TEMPTRESS

XXIII.

ANGÈLE JOSÉPHINE MONET LAURENT CHASTIN - TOULOUSE, FRANCE 1968

She let out a sigh and grabbed a hold of her washing glove, washing herself before getting ready once again. Whenever she felt overwhelmed by her appearance she always felt the need to shower and get dressed over and over again. Dressing and getting ready up made her feel cleaner and more secure. She hated the feeling of insecurity, it wasn't something she felt too often but when she did, she felt helpless and weak.

"So, we're on dinner duty." Julien smiled, his eyes following her. She walked towards him besides the sink and picked up a small yet sharp knife.

"How can I help?" She smiled back.

"Well, you usually just sit and look pretty but this time you can help cut the zucchini." He joked, earning a smack on his back in response. "Cut it in half, then, cut them thin and fine. Make sure you're consisted with the size." He instructed her.

She nodded and cut the ends of the zucchini, cutting the vegetable in half before cutting them into thin circles. He even cut one for her to use as a size example. Julien made sure to keep an eye on how she was cutting her vegetables. Often times, she did a terrible job and he'd simply kick her out of the kitchen, this time, he decided to try and make sure she'd learn to complete a simple task: cutting vegetables.

"What are we making?" She asked.

"Un gratin." Angele let out a hmm, her mouth already starting to water. "We don't have meat to eat it with so maybe we can prepare a charcuterie board?"

"I'm already starving." She grinned. "Is this fine?" She showed him the width of the zucchini she sliced carefully and slowly.

"That's surprisingly perfect." Julien chuckled, rapidly peeling the potatoes and chopping them into thin slices before soaking them in warm water.

Angele smiled with pride as she continued to cut the zucchini before placing them into a bowl. She then helped him make the sauce by going to fetch certain ingredients and watching him do most of the heavy lifting. He felt bad since she wasn't doing much so he let her sprinkles the cheese at the top and pop the dish into the oven. "Now, we wait."

"How long?"

"One hour and 15 minutes." He replied.

"Quoi? That long?" She frowned.

"Perfection takes time." He chuckled and playfully tapped her nose, making her roll her eyes in response. He strolled out of the kitchen searching for the others to find something to do. He frowned as he poked his head into the empty living room, he hadn't even noticed how silent the house had gotten. He searched the bedrooms which were yet again empty. "Where is everyone?" He asked Angele who was still in the kitchen crouching down in front of the oven, staring at the dish slowly starting to bake.

She shrugged in response and turned her head back to the oven. "Are you just going to crouch in front of the oven for an hour?" Julien chuckled walking up to her, softly leaning his knees against her shoulders.

"Nope. I was just lost in a trance." She was. She wanted to check up of the dish for a while but suddenly got lost in her thoughts. "Everyone is gone?"

He nodded. "Did no one leave a note?" He shook his head this time.

Angele let out a sigh and stood up, scanning the room. Her eyes landed on the kitchen table where there was a note placed on top of the cover of a cookbook. She picked up the note reading it out loud. "Gone out for a drink, we'll be back in time for dinner - Adrien." Angele read out as she looked at Julien who dropped his head in defeat.