lolita // l.s.

chapter one

the old man was relaxing in his recliner with a bottle of coca cola in his calloused hand when the shrill doorbell rang through his eardrums, causing him to splutter out a gulp of soda involuntarily. he set the glass down on the table beside him, scrubbing the brown stain into his vintage t-shirt before heading off to discover who the mystery ringed was.

he twisted the gold doorknob, then swung it open to reveal a petite woman with dark tresses down to her breasts and a woven basket in her grasp.

"hello," louis welcomed, stretching his thin lips into a close-mouthed smile while waiting for the woman to introduce herself.

"hi there!" she chirped, flashing her pearly whites. "how are you?"

"my evening has been quite pleasant, thank you," louis responded in his thick french accent.

"great!" the woman exclaimed. "pardon me for not introducing myself. i'm anne twist and i live about two blocks down from here. i noticed you've just recently moved into this establishment and wanted to greet you with this housewarming gift." she hands the wrapped bag to louis, the grin never leaving her wrinkled face.

"why thank you," louis said, taking the present in his large hands. "that's very kind."

"it's my pleasure," anne insisted. "oh, and i wanted to apologize for my son yesterday. neighbors spotted him on your property and alerted me about it. he's right here, just a tad shy." she shifted slightly to the side, revealing the tiny boy with flushed cheeks and glistening emerald eyes. "apologize, dear."

"i'm sorry for taking the pretty flowers from your garden, sir," harry said bashfully. "i made a crown out of them but since you like them so much i wanted to give it back." he outstretched his lanky arms, a delicate circle of pastel petals in his soft hands.

"it's quite alright, young harry," the old man said, waving away the gift. "little boys like you must learn from their mistakes, but that's a mighty fine crown you've got there and i'd hate to take it away from you."

harry let out a soft giggle, the flowers disappearing behind his back. "thank you, sir."

"thank you," anne added, ruffling her boy's curls. "i didn't catch your name, by the way."

"it's louis tomlinson," the old man replied, azure orbs never leaving the cherubic boy he towered above.

"well, louis tomlinson, i was also wondering if you'd like to have dinner at my home tonight. we're walking back right now and we could show you the neighborhood," anne suggested, tone laced in flirtatiousness. louis cocked a brow, knowing where this would lead.

"that would be lovely, but i'm afraid i have some household chores to take care of. perhaps another time?"

"tomorrow!" the four foot eleven boy exclaimed, bubblegum lips stretched into a toothy grin. "we're having lasagna and veggies!"

"yes, that should do..." the old man trailed off, trying his hardest to remember if he'd scheduled anything the following evening. "which is your home?"

"the yellow one with white hinges," anne said, pointing to a distinct chimney with the slightest sliver of pastel yellow poking out from behind the trees. "shall i count on your company?"

"indeed," the old man said, nodding. the middle aged woman grinned, caressing her son's neck.

"see you then," she said, backing away from the door and heading for her home. "have a nice night!"

"you too," louis replied as the mother-son duo left, skipping down the street like two little schoolgirls.

the old man would be lying if he said the woman didn't harbor a blatant attraction to him, twirling dark locks around a frail finger and giggling seductively. unfortunately for her, louis didn't agree that the feelings were mutual. he despised labels, but always identified as a homosexual male. sexually, women revolted him. but, well, for that sweet little boy, he couldn't say the same.