Travis Kelce tried to give Taylor Swift his number on the Eras Tour one year ago today

It’s been a year since Travis Kelce first shook it off on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour!

On July 8, 2023, the 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end first saw Swift’s Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium – the home of his own football team. The couple, who have now been together for almost a year, took the world by storm when rumors of a relationship emerged a few months later.

But before Swift, also 34, took the stage for the fateful July 8 concert, she posted on Instagram commemorating an Independence Day celebration she hosted a few days earlier with her best friends Selena Gomez, Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, Ashley Avignone and Sydney Ness at her waterfront home in Rhode Island.

“Belated Happy Independence Day from the independent girls in your neighborhood,” the “Cruel Summer” singer wrote in the caption, adding, “See you tonight in Kansas Cityyy.”

Then, at the July 8 show in Kansas City – the second of two nights in the city – Kelce was seen watching from a private booth and exchanging friendship bracelets with fans in the stadium.

But there was one person he couldn’t give a bracelet to – the singer of “Bad Blood”.

A few weeks later in his podcast New heights with Jason and Travis KelceThe football star said he tried unsuccessfully to meet the pop sensation backstage at her show and even made her a bracelet with his “number on it.”

“I was disappointed that she doesn’t speak before and after her performances because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs she sings,” Kelce said, joking that he was “a little pissed” about his inability to take his chance and “took it personally.”

It is also worth noting that at this time, Swift was just three months removed from her public breakup with long-time boyfriend Joe Alwyn.

The Super Bowl winner was lucky, however, because Swift found the comments endearing. “It all started when Travis was trolling me in a very charming way on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” the artist said of the genesis of their relationship in a TIME Profile in December. “We started hanging out right after that.”

A few weeks after Kelce attempted to make his shot, the couple seemingly confirmed their relationship when Swift returned to Arrowhead Stadium, this time to watch Kelce play from his private suite along with his family. A few months later, the two even kissed on the field as the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 Super Bowl.

Kelce also had the opportunity to support his girlfriend by participating in several more dates on the Eras Tour after his football season ended, including in Europe, South America and Asia.

In a moment that came full circle, the tight end – who once dreamed of giving Swift his number – made his Eras Tour stage debut in London earlier this summer, joining the ranks of the Grammy winner’s backing dancers, carrying Swift around the stage, pretending to touch up her makeup and even showing off a few of his signature dance moves to the Wembley crowd.

Talk about a true “love story” come to life!