A Loveless Meal

Chapter 5: A Mistake And A Note

The next morning, Vincent stumbled to the bathroom with a groan.

He'd barely slept at all after that moment of surprise and alarm last night and now he was definitely feeling the lack of sleep.

Looking in the mirror, he sighed deeply at the haggard face peering back at him. What had been the usual bags had become full on luggage, the near-sickly sallowness of his skin making it look even worse.

Vincent briefly considered taking the day off to make sure he didn't get sick, he'd always fallen ill easy, but decided against it. Rody was still too new and he didn't have anyone he trusted enough to look after him and handle things if he pissed off a customer.

Rody... Vincent thought, frowning. Now how exactly should I handle THAT situation..?

Making his way to the kitchen, he started blending his usual mix of ingredients and vitamins to make 2 shakes. One for right now and one for when he got home later. Sticking the second one in the fridge, he leaned against the counter and sipped the first.

I could be wrong, he considered, It HAS been quite some time since I've been around someone with such a sunny disposition. And normally I can't stand those types of people, with their over-abundant cheerfulness.

Vincent furrowed his brows as he idly tapped his finger against his glass, sighing softly.  Nothing involving Rody had been going 'normally', so it was hard to really say.  Perhaps this is just... Misguided annoyance. The man certainly irritates me to no end. It's not completely out of the question that that could be the cause of my heart doing strange things when I see that goofy grin.

Pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up in between sips of his shake, Vincent smoked on it quietly as he thought. That grin is the kind you only see from lazy, care-free Neanderthals like him. People with too much time on their hands and not enough sense to spend it wisely.

Taking another drag of his cigarette, he glanced out of the window at the rising sun and scoffed, For god's sake, he quite literally doesn't know what he's doing with his life. Someone like that... No, there's no way this is anything but annoyance, he assured himself, finishing the last of his shake.

But as he got dressed for work, he couldn't shake the tension from his muscles nor the doubt clouding his mind.

Grabbing another cigarette, he muttered a curse and walked downstairs to unlock the restaurant.

 -

The chef's were on edge from the moment they saw their boss.

Vincent was clearly exhausted and irritable, chain smoking in the corner till the air of the kitchen was nearly miasmic. One of the newer chefs, despite being warned by his coworkers not to, mentioned that it was a little too much for some of the others.

Vincent's eyes snapped to him with a startling intensity.  "So?  If you can't handle a little smoke, then how are you supposed to handle working in a kitchen?! Are you going to leave everytime food burns?!"

Grabbing the chef by his collar, Vincent pulled him closer, waving the cigarette near the chef's face menacingly. "If all it takes to make you balk is a cigarette, do you really think you're fit for my kitchen?" Vincent asked, his eyes dangerously wide.

The chef put up his hands, a nervous sweat trickling down his neck. "O-of course not, you're absolutely right-!"

Vincent's grip on his collar tightened and the chef couldn't help but notice how blood shot the eyes of his sleep deprived boss were, "'Of course not' what?"

"Of course not, C-Chef!"

"Any other complaints then? Or are you going to do your job and get ready for work?"