AC/DC

Moneytalks

Hey little girl, you want it all.

The furs, the diamonds,

The painting on the wall.

    Stability. It was the one thing in life that couldn't be promised with money or fame. Despite her parents' wealth and their willingness to show it, Araminta and her seemingly perfect life was never stable. Her parents were always in a surgery, the seats saved for them at her dance recitals were filled every once and a while but mostly remained empty, and the people surrounding her remained employees that would come and go as her parents pleased.

    Although portions of her life remained the same, it was rare for someone to come into the young girl's life and stay for a duration longer than a month. When her boyfriend had managed to stay for six months, she was impressed and felt for sure that he would stay forever. That was the cost of abandonment issues. The nineteen year old girl had come to realize that she, not matter how hard she tried to keep people in her life, could not obtain the stability most people take for granted.

   Now sitting in a dimly lit café with the blonde haired boy, these were the thoughts that ran through Araminta's mind as she sipped on her piping hot tea carefully. She was lost in her own sea of thoughts until Michael's thoughts interrupted hers.

    "So what brings you to Paris?" the blonde haired boy adorned in his black skinny jeans and sex pistols muscle shirt in front of her inquired. "I mean it's kind of obvious, I guess. You here studying?" he asks quickly, stuttering through a few words from his rushed sentence. The girl, however, didn't mind his influidity at all as a small giggle erupted at it to relieve the tension filling the space between them.

    "I'm actually not studying, I already have my degree," she stated politely, taking in his obvious shock as he stared at her incredulously as if he had found the most beautiful gem on the planet. "I'm actually here for the unveiling of my photographs at a gallery near the Louvre." If the young man's eyes hadn't been wide already the girl would've loved to see the look on his face.

    The look was one of astonishment when his gaze finally softened; nevertheless, the boy stared at her this time, his gaze transfixed as if she were a work of art. The attention and adoration he gave was unlike any she had received previously, not even from her boyfriend, and it was refreshing to say the least.

    "So your major was photography?" he asked dumbly, unsure of how to approach her now that she had released her extensive accomplishments. Truth be told, Michael had very little experience with girls whom carried an immense amount of capability due to the fact that he dropped out of high school at a young age.

    Most girls like Araminta would run the other direction once he released that fact about himself because they feared he would turn out to be a deadbeat and the girls who did manage to stay never saw a future as they wanted a better man than him for the rest of their lives, at least that was the usual reaction until he was in the band.

    Once 5 Seconds of Summer made it big, all of the girls who would have nothing to do with him suddenly wanted their chance back, which cut Michael like a knife as he observed the girls' greed when it came to money. This girl however, seemed to be unfazed by him, whether that be because she didn't know who he was or she just genuinely didn't care, Michael was happy on either account.

    "Yes, I was ahead in school due to early enrollment and graduated when I was seventeen, and now I'm here so" her voice trailed off slowly. She finished her sentence with a giggle, hoping to ease the awkwardness she had created with that statement as she pulled her tea closer to herself, tracing shapes on the cup gently.

    His piercing green eyes sparkled in the light of the café as he held eye contact with her, not looking away for a second as he took in the beauty in front of him. Michael had never met a girl as intriguing as this one. Her elegance and poise clearly wasn't coincidental as her every move appeared to be calculated but instinctive at the same time. By the same token, she didn't give off the aura as the other rich girls did in concern to her demeanor, leading him to conclude that she wasn't one of the snobbish girls he had come across in his time. She was her own species and that fact intrigued him to say the least.

    Despite the craziness and parts of his life that left him wanting to get away, Araminta, this petite brunette, brought him peace in this short time he had known her, and that was new for the rock star. Ever since his band, 5 Seconds of Summer, had gotten big and taken the world by storm, he found it hard to trust anyone for fear that they were only on board for the time being and would jump off when the ride slowed to an end.

    "So what brought you to Paris?" the brunette redirected the question, clearing her throat in response to her slight allergies due to the changing of seasons. The yellow walls of the café seemed to dim even more as the night drug on and the boy and girl sat at their booth in the empty café. When they had first arrived, the boy and girl had both ordered green herbal teas and a pastry to share, which was devoured within seconds. Before the girl could offer to pay her half of the bill, the boy had thrown down his credit card and refused her trivial attempts to pay.

    "My band is touring," the male's raspy voice spoke, his eyes still trained on her face even though hers had travelled down to the perfectly white table. At this admission, the girl's eyes flitted up to his,  curiosity filling them instantly.

"So you're in a band?" Araminta asked with astonishment in her voice. It was increasingly apparent that the girl was interested in music as small factoids came from her mouth as she failed to hold them back. His amusement with her childlike happiness only grew when she wouldn't stop talking for one moment to allow him to speak, too busy recounting her own musical experiences, making his even more attracted to her in turn. "When I was thirteen, I though I was the best guitar player in the world," she spoke excitedly, throwing her arms up to enhance her words before calming them to lift her tea to take a sip.

    "You play guitar?" the blonde haired, green eyed boy asked her, his voice growing in excitement. The only thought in the boy's mind was how perfect this girl was for him. She was intelligent, clearly she had no problem with accepting him for himself, she was successful in her own career, she was talented, she had the same interests. Nothing about this girl struck him as a problem as he took in her expressions, studying her to find out her intentions of sitting with him.

   Unlike other girls he had gone out with since his band became successful, this girl didn't seem to be worried about his success or money, she only seemed to want to learn more about him. That fact alone struck a chord in him and made him that much more attracted to her.

    "Yeah," she spoke, her cheeks flushing as she looked up at him sheepishly. "I also play piano and sing. Piano wasn't really my choice though. My parents said that if I was going to play an instrument, it was going to be a respectable one." Her eyes widened at the statement as she began to take back the words that just came out of her mouth. "I-I didn't mean-"

   "It's okay," the rock star cut her off with a shrug of his shoulders, not taking her parent's words offensively. "However, I do play guitar so," his voice trailed off and was replaced by the brunette's loud laugh filling the café. Michael's heart swelled at the sound. He instantly loved the sound and wanted it to follow him around for the rest of his life. At this point, the blonde haired guitarist was in so deep that he would be content with this girl haunting him for the rest of his life, he just wanted a reminder of her if he never saw her again.

    "I wouldn't take their words to heart," she spoke after a moment of silence. Her raspy voice brought Michael's attention back towards her. "I never do anyways," she entrusted in Michael. The boy's eyebrows furrowed at this statement as he wondered what type of weight this girl held on her shoulders.

    Words of hers that he may have usually brushed of started connecting and forming a storyline in his mind. He felt pressure in his chest as he stared at the crumbling, yet sturdy, girl in front of his eyes. She hid her pain and scars so well, but it was obvious to Michael that she was broken down and tired of the stress eating away at her. The only reason he could even tell was because he was the exact same way. They were both falling apart. 'But what better way to fall than to fall for her?' Michael thought silently to himself.

    The boy's attraction to the girl was undeniable as the girl seemed to surprise him more and more with the words leaving her mouth. "So what's your band's name?" she asked, leaning forward on her elbows, excited to get to know the stranger in front of her. Oblivious to the internal war inside of the boy, she stared at him questioningly as he took a few minutes to snap out of his trance.

    "5 Seconds of Summer," he responded quietly, somewhat hoping she wouldn't hear, but judging by her fallen jaw and shocked facial expression, she had heard. Panic flashed across her face as she took in his features again and again before whispering profanities under her breathe.

    "I should go," she said quickly, standing from her seat across from the boy in an attempt to leave the café. Despite her best efforts, the guitarist stopped her from leaving, standing up and grabbing her arm lightly as she passed him.

    "Why?" he whispered quietly, trying to keep the pain in his voice minimal while staring into her blue eyes that appeared to be much grayer than his friend's but beautiful nonetheless. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she stared back at him, pain washing over her heart and features as she took in the possible outcomes of this.

    On one hand, she could say 'what the hell' and continue to sit and speak to the world famous guitarist that she had failed to recognize, or she could run as fast as she could to get away from the inevitable pain that he would cause her unintentionally. Her mind screamed at her to run while her heart told her to stay, but all along the way it was her soul that told her to try.

    A sigh released from her lips as she stared at him. His cheeks appeared to have reddened in embarrassment from this situation and his eyes glistened as tears could be seen forming. "I don't know," she muttered under her breath, relaxing into his touch. Michael took the opportunity to pull her further into his grasp, holding her flush against his lean frame.

    Time went by before the two went their separate ways with each others phone numbers in the others phones. The blonde haired boy promised to stay in contact as the brunette laughed and told him that he better. "You aren't allowed to flirt with some other chick walking around late at night Clifford," the girl told him before walking down the street towards her hotel, which was the opposite direction as the famous guitarists.

    "Is that a promise Jefferson?" he yelled back as she increased the space between them. She threw her head back laughing at their exchange of last names they had just learned from creating contacts.

    "Definitely!" she screamed over her shoulder as she continued walking back to her temporary home, looking over her shoulder to find Michael doing the same as he walked towards his hotel. Fireworks went off in her stomach as she took in the amount of adoration and attention Michael had showered her with, telling herself that she could get used to this.

Come on, come on, love me for the money.

Come on, come on, listen to the moneytalk.