I was humming to myself when I left my apartment, dressed for an evening out as I went to meet my friends at a popular bar and grill.

When was the last time I was this happy? I couldn’t remember. Fuck, if I wasn’t in hills, I could have been skipping down the street.

I was out of a job I didn’t like. The woman that had been responsible for a lot of shit happening at the company, and for getting me arrested, was put away behind bars. I got paid my more than a comfy severance package, and I had more than enough money when added to what I already had in savings, to start up the bakery I’d always wanted. It wasn’t an immediate process, but just knowing it was underway had me on cloud nine.

The bar and grill wasn’t to far from my place. It was still around twenty minutes of walking, but I made it, and I went in to find my friends. When they caught sight of me, Emma squealed, and even in the noisy atmosphere, I heard her. She came running, and I was braced for her to jump me, laughing with her as she attacked me with a hug.

“Jasmine! It’s been so long.”

“Yeah. It’s good to see you, too, Emma.”

She pulled away, then tugged me behind her to where Olivia waited. They were standing around a high, circular table. It was usually up to the patrons whether they wanted to pick up some high bar stools to go with the table or just stand around.

My friends, obviously, decided to stand.

“Hey there,” Olivia said warmly as we got to the table. She came closer to pull me in a hug, before going back to leaning against the table. “It’s good to see you happy for once, Jasmine.”

I mock frowned at her. “Excuse you. I’m happy plenty of times.”

But she shook her head, a small smile on her face even as her eyes remained serious. You haven’t been this happy in a while, and …” she shrugged. “It’s just nice to see.”

I smiled back at her, once again feeling so fucking grateful for my best friends. Before the atmosphere could grow too serious, Emma was there, throwing an arm around both our necks.

“Come on, you guys,” she said, loudly and with enthusiasm. “We’re here to celebrate! You can keep all the touchy feely stuff for later.”

Olivia’s eyes met mine, and we both laughed.

“All right!” I shouted. “Let the partying begin then.”

“And it’s never a party without the alcohol,” Olivia added, pointing behind me. “We ordered already.”

It was a waiter, bringing over our bottles of beer. We each took a deep gulp, and the evening of fun began.

I had forgotten just how fun it was, finding time to get out and let loose with my friends. It was another thing, my parents, then my job, held me back from, and I was glad to get it back. We got to chat about inconsequential things, and it turned out both Emma and Olivia had their eyes on new crushes. Emma talked to hers, while Olivia played cautiously and watched from afar.

“You really should just try talking to him,” Emma encouraged with a nudge to Olivia’s side.

I nodded in agreement. “Definitely. You don’t always have to wait for the guy to notice you first, you know. You can just as easily make the first move.”

Her expression was a little sour, but I knew that was just her being unsure of herself. She and I didn’t have quite as much luck in relationships as, say, Emma did. Emma was quick to bounce back from things if the conditions were right. Things were harder on Olivia and me.

Emma was saying something when Olivia looked up. And suddenly, she had this sudden wicked look on her face, and I narrowed my eyes at her when she turned her suspicious gaze on me.

“Are you ready to take your advice?” she said, arching an eyebrow.

I frowned. “What?”

She just inclined her head. “We’ll stick around,” she said, then took hold of Emma’s arm, and moved towards the dance floor.

“Hey, there.”

The voice, spoken straight into my ear from behind had my body going still, then warming up. I turned around, not surprised to see Gabe there because only his voice could get to me that way.

I hadn't seen him since I packed up my things and left my job for the last time, and he looked good. He was dressed semi casual, probably for the first time since I’d met him. He had on a dark blue shirt with the top buttons opened to bare some chest, and dark jeans that hugged his legs perfectly, and casual shoes.

“Gabe,” I said, stuck between pleasantly surprised and anxious. With everything we managed to talk about, he and I never got to talk about where we stood. “I didn’t expect to see you here. Don’t tell me you just happened to be around.”

He shrugged, moving to lean against the table just beside me. My body froze, and I fought the urge to move closer, or further away, I wasn’t sure.

“It’s pure coincidence. And it’s not the first time we randomly came across each other; I just came to you this time.”

I hummed, taking a sip of my beer. “Only, you’re alone this time, and I still have the same company as before,” I said coldly. Well, my friends were around, anyway. When he grimaced, I let out a pleased grin. “Maybe I should find some other guy here and have him put an arm around me.”

I pretended to look around, and I heard a growl come from Gabe as he stepped closer to me. Just enough that I could feel his body heat, but we weren’t touching anywhere. A smile still played on my lips as I refused to meet his gaze. When he sighed, I looked up.

“Come on, Jasmine,” he said, tone pleading, ducking his head so he could look up at me from under his lashes. The coy look worked on him; not to mention, it did wonders for his eyes, and I could feel my breath hitch. There was a smirk on his face for a second before it fell away. “I already said I was sorry about the last time,” he went on. “How many times would you like for me to apologize?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You do realize it’s not about how many times you apologize?”

He nodded slowly. “Of course, Jasmine. Just so you know, now that you don’t work for me anymore, I’d like to call you my girlfriend the next time I introduce you to someone.”

He smiled that soft smile of his that always had my resolve melting. It worked then like it always had, and I sighed. I tipped back my beer bottle to drink the last sip and handed the drink over to him.

“I will go out with you, if you buy me another drink,” I said, a smile growing on my face to mirror the one on his. “And get some for yourself, would you?”

He rolled his eyes as he turned away and went to the bar. I waited, tapping my fingers on the table top, and he returned a few minutes later with two bottles of beer.

“Here’s your drink,” he said as he grandly handed me a bottle as if he was handing me gold. Then he smirked down at me. “Is the lady satisfied?”

“Quite,” I said snottily, tossing my hair. Then ruined the impression with a giggle.

Gabe then popped off the cap on his own and leaned against the table as he took a sip.

“Fucking bossy,” he muttered against the lip of the bottle, though we were close enough for me to hear him.

I arched an eyebrow his way. “Excuse me?” I said, voice heavy with disbelief. “What did you just call me?”

He eyed me sideways as he smirked. “You heard me just fine, Jasmine.”

I continued to give him a look of disbelief, then barked out a short laugh. The idea of him calling me bossy was fucking laughable. But I went along with his playful attitude. We were starting over, after all, and hopefully, this time dating for real.

I held my bottle up in a mock toast.

“Well, when you put it that way. I learned it from the best, you know? It probably carried from my old boss’s nature. He was a hard ass, and fucking bossy, too.”