Touch Me (Like Nobody Else Does)

It was fucking cold. Louis pulled the sleeves of his tan sweater down over his shaking fingers and hoped it would help return at least some of the feeling to them. Louis grabbed the handle to his luggage bag once more, holding it tight to his side before he pulled out his phone and checked one more time which gate he was supposed to be heading to. It had not changed, thank God, and he was still going in the right direction. He sighed to himself before pocketing his phone, grabbing his bag, and heading back into the throng of holiday travelers.

Louis was looking forward to getting back to his family in London. He had not seen them in months, his grueling work schedule keeping them apart. He loved his work as an editor for a major publisher; however, the amount of overtime he had put in these last few weeks made him glad that he put in his time off to have a break for the holidays back in September. His body was begging for rest and relaxation. However, since he spent every hour he could working before his weeklong vacation, it was now only five days before Christmas, and he was stuck in the airport with every other last-minute traveler. He kept being jostled by passing people, alphas in particular, who figured everyone should move out of their way instead of being considerate of the rest of the population. Louis kept his eyes forward, trying to make out the signs ahead of him for Gate C18. As he neared the closest sign, he realized he was only just now passing C4. Great. He tightened his hold on the handle of his luggage, a bag that he was proud came in just under the size permitted for an overhead bin. He was already shelling out money for a plane ticket and most definitely was not going to pay for a bag too. For as much money as the plane ticket alone cost, he thought that they would at least have the heat on. His hands were still numb where they clutched the straps of his bag, and even pulling his sweater over his fingers did not help.

In the distance, Louis was finally able to make out the sign for his gate- NYC to London and his flight number on the screen below it. He let out a sigh of relief silently thanking God that his gate somehow did not change during his walk over. His sigh was short lived, though, as something, or rather someone, took his breath away. In the sea of people sitting at the gate lounged the most handsome man he had ever seen. His heart jumped into his throat causing him to muffle a cough for air he so desperately needed. Before he could be caught staring, he forced himself to rip his eyes away.

He turned his attention to the mass of people at the gate instead. There were pups sitting on the floor next to their parents, playing with toys to keep them distracted, an alpha stretched out over two seats with a hat over their face to block the light, and a few couples cozied up to each other who were having conversations that made it seem as if no one else existed in their little world. As Louis took in the scene, he slowly realized that the only place with a few seats open was directly in front of the captivating man. Maybe Christmas miracles did happen or maybe this was his karma for putting in so much extra work recently. Whatever the case may be, he sent a thanks to each and every God that may or may not be listening to him as he slowly made his way over to the last available seats.

As he sat down, he snuck a glance at the stranger. He let his eyes linger on his body, working his way up from his feet. His brown boots gave way to his toned legs, his jeans seeming as if they were painted on with how tight they were. His band t-shirt paired with a flannel showed off his broad shoulders, and Louis could not stop his mind from imagining what it would be like to hang onto them. No one had any business showing up for a flight at 7pm looking as alluring as this man did. He somehow managed to make a comfortable outfit look like it was suited for a model runway instead of an airport terminal. His curly long brown hair was thrown into a messy bun that looked almost too messy to not be intentional. He had one long leg folded on top of the other and a brown jacket laying in his lap. With his relaxed posture as he read the book he had perched on his thighs, Louis could tell he was an alpha from how he carried himself. He was enamored with him and wondered if the alpha smelled just as good or even better than he looked, his omega screaming to sniff at the air surrounding him. Louis shook his head gently to get out of his reverie before situating his luggage and tote bag beside where he sat.