To Be Loved and To Be In Love

Chapter 1

Louis Tomlinson was nervous.

It's not something that happened often, like seeing a shooting star or getting the flavour you want in a bag of Revels, yet the sensation in his stomach was unmistakable.

Louis thought when he'd married Darren that he would never have to worry about first date nerves ever again, but those dreams had been unceremoniously dashed when he'd walked in on his husband of three years cheating on him with a co-worker. Louis had stopped by Darren's office one day to drop off some files that he had left at home, only to walk in on him receiving a taste of afternoon delight in the form of a messy blow job. To add insult to injury, a framed picture of Louis had overlooked the proceedings from its place on Darren's desk, smiling down at the bobbing head of Nigel from accounts. Real Life Louis, on the other hand, had thrown the files at his husband's head and demanded a separation there and then.

Three months later after that fateful encounter, Louis was single for the first time in ten years and he had no idea what to do with himself.

At first Louis had buried himself in work, insisting to his worried friends, Zayn and Liam, that he was fine. He liked being single, in fact. He'd spent so long being part of a couple that he'd lost himself somewhere along the way, and it was fun being Just Louis for once. That is, until his thirtieth birthday, when he'd gotten drunk and performed a rather pathetic rendition of All by Myself to an audience of all his married friends. That's when Liam and Zayn had taken it upon themselves to sign him up for First Dates on the Channel 4 website.

Louis looked around the tables at all the other couples, some of whom were already enjoying their meals, while Louis nervously waited for his date's arrival. He tapped his fingers on the table, which was clad in white linen, then fidgeted with the silverware for a moment before taking a sip of white wine. Louis wasn't usually a wine person, but he wanted to convey an aura of sophistication to his potential date, whoever he may be. Plus, it's all he ever drank when he was with Darren.

A camera hovered close to his face as he drank, reminding him that this was a television show. Reality entertainment. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face at the thought of who the nameless, faceless individuals in charge of this programme might have set him up with. What if it was a maniac? Someone completely outrageous who Louis would hate? After all, that's the whole point of reality shows, isn't it? The shock value. Making people uncomfortable for the pleasure of the audience at home. Oh God, what on earth had he gotten himself into? Why did he let Liam and Zayn talk him into this?

“Another drink, Sir?”

A waiter smiled down at Louis. Young, blonde hair, tan. Exactly Louis' type. Well, was Louis' type, before the divorce. Louis smiled tightly and shook his head, crinkles sprouting at the corners of his eyes.

“No, thanks mate. Don't want to be off my face when my date gets here. Wouldn't look too good now, would it?”

The waiter laughed and shook his head, but said nothing. In the past, Louis would have been all over him. Teasing him. Making him laugh more. Sure, the guy might've been straight, but then again he might not have been and Louis always enjoyed a challenge. That was Past Louis, though. Present Louis, on the other hand, just smiled and let him leave.

Louis waited for another five minutes before he started wondering whether or not he'd been stood up. The smell of gourmet cuisine filled his nostrils and made his stomach growl. He'd ran to the bus straight after work and hadn't had time to grab a snack on the way. Where the Hell was his date?

Louis was starting to get angry now, eyebrows furrowed as he pulled his slimline phone from the pocket of his black blazer.

One missed message from Zayn.