Before you dive into this chapter, I just want to thank you all for the support on this story! It means a lot to me and motivates me to write the best chapters I can. Warning: This chapter pushes the T rating and has some mature themes. I may be changing to M rating in the future. Anyway, Happy Reading!

"No, absolutely fucking not." Roy Kent's gruff voice sounded through Alex's phone. "The yellow washes out your skin tone. Go with the purple dress."

Alex was staring carefully at her reflection in the standing mirror in Uncle Ted's room. He'd let her use it to prepare for her date, mostly because he didn't want her clothes all over the living room. There weren't many places for a girl to get ready when she was riding the couch at her uncle's apartment. Keeley (and Roy apparently) wanted to help her get ready and had been on FaceTime with her for the past half hour.

"Are you sure?" She held the purple dress tight against her chest. "It's a bit more form-fitting than the sundress."

Once she had reported back to Keeley about what happened in Ted's office a few days ago, her friend had squealed in delight and demanded a shopping trip was in order. This time however, Alex put her foot down about paying for her own dresses and was able to find some modestly priced ones at a small boutique hidden on a smaller street in the outskirts of Richmond.

"That's exactly why you should wear it!" Keeley's voice came through the phone. "Jamie won't be able to keep his hands off you!"

"Oi, hold on." Roy took over the phone again. "Only wear it if you're comfortable. Don't wear it just to impress the twat!"

Alex smiled appreciatively to her phone screen. Roy and Keeley were both trying to be at the center of the camera, fighting for their say in the conversation.

"I'll go try it on and then I'll decide."

She left the couple on the phone and departed into the adjoining bathroom. It took a bit of maneuvering to squeeze her butt and breasts into the non-stretchable fabric. Thankfully, the zipper to the satin, dark purple slip dress was placed on the side and Alex had no issues zipping it up.

Hesitantly, she reentered the room and approached the mirror. Keeley's gasp through the phone was muted to Alex's ears as she focused on her reflection. A pink blush dusted across her cheeks and flushed down her neck to the top of her chest as she took in the shape of her curves. The satin fabric hugged her waist and hips nicely, the only sign of resistance was the slight stretch across her thighs. The dip in the back of the dress was too low for a bra to be worn. The vulnerability of going braless was starting to take over the confidence she was feeling.

"Keeley, I'm not sure-"

"You look bloody magnificent, Alex!" Keeley practically screamed into the phone. "Roy! Tell her how fit she looks!"

Roy's usually baritone voice had a slight pitch to it full of hesitation and a maybe tad bit of embarrassment, "You do look lovely, Alex. Tartt is a lucky bastard."

The pink in her cheeks quickly became a bright red. "Thank you…" Alex hesitated, "But Keeley, um…"

"What's wrong?" The blonde crinkled her brows in concern as she took over the phone. "What is it, Alex?"

Alex stared back at her reflection again, her eyes going directly to the problem area and the doubts came swarming around her head. "It's just that… I won't be able to wear a bra with this."

There was a silence on the other end of the phone for a moment before Roy spoke in a murmured voice behind Keeley. "I think I'll let this be a conversation between you two."

Keeley waited for her boyfriend's footsteps to disappear downstairs before speaking, "I'm not sure I understand, Alex. Girls go braless all the time. You shouldn't feel like you have to wear one."

Alex huffed a breath before picking up the phone to look at Keeley directly. "It's not that I feel pressured to wear one, I just always have because of my breast size. Look at them!" She gestured to her full chest and her friend stared shamelessly before nodding.

"I see them and they're fabulous! Alex, I know me saying it won't help what you feel, but you have no reason to be insecure about your breasts. They're perfect and you look amazing."

"I don't look frumpy?" Alex inwardly cringed at how small and pathetic she sounded, but she needed the reassurance.

"Absolutely fucking not! I'd try to shag you if I could!" Keeley stated proudly. "Jamie won't know what hit him when he sees you."

As if on cue, her phone vibrated from a text notification.

Jamie: be there in 20 min babe. Cant wait to see you

"He'll be here in twenty minutes!" She squeaked in alarm. "I still haven't put on makeup yet!"

Alex frantically started looking for her makeup bag, completely forgetting she was still on FaceTime. "Oh god, I have bags under my eyes! I didn't sleep well last night. I was up making two chocolate pies at three in the morning because I was so nervous!"

"Calm down, Alex!" Keeley tried to soothe her nerves. "I'll get off the phone with you so you can focus, but don't hesitate to text or call if you need me, alright?"

She forced herself to set down her makeup brushes to smile at her friend. "Thank you, Keeley, for supporting me. You're a great friend."

The blonde beamed back at her with the genuine kindness that Alex noticed the moment she met Keeley. "No problem, love. It's what friends do, and there better be a slice of chocolate pie with my name on it the next time I see you."

Jamie sat on the soft couch of Ted Lasso's living room. The tense quiet of the room was causing him to sweat a bit. After the talk they had, he wasn't expecting this silent interrogation from Lasso. He never really had to meet a girl's parents/protective uncles before. At least, not since he was a lad in primary school. Awkwardly, he looked at his coach who was staring at him from the chair with a stern silence. Jamie cleared his throat and nervously wiped his hands on his thighs.

"So, erm, are we still having practice tomorrow?"

Ted nodded, not changing much of his demeanor as he did so.

Hurry up, Lexie.

"Where are you taking her?"

"Erm, there's an Italian restaurant in SoHo I love. Thought we'd go there."

"Taken a lot of girls there, have you?" Ted furrowed his brows to give Jamie a hardened look, his mustache twitched into a downward frown.

Jamie felt his heart rate pick up speed as he grabbled for something to say. Jesus, he thought they'd gotten past this. He swallowed hard as his eyes darted to the small hallway, hoping Lexie would come around the corner to save him. Fuck, it was hot in here. He shouldn't have worn this stupid dress shirt, but he wanted to impress Alex. He wanted to be a gentleman, even if he felt like a stuffy twat.

The tension was building between them to a painful degree. Jamie was planning his exit strategy for when Lasso decided to attack him but then the fuckin' crazy bastard started laughing.

"I'm sorry, Jamie." Ted chuckled before standing up. "I couldn't let you go out with Lexie without playing my role as the over-protective uncle."

"Jesus," Jamie released the breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding, "Seriously, coach, you're too fuckin' good at that Jekyll and Hyde bullshit."

Ted nodded with self-pride. "I know, it's all those plays I did in high school. I almost pursued acting, but my mom wouldn't allow it. Said it was a waste of time." He shrugged after pausing to absorb the memory of his youth. "Anyway, sorry about that but I had to make you sweat a little bit."

He was about to reply when the sweet creature he'd hope would rescue him came around the corner and beamed a shy but lovely smile at him. Jamie's breath halted in his throat as he took in the dress she wore. Fuckin' Christ, she's perfect.

Jamie cleared his throat before saying as smoothly as he could. "You're beautiful… perfect, actually."

Lexie broke their eye contact to nervously smooth out her dress. "Thank you. You look… you look so handsome."

He grinned at her words. Rarely was he referred to as handsome. Fit, hot, and sexy were the words girls usually used to describe him. Handsome was a refreshing compliment to receive. Maybe it had nothing to do with the word, but with the girl who used it.

They hardly noticed Ted looking awkwardly between the two until he cleared his throat. "Well, you two have fun. Text or call if you're going to be out real late."

Jamie watched with warm intrigue as Ted murmured in Lexie's ear, no doubt complimenting her about how beautiful she looked, and gave her a quick peck on her forehead. After helping her put on her jacket, Jamie led her out the door while batting down the butterflies in his stomach he would never admit to having.

Alex had never been to such a fancy place in her life before. When they pulled up to the restaurant in Jamie's sleek, burgundy sports car, a valet had been waiting at the front door. Once they were inside, Alex was praising herself for the dress she chose. Everyone looked so expensive and polished, she felt out of place just for being there. The only thing that kept her from turning back around was the steady hand Jamie placed on the small of her back, guiding her towards their table.

Jamie seemed to be able to sense her discomfort from the start and made sure to keep his touch on her as an anchor in the intimidating place. His hand was casually stretched on the table and lightly holding hers as they looked at their menus. The light trace of his thumb occasionally running across her knuckles sent a warm tingle down her spine.

"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to be wearing something so formal." The teasing glint in Alex's eyes was luminated by the candle lit in the center of the table.

He laughed boyishly at her statement. "Couldn't get away with wearing me usual clothes in this place, could I? They'd take one look at me graffiti shirt and lock the door."

She giggled at the image. "I wouldn't mind going somewhere a little less… high class."

Jamie grinned at her, "I know you wouldn't. That's another reason why I like you so much. You aren't shallow or high maintenance, which is good considerin' I have enough of that for the both of us."

Alex couldn't deny his statement, he was much more fashionable than any other guy she'd met before. "Have you always liked clothes? Fashion, I mean."

He shrugged while taking a sip of his wine. "I've always liked expressin' meself through my clothes, but it was hard when I was younger because me mom and I didn't have much money." Jamie's eyes fell to the tablecloth as he got lost in a memory, his jaw tightened for a moment before looking back at her. "I didn't start takin' me style seriously until I started makin' enough money to be able to spend it on whatever I want."

"It must have been overwhelming, adjusting to the money and exposure to fame so quickly." Alex commented softly.

She grew up in a working-class family who didn't always have the best things, but her parents never let her go without. They were lucky to live so well for living off agriculture. Some years were tougher than others, but they always made it work and it taught her to appreciate what she had.

Jamie snorted. "'m not Leonardo DiCaprio but yeah it was weird at first havin' people comin' up to me in the streets. The money though, I didn't struggle with that at all." They laughed quietly together at his honesty. "The first thing I did was get me mum set up with a house in a nice part of Manchester, one she deserved."

Alex smiled at the genuine love that came across his face when he spoke about his mother. "Did she help pick it out or did you surprise her?"

"Nah, I wouldn't be able to surprise her. She'd probably hate whatever I chose." Jamie chuckled, looking away again. "She always had a classier taste than me. But there wasn't much she could do with a one-bedroom apartment in Moss Side, y'know?"

A lull in the conversation formed after the waiter came by and took their orders. Alex decided to play it safe and ordered the ravioli, against Jamie's assurance that she could order something more expensive.

He spoke up after finishing off his wine glass. "I feel like I've been goin' on and on about meself. What do you miss the most from back home?"

Alex thought for a moment before answering, "Honestly? The quietness during the night in the country." A soft smile spread across her lips as she reflected on all the nights she spent looking up at the stars. "We live 20 minutes outside of the city of Wichita. The stars light up the sky at night, especially in the summer. There's a small hill on our property where I like to sit and spend hours laying on the grass, listening to the owl who lives in our barn."

"You don't like the city life?" Jamie prodded, watching her face closely.

"I love the diversity that cities create, and there's always something to do." Alex shrugged after a moment. "I guess I prefer being able to hide away from the world whenever I want."

He nodded carefully and hesitated for a moment, struggling with what he was going to say. "The apartment me mum and I had was on the top floor of our building. When I was 9, I figured out how to get up on the rooftop. Never did tell me mum I found it," He laughed. "She'd think it was too dangerous, given the crime rate in the area. It was the one place I had to meself. I would sit up there and dream about being in the premier league one day."

Alex pictured a young Jamie, sitting by himself on a cold rooftop with nothing but his dreams to keep him company. She admired how even from a young age he believed in himself. "What made you work so hard to become a footballer?"

"Me mum got me into football when I was 7, she just wanted me to have a way to get rid of all the energy I had. Before football, I'd be bouncin' off the walls in our tiny apartment with nothin' to do, drove her bloody mad." A soft smile pulled up the corners of his mouth. "Then I just kept going back to it, every day. After a while, it became just as natural as breathin'. I didn't go a day without kickin' the ball around." The smile on his lips faded with a sudden sadness. "Me dad left when I was just a little lad, playing football kept me from thinkin' about him."

She felt a pang of sympathy hit her as she watched the flickering melancholy darken his blue eyes. Alex reached back across the table to brush her fingers against the tips of his. Without looking up at her, he turned his palm over and accepted her touch. The physical connection between them seemed like a safety blanket, and he continued opening up to her without hesitation.

"When he started comin' around again, at first I thought he was wanting to get to know me, to build a relationship." Jamie's chest heaved as he took a deep breath. "I realized after I joined me first club, he was contactin' all the local papers to tell them all about me, like he knew me. Talked about how he taught me to play. Me mum was bloody furious, told him to stop comin' around me." Anger flashed through his eyes. "But me dad never listened, always threatened her behind me back, the bastard."

"Have you seen him since the last time he came to your house?" She released a breath of relief when he shook his head. "I'm sorry you have to put up with him. I wish there was a way I could help you."

His slightly calloused grip tightened on her hand and warmth spread through her body at the gesture, "You do help me, Lexie."

Alex and Jamie strolled down the quiet and charming alleyway that led to Ted's apartment. They were both buzzed from the expensive wine from the restaurant, the flush on both of their faces evidence of it. While the alcohol made her head feel lighter, it was the warmth of him pressed against her that made her feel fuzzy.

The vibration in her coat pocket pulled her thoughts away from his muscled body pressed against her side.

Keeley: How's the date going? Are you two shagging yet?

Alex tried to cover her startled cough into her sleeve and quickly put her phone back into her pocket. She glanced up at Jamie to see him knowingly smirking down at her.

"You read that, didn't you?" Oh god, she wanted to crawl into a hole.

"Tell Keeley I said hi." He laughed at her blush and squeezed her closer to his body in silent apology for the teasing.

"It's rude to read other people's texts, you know?" She nudged him with her elbow.

"It's also rude to be on your phone while on a date, babe." He tucked her back under his arm and planted a kiss in her hair. "Don't worry, your rude behavior won't ruin your chances of a second date with me."

She grumbled into his chest, secretly trying to get her flaming cheeks under control. His casual physical touch with her made her heart stutter and her breath quicken. All the other guys she'd met had been too shy to be this touchy. Alex wouldn't admit it to him, but she liked how sure of himself Jamie was with her – especially after weeks of being in a limbo.

Much too quickly, they found themselves standing outside of Ted Lasso's apartment and it was time to say goodnight. The air around them turned from playful to a bit more suspenseful and tense.

Alex shyly looked up at him as she untangled herself from his warmth. She leaned back against the door to appear more relaxed than she was. "I guess this is where we say goodnight."

Jamie nodded and moved closer to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. The slow stroke of his hand traveled along her jaw and her eyes fluttered at the gentle touch. His blue eyes were trained on her face, noticing every tremble of her mouth, every movement of her green eyes. His thumb traced over her bottom lip for a moment as he shifted even closer.

She could feel the warmth of his body once again, his thighs molded against hers, their stomachs whispered against each other. He must have seen something in her eyes, causing him to move both of his hands to cup her jaw.

"Is it alright if I kiss you, Lexie?"

All he needed was the single jerk of her head and he had molded his lips against hers. Alex instinctively gripped his waist to keep herself from melting to the ground. She let him control the kiss, seeing as he had much more experience than she. His tongue swiped against her bottom lip, causing a zap of energy to course through her. Soon, they were lost in each other's heat and consumed with being as close as possible.

Jamie broke away with a shuttered breath, only to shift his focus to her neck. His hands left her head to clasp her waist firmly. His pillowy lips and soft nips on her skin were creating a warmth to spread down below. She gasped at the sensation and gripped his hair lightly. His muffled groan sent vibrations across her flushed skin as she jerked her hips against him. Alex shivered as his hands confidently moved up to cup her breasts, his thumbs tracing over her nipples through the satin fabric.

"Jamie," she moaned breathily.

She was overwhelmed with all the touch she was experiencing. Jamie's mouth on her skin, his hands touching her sensitive breasts, and his strong thigh that wedged itself between her legs were all rushing to her head and making her dizzy.

"Shh," He soothed her with lazy kisses along her collarbone. "I'm just saying goodnight."

Jamie worked his way back up to her mouth and planted one last long kiss to her swollen lips. He pulled away and took a minute to put her coat back in its proper place. With a tender swipe of his thumb along her bottom lip for the last time, he spoke huskily. "Goodnight, Lexie."

As if he had no choice, he stiffly turned around and started walking back down the alleyway. He kept looking back at her until she was able to shakily open the door and get inside the comfort of Ted's apartment. It was quiet inside, only lit by a single lamp in the living room. Ted was probably asleep by now.

She closed the door quietly behind her and once again leaned her body back against it. Her heart was still hammering in her chest and her legs were shaking with anticipation. She closed her eyes and focused on catching her breath. Alex moved her hand to touch her thoroughly kissed mouth and smiled against her fingertips. Her whole body was buzzing with delight and unfinished arousal. Her heart was fluttering with an emotion she wasn't accustomed with. It felt like desperation and happiness and fear all in one tidal wave that washed over her and left her gasping for air.

The realization hit her quick and had her sinking to the floor, her legs finally giving out under her. Is this really happening? Am I falling in love?

Thank you for reading! I hope you all had wonderful and safe holidays with the people you love : )

Question for you all: How graphic would you like to see this story go? I'm comfortable with writing sex scenes or I can keep it mild - let me know what you'd prefer! And of course let me know your thoughts on the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!