The Compulsion to Find Love

Chapter 3: Glances

The following morning arrived with bright sunlight peaking through the cotton curtains in the omegas' dormitory. They arose early, thoughts revolving around the activities that would be organised for the freshmen to join societies and meet other students.

Louis pulled on a white, thickly-knitted jumper and dark jeans despite his roommate's urges that the weather was supposed to be warm that day.

"I get cold easily," he defended, blowing warm air on his hands to punctuate his point.

"Okay," Zayn sighed from where he stood in front of the mirror, "just don't let any alphas see you doing that or they'll be stripping down to cover you in their coats and scarves." He combed his hair meticulously as Louis wrapped a striped scarf around his neck.

"They're warm-blooded," Louis said, waving a hand in dismissal. He sat on the bed to wait for the younger omega. "What're you going to sign up for?" Louis asked.

"The Visual Arts Society," he replied immediately, shrugging on a leather jacket and tilting his body to check his appearance.

"Aren't you already studying art?" Louis teased.

"An artist must never limit his exposure to his craft, Louis," he said, feigning indignation. Louis burst out laughing at Zayn's attempt at an upper-class accent, standing up to ruffle his roommate's styled hair.

"Whatever you say," he chuckled as Zayn pushed him off. They walked out of their dormitory, making sure to lock the door carefully and activate the omega recognition sensor as the brochure had instructed.

"What about you, then?" Zayn asked as they made their way down the corridor, smiling at the other omegas staying on their floor opened their doors to greet them. Louis breathed their scents in deeply; citrus fruits, warm pastries, roasted nuts wafting out of each door. Living with beta parents, he had grown accustomed to the faint, unobtrusive scents betas released yet found himself relaxing in the presence of other omegas at their residence.

"Football," he replied easily, "I can't wait to get back on the field again. I basically lived and breathed it at school."

"You must be a great player, then," Zayn said, opening the entrance door. The September rays of sun shone and danced over the water in the foundation of the square opposite the omega dormitories. A strong gust of wind, however, confirmed Louis' decision to wear thick clothing.

"I'm pretty decent," Louis said, shrugging modestly, "I was awful when I first started a couple of years ago, though. My coach absolutely hated me, too. He made it his mission to torment me; always pointing out my poor shots and blaming my inferior skills on my gender."

Zayn smiled sympathetically, squeezing his friend's shoulder as they walked across the courtyard.

"I was determined to prove him wrong, though," he said with a perceptible gleam in his eye. "I trained relentlessly, long hours before and after our weekly practice sessions. I improved and, eventually, I got on the senior school team on merit alone."

Zayn made a noise of satisfaction. "I'm sure your coach wasn't too happy about that."

Louis shook his head, smiling in satisfaction at the memory.

They fell into comfortable silence as they roamed the grounds of the campus. Louis noticed that the crowds became more dense as they approached Connelly Place, a huge expanse of grass at the heart of the university, surrounded by sycamore trees and benches bathed in shade. Three of the alpha residencies, all constructed in the Victorian style, stood nearby, perfectly maintained with flowers spilling out of windowsill pots.

Connelly Place was alive with students bustling around, shouting orders, erecting banners and adding the final touches to their stalls advertising the university societies and clubs. They had half an hour to spend in the morning sunlight before the event would officially begin and decided to have breakfast beforehand. Zayn spotted a small café situated beside one of the residencies and they approached it, Louis rambling about his morning cup of tea.