"Woooo!"

A loud squeal of a cheer was shouted out, followed by the clinking of glasses. A group of young college girls were lined up along the expanse of the bar with shot glasses raised high in the air. They brought their glasses down, tapping the base on the wet bar, making a splash, before throwing back their heads to allow the bitter liquid to mark it's burning path down their throats. 

Across the bar, five women sat around a circular table, wine glasses in hand. Each of them was dressed in a jewel toned silk blouse, no color the same. Each blouse was tucked neatly into either a pair of dress pants or a pencil skirt. Closed toed high heels were accompanied by neat, no nonsense, up dos. Coats were draped over the backs of their chairs.

Joy rolled her eyes at the young girls, glad to be past that point in her life where all her friends just wanted to get wasted. She turned back to her friends, thankful for the level of their maturity, and raised her glass.

"As I was saying, congratulations to Sarah. You and Ben are perfect together and I wish you all the luck in the world. I wish you weren't relocating, but I know you're going to do great things. No matter where you are. Here's to Sarah!"

Cheers echoed around the table as wine glasses were raised. The glass chimed musically as the tips were tapped against each other delicately.

Outside, a flicker of light in the dark alleyway by the bar. The flame of a lighter danced as a crisp breeze blew by. Louis shielded the spark with a cupped hand as the fire kissed the tip of the cigarette perched between his lips. As the end began to burn, he stashed the lighter in his front pocket. After taking a deep and satisfying inhale, he flicked a few ashes to the ground. With a jerk of his head he was able to move his hair away from his face as he blew out a stream of smoke mixed with a cloud of his warm breath.

It was getting colder everyday. Louis swore he could smell the faint scent of snow in the air. He loathed it. With more establishments going smoke free, it meant he'd be spending more time outside. In the cold. He tugged his hood up over his head at the thought. He knew he should quit, and it wasn't like he hadn't tried. He had quit a couple times already, but each time he'd stress out while trying not to think about it. The next thing he knew, he was right back outside again.

He looked down at the stub of what was left of the cigarette. He hadn't even realized he'd smoked it so fast. He salvaged one last drag before tossing it to the sidewalk, letting it squish beneath his heel as he walked over it. As he came around the corner, emerging from the alley, he barely glimpsed a flash of a vibrant plum color hidden beneath a dark coat before bumping into a soft and supple body.

A/N: Just a little taste to get this story started. I feel like this won't be a particularly lengthy story. My thoughts are that it will take place over the course of one night. I hope this story caught your attention and you'll join me for what will be, hopefully, an unforgettable night with everyone's favorite bad influence, Louis Tomlinson!

DCMurphy