One More Try // L.S.

Chapter One

To love and to be loved. That's all Louis has ever wanted in his life.

Louis' never had the best experiences with relationships. Every relationship has beaten him down and left him feeling worse than the last. His last relationship, he'd describe as the worst he's ever been in.

Louis fell in love with an alpha named Andre. Andre was everything Louis had ever wanted in a man. He had a stable job, a good head on his shoulders, and gave Louis the attention Louis thought he needed. It turns out that Andre also had a girlfriend at home. One with who he had been in a relationship for the past five years.

Louis was crushed when he found out. Andre was the love of his life, or Louis thought he was. It turns out that Andre was in the closet and was way too comfortable in his role to ever come out or publicly love a man, let alone Louis.

Louis saw the red flags during his relationship with Andre, but he never wanted to believe them. Andre would rarely ever let Louis come over, but Louis wasn't allowed to see his closet or go into his bathroom when he did. Nor was he able to stay over for long.

They were in a relationship for nearly a year before Louis found out about Hailey.

Louis decided to surprise Andre at work with some lunch. When Louis got to Andre's office, he overheard him and his coworkers joking about how Andre was practically married. To a woman. Named Hailey.

Louis was devastated.

He went home and called his best friend Oliver to come over that night. Louis told Oliver what happened, and they decided to do some digging. Call them crazy, but they were able to pull up property records to Andre's house and found all of Andre's secret social media accounts.

Louis broke up with him the next day. Andre made an excuse after excuse trying to keep Louis, but Louis ended it and never looked back.

Not long after Louis ended his relationship with Andre, he decided to leave his hometown and move to London. In London, Louis landed part one of his dream job and began to thrive. He met a fantastic beta named Zayn and became fast friends with him. He still talked to Oliver every now and then, but Zayn became his new best friend, one he was thankful for.

After living in London for about six months, Louis decided he wanted to find himself again. So, he started going out by himself the way he did before meeting Andre. Louis took himself to museums, out to eat, and on day trips to learn more about the city he lived in.

On Wednesday night, he decided to look at what movies were currently out in theaters. He was excited to see they made a live-action movie about Sonic and decided to buy tickets. Louis got off early every Friday, so he chose a time that macked up to when he got off work and went.

When Louis got to the movie theater, he was the only one there until the movie started playing; then, only a few more people showed up. Loving the small attendance and having no one around where he sat, he decided to start going to the movies around that same time every week.

After a month of going to the movies, things changed. Louis sat at the very back of the movie theater every time he went. If anyone else showed up, they usually sat closer to the front or middle of the theater.

Not this time.

This time someone sat in the same row as him.

Louis didn't let it bother him. The alpha sat over an arm's length away and never spoke. Which Louis was grateful for. He hated when people talked during movies. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but take in the smell of the alpha when he walked past. The alpha smelled of eucalyptus, patchouli, and fresh oranges. Reminding Louis of a calming breeze.

After that day, Louis started to notice a pattern. The exact alpha sat in the same row as him each week after. He was always alone, never spoke, but he was there.

The fifth time it happened, Louis began to study the lad. From what Louis could see in the dark, the lad had long curly hair. He was tall and enjoyed freezies and a small bag of popcorn with some type of candy.

That day they watched a comedy, and Louis couldn't help but smile every time the alpha laughed. Louis liked his laugh.

Louis ended up missing the last of the movie, too deep in his thoughts. Startling when there was a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," the alpha apologized with a slow but deep timber.

"S'okay," Louis chuckled. "Was lost in me thoughts."

Louis gathered his things and walked toward the stairs.

"Did you enjoy the movie?" the lad asked, following him.

"I did," Louis nodded enthusiastically. "David Spade is hilarious."

"Yeah," the alpha chuckled. "David Spade is one of my favorite actors."

Louis turned around and looked up at the lad, "No way! Mine too. I love watching him when he works with Adam Sandler; I never stop laughing when watching those movies."

"Oh man," the lad laughed. "Those two are amazing together."

"I'm Louis," Louis introduced, holding his hand out.

"Harry," the lad replied, shaking Louis's hand.

Louis swallowed. The man's hand was more prominent than his and perfectly fit his. Louis took a moment to look at Harry. He was several inches taller than Louis and extremely handsome. Louis felt butterflies in hin his stomach when Harry smiled at him.

"Do you want to go get some pizza with me?" Harry asked when they let go.

"I would love that, Harry," Louis agreed. "Lead the way."

Louis followed Harry out of the movie theater before speaking.

"What made you start going to the movie theater alone?" he asked. "I've noticed you a few times and was curious."

Harry chuckled, looking to his left at Louis. "I just moved to London and haven't met many people who like the same movies that I do. I enjoy going to the movies, so why not go by myself?"

"It's nice going alone," Louis replied. "I've been taking myself to the movies quite often lately. It's nice to just sit and relax without worrying if the person next to you likes it as much as you do."

They stopped in front of the pizza parlor before Harry opened the door for Louis.

"I agree with you," Harry smiled. "Then, after the movie, they end up complaining about it. Especially when I really liked it."

They stopped their conversation long enough to order. Louis ordered a personal-sized pizza with oil, garlic, basil, extra cheese, and pepperoni. Harry ordered a personal vegetarian pizza.

When they went to pay, Louis thought they would pay for their own, but Harry insisted on paying for them.

Louis was taken back. He wasn't used to someone paying for him. Always buys food for himself, even on a date.

They sat at a booth in the corner, smiling at each other.

"Thank you for paying," Louis spoke shyly. "I appreciate it."

Harry smiled broadly at him, making his dimples pop. "Of course, I asked if you wanted to have dinner. I wouldn't make you pay for something I asked you."

Louis sat there staring at the alpha in front of him. None of his dates ever paid for his way into something or his food. Louis didn't think this was a date perse, but the entire situation surprised him.

The rest of their time together spend eating pizza, drinking cold soda, and laughing. The alpha and omega's topic of conversation didn't broach serious as Harry and Louis got to know each other. By the end of the night, Louis felt relaxed and happy.

That night when Louis got home and ready for bed. He couldn't help but remember the way their scents combined. The smell of eucalyptus, lemon, and blue cypress still invaded his senses.

Louis fell asleep that night. Although he was terrified, Louis was excited about the adventure he was sure to have with Harry in his life.

Wordcount: 1,387

Published: 19 April 2022