Love and I

Cooking and Crushes Pt. 2

Amir

   Look, when I signed up for auditions to go on America's Top Chef, I wasn't actually expecting to get in. I wanted to mess around with fancy ingredients I wouldn't normally be able to get my hands on, and get tips from professional chefs was a dream. It is the dream. But one thing led to another, and before I knew it, somehow, by a miracle, I'd passed the last round of auditions. Yes, there were multiple rounds. And when money started getting involved, it was a little hard to say no. I wasn't in a great place mentally at that time, and my mom suggested that the cooking show might be a good way to "regain perspective". So after a metric ton of paperwork, here I was, on a bus to Los Angles.

   I'm not complaining. Really, I'm not. Plus, when a luxurious coach bus pulls up in front of your place to pick you up, you have to take it as a good sign.
   "Heeey, Mr. Bus Driver, thanks for the ride,' I said, giving him a small salute. Mr. Bus chuckled, turning his eyes downward.
   "Not a problem." At his feet, he reached down into a basket and pulled out two papers. "This is a schedule. And a list of the people that'll be in the show, as well as the map of where we're going." Mr. Bus smiled, handing me the papers. "Good luck. And enjoy the show." I scooted down the aisle, carefully maneuvering around scattered bags. There were a number of people around, probably around twenty, though the list of people in the show held closer to forty names. I decided to sit down next to a girl with a really fancy hairdo. But as I turned to sit, her expression quickly soured.
   "There's space in the back," she said, giving me a withering glare. I adjusted my glasses nervously, mostly out of habit and not necessity, and scampered towards the the first empty seat. I wasn't too keen on more social interaction after Hairdo.

   I scrolled through my phone, sifting through videos, recipes, and photos of food. I caught sight of a miso cod that looked absolutely amazing, and I was definitely getting hungry. There was a subtle movement next to me, and when I looked up, I saw an Asian girl sitting down next to me.
She gave me a small smile that managed to light up her whole face. Her eyes reminded me of black boba pearls.
   "Hey," she said, her smile wider now.

   Min-Xiu. Her name is Adeline. It's musical, almost, the way both her names sound. Adeline's wearing a comfy knit white tank top, and has on black shorts that look like a skirt. Her black hair's glossy, silky and short, cut close to her neck and it flares out slightly at her shoulders. There were two little moles on her chin, and dimples would appear when she smiled. I kept finding myself staring at her, looking at the way her lips pursed when she was concentrated on something, the absentminded tapping as she read a cookbook, and her small smiles when she'd find something she liked. To sum it all up, Adeline was gorgeous. She is gorgeous.

   I think I love our conversations the most. Adeline could make me laugh so easily. In just thirty minutes of conversation, I'd grown to love her sneaky, coy grins, subtle jokes, and curious personality.

"Amir. There's ten minutes left. I think I'm going to go insane," Adeline deadpanned. She was furiously knitting something yellow, and was looking as if she were about to implode.
   "You aren't built for long car rides, are you?"
   "You think? Nope. I can't sit still at all."
   Chuckling to myself, I started counting off of my fingers. "Tell me something I don't know. You've knitted a new pair of blue mittens and finished the last pages of your sketchbook. We've binged entire seasons of cooking shows, and you took notes on them as well."
   "I took a nap. We played a game of I Spy. And Pictionary. And I am a Pictionary star."
   "Please. You couldn't even guess 'bear'."
   "Your bear looked like a mouse, dog and a cat!" She shot back, her small smile widening into a grin. "It looked like everything but a bear."
   "And if I recall, your drawing of a plate was impossible to guess. It was literally a circle."
   "That's what a plate is!"
   "Now tell me, dearest Adeline, how was I supposed to guess a circle was a-"
   "Could you two keep it down over there? I'm trying to sleep, for goodness sake," a loud voice shrieked, cutting through the din of chatter and traffic. The whole bus went silent for a minute, but then the hum of noise resurfaced. Surprised, Adeline and I turned to see who had interrupted us, and sure enough, it was Hairdo.