Talk Fast | 5 Seconds of Summer

Youngblood

The two bands sat in a circle. Astrid's laptop and microphone sat on the coffee table in front of them, recording everything they were about to say. The music played in the background, but it was loud enough to be picked up. 

"I feel kind of bad listening to this right now," Maxi says. "I mean, we weren't the only people who worked on it, you know? We had other writers in here with us. Don't you think the first time we listen to everything should be with them?"

"Yeah, she has a point," Michael agrees. "But this is also a super personal album for us... Maybe we should experience it alone to really feel that... I think it'll bring us closer."

Calum nods as he intertwines his fingers with Maxi's. "I think so too," he comments. "Especially with this song; it has so much behind it. It means something different for us all."

"New sound, deeper lyrics," Ashton lists. "New friends, relationships..."

Luke lets out a quiet laugh. "Yeah... New relationships," he repeats. He looks down at Astrid with an apologetic smile on his lips. "I treated you like shit in the beginning..."

"I wasn't exactly innocent either." She looks down at her hands before one of them lifts up to tug on her earlobe in anxiousness. "I caused a lot of drama too..."

"Yeah, but you didn't do it to entertain yourself," Calum defends as he rolls his eyes. "Trust me, you were in the right most times. Don't blame yourself for Luke being an idiot."

"Fuck you, man," Luke chuckles as he shakes his head. 

"Remember the words you told me / Love me 'til the day I die / Surrender my everything / 'Cause you made me believe you're mine"

AUGUST 2016

Aria Valderez and Luke Hemmings were not a good couple, and almost everybody could see it. The moment the two went public with their relationship, the fans tore into her. They found every single detail that they could about the girl, and they were not quiet about what they had thought about her. Many believed that the girl was using Luke for his money and fame. She had been a "groupie" to other bands before while she acted as their personal assistant, so it was a theory that seemed super plausible. Either way, not many people liked the two together. The fans didn't like her; the boys didn't like her, and Astrid and Maxi didn't like her either, but Luke was in love. He seemed happy, and that's what mattered, right?

It was so weird to think that at such a young age, you could fall in love. Maybe it wasn't love though. Again, they were young. It was so easy to be naive. The couple didn't know what "love" meant. In fact, barely anybody knows what "love" is. There is no straightforward definition for it; it's an interpretation. How do you know that you love somebody? Is it when you miss them even though you shouldn't? That seemed to be it in Luke's case. 

"Hey, bub," Astrid greeted in a soft, gentle tone as she sat next to the blonde boy. "What's going on?" She knew exactly what was going on. They were almost six months into the tour at this point. For almost six months, she had to witness one of her friends in a disgusting, toxic relationship. She tried to help him through it, but nothing ever seemed to work. 

Astrid felt for the boy. She knew what it was like to be in a situation like his—being in on and off long-distance relationship with a person you know doesn't care about you, but you still go back anyway because being alone is worse than being with somebody who does nothing but hurt you. The short moments of happiness make it all worth it. 

"I love her," Luke simply stated. He spoke about such an intense feeling, yet there was no emotion in his voice. "She said that we were gonna be forever, and I believed her... I did everything to make her happy; I gave up so much for her, and she..." His voice cracked, and that was it. He stopped talking. Instead, he let tears fall from his eyes as he choked on sobs.