Taylor Swift’s boyfriend of over four years, Joe Alwyn, didn’t attend the Grammys with Swift in person last night, but she was very much on his mind—and he wanted the public to know that. After Swift won her Album of the Year Grammy for folklore and thanked him in her speech, Alwyn signaled his support for her on her Instagram page.

Swift shared a photo of herself with several of her folklore collaborators at the ceremony, and he liked the Instagram. It was a subtle move, but still, it sent a clear message: Alwyn was proud of his girlfriend from afar.

joe alwyn liking taylor's grammys instagram
Instagram

Why wasn’t Alwyn at the Grammys? The choice was likely made due to COVID-19 restrictions during the show. Plus ones were generally not part of the night at all, and only presenters, nominees, and performers could attend in-person. Alwyn and Swift have never done a red carpet together, and their most public date night yet was at last year’s Golden Globes, when they sat at the ceremony together.

Still, Alwyn did get his most direct shoutout ever from Swift in her Album of the Year acceptance speech. She said to him, “Joe, who is the first person that I play every single song that I write, and I had the best time writing songs with you in quarantine.” (Alwyn wrote songs for folklore under the pseudonym William Bowery.)

There’s already a chance Alwyn could join Swift at next year’s Grammys: evermore, Swift’s second quarantine album that he co-wrote songs on, is eligible for the 2022 Grammys. With vaccines being distributed now, a more normal Grammys show is a real possibility for next year, making it easier for partners of nominees—and people generally—to congregate safely and take in the night.