San Francisco // cth

prologue

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Luke Hemmings, Ashton Irwin, Michael Clifford, sat in the interview room on a rainy day in mid-September.

They all anxiously waited for their best friend Calum, wondering if he would show or not.

It would be fifteen minutes until their interview would begin, and the interviewer seemed to look just as anxious that he would be a no show.

Ever since.. What happened in late July-early August the previous year, Calum was never the same.

The boys noticed the way his eyes looked brighter each day that went by, the way he slowly fell in love with the girl.

He even quit smoking cigarettes for a time.

That was who he was. If he really wanted to put himself to something, he would do it without a single question.

But damn straight, it wasn't something they expected from Calum. He was so set on the band, so driven with the idea that it would all end up on a stage, with the fans by their side.

The last thing he would even worry about was a girl to hold him back from all of that. From living his life.

Soon he had only came to one conclusion: the summer of 2015.

The boys are interrupted by the sound of a door opening, Calum popping in with a black beanie and a hoodie.

"Calum! You made it." Ashton sighed in relief, the others visibly relaxing at the sight of him.

"Yeah." He just forced a smile. "I wouldn't let you guys down, not ever."

And he was telling nothing but the truth. Everything he did was for his best friends, and they were the reason he wasn't a depressed mess, cooping up in hotel rooms all day.

Calum reeked of Marlboro cigarettes, probably the ones he hid in his suitcase on the way back to the city.

He couldn't believe he ended up in San Francisco again, and the longer he let the idea sink in, everything suddenly became about her.

Everywhere he turned was another memory, and each felt like a punch in the gut.

He just wanted to burst into tears, he wanted to cry so hard, but he didn't.

Instead, Calum sat next to Ashton at the edge of the leather couch, a neutral expression painted on his face.

"So can we just get on with the interview or not?" Calum rudely asked.

He didn't really care though.

The guys were too scared to say something wrong, knowing there would be no turning back if they did.

Calum realized that, but he easily brushed it off with nonchalance.

"I just really want to get out of here, as fast as I possibly can." He muttered under his breath.

The brunette just managed a small smile, nodding once. "Of course, we can start rolling whenever you're all ready."

"We're ready." Luke said straightly.

As soon as the red light went on from the camera behind the woman, she immediately spoke in a tone of excitement.

"Hello! Today we are here with one of the biggest bands in the world right now, 5 Seconds of Summer!"

"Hi!" They chorused, Calum still silent as he faked a smile.

"It's amazing to have you guys back in the bay area again!"

"Yeah! Yeah, it's always our pleasure. We love it here." Ashton beamed.

"The scenery is unreal." Michael followed, chuckling.

"Nor Cal, absolutely rocks." Luke nodded, smiling as he leaned back.

"Yeah, the crowds are always insane." Michael glanced back at him.

"Completely agree with you there, dude. And the girls. God, the girls are out of this world.'' Ashton continued, Calum uncomfortably shifting.

In that moment, Ashton realized he had said the wrong thing, the interviewer grinning cluelessly.

"Speaking of girls from San Fran, seriously, what is gist in the making of the song San Francisco off your 2nd album, Sounds Good Feels Good?"

The dreaded question finally came, Calum tensing as his jaw tightened.

"Um.." Luke's voice trailed, as the others had remained silent.

"Calum--"

"Yeah, it was a long time ago." He spoke, shocking all of them.

"Cal, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, mate--"

"No, no I want to." He cut Luke off, furrowing his eyebrows.

The interviewer stared at him, expecting a response as he sighed.

"The song really means a lot to me, and for the past year I've been avoiding telling anyone anything about why the song even exists but.. I've gotta sometime." Calum said slowly, and nervously as Ashton comfortingly set a hand on his shoulder. "And it should be now."

They all stared at Calum, as he let out a heavy sigh, staring out into space.

"Her name was Luna, she was just.. Breathtaking."