♫♪ I was a scarlet letter)
"NOO!" Lily – Taylor's fangirl who asked the question before this shouted as they didn't want the bad ending to appear. But it was drowned by the cheers of the other fans.
Ed: ♫♪And your daddy said Stay away from Juliet" (Taylor: ♫ And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet")
Together:♫♪" But you were everything to me (together)
I was beggin' you, "Please don't go~!"♫♪
Taylor took back the lead and sang while I harmonized with her.
Taylor"♫♪And I said ….Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone… (Ed: ♫ I'll take you, if we really need to be alone")
"♫♪I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run…" (Ed :♫ I'll try everything, till there's you in my arm.")
♫♪You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess…" (Ed: ♫ I'll be your prince and you'll be my princess)
She curtsied at 'princess' while I responded to her as a prince.
Taylor sang alone as she grabbed my arm, "♫♪It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes" ♫♪"
The audience went ballistic and was on the brink of losing their mind as they saw the performance. The innocent and impossible love between Romeo and Juliet had imprinted deeply inside their minds.
Haley couldn't help but struggle internally as she saw the performance. She wanted to stomp away and leave but she wanted to see the entire performance too. Jenna on the other hand was biting her nail as she saw me flirting with Taylor on the stage.
Without anyone noticing, she was mumbling, "Gasoline.. Gasoline.. Gasoline.. Gasoline…"
Pepper couldn't help but ask himself, "Did he practice this performance with her before? How did they hide it from everybody else?"
However, the dancers and Taylor's staff knew that this was nothing more than an impromptu performance by the two artists.
On the stage, Taylor couldn't help but to be mesmerized by her partner in this song. She was transported into a different dimension where there were only two of us, and she was wearing a medieval gown while I was a medieval prince.
With a hint of begging in her tone, she said, "♫♪Romeo, save me, they're tryna tell me how to feel ( Ed "♫My love I'll save you, you'll know exactly how I feel")
Together: ♫♪This love is difficult, but it's real ♫♪
Ed:♫♪ Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess, It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"♫♪
I was confused by her silence therefore I gestured to her with my eyes, but she wasn't responding and kept gazing at me with googly eyes.
Ed: ♫♪ Oh, oh~!
I proceeded with the electric guitar solo as the light on the stage changed into that of a starry sky.
Taylor finally snapped out of it and walked to the front of the stage, singing alone underneath the spotlight.
Taylor: ♫♪ I got tired of waiting~...Wonderin' if you were ever comin' around…
The screen showed my face, so I pretended to be torn inside, which caused the audience to shout once more.
Taylor's tone carried a hint of sadness while she sang the next verse, " ♫♪ My faith in you was fading…When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said…
She finally turned to face me, and I slowed down the rhythm while she sang emotionally, " Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone…♫♪"
I couldn't help but feel her genuine emotion in that song. It was as if she wanted me to truly save her. I let her sing alone as I locked into her eyes.
"♫♪I keep waiting for you, but you never come♫♪"
I stared at her while keeps playing the guitar notes…
"♫♪Is this in my head? I don't know what to think♫♪"
Suddenly the music stopped.
"What is happening?" Mitchell asked in confusion and frustration.
"No…It can't be?" Cam widened his eyes as he saw the next part as one screen showed my face while the other screen showed Taylor's.
Kneeling on one knee while slinging the guitar to my back, I pulled out a ring from out of knowhere– it was actually the prop ring for my previous outfit that I kept in my pocket after taking it off, and showed the ring to her.
Taylor cupped her mouth and ran towards me while I held the ring with one hand and took it from me. I stood back up quickly while facing her and picked up the guitar tempo and played the uplifting part while I sang strongly to Taylor.
Ed: "♫♪Marry me, Juliet…You'll never have to be alone…I love you and that's all I really know…I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress….♫♪"
The crowd held their breath as I sang the last part.
Ed "♫♪It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"♫♪"
Taylor was frozen in shock before barely managing to compose herself yet it seemed like she just blurted out the "Yes"!! And hugged me.
The crowd cheered manically as we hugged and I could sense the stage vibrating from their cheer. A little dust fell from the ceiling and some lights swayed which scared me a little bit. I whispered to Taylor, "Finish the song." as we hugged.
Finally, she snapped out of her own delusion and composed herself.
Taylor: "♫♪Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh…♫♪ 'Cause we were both young when I first… saw you…"
Taylor and I looked at each other before we bowed at the crowd together.
"Good night everyone!" We said together before the curtain closed amidst the cheer of the audience.
[3rd Person POV]
Q: What was your favorite part of the concert today?
Getting interviewed by the college reporter outside the stadium, Mitch and Cam thought for a while before Mitch replied first, "Well…Definitely the artists. And the song game…That was legendary."
Cam chuckled and then he said, "Definitely the proposal. I cried a little bit-"
Mitch interjected, "He cried a lot." Cam glared at him before he continued, "Their performance really showed up the definition of two world lovers. The innocent country girl and the mature city boy, brought together as fate wills it to be."
"Cam, they are NOT dating!" Mitchell said in exasperation.
A young boy replied, "Definitely the song… Believer."
Then, he sang a line from the song childishly, " Pain! You break me down and build me up, believer, believer!"
The initial, brunette college girl who was the first to throw their underwear at Edward said, "I came here for Taylor, but I will leave here with Edward in my mind!"
Q: Do you think Taylor and Edward are a couple?
Cam: Yes!
Mitch: NOOO!
Young boy: Eww..
Brunette: Definitely! He is at least 16 right?
Haley said seriously, "NO! He's not a couple with Taylor." Both Tara and Haley would be hitching a ride with Cam and Mitch as the rest of the family had gone home after Edward's initial performance.
Q: Will you come to the next Edward Newgate's Concert?
All of them answered, "Definitely!"
At the concert backstage, Taylor was admonished by her co-writer after her improvised performance with Edward, before one of her staff members came in with urgent news.
"What?" The co-writer asked.
"The song…The duet…" The male staff member was having trouble catching his breath as he ran toward the room before this.
"SPIT IT OUT!" The co-writer yelled.
"IT'S TRENDING ON YOUTUBE!"
"What?" The co-writer exclaimed in confusion before the staff member took out his phone and showed that the song had gotten 50k views in the matter of one hour. In early 2009 Youtube, the views had pushed the video to become the top trending video in America at the moment.
"See, it wasn't 'damaging my image'." Taylor snarked sarcastically as she heard that while the co-writer gritted her teeth.
The entertainment agency couldn't say anything as the video was trending worldwide in the matter of one day, and became the top liked video of the week.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have an afterparty to attend to." Taylor said before she left the room with just her bodyguards and not her publicity staff. She stopped by the door before she turned toward the staff and smiled, "You guys are not invited."
"TAYLOR!" The co-writer tried to protest, but the artist had already walked away.
"DAMN IT!" The co-writer cursed before calling the agency to pass the full report to them and give her thoughts about the current situation.
"Just let her be." The voice from the other side of the call said.
"BUT SIR!" The co-writer tried to protest.
"Let her enjoy the day while feeling superior…it will help us in controlling her later in the future when she realizes she has no other choice but to crawl back to us after the party is over."
"Ahh..Yes Sir." The co-writer said.
"Anyway, keep an eye on the Edward kid. Any scandals, any criminal history, or bad records that we can use to as…'leverage' (blackmail) for him to sign with us."
[Edward POV]
"Uhn~" I stretched my arm upward as I felt extremely tired after the show. I had finally managed to sneak out of the concert hall without getting surrounded by the fans and was already on my way home.
"Why don't you take a nap?" Dad suggested as I sat in the backseat.
"Sure." I said and took out my phone before reading messages from Jacob and the troublemakers, Haley, Abby, and Pepper.
"Dad, You know that I will be going to the after party right?"
"To be honest, I don't like you going over there. But you've worked really hard for this concert, therefore I will give you my permission. Be careful while you're on board. If there is any trouble– people offering you drugs or other harmful substances, go to Dwayne quickly."
"Relax dad, it's a boat party, not a rave." I replied with a yawn.
"I know, but I am worried regardless." Dad said in a soft tone.
"Okay. I will take care of myself." I said before I laid down sideways on the seat and fell asleep.
…
Midnight, at my house. I had managed to catch 2 hours of sleep on the way home as we were slowed down because of a traffic jam.
Taking a duffel bag with some toiletries and clothes inside from my room, my dad drove me to the Marina. Luckily we only took another 10 minutes to get there as the road was clear this time around.
"Hey Ed!" Kaya and Anna called out to me from abord the ship as I stepped foot on the port. I waved at them, and they waved back to me. The LED light from the ship illuminated the surroundings, and I could see that the party above the ship had already started.
I turned to my dad and said, "Thank you for your support today dad. I will go now."
Dad suddenly hugged me and said, "I'm really proud of you Ed…Now…be careful at the party alright?"
"I will." I patted his back twice before he released me and I walked into the ship.
The ship horn blared twice before the ship started its journey to international water. The 80 meters long ship slowly exited the marina before it disappeared on the horizon.