I Don't Love You (And I Always Will)

Chapter One

This is a work of FICTION!! Title from "Poison and Wine" by The Civil Wars :)

Waking up hungover was really not how Louis wanted to start the first day of the new season. When his alarm rung out at 7:30 that morning it was pretty much a death sentence. Turns out, old ladies buying you champagne at a donor's gala is quite hard to resist. His head was pounding, and his mouth felt like a raccoon died in it. Like six years ago. But alas, the New York City Ballet waits for no one. So, Louis slowly sat up, praying Niall bought more Ibuprofen yesterday. He rolled out his shoulders and stretched his knees until he heard a satisfying pop. Putting his bare feet on the hard wood sent a shiver up his spine, a painful reminder he forgot to turn on his space heater last night. It was September, shouldn't it be warmer by now? He lived in New York, not goddamn Antarctica.

Louis walked into the kitchen, the inviting smell of eggs pulling him in. Niall was cooking, being the wonderful roommate he was. Louis might be dead without Niall.

"Look! It's my favorite drunk!" Niall shouted, much too loudly for Louis' ever-growing headache. "Ni, it's about seven hours too early for your shouting."

"Just because you had eight glasses of champagne last night doesn't mean you have to take it out on me asshole." Niall said, his lips forming a pout. His blond hair was going in about eighty different directions, his blue eyes shining, proving he wasn't angry. Louis rummaged through the counter, discovering Niall had forgotten to get Ibuprofen. Fuck.

"Oh please, you had more than I did, you just have an unfairly high tolerance." Louis mumbled, taking a plate of eggs from the counter. Niall just smirked back at him. Louis loved Niall, and he was a great roommate. They shared a dorm at the School of American Ballet when they were fourteen and had never split up since. The only times Louis wanted to slap Niall was when he was hungover and he had no Ibuprofen, or Niall decided to blast Elvis at six in the morning, which happens surprisingly often. So maybe Niall should quiet down.

After Louis scarfed down some eggs, which he did quite gracefully, thank you very much, he figured he better get dressed before he's late for the company meeting. He may be four seasons into his career with the NYCB, but he still can't be late on his first day. He at least tries to be professional, contrary to what his behavior last night showed. Louis went down the hallway of the small apartment into his room and began the routine he'd perfected over the last four years. First, he put on a thin white t-shirt, some blue athletic shorts, and some sweatpants over those. Next, a big crewneck, today's being a American Ballet Theatre sweatshirt. He combed his caramel colored hair pretty quickly since it would get sweaty about 30 minutes into work anyway and brushed his teeth. After slipping on some Vans by his door, grabbed his dance bag, put in some earbuds, and headed to Lincoln Center Plaza.

Louis treasured his morning walks to the New York City Ballet studios. The city had been his home for so many years, starting when he was fourteen. He moved here alone to study at the School of American Ballet and was accepted at eighteen as an apprentice at the company. Since then, he'd been promoted to a corps de ballet member about a year in, and eventually made his way up to a soloist last year. But no matter where he was in life, he always walked to the ballet studio in the morning, no matter what weather. He used his time to breathe in some fresh air and try to clear his head before the hectic day ahead. Ballet was so incredibly stressful that if he didn't make this time for himself, he would probably cause some sort of breakdown. He also refused to take the subway because it smelled like piss.

Taking one final breath, he opened the door to Lincoln Center, taking in the familiar surroundings. The dancers loitering in the halls, posters of past performances hanging on the walls. Everything was exactly how they had left it over break, and Louis couldn't be more thankful. He hated change. It threw him off his game, and if Louis planned on getting his dream roles this season, he needed to be on his game at all costs. A little birdie (Gigi) told him they were doing Romeo and Juliet this season, and Romeo was Louis' role. He was perfect for it. Louis just had to make the director see that.