"Dress casual, that's it? That's all he said?" Aimee stood in front of me, mildly frustrated as she tapped her foot, her hands on her hips. With Seb due to pick me up in a few minutes, I sat on the sofa, trying to sooth the rush of nerves and excitement flowing through me. "He didn't give you anything else?"

I shook my head, deciding she didn't need to know about the second half of the text—a cheeky quip that'd brought a blush to my cheeks when I'd read it.

She sighed. "Well, hopefully he'll have learned his lesson after your last date," she said, and I cringed slightly. Upon walking through the door that night to see her up and waiting, nearly everything had spilled out, though I'd made her promise not to mention any of it to Jack. The date hadn't been bad, per se, but until those last few moments in front of the apartment, it'd been hard to imagine there being a second date. "And I have to say, I love the outfit."

With my hair left down and a minimal amount of makeup, I'd tucked a loose-fitting blouse into black skinny jeans and had pulled on a pair of knee-high boots. It wasn't anything fancy, but I certainly felt more like myself and less like I was trying to impress someone.

"Thanks."

"And in case your date goes well," she started as the doorbell rung, moving across the room to buzz him in, "just know I'm heading to Jack's in a bit and won't be back until tomorrow morning."

There was a gleam in her eyes as I stood and shook my head, unable to contain my laughter. "You're awful."

She said nothing as she passed by me with a smirk on her lips, waiting until she was fully out of sight to get one last gibe in. "There are condoms in the bathroom if you need them," she drawled loudly.

A surge of heat flared on my cheeks, no doubt painting them a rosy hue as a knock echoed throughout the apartment. With next to no time to compose myself, I was only able to take a few calming breaths before I opened the door, freezing momentarily as my gaze fell on the bouquet of sunflowers Seb held in front of him.

"For you," he said, extending the flowers towards me. His smile softened as I slowly took them, my fingers curling around the stems. "I thought I'd start the night off on a bright note."

Bringing the flowers close enough to inhale the scent—a freshness, with a touch of honey—I lifted my gaze, knowing he would see the gratitude shining there. "They're perfect," I said softly.

I stepped aside, opening the door wider to allow him in as I turned and headed towards the kitchen. "Just like tonight will be," he said, confidence backing the words.

"Pretty sure of yourself there?" I mused, lifting a brow once I'd gently placed the flowers down on the countertop and turned back to face him.

He took one step. Then another. And another. Only stopping when he stood less than a foot away. One of his hands wove around my waist, settling gently on my lower back as he tugged me, willingly, to close the rest of the distance. He murmured an agreement, the sound reverberating through his chest and causing a stir within me. "That's because I have a feeling you'll have fun tonight."

Seb's lips grazed mine, gentle and sweet. A start to what, I knew, would be a great night.

***

Twenty minutes later, after finally having found a parking spot downtown, Seb took my hand and led me down a street I'd spent several nights exploring with my friends over the years. Though as we passed the familiar strip of pubs and family-owned restaurants, each guess I had as to where we were headed seemed to miss the mark.

And when we finally stopped in front of a non-descript black door, I honestly had no clue what was in store.

"After you," Seb said, gesturing me inside.

With my curiosity piqued and the vague sound of eighties music drawing me inside, I headed up the stairs, only to stop short when I reached the top. A large neon sign reading Versus hung crooked on the brick wall with technicolored lights flashing above it to direct us one of two ways. To the right, the space had been converted into a pub with comfortable lounge seating, a well-stocked bar, and vibrant pop art murals taking up every inch of the walls. To the left, however, was where the real surprise lay. Arcade machines beeped and whirred as a few other customers battled against one another amongst a mix of retro video games, pinball machines, and classic arcade games.

"So, what do you think?" Seb asked, leaning down as he stopped behind me, his lips grazing my ear as he spoke.

"Well, it's definitely not a fancy restaurant."

Seb laughed, reaching for my hand once again. "Did you think I'd make the same mistake twice?"

"No, it's just—" I shook my head, smiling. "I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't something like this." I knew I likely looked awestruck as I took in the arcade once more. "This place is awesome. How did you find it?"

"You'd have to thank the internet for that one," he replied, stepping closer as another couple squeezed by us and headed for the bar. While this place was small, it was packed with character. "But what do you say?" His brows were raised in a challenge, slowly pulling me towards the games. "Are you up for a bit of friendly competition before dinner?"

"Of course," I said easily. "But don't expect me to go easy on you."

A low chuckle escaped him. "I wouldn't dream of it."

With most of the pinball machines occupied, we started with the classics. Frogger. Pac-Man. Galaga. The two of us taking turns with the controls, trying to one-up the other's score with each game we played, and as promised, I didn't take it easy.

But neither did he.

When we moved away from the machines, we were pretty much tied when counting the number of times we'd won, however, once we hit the more physical games—like air hockey, skee ball, and the basketball hoops—I found my skills severely lacking. But I didn't throw in the towel. I tried my hardest to concentrate and run up my scores, though nothing I could've done would have helped me beat Seb—a professional athlete.

And whether it was pity or not, I took the chance he gave me to thrash him once we jumped back to the old-style video games.

"Take that," I said, my competitive nature coming out in full force as I hit the buttons in rapid succession and maneuvered the joystick to go in for the kill.

Feeling his sidelong glance as I crushed his character, I waited until the pixelated graphic appeared on the screen telling me I'd won to meet his gaze. "What?"

Biting back a grin, he shook his head. "Nothing."

Leaning in closer, he dropped a quick peck to my cheek, and in the few moments where neither of us broke the silence, a warmth built up underneath my breastbone. Almost like my heart decided to somersault when it became surrounded by happiness.

"You hungry?" Seb finally asked, snapping me out of the cheesy thoughts circling my mind. "Or did you need to kick my ass a few more times before eating."

A snort slipped out as I laughed, but I didn't have it in me to feel embarrassed as I slid off my stool. "I'm starving, so I think I'll have to save the ass kicking for another time."

Moving over to the pub, we were able to snag a corner booth in the back, and before I even flipped open the menu, I relaxed into my seat. Without a doubt, I'd pick a place like this—which served greasy food with a unique twist—over an extravagant restaurant any day of the week. It was a place that welcomed everyone, and more importantly, was a place where I felt comfortable enough to let every guard down. To truly be myself.

Ordering a beer alongside my burger and fries, I found my myself laughing loudly as the night went on, a permanent grin on my face. And even over dessert, when the topic of conversation shifted towards our jobs, I didn't feel unsettled or put down, but instead happy to willingly share as things circled back to me.

"I mean, sometimes I miss the structure of a nine to five," I said with a shrug, scraping off another piece of chocolate cake, "and I obviously never saw myself taking on a bartending gig when I decided to leave my job, but it's given me more time to work on my designs. I actually think I'll miss it once I finally find a spot to house my boutique and have to give my notice."

"I think it's something to be admired. That even though your plans were derailed, you didn't let it shake you."

"I'm not going to say it didn't shake me," I admitted, thinking back to the day last year when I'd gotten the phone call that the space I'd put a deposit down on had gone up in flames. Literally. "Once I lost the first space, I considered going back to my job, but when I found out my spot had already been filled, I decided to stay focused on my own designs. But after a few months, my savings completely disappeared and I applied at Apollo's knowing I needed the money. And even then, I still spent a few more months applying for other jobs before I realized bartending wasn't the worst thing I could be doing."

"Not by a long shot. You still have your goal in sight, so I don't see the harm in taking a different path to achieve it." Reaching across the table, Seb rested his hand atop my own, and I flipped mine so we were palm to palm, our fingers intertwining. "I am curious though, what made you want to start your own business? And for lingerie, of all things?"

It was a question I got frequently, whether it came from acquaintances, family members, or friends, and there were a few different versions of the truth I gave out. Seb, however, deserved the full story as he sat with genuine interest, waiting for me to respond.

"I guess, in some weird way, it was my sister."

Seb didn't say anything as I paused to collect the rest of my thoughts, though I didn't miss the flash of minimal surprise at the mention of my family. Thus far, I hadn't talked much about them at all.

"Mackenzie's nearly ten years older than me, and she got engaged when I was fifteen," I explained. "The two of us weren't incredibly close because of the age difference, and I obviously wasn't invited to her bachelorette party, but a few weeks before the wedding, my mom took the two of us out shopping. It was mostly for Mackenzie, to pick up the final things she needed for her big day, but for some reason, the three of us ended up in a specialty lingerie store later in the afternoon. The two of them were sorting through all the wedding night pieces on display, but as a wide-eyed teenager who hadn't even kissed a boy yet, I found myself walking around, fascinated by how beautiful even the simplest of pieces were."

I bit my lip, dropping my gaze momentarily. "At the time, I was incredibly insecure. I still had braces, was overweight for my age, had extra padding in all the wrong places, and I always felt as though nothing fit me right. It was hard to find clothes I actually looked good in, let alone bras and underwear, so when I walked around the store and noticed nothing was really meant for women larger than a size eight, it made me feel like I wasn't someone who deserved to look good. That even at that age, I was being excluded—which was even more evident when one of the sales attendants found me." A frustrated huff escaped me at the memory. "She thought I was lost. That I'd wandered into the store by accident."

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, not wanting to get worked up over the events that had happened ten years ago.

Seb squeezed my hand gently, but when I failed to continue right away, he leaned across the table, not caring we were in public as his lips grazed mine. My breath hitched and he pulled away, sincerity gleaming in his eyes. "I'm sure you were just as beautiful back then as you are now."

My cheeks heated up as he held my gaze, and it took me a few moments to get back on track after a mumbled thank-you left my lips. "Later that night, I told my sister what had happened, and she was really supportive. She told me people could be cruel, but it shouldn't affect how I see myself." My lips twitched, remembering how the two of us had grown closer because of that experience. "After her wedding, the two of us went shopping all the time, and she showed me all the small, locally-owned stores that stocked clothes for all sizes, but it felt like the only thing that was missing on the racks was lingerie. And even though I ended up slimming down a bit and coming to terms with the fact I would never fit into some brands, I knew there were other people suffering with the same insecurities as me."

People who were worse off than me. Who were excluded not only because of their size, but because of their religion, their skin color, or the disabilities they struggled with.

"The idea for my own store only came around in the middle of university though," I said, "which was around the same time I started designing my own lingerie. I remember thinking that, no matter the person, it was important everyone had the ability and choice to slip into something that made them feel beautiful. Which is what I've tried to achieve over the years with my designs."

It took a second or two for my words to fully sink in, and I knew the exact moment they did. Seb's eyebrows rose and an awe-inspired look settled into his features. "You've been designing lingerie for over five years?" he asked, and I nodded. "Where do you keep it all?"

I chuckled, even more so when I noticed the flush creeping up his neck as he realized how his question had sounded. "I've given a lot of it away over the years—either to friends, family, plus-sized models I've worked with, or donation centers. Other pieces I keep in a small storage locker I rent, so when the time comes, I can recreate and sell them. The rest though, I keep for myself."

The muscles in shoulders tensed and his lips fell flat. "To wear?" he asked in clarification, his voice low. As though simply the idea of me clad in lingerie flipped a switch inside him. Nodding slowly, I saw the heat flood his features as his gaze dropped to my cleavage, not caring that the loose fabric draped across my chest concealed most of it. "And are you wearing something you designed right now?"

His gaze met mine again and a spark of want ignited inside my chest at the emotion I saw there. The want. Feigning it didn't affect me, I lifted my beer to my lips, finishing off what remained at the bottom before my lips curled into a sultry grin. "That's something you'll just have to wait to find out."

a/n: hope you guys enjoy this re-written chapter (if you read the previous version in 2018, you'll see that the second date changed!) remember to vote and let me know what you think in the comments below :)