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Louis Tomlinson<\/strong><\/a> is all loved up with new girlfriend Zara McDermott<\/strong> and it couldn\u2019t come at a better time. After a rough few years that included the heartbreaking death of close friend and former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne<\/strong>, a source exclusively tells Life & Style<\/em> the former boy bander is determined to make every moment count.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThings are very new with Zara but he\u2019s excited, he really likes her,\u201d the insider says.<\/span><\/p>\n Louis, 33, and the Love Island<\/em> star, 28, first sparked dating rumors in March when they were spotted strolling together in Suffolk, England. They went official in April after she posted a photo over breakfast with a mystery man\u2019s elbow in the corner, which social media sleuths very quickly deduced was Louis\u2019 from his cross tattoo. Fans even caught a glimpse of them hanging out in SoCal later that month, packing on the PDA pretty heavy throughout. \u201cThey had the best time on her visit to Malibu,\u201d the source confirms. \u201cThey aren\u2019t joined at the hip yet though.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The 1D alum had the time of his life hanging out with some of his friends throughout a few days of Coachella, which ran in mid-April, though Zara was conspicuously absent. The insider says keeping the celebrations girlfriend-free was part of the plot from the beginning, as they had \u201ca boys\u2019 trip<\/a> to Coachella planned for ages\u201d and he \u201cdid not invite her to join him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say Louis isn\u2019t smitten with his new gal. \u201cHe has very high hopes for things with Zara though,\u201d the source adds. \u201cHe really wants to have a proper relationship \u2014 he is happiest and more grounded that way \u2014 but he\u2019s vowing that he\u2019s not going to race into anything too fast because he has always made that mistake in the past.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The singer has been keen to keep his relationships out of the public eye for the most part. In the early days of One Direction<\/a> he dated Eleanor Calder<\/strong> for four years from 2011 to 2015 before calling it off. They reunited in 2017 and gave it another go, but with the same luck. He had a brief relationship with Briana Jungwirth<\/strong> that produced their son Freddie Reign Tomlinson<\/strong>\u00a0in January 2016, and even though they weren\u2019t to last, they still coparent smoothly to this day<\/a>. He\u2019s had a few other flings with actresses and models here and there, but the source notes no romance as of late has been as serious as his with Zara \u2014 and he\u2019s desperate not to mess this one up.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s trying to take things at a steady pace and will be flying to the U.K. soon to see her and some of his family, too,\u201d the insider explains. \u201cLouis is a relationship guy, so there is a very good chance this will be something significant, that\u2019s what he says he wants.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n