A Choice Of Abiding

↠i'm dreaming of strangers kissing me, just so i can feel something↞

Calum Hood leaned back into the couch, that was standing in the small room. The furniture inside of their only sanctuary from reporters, cameras and fans had left their better days behind them. Randomly, Calum picked the strings of the instrument lying in his lap. The bass guitar of that unpleasant girl was already battered, just like his surroundings. She even drew a comic figure, shattering a guitar, on it with a sharpie. The drawing was actually quite impressive, nevertheless Calum still hated it. He was very picky with his guitars and he wouldn't have chosen that one, if he didn't have to. The strings under his fingers felt weird, totally nothing alike those he was used to, but that wasn't the worst. The instrument just sounded so wrong in his ears, he could barely take it. At least, the fans didn't seemed to care, but then again Calum wondered, if the quality of their music did matter to them at all. They probably could perform 'Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree' and no one would bat an eye. Even though it was flattering, Calum would have preferred a little criticism over mindless worshiping.

He had never thought, he would feel like this one day, but the life as a celebrity almost bored him. Everything just came to him without even lifting a finger. He had money, he had fame and he could have chosen between a great amount of girls for the night if he wanted to. There was literally nothing thrilling about everything being handed to him.

Half their break was already over as Ashton, one of Calum's band mates, who wanted to get a bottle of wine or champagne for them, came back, successfully holding two bottles of the sparkling wine. In ten minutes they had to be back on stage and perform another quarter of an hour.

After quickly emptying the bottles, the four boys stroke off back to the stage, that had been prepared for them in the patio. Having a bit of alcohol pumping through his veins, Calum positioned his fingers for the next song on the neck of the guitar. Maybe, he would be going to hit the clubs tonight with the boys. Maybe, he would meet someone, that didn't know the second name of his sister, preferably not even his face. Maybe. He was craving a little challenge, something to take his mind of this horrible boredom seeming to consume him.

Of course, he could just go back to committing minor crimes, like 'borrowing' cars of strangers for a few hours or breaking in the pool for some nightly swimming, as he used to do. However, that stopped being fun, as instead of being arrested, his manager was called and he was bought free within seconds. He came away with nothing but a homily every time. And where is the thrill about not being able to get in trouble?

Calum hit the string with his fingertip, as his part started. When the band gained popularity, he used to get the buck fever, whenever the bassline started. Now, however, it came to him as naturally as breathing. Not even performing a new song for the first time could get him nervous. He had just become accustomed of being in the spotlight.

Behind the forward-pressing crowd of fans, close to the door leading to the actual benefice gala, Calum happened to notice two girls performing a very strange dance. They didn't seem to belong to the fans, as they both wore evening gown fitting the one of the riches from inside, but they were way to young to actually be parents of a fan; probably only as old as himself. Calum couldn't resist watching them, however, not because their dance. It was the oblivious smile on the blond girls face, when she jumped around to the beat, not caring about the fancy dress she wore, that made him keep eyes on her. He'd never seen someone so completely not being bother about her surroundings. He was impressed.

'Maybe', Calum thought elated, 'Hitting the clubs won't be necessary after all.'

This girl could be exactly be what he was looking for; someone to conquer.

After the concert, the band had a meet-and-great scheduled. Normally, Calum enjoyed things like that, but then again, who wouldn't? After all, they had girls lining up to tell them, how much they loved them. Today, however, he was a bit absent-minded. He couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to the blond girl, while signing autographs, posing for pictures and making small-talk with his fans. Thus he tried to come up with plan to ask her out. As Calum hadn't seen her around ever since this short moment at concert, he figured, she must have been working on the event somehow. Perhaps he could ask about her inside as soon as they would be finished here. He strongly doubted though, that a bartender could help him, but he might get lucky and meet her inside anyway.