Roses

Chapter One

Louis had never been one to take beauty for granted. If he found something he thought was beautiful, he cherished it.

Louis was a smaller lad, about 5'9 (or so he claimed.) He was 26 years old, had five sisters, and one brother. A step-dad, and a mum, who had sadly passed away last December.

He has brown whispy hair that shaved short on the sides. It was cut a little bit shorter than it had been in the past, but he still had the fluffy fringe in the front that he would occasionally push behind his right ear.

He had bright, striking blue eyes that sparkles even brighter in the sunlight.

Louis occasionally wrote songs, and was learning guitar. Music was always a career he hoped to pursue someday, but he wasn't so sure he would get there considering he had been trying for years, and was currently 26 years old, and had only performed at bars a few times in the last couple years.

Everyday without fail, Louis had a cup of tea in his room and sat by the window with book at exactly noon. Normally, that's all he would do. He would sit in the early afternoon sunlight, and enjoy a good book.

A few weeks ago, Louis' love for beauty got stronger. Even though he didn't think it could, that's exactly what happened. Ever since then, he went out of his way not to miss the beauty he had discovered.

But, in the last month, something else has been the center of his attention. So, today at 11:50, Louis made himself his usual cup of tea, grabbed a book, and headed upstairs to his room and sat by the window.

Louis sat there for a full ten minutes, looking between his book and the street outside before the beauty showed up.

The familiar head of golden-brown curls that peaked out from underneath the brown cap he always wore, the tall, lean, muscular figure.

His left arm was covered in tattoos, where his right arm only had one, an eagle on the inside of his arm right where the elbow meets the arm.

Louis didn't the know the boy's name, so he had given him the nickname "beauty."

Louis watched with his blue eyes as the boy walked into the flower shop, making his way over to the row of roses along the back wall of the shop.

Louis could see him perfectly through the clear glass windows of the shop. Louis could see him take his ring covered hand and lightly rub the bottom of his nose the way he always did when he was more than likely concentrated, but Louis didn't know for sure, after all, he had no idea who this boy was.

Louis saw the boy finally pick out a rose, today it was pink, and walk up to the counter to pay for it. The boy always had a chat with the lady behind the counter, not only when he checked out, but when he entered the shop. Louis figured that since he was there so often, the lady probably knew him well by now.

The boy waved goodbye to the cashier, and exited the shop. He took his phone out of his pocket, before putting it up to his ear. The boy immediately smiled, and Louis wondered who he was talking to. Beauty paced back and fourth slowly in front of the shop as he talked, the smile never leaving his face.

Louis wondered what his laugh sounded like when he saw him laugh, his nose scrunching up and his deep dimples popping out. He was thankful that his apartment was across the street from the flower shop, and also that it was rather close too.

Eventually, Beauty stopped walking when he was facing Louis's apartment straight on, looking down at his feet, and ended his phone call, before putting his phone away.

A moment later, Beauty looked up and made direct eye contact with Louis. Louis felt his heart race faster, knowing Beauty has seen him, and quickly shrunk behind the window.

Little did he know, Beauty was watching him, a smirk evident on his face.

He saw the small gifts of brown hair peeking out slightly in the window, the shorter boy with brown hair Beauty had just laid eyes on, wasn't very good at hiding.

Beauty smiled before shaking his head slightly as the thought of who the bright blue eyed boy was, before turning to walk down the street.

Louis peaked out from below the window, and watched Beauty look at the rose in his hand, and his smile slowly disappeared as a look of sadness and longing appeared on his face.

Louis didn't like seeing him sad, he noticed that he often did when he looked at the rose in these last few weeks, and he wondered why he was so sad.

Louis watched Beauty walk away, his head hanging down. Louis wanted to run out into the street and hug him, and ask him if he was ok. But, he couldn't. Beauty didn't even know he existed, Louis didn't think he had seen him in the window, but he had. Now Beauty was slightly intrigued with the boy in the window with bright blue eyes, and wondered who he was.

Louis wanted to know everything about Beauty. What his real name was, how old he was, did he have any siblings? What did he do for a living? He seemed familiar to Louis other than seeing him everyday these last few weeks, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

What was his favorite color? His favorite song? Did he write music or play music like Louis did sometimes? Did he like boys? Girls? Both?

But the most important question on Louis' mind was "Why was this boy so sad, and why did he need so many roses?"