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Book Drummer Boy | 5SOS Ashton *chp. 2 posted 11/1/24* (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ChiaraStar169
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Chapter 1
Vera Fowler had a blindfold over her eyes as she was driven to an undisclosed location for her 21st birthday.
“We’re almost there, girl!” Alexa Rankin announced when they got close. “Any guesses as to where we’re going?”
Vera laughed. “Not a clue,” she said.
“I’ll give you a hint,” Emma Byers said. “It involves drinking, dancing, and, maybe if we’re lucky, singing.”
Vera was still clueless, because these hints would describe anywhere that served alcohol with a dance floor and singing.
“I give up.”
“Oh, come on!” Alexa prodded. “Guess! Go, Vera Bear, it’s your birthday; we’re gonna party like it’s your birthday…”
“A 50 Cent concert. Alexa, you know I hate rap!”
“No, that’s not it. It’s not even a concert!”
“It’s a karaoke bar!” Emma said, taking off Vera’s blindfold. That was when Vera realized they were now in the parking lot.
“Holy shit!” Vera exclaimed. “I have the best friends ever!”
“Well, you’re welcome!” Alexa returned. “And maybe you’ll finally meet Mr. Right in there!”
“Yeah, it saddens me that you always have to be the fifth wheel when you go out with us,” Alexa’s boyfriend Taylor chimed in as they approached the bouncer. He let all five of them in with their IDs.
“Do you want to drink, dance, or sing first?” Emma’s boyfriend Ryan asked Vera.
“Definitely not sing,” Vera replied. “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.”
“Yes, you can! I’ve heard you sing in the shower. You’re phenomenal!”
“I dare you to do at least one song up there,” Emma said. “Is there a song you know all the words to?”
Vera thought for a moment. “Yeah, I do know ‘Sk8er Boi’ by heart.”
“There you go! Now, turn your name in and get up there!”
Ashton Irwin and his friends were let into the karaoke bar just in time to see a very pretty brunette approaching the stage.
“Hey, there’s your dream girl!” Michael Clifford pointed out.
Ashton rolled his eyes. “You say that about every chick you see, Mikey!” he argued. “How do you even know?”
Just then, the intro to “Sk8er Boi” started playing before the girl came in with the singing.
“He was a boy, and she was a girl; can I make it any more obvious?” she belted out in a punk rock style. As she continued, Ashton noticed she was on-pitch for every single note of that song. She was commanding that stage like she was queen of the bar, and everybody was clapping to the beat.
“Now are you going to go see her?” Michael asked smugly. “You love that song!”
Ashton smirked at the guitarist. “Yeah, you’re right – I do love that song.”
“Five years from now, she sits at home; feeding the baby, she’s all alone…”
Vera sang her heart out, and in the middle of the second verse, she noticed that a very cute guy had come to the front of the crowd and was singing along with her. By the time she was done, she’d gotten the whole bar on their feet, singing and clapping as if this was her concert.
As soon as she jumped off the stage, the girl disappeared into the crowd of patrons before Ashton could say anything. He returned to his bandmates and told them this.
“Buy her a drink!” Michael suggested, earning a glare from Ashton.
“And how am I supposed to do that when I don’t even know what she drinks?!”
“I don’t know – just get her something fruity, I guess,” Luke Hemmings said.
“Like a margarita!” Calum Hood added. “That’s a recognizable one, at least.”
“Yeah, and maybe strawberry flavored, since that one’s pink.”
Ashton put his hands up. “Alright, fine, I’ll buy her a strawberry margarita.”
Vera and her friends were waiting for the bartender to take their drink orders when Vera heard, “Excuse me, miss?”
She looked up and saw the bartender holding a pink drink in his hand.
“This is for you, courtesy of that gentleman over there.”
Vera followed the bartender’s finger until her eyes landed on the guy she’d seen in the audience during her performance. He waved at her when he saw her looking at him.
“Oh, wow!” Vera said to the bartender, taking a sip. “What is this, a margarita? It’s tasty!”
“Yep, that’s a yummy strawberry margarita. Enjoy!”
“Well, tell him I said thank you.”
“Actually, don’t bother, mate,” she heard an Australian accent say behind her. “I’m right here and heard every word.”
She turned around in shock as the guy was now within spitting distance of her. “Hello,” he said with a smile. “I’m Ashton.”
“I’m Vera,” she said, shaking Ashton’s hand. “Nice to meet you!”
“Do you want to go somewhere quiet and chat?”
“Sure!”
“Hey, look at you go!” Taylor praised Vera. “We knew you’d find somebody here tonight! Go get him, rockstar!”
Vera thanked him and followed Ashton out back, where they sat down on a bench against the wall.
Vera Fowler had a blindfold over her eyes as she was driven to an undisclosed location for her 21st birthday.
“We’re almost there, girl!” Alexa Rankin announced when they got close. “Any guesses as to where we’re going?”
Vera laughed. “Not a clue,” she said.
“I’ll give you a hint,” Emma Byers said. “It involves drinking, dancing, and, maybe if we’re lucky, singing.”
Vera was still clueless, because these hints would describe anywhere that served alcohol with a dance floor and singing.
“I give up.”
“Oh, come on!” Alexa prodded. “Guess! Go, Vera Bear, it’s your birthday; we’re gonna party like it’s your birthday…”
“A 50 Cent concert. Alexa, you know I hate rap!”
“No, that’s not it. It’s not even a concert!”
“It’s a karaoke bar!” Emma said, taking off Vera’s blindfold. That was when Vera realized they were now in the parking lot.
“Holy shit!” Vera exclaimed. “I have the best friends ever!”
“Well, you’re welcome!” Alexa returned. “And maybe you’ll finally meet Mr. Right in there!”
“Yeah, it saddens me that you always have to be the fifth wheel when you go out with us,” Alexa’s boyfriend Taylor chimed in as they approached the bouncer. He let all five of them in with their IDs.
“Do you want to drink, dance, or sing first?” Emma’s boyfriend Ryan asked Vera.
“Definitely not sing,” Vera replied. “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.”
“Yes, you can! I’ve heard you sing in the shower. You’re phenomenal!”
“I dare you to do at least one song up there,” Emma said. “Is there a song you know all the words to?”
Vera thought for a moment. “Yeah, I do know ‘Sk8er Boi’ by heart.”
“There you go! Now, turn your name in and get up there!”
Ashton Irwin and his friends were let into the karaoke bar just in time to see a very pretty brunette approaching the stage.
“Hey, there’s your dream girl!” Michael Clifford pointed out.
Ashton rolled his eyes. “You say that about every chick you see, Mikey!” he argued. “How do you even know?”
Just then, the intro to “Sk8er Boi” started playing before the girl came in with the singing.
“He was a boy, and she was a girl; can I make it any more obvious?” she belted out in a punk rock style. As she continued, Ashton noticed she was on-pitch for every single note of that song. She was commanding that stage like she was queen of the bar, and everybody was clapping to the beat.
“Now are you going to go see her?” Michael asked smugly. “You love that song!”
Ashton smirked at the guitarist. “Yeah, you’re right – I do love that song.”
“Five years from now, she sits at home; feeding the baby, she’s all alone…”
Vera sang her heart out, and in the middle of the second verse, she noticed that a very cute guy had come to the front of the crowd and was singing along with her. By the time she was done, she’d gotten the whole bar on their feet, singing and clapping as if this was her concert.
As soon as she jumped off the stage, the girl disappeared into the crowd of patrons before Ashton could say anything. He returned to his bandmates and told them this.
“Buy her a drink!” Michael suggested, earning a glare from Ashton.
“And how am I supposed to do that when I don’t even know what she drinks?!”
“I don’t know – just get her something fruity, I guess,” Luke Hemmings said.
“Like a margarita!” Calum Hood added. “That’s a recognizable one, at least.”
“Yeah, and maybe strawberry flavored, since that one’s pink.”
Ashton put his hands up. “Alright, fine, I’ll buy her a strawberry margarita.”
Vera and her friends were waiting for the bartender to take their drink orders when Vera heard, “Excuse me, miss?”
She looked up and saw the bartender holding a pink drink in his hand.
“This is for you, courtesy of that gentleman over there.”
Vera followed the bartender’s finger until her eyes landed on the guy she’d seen in the audience during her performance. He waved at her when he saw her looking at him.
“Oh, wow!” Vera said to the bartender, taking a sip. “What is this, a margarita? It’s tasty!”
“Yep, that’s a yummy strawberry margarita. Enjoy!”
“Well, tell him I said thank you.”
“Actually, don’t bother, mate,” she heard an Australian accent say behind her. “I’m right here and heard every word.”
She turned around in shock as the guy was now within spitting distance of her. “Hello,” he said with a smile. “I’m Ashton.”
“I’m Vera,” she said, shaking Ashton’s hand. “Nice to meet you!”
“Do you want to go somewhere quiet and chat?”
“Sure!”
“Hey, look at you go!” Taylor praised Vera. “We knew you’d find somebody here tonight! Go get him, rockstar!”
Vera thanked him and followed Ashton out back, where they sat down on a bench against the wall.
Last edited:
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Chapter 1
Brianna Joiner looked out the window as she and her friends approached the bar that they were taking her to for her 21st birthday. The bar was a little hole-in-the-wall on the outskirts of San Clemente.
“We’re almost there, Brianna!” Tyler Keighley announced. Tyler is the boyfriend of Megan Harrelson, a friend of Brianna’s, and the group’s designated driver. “Are you ready for your first alcoholic drink?”
“Yeah, and guess what else this bar has?” Lexie Dennell added.
Brianna laughed. “Not a clue,” she said. “It’s just drinking and getting to know people, isn’t it?”
“Oh, not just that. We’ll let you figure it out for yourself.”
Tyler parked in front of the bar, and the four friends got out of the car and headed inside, showing the bouncer their IDs. When they entered, Brianna noticed a stage, on which a guy was doing a very drunken rendition of “All of Me” by John Legend. He wasn’t hitting any of the notes, and he was very noticeably making up the words.
“A karaoke bar?” Brianna asked, impressed by neither the place her friends had brought her to nor the guy’s singing. “Y’all KNOW I can’t carry a tune in a bucket!”
“Sure, you can!” Lexie countered. “Remember that talent show back in high school? You were phenomenal then, and your singing voice wasn’t even fully developed yet!”
“I dare you to do at least one song up there,” Megan said. “Is there a song you know all the words to?”
Brianna thought for a moment. “Yeah, I do know ‘Sk8er Boi’ by heart.”
“There you go! Now, turn your name in and get up there!”
Ashton Irwin and his friends were let into the karaoke bar just in time to see a very pretty brunette approaching the stage.
“Hey, there’s your dream girl!” Michael Clifford pointed out.
Ashton rolled his eyes. “You say that about every chick you see, Mikey!” he argued. “How do you even know?”
Just then, the intro to “Sk8er Boi” started playing before the girl came in with the singing.
“He was a boy, and she was a girl; can I make it any more obvious?” she belted out in a punk rock style. As she continued, Ashton noticed she was on-pitch for every single note of that song. She was commanding that stage like she was queen of the bar, and everybody was clapping to the beat.
“Now are you going to go see her?” Michael asked smugly. “You love that song!”
Ashton smirked at the guitarist. “Yeah, you’re right – I do love that song.”
“Five years from now, she sits at home; feeding the baby, she’s all alone…”
Brianna sang her heart out, and in the middle of the second verse, she noticed that a very cute guy had come to the front of the crowd and was singing along with her. By the time she was done, she’d gotten the whole bar on their feet, singing and clapping as if this was her concert.
As soon as she jumped off the stage, the girl disappeared into the crowd of patrons before Ashton could say anything. He returned to his bandmates and told them this.
“Buy her a drink!” Michael suggested, earning a glare from Ashton.
“And how am I supposed to do that when I don’t even know what she drinks?!”
“I don’t know – just get her something fruity, I guess.”
“Like a margarita!” Luke Hemmings added. “That’s a recognizable one, at least.”
“Yeah, and maybe strawberry flavored, since that one’s pink.”
Ashton put his hands up. “Alright, fine, I’ll buy her a strawberry margarita.”
Brianna and her friends were waiting for the bartender to take their drink orders when Brianna heard, “Excuse me, miss?”
She looked up and saw the bartender holding a pink drink in his hand.
“This is for you, courtesy of that gentleman over there.”
Brianna followed the bartender’s finger until her eyes landed on the guy she’d seen in the audience during her performance. He waved at her when he saw her looking at him.
“Oh, wow!” Brianna said to the bartender, taking a sip. “What is this, a margarita? It’s tasty!”
“Yep, that’s a yummy strawberry margarita. Enjoy!”
“Well, tell him I said thank you.”
“Actually, don’t bother, mate,” she heard an Australian accent say behind her. “I’m right here and heard every word.”
Brianna turned around in shock as the guy was now within spitting distance of her. “Hello,” he said with a smile. “I’m Ashton.”
“I’m Brianna,” she said, shaking Ashton’s hand. “Nice to meet you!”
“You, too. You were phenomenal up there, by the way! I was singing and clapping along – it’s a favorite song of mine, and you killed it!”
Brianna blushed. “Thank you,” she said, giggling nervously. “I guess I don’t know my own strength. That’s my favorite Avril song, too.”
Ashton laughed. “We have something in common already, and we’ve not even had our first date yet!”
“I listen to punk rock in general, though. My favorite artists are Avril, obviously, and also All Time Low, Paramore, 5 Seconds of—”
Ashton cut Brianna off. “…Summer! I know that band!”
“Oh, do you? Not everybody knows who they are, so that’s great!”
“No, no… I meant I know them as in…” Ashton smirked. “Personally.”
Brianna gasped. “Oh, my God! Can you hook me up?”
“Well, as a matter of fact…” Ashton’s eyebrows bounced, and he put on a smug smile.
Brianna took a good, long look at Ashton and realized how similar he looked to the drummer of 5 Seconds of Summer. They had the same hazel eyes, the same shaggy, dirty blond hair, the same facial hair, and even the same tall, muscular build. She mentally kicked herself for not recognizing him sooner.
Brianna Joiner looked out the window as she and her friends approached the bar that they were taking her to for her 21st birthday. The bar was a little hole-in-the-wall on the outskirts of San Clemente.
“We’re almost there, Brianna!” Tyler Keighley announced. Tyler is the boyfriend of Megan Harrelson, a friend of Brianna’s, and the group’s designated driver. “Are you ready for your first alcoholic drink?”
“Yeah, and guess what else this bar has?” Lexie Dennell added.
Brianna laughed. “Not a clue,” she said. “It’s just drinking and getting to know people, isn’t it?”
“Oh, not just that. We’ll let you figure it out for yourself.”
Tyler parked in front of the bar, and the four friends got out of the car and headed inside, showing the bouncer their IDs. When they entered, Brianna noticed a stage, on which a guy was doing a very drunken rendition of “All of Me” by John Legend. He wasn’t hitting any of the notes, and he was very noticeably making up the words.
“A karaoke bar?” Brianna asked, impressed by neither the place her friends had brought her to nor the guy’s singing. “Y’all KNOW I can’t carry a tune in a bucket!”
“Sure, you can!” Lexie countered. “Remember that talent show back in high school? You were phenomenal then, and your singing voice wasn’t even fully developed yet!”
“I dare you to do at least one song up there,” Megan said. “Is there a song you know all the words to?”
Brianna thought for a moment. “Yeah, I do know ‘Sk8er Boi’ by heart.”
“There you go! Now, turn your name in and get up there!”
Ashton Irwin and his friends were let into the karaoke bar just in time to see a very pretty brunette approaching the stage.
“Hey, there’s your dream girl!” Michael Clifford pointed out.
Ashton rolled his eyes. “You say that about every chick you see, Mikey!” he argued. “How do you even know?”
Just then, the intro to “Sk8er Boi” started playing before the girl came in with the singing.
“He was a boy, and she was a girl; can I make it any more obvious?” she belted out in a punk rock style. As she continued, Ashton noticed she was on-pitch for every single note of that song. She was commanding that stage like she was queen of the bar, and everybody was clapping to the beat.
“Now are you going to go see her?” Michael asked smugly. “You love that song!”
Ashton smirked at the guitarist. “Yeah, you’re right – I do love that song.”
“Five years from now, she sits at home; feeding the baby, she’s all alone…”
Brianna sang her heart out, and in the middle of the second verse, she noticed that a very cute guy had come to the front of the crowd and was singing along with her. By the time she was done, she’d gotten the whole bar on their feet, singing and clapping as if this was her concert.
As soon as she jumped off the stage, the girl disappeared into the crowd of patrons before Ashton could say anything. He returned to his bandmates and told them this.
“Buy her a drink!” Michael suggested, earning a glare from Ashton.
“And how am I supposed to do that when I don’t even know what she drinks?!”
“I don’t know – just get her something fruity, I guess.”
“Like a margarita!” Luke Hemmings added. “That’s a recognizable one, at least.”
“Yeah, and maybe strawberry flavored, since that one’s pink.”
Ashton put his hands up. “Alright, fine, I’ll buy her a strawberry margarita.”
Brianna and her friends were waiting for the bartender to take their drink orders when Brianna heard, “Excuse me, miss?”
She looked up and saw the bartender holding a pink drink in his hand.
“This is for you, courtesy of that gentleman over there.”
Brianna followed the bartender’s finger until her eyes landed on the guy she’d seen in the audience during her performance. He waved at her when he saw her looking at him.
“Oh, wow!” Brianna said to the bartender, taking a sip. “What is this, a margarita? It’s tasty!”
“Yep, that’s a yummy strawberry margarita. Enjoy!”
“Well, tell him I said thank you.”
“Actually, don’t bother, mate,” she heard an Australian accent say behind her. “I’m right here and heard every word.”
Brianna turned around in shock as the guy was now within spitting distance of her. “Hello,” he said with a smile. “I’m Ashton.”
“I’m Brianna,” she said, shaking Ashton’s hand. “Nice to meet you!”
“You, too. You were phenomenal up there, by the way! I was singing and clapping along – it’s a favorite song of mine, and you killed it!”
Brianna blushed. “Thank you,” she said, giggling nervously. “I guess I don’t know my own strength. That’s my favorite Avril song, too.”
Ashton laughed. “We have something in common already, and we’ve not even had our first date yet!”
“I listen to punk rock in general, though. My favorite artists are Avril, obviously, and also All Time Low, Paramore, 5 Seconds of—”
Ashton cut Brianna off. “…Summer! I know that band!”
“Oh, do you? Not everybody knows who they are, so that’s great!”
“No, no… I meant I know them as in…” Ashton smirked. “Personally.”
Brianna gasped. “Oh, my God! Can you hook me up?”
“Well, as a matter of fact…” Ashton’s eyebrows bounced, and he put on a smug smile.
Brianna took a good, long look at Ashton and realized how similar he looked to the drummer of 5 Seconds of Summer. They had the same hazel eyes, the same shaggy, dirty blond hair, the same facial hair, and even the same tall, muscular build. She mentally kicked herself for not recognizing him sooner.
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Chapter 2
“Ashton Irwin!” Brianna exclaimed. “Oh, my God, it IS you! I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you earlier. I… don’t have very good night vision, I guess.”
“It’s alright,” Ashton said. “It was pretty dark in here. How do you like that margarita?”
“I love it,” Brianna said. “You have good taste in liquor.”
Ashton shrugged. “It was just a wild guess, really – it’s pink, and I know you girls love pink things.”
“Well, my favorite color really is pink, so you weren’t wrong.”
“Mine’s red… like that gorgeous long hair of yours.”
Brianna giggled nervously. “Oh, stop it! I’m just a fan to you.”
“Well, tell me this. Do celebrities who think fans are just fans buy that fan a drink? In fact, we should totally go out sometime. Can we exchange numbers?”
“Well, sure!”
Brianna and Ashton exchanged phones to put each other’s contact info in.
Just then, the guitar intro to “Two Is Better Than One” started playing, and then Tyler started to sing. Brianna and Ashton watched from their barstools as Tyler sang the first verse with all his heart. Then, he and Megan harmonized for the chorus. And it was in perfect harmony, too.
“Hey, I know this song!” Ashton said to Brianna. “Boys Like Girls is one of the bands we look up to.”
“I love this song, too!” Brianna agreed. “But I love it because of Taylor Swift.”
“Is this your favorite Taylor song?”
“No, mine is ‘Love Story’. What about you?”
“It’s hard to choose. I guess at the end of the day, I’m just a big Swiftie in general.”
“Me too! I’m really enjoying your company so far, by the way.”
“And I, yours. How do you feel about breathing the same air as your favorite band right now?”
“It feels really surreal, almost like a fever dream,” she said.
Ashton laughed. “No, I’m very real. Do you need me to pinch you?”
“Please do.”
Ashton pinched Brianna’s cheek, and she winced with the slight pang that came with it.
“So, you’re from Hornsby, right?” Brianna asked.
“Born and raised! And then, I moved to Riverstone and met the other members.”
“Yeah, that’s right! I heard Calum literally got down on his knee and proposed to get you into the band.”
Ashton laughed. “It’s true, he did! What about you, are you from around here?”
“I’m from Bedford, Virginia, about 30 miles southwest of Lynchburg. I moved here to San Clemente in seventh grade.”
“I’m not that great with US geography, but isn’t that on the opposite side of the country?”
“Yeah, pretty much. We had to fly here; it was so far.”
While Brianna and Ashton were chatting, Lexie sat by herself. She was the only one in her group without a date now, so she was getting jealous of Brianna hitting it off with Ashton.
Lexie looked around the room until she laid eyes on a lonesome-looking guy sitting across the bar. He was tall and muscular with an Asian- or indigenous-looking face and long, wavy black hair.
Calum Hood was frowning as he sat alone, but his face quickly lit up when he saw a girl staring at him. But still, he didn’t have the balls to just talk to a girl. This stems from one too many rejections; he had to face the music – he was just a reject.
“Oi, Cal!” Luke called, grabbing his attention. “Go flirt with that girl; don’t just sit there!”
“But she’s just going to reject me!” Calum yelled back. I’m just a big, fat reject, just like we say we are in that song of ours.”
“No, you’re not! You play bass and keys – double band duties – and you have a great personality whenever you meet someone new. Now, go get her!”
Calum shrugged and decided to take Luke’s advice. He carefully walked towards the brunette and sat down with her.
“Hey… I’m Calum,” he said almost inaudibly. “I play the bass sometimes, if that’s of any interest to you.”
This made Lexie’s heart skip a beat, this random introduction. “Oh, hey!” she greeted him. “I’m Lexie, and I play the piano sometimes.” She giggled nervously. “Nice to meet you!”
“I play the bass professionally; I’m in a band.”
“Nice!” Then, it dawned on Lexie that this wasn’t just a guy named Calum who played bass in a band. This was Calum Hood, who played bass in 5 Seconds of Summer! “Wait a minute… you are not!”
Calum’s frown quickly turned into a smile as she said this. If this was a fan, she was the hottest fan he’d ever seen.
“Yes, I am,” Calum said proudly. “Are you a fan?”
“My friend Brianna and I are obsessed with you guys! Brianna is over there, by the way.”
“Ah, the redhead who’s chatting to Ashton,” he said
“Yep!” Lexie confirmed.
“So, are you from these parts?”
“No, I’m from Wisconsin – a town near Madison called Fitchburg.”
“Does it snow a lot up there?”
“It sure does, and that’s the reason I moved down here. I can’t stand the cold, so this was a nice change. You’re from Riverstone, New South Wales, aren’t you?”
“Yes! We all are, except for Ashton. He’s from Hornsby.”
Just then, Brianna joined the two of them with a big smile on her face. Ashton had just asked her out, and she couldn’t wait to tell everyone.
“Lex, guess what – Ashton just asked me out!” Then, she noticed Calum and added, “Hey, Cal! I’m Brianna.”
“I heard,” Calum said, shaking her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet a couple of fans here.”
“Did he really ask you out?” Lexie asked her friend.
“He did!” Brianna said. “He also saw you and Calum chatting it up and wants to make it a double date!”
“That sounds like a great idea! Where do you think we should go?”
“I think going to a Thai restaurant sounds good,” Ashton chimed in. “What about you, Calum?”
“Yeah, we can do that,” Calum said.
“And it’ll help you come out of your shell a bit, because you’ll have me to help. When shall we schedule it for, ladies? Perhaps Saturday night at seven?”
“Saturday night at seven is fine by me,” Brianna said. “I can leave my toddler with my grandma.”
“Then it’s settled!” Ashton said. “I’ll pick you up, Brianna, and Calum can pick Lexie up.”
“Ashton Irwin!” Brianna exclaimed. “Oh, my God, it IS you! I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you earlier. I… don’t have very good night vision, I guess.”
“It’s alright,” Ashton said. “It was pretty dark in here. How do you like that margarita?”
“I love it,” Brianna said. “You have good taste in liquor.”
Ashton shrugged. “It was just a wild guess, really – it’s pink, and I know you girls love pink things.”
“Well, my favorite color really is pink, so you weren’t wrong.”
“Mine’s red… like that gorgeous long hair of yours.”
Brianna giggled nervously. “Oh, stop it! I’m just a fan to you.”
“Well, tell me this. Do celebrities who think fans are just fans buy that fan a drink? In fact, we should totally go out sometime. Can we exchange numbers?”
“Well, sure!”
Brianna and Ashton exchanged phones to put each other’s contact info in.
Just then, the guitar intro to “Two Is Better Than One” started playing, and then Tyler started to sing. Brianna and Ashton watched from their barstools as Tyler sang the first verse with all his heart. Then, he and Megan harmonized for the chorus. And it was in perfect harmony, too.
“Hey, I know this song!” Ashton said to Brianna. “Boys Like Girls is one of the bands we look up to.”
“I love this song, too!” Brianna agreed. “But I love it because of Taylor Swift.”
“Is this your favorite Taylor song?”
“No, mine is ‘Love Story’. What about you?”
“It’s hard to choose. I guess at the end of the day, I’m just a big Swiftie in general.”
“Me too! I’m really enjoying your company so far, by the way.”
“And I, yours. How do you feel about breathing the same air as your favorite band right now?”
“It feels really surreal, almost like a fever dream,” she said.
Ashton laughed. “No, I’m very real. Do you need me to pinch you?”
“Please do.”
Ashton pinched Brianna’s cheek, and she winced with the slight pang that came with it.
“So, you’re from Hornsby, right?” Brianna asked.
“Born and raised! And then, I moved to Riverstone and met the other members.”
“Yeah, that’s right! I heard Calum literally got down on his knee and proposed to get you into the band.”
Ashton laughed. “It’s true, he did! What about you, are you from around here?”
“I’m from Bedford, Virginia, about 30 miles southwest of Lynchburg. I moved here to San Clemente in seventh grade.”
“I’m not that great with US geography, but isn’t that on the opposite side of the country?”
“Yeah, pretty much. We had to fly here; it was so far.”
While Brianna and Ashton were chatting, Lexie sat by herself. She was the only one in her group without a date now, so she was getting jealous of Brianna hitting it off with Ashton.
Lexie looked around the room until she laid eyes on a lonesome-looking guy sitting across the bar. He was tall and muscular with an Asian- or indigenous-looking face and long, wavy black hair.
Calum Hood was frowning as he sat alone, but his face quickly lit up when he saw a girl staring at him. But still, he didn’t have the balls to just talk to a girl. This stems from one too many rejections; he had to face the music – he was just a reject.
“Oi, Cal!” Luke called, grabbing his attention. “Go flirt with that girl; don’t just sit there!”
“But she’s just going to reject me!” Calum yelled back. I’m just a big, fat reject, just like we say we are in that song of ours.”
“No, you’re not! You play bass and keys – double band duties – and you have a great personality whenever you meet someone new. Now, go get her!”
Calum shrugged and decided to take Luke’s advice. He carefully walked towards the brunette and sat down with her.
“Hey… I’m Calum,” he said almost inaudibly. “I play the bass sometimes, if that’s of any interest to you.”
This made Lexie’s heart skip a beat, this random introduction. “Oh, hey!” she greeted him. “I’m Lexie, and I play the piano sometimes.” She giggled nervously. “Nice to meet you!”
“I play the bass professionally; I’m in a band.”
“Nice!” Then, it dawned on Lexie that this wasn’t just a guy named Calum who played bass in a band. This was Calum Hood, who played bass in 5 Seconds of Summer! “Wait a minute… you are not!”
Calum’s frown quickly turned into a smile as she said this. If this was a fan, she was the hottest fan he’d ever seen.
“Yes, I am,” Calum said proudly. “Are you a fan?”
“My friend Brianna and I are obsessed with you guys! Brianna is over there, by the way.”
“Ah, the redhead who’s chatting to Ashton,” he said
“Yep!” Lexie confirmed.
“So, are you from these parts?”
“No, I’m from Wisconsin – a town near Madison called Fitchburg.”
“Does it snow a lot up there?”
“It sure does, and that’s the reason I moved down here. I can’t stand the cold, so this was a nice change. You’re from Riverstone, New South Wales, aren’t you?”
“Yes! We all are, except for Ashton. He’s from Hornsby.”
Just then, Brianna joined the two of them with a big smile on her face. Ashton had just asked her out, and she couldn’t wait to tell everyone.
“Lex, guess what – Ashton just asked me out!” Then, she noticed Calum and added, “Hey, Cal! I’m Brianna.”
“I heard,” Calum said, shaking her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet a couple of fans here.”
“Did he really ask you out?” Lexie asked her friend.
“He did!” Brianna said. “He also saw you and Calum chatting it up and wants to make it a double date!”
“That sounds like a great idea! Where do you think we should go?”
“I think going to a Thai restaurant sounds good,” Ashton chimed in. “What about you, Calum?”
“Yeah, we can do that,” Calum said.
“And it’ll help you come out of your shell a bit, because you’ll have me to help. When shall we schedule it for, ladies? Perhaps Saturday night at seven?”
“Saturday night at seven is fine by me,” Brianna said. “I can leave my toddler with my grandma.”
“Then it’s settled!” Ashton said. “I’ll pick you up, Brianna, and Calum can pick Lexie up.”
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