Want You Back

4.

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Luke Hemmings' responding smile was slow and easy; it was the kind of smile that he'd spent countless years perfecting - it was the kind of smile that did not belong to a guy who was in a committed relationship. What a coincidence that his relationship with Arzaylea had ended in August.

The interviewer, it seemed, was momentarily caught off guard by his smile and looked rather flustered. She fluffed up her hair as girls do and rolled her shoulders back, smiling dreamily at the blonde singer. "Um, where w-was I?"

"Asking about the rumour of a new album," Luke responded smoothly, crossing his ankle over his knee.

"Oh, y-yes," she cleared her throat, composing herself. "Of course. Now, can either of you confirm whether a new album is in development?"

The band shared a look, three pairs of eyes settling on Ashton to give the answer this time. "Our third studio album is in the midst, and will hopefully be out as soon as possible."

The interviewer, Kelly, Luke thought her name was, nodded. "So it seems your latest single will have to tie fans over in the meantime?"

Calum chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Seem so, for now, at least."

Kelly smiled, "your single, 'Want You Back', has received excellent reviews so far, and it seems as though the only thing fans can talk about is who the song is about. So, can any of you give your fans an insight?"

Luke glanced at his bandmates - Michael spoke up this time. "We would love to, unfortun-"

"Unfortunately we didn't think the fans would like to know," Luke interrupted, his smile devilish. "But now that its clear that's what they want, we'd be more than happy to talk about it. 'Want You Back' is about an ex-girlfriend of mine, one who actually has reached out to me recently." Luke smirked as the words rolled off his tongue, the interviewer soaking up every syllable.

The boys shifted beside him. "What Luke is meaning to say is that this song is very personal to all of us," Calum said calmly. "The song is about the so called 'one that got away' that we believe everyone has in some sense, and with this song we hoped to embody that longing and almost desperation."

Ashton nodded eagerly, catching on to Calum's words. "Exactly. It's not about one person in particular, but rather the idea of wanting something that you took for granted and no longer have."

Luke shook his head, chuckling to himself. "Well, maybe that's the case for you three. But as the actual writer of the song, I can and will confirm that yes, it is about one girl in particular. An ex-girlfriend of mine that I dated back in 2016."

Kelly was having trouble masking her confusion as each of the band member's words gave her whiplash with the opposition. "Well, that's sure is sweet of you, Luke." She smiled, although it appeared more forced then a few minutes ago. "Now, back to your upcoming album - should fans also look forward to the possibility of a tour in the coming year?"

"Once our third album is in post-production and has killer tracks, I think it's safe to say that the fans will definitely be seeing more of us in the next year or so." Michael said quickly, hoping to prevent his blond bandmate from spewing anymore nonsense.

"Good luck to you four with your album! All the best as always," she thanked the boys before turning to the audience and the cameraman. "You can get a copy of 5 Seconds of Summer's latest track, 'Want You Back' on iTunes and stream it from Spotify and AppleMusic today!"

Backstage, the easy smiles and laughter dropped like a curtain: Michael, Calum and Ashton all turned on the youngest member, eyes hard and voices low.

"What the fuck were you doing out there, man?" Calum glowered, shooting his best friend daggers.

Luke, however, merely shrugged and rocked back and forth on his heels. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Cal."

When Michael exhaled, it sounded more like a hiss. "Cut the crap, Hemmings. We had a deal with Jasmine that we wouldn't bring her up. This isn't just about your career here, Luke."

"Yeah, that shit isn't cool," Ashton agreed.

"Look, as far as I'm concerned, we had no formal agreement with Jasmine, or her fucking agent for that matter. Nothing was signed, no hands were shaken - nothing. The song is our creative property and I should be able to talk about it."

"Not when it's hurting Jazz," Calum murmured, looking at his shoes.

Luke actually laughed at that. "Grow the fuck up, Calum. She dumped me - three years ago. Move on already, goddamn."

"She was our friend too, Luke," Michael snapped.

"And my fucking girlfriend. You don't see me moping about it."

"Oh my fucking god," Ashton swore. "He's moping because we didn't do anything to her! You were the one who fucked up - not us. She hates us and hasn't spoken to any of us in three years, because you messed up."

Luke rolled his eyes. "You could've still talked to her - don't try and blame this on me."

Michael exploded. "Oh for fucks sake...Of course we couldn't talk to her, you dip-shit! You were crying and fucking around and demanded we never speak to her again or else you'd leave the band. We had no choice."

Still, Luke only shrugged and turned around, walking towards the dressing rooms. "She's just a girl, guys. She'll get over it."