“This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
“It’s literally just an omelette.”
“Yeah! But it’s the best omelette ever!” Haseena exclaimed.
Karishma sighed, watching as Haseena all but inhaled the breakfast at a speed she had never seen before. It had been a week since Haseena began showing up at the restaurant every single day, sometimes she was there before Karishma even reached and stayed until the place was empty. The head chef had assumed that the woman would get tired eventually, but she was showing no signs of leaving soon.
“You know,” Karishma began. She had planned to have this conversation with Haseena, and there was no better time than the present. “The other employees might start feeling that you’re giving me a preferential treatment if you hang around me all day.”
“So?” Haseena replied. “I told you I want to learn more about how the restaurant works.”
“You can do that by shadowing others too. Maybe go out to the dining area and see how the waiting staff operates?” Karishma suggested, she really wanted Haseena to get out of her sight.
“Nah, they’re all good,” Haseena shook it off with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“Then the other chefs. Like I said, they might get jealous or something. It’s not good for their morale, you see,” Karishma tried to reason.
Haseena hummed, looking around at everyone else at work.
“Hey Frank!” Haseena spoke up, making the said man look at her. “You mind if I keep hanging around Karishma?”
“You do you, ma'am.”
“Cool. Roy! Any issues with it?” Haseena asked the other sous chef.
“Nah.”
“Denise, my lovely lady,” Haseena smiled at the woman. “I’m not being a bother by being around your head chef, yeah?”
“Nope!” She answered with a wink. “It’s good, actually. She yells a lot less when you’re there.”
“Awesome,” Haseena faced Karishma once again, who was looking simply dumbfounded at her co-workers’ nonchalant attitude. “See? No one has any issues. You can relax now.”
“Right...”
Karishma tried her best to ignore Haseena for the rest of the day, like she usually did. It didn’t look like the crime boss minded either, she seemed content just to be in the head chef’s presence. At the very least, she didn’t come in the way when Karishma was working which Karishma appreciated. Otherwise Karishma was sure she’d have to beat Haseena away with a ladle.
Karishma couldn’t help but chuckle to herself at the thought of running behind Haseena with a serving spoon.
“What’s so funny?” Haseena asked.
“Nothing,” Karishma muttered, clearing her throat. “So, what all have you learned so far by being in the kitchen?”
“Oh, a lot!” Haseena grinned, as if excited to answer. “You’re very punctual, and so methodological about the way you work. You’re very kind to the other staff too, and if they mess up you help them fix the mistake and tell them what to do differently the next time around instead of getting angry. Even when it’s peak dining hours you always maintain your cool and keep the kitchen running smoothly. You don’t succumb to pressure and you always scrunch up your nose in the cutest way when you’re deep in your thoughts-“
“That’s now what I meant to-“
“You’re so patient with everyone and I can see how they love working alongside you. You don’t make anyone feel like they’re your subordinates or below you in any way. You always check every plate that goes out and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single dish being sent back to the kitchen. When you plate food, you have the most adorable pout on your face and you always let out a small smile as the server takes it out, as if you’re proud of what you’ve made. You’re just so fucking passionate and it’s contagious to everyone around you.”
Karishma was stunned.
This was not what she was expecting Haseena to say at all, and the woman didn’t even waste a breath in thinking about her answer. It was as if she had it at the tip of her tongue. Nobody had ever paid so much attention to Karishma, and for someone to not only acknowledge but talk so fondly about Karishma’s work...it meant a lot to her. More than words could describe.
Karishma was staring at Haseena, who still had her signature smile plastered on her face. She seemed completely oblivious to the ocean of thoughts that were crashing into the shore of Karishma’s mind as she tried to process Haseena’s rant.
“Thank you,” Karishma whispered. She was truly speechless. She couldn’t think of a single sarcastic retort, not after how whole-heartedly Haseena had spoken about her.
For a criminal, she sure was a sweet person.
Or was it just an act because she had an ulterior motive? That was the nagging thought that Karishma simply couldn’t scrub from her brain. Maybe it was just her cynicism, but she couldn’t bring herself to trust Haseena fully.
Yet.
“My pleasure,” Haseena replied with a slight bow. “Though I’d like to learn more about you. I know you love to cook, but what else?”
“Uh,” Karishma couldn’t be any more blank. It was as if she had suddenly forgotten who she was. “I like puzzles”.
“Puzzles?” Haseena tilted her head, looking...puzzled.
“Yeah,” Karishma nodded. “I try to complete at least one whenever I have a day off. Though I haven’t done it in a while now.”
“Why not?” Haseena questioned, making Karishma shrug.
“I’m usually too tired so I spend most of the day sleeping in. Plus they can be expensive,” Karishma answered.
“I see,” Haseena hummed.
“I should- I should get back to work now,” Karishma mumbled before turning around and walking away from the boss.
You always scrunch your nose in the cutest way.
You’re just so fucking passionate and it’s contagious to everyone around you.
Haseena’s words were still floating in Karishma’s mind, no matter how much she tried to get them out. Karishma had never thought of herself as anything special, but the way that Haseena talked about her...
Karishma shook her head. She couldn’t let Haseena get to her like this. She couldn’t let her guard down. She had to keep reminding herself that this was the same woman that broke into her apartment and threatened her with a goddamn gun.
Well, she did apologize for it...
Snap. Out. Of. It. Karishma.
Great. Now her own stupid brain was betraying the chef.
Karishma dove into work. That was her only distraction. But even then, every time she glanced at Haseena, the woman was already looking back at her. Sometimes she’d wave at Karishma, and other times she’d just nod in acknowledgement or smile.
She does have a cute smile...
“I’m a fucking idiot,” Karishma muttered to herself, feeling guilty at the type of thoughts that she was beginning to have. Oh God, even if she were to date Haseena, what would her mother think when she finds out what Haseena does for a living? What kind of an example would she be setting for her siblings?
Haseena may be persistent. But Karishma wasn’t any less stubborn. She would just keep avoiding all of Haseena’s advances until she grows tired and leaves her alone. That’s it. That was the game plan.
“You’re doing that again,” Haseena’s voice broke her out of her trance.
“Hm?”
“Scrunching your nose when you’re thinking too much about something,” Haseena elaborated. “So? What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing,” Karishma mumbled. “Seriously, you spend all your time here. How do you take care of, um, your other activities?”
“I have people I trust that can look after it in my absence,” Haseena shrugged. “I’m not too worried about that. This is more important.”
“You’re really invested, huh?”
“In you.”
The familiar rush was back, reaching Karishma’s face this time as she felt her cheeks and the tips of her ears getting warm.
No. She wasn’t blushing. It was just the heat of the kitchen getting to her.
“Do you take flirting classes or something?” Karishma retorted. How was the woman so effortlessly smooth?
“Nah. It just comes naturally when I’m around you,” Haseena stated. “It’s closing time soon. Can I drop you home?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You seriously need to ask me that?” Karishma rose an accusing brow, making Haseena smile sheepishly.
“Fine. How do you get home anyway, I don’t think I’ve seen you drive,” Haseena questioned.
“I do have a car,” Karishma said. That was if you could consider her third-hand car a functional vehicle. “But public transport for the win.”
“The subway?” Haseena frowned. “You live in the other side of the town.”
“Yeah, so?”
“That’s far,” Haseena muttered. “And you’re here early in the morning and you leave so late.”
“You gotta do what you gotta do,” Karishma retorted casually.
“Can I atleast-“
“Nah.”
“But-“
“No.”
“Just listen to-“
“Nope! Gotta go now. Goodnight!” With that, Karishma rushed to the employees room to change and leave for the night.
She had made up her mind, come the next morning, she was going to do everything in her power to make Haseena leave her alone.
“Hey Shawn,” Haseena said, looking up from the folder that she was reading. “I was going through the paycheques we’re going to give out and I couldn’t help but notice that Karishma gets paid the same as the sous chefs. Shouldn’t her compensation be higher?”
“Oh,” Shawn, the manager frowned. “You’re right. She was just a stand-in when the previous head chef quit, but then Mr. Edwards gave her the position. Honestly, I’m not surprised he didn’t increase her salary.”
“Why’s that?” Haseena asked.
“He was a bit of a cheap ass,” Shawn shrugged. “I know Karishma worshipped him because he offered the girl the job and all, but I’m not surprised he was under-paying the poor kid and that Karishma didn’t ask for more. Especially after the hours that she puts in...”
“Well, we’ve got to fix that now, don’t we?” Haseena muttered to herself.
Haseena had met the old owner when they were finalizing the deal, and Haseena did get a weird vibe from him. She was a good judge of character, and she had been right. Karishma literally slaved away in the kitchen and kept the restaurant running, and for what? The sorry ass paycheque she was getting?
Haseena knew that she bought the restaurant on a whim. She wasn’t new to making rash decisions, and frankly even though she was aware that she had a crush on Karishma, she wasn’t completely sure how long that was going to last.
That’s what her friend, Ava, warned her about too. Reminding her how she would date someone new every week and then get bored. But something was just different about her feelings for Karishma.
Haseena didn’t just want to take the woman out on a date, get her into her bed and then say goodbye in the morning. She wanted to get to know her more. She wanted to learn what made her happy and what made her tick. She wanted to know where she was from, about her family and about every single thing that she loved or hated. She wanted to know all of her stories, from her history to her plans for the future.
She wanted...more. More than she’d ever wanted anything with anyone.
Haseena had trouble falling to sleep at night because she couldn’t stop thinking about the chef, but despite being the person that used to snore till the afternoon and still be grumpy later she’d now wake up before her alarm with a huge smile on her face, feeling excited about the day as she’d get to see Karishma.
Which was why she couldn’t help but notice how tired Karishma looked. The bags under her eyes were getting deeper. A third person may not be able to tell since her work was still top-notch, but Haseena could see the exhaustion quite clearly.
She knew she’d be making some changes, and they were going to start with Karishma.
“Hey Karishma?” Haseena spoke up as she reached her. The head chef looked at her, her face devoid of any expression as she waited for the crime boss to continue. “Can you come see me in Shawn’s office when you’re free?”
“Is everything okay?” Karishma frowned. “Am I in any trouble?”
“Nothing of that sort, don’t worry. I just want to have a conversation,” Haseena added. “Work related.”
“Okay,” Karishma muttered. “It’s Friday and we’re overbooked again. Can it wait until after dinner service?”
“Sure.”
Haseena didn’t like it, but she decided to give Karishma some space. If it was up to her, she’d stay in the same room as her all the time, but she could tell that Karishma was beginning to feel tense. So once in a while, she’d let the woman breathe and focus on what she did best.
This also gave her the time to find out more about the staff from Shawn. The fifty something year old manager was quite the gossip queen from the looks of it, and seemed to know everything about everyone.
“Tell me about Stefan,” Haseena said, eating from a bag of potato chips.
“The delivery guy?” Shawn asked, making Haseena nod in response. “What do you wanna find out?”
“Whatever you know,” Haseena shrugged.
“Twenty eight. Been working with the company for around three years. Started on our route about six months ago, same time as Karishma. I think he was engaged before, but his fiance broke it off because she caught Stefan cheating,” Shawn hummed. “He’s also a Pisces.”
“Damn,” Haseena blinked. “How do you even know all this?”
“I can’t reveal my sources,” Shawn winked. “Why did you want to know about him anyway? Is it because he’s been asking Karishma out for months?”
“So it’s been going on for that long, huh,” Haseena hummed.
“Karishma still giving you the cold treatment?”
“Huh?”
“I have eyes,” Shawn retorted. “I haven’t known that kid for a very long time, but I can tell that she carries a lot of weight on shoulders. You can tell by looking at her that she has more responsibilities than she lets on. It shows in her work ethic too.”
“What are you getting at?” Haseena questioned, unsure of what the older man was trying to say.
“Don’t hurt her,” Shawn warned.
“I don’t plan to,” Haseena replied sincerely.
“Good. Or I can just as easily find out more about you too and my instinct tells me that you have some skeletons in your closet that you don’t want people knowing,” Shawn stated. The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds, a sudden shift in the air, before Shawn broke out in a smile. “Anyway! I should go look at things. That new waitress Ginny is too goddamn clumsy.”
“Yeah...”
So maybe Shawn wasn’t the friendly old guy that Haseena previously assumed him to be. But in any case, he seemed protective of Karishma, so Haseena didn’t mind the ‘warning’.
Haseena was still hanging around in the manager’s office as the day came to an end. She was waiting for Karishma to come by, tapping her foot excitedly. Shawn had left a while ago, and so had most of the other staff. There would be nobody to disturb them and she could finally get some alone time with Karishma.
At last, there was a knock. Haseena all but jumped from her chair as she went to open the door, smiling widely as her gaze fell on Karishma. It soon turned into a soft frown as she noticed the state of the head chef.
She did not look good. She was clearly overworked and exhausted. This wasn’t good for her health, and God forbid that Haseena was going to let things keep going this way.
“Take a seat,” Haseena said, motioning towards the couch. Karishma nodded lazily as she sat down, with Haseena next to her.
“What is it?” Karishma asked, rubbing her temple and then her eyes, as if she was struggling to even keep them open.
“When was the last time you had your off day?” Haseena questioned back.
“Not this week. Roy’s kid was sick and there wasn’t anybody to cover his shift,” Karishma replied.
“So you did it, of course,” Haseena mumbled. “And tell me, apart from you is there anyone that works as many shifts as you do?”
“Why does that matter?” Karishma retorted, looking annoyed. “I have more responsibility, so I put in more hours. It’s as simple as that.”
“No. It’s really not,” Haseena stated, getting serious. “You need to cut back your hours. And I’m not asking, I’m telling you.”
“What?” Karishma paled visibly, staring wide-eyed at the woman. Haseena frowned, confused at why Karishma would get frantic over ther. “You can’t do that.”
“How long do you think you can keep going like this, Karishma? Sometimes you’re here for, what, fourteen hours straight? You’re going to burn out fast at this speed. Working that much isn’t healthy and I’m not going to let you risk your well-being, both physical and mental,” Haseena tried to reason, but Karishma shook her head.
“No, I can do this, I swear. It’s really not much and I’m used to it,” Karishma all but pleaded. “Please just don’t make me cut back my hours.”
“Karishma, just listen-“
“I’ll even go out with you if you want. Just don’t do this,” Karishma cut her off.
Haseena froze. She didn’t know what hurt more, the look of pain and panic on Karishma’s face, or the fact that this is what Karishma thought of her.
“Is that the kind of woman you think I am?” Haseena whispered, her voice low. Karishma must’ve finally noticed the weight of the words she said, making her breathe in deeply as she shook her head.
“I’m sorry,” Karishma whispered. “I may not know you very well but...but I know you’re not that kind of a person. I apologize. What you said, it just made me anxious and I don’t deal well with that. I can’t afford to cut my hours, Haseena, please try to understand that.”
“Oh, if that’s the case then you’ve been worrying without a reason,” Haseena spoke up. “Tell me, why didn’t you ask for a raise when you got promoted to head chef?”
“Huh?” Karishma blinked. “Oh. Um, I didn’t want to sound ungrateful. Mr. Edwards gave me the job and...”
“How can you be ungrateful if you’re simply asking for what you deserve?” Haseena sighed. “I’m giving you the raise that you’re owed, along with backpay for the past weeks since you’ve been the head chef. And before you even think that way- I’m not doing it because I like you. Which I do, obviously. But this is me doing my job and compensating my staff fairly, which Edwards should’ve done too.”
“Haseena...”
“Did you know Jimmy has been the pastry chef here since the restaurant opened? That’s like over a decade, and he hasn’t gotten a raise in three fucking years,” Haseena scoffed in disdain. “That’s just ridiculous. Edwards had been under-paying quite a few employees and I plan to rectify that. Anyway. So how about you do the lunch and dinner shift from now on? Even with the reduced hours, you’ll still make more than before!”
“I see,” Karishma nodded. She had so much to say, yet her mind felt muddled and her lips felt dry. She was overwhelmed with a lot of emotions, and that combined with post-work fatigue just made her blank out completely. “Are you pulling me off breakfast shift so that Stefan doesn’t get to flirt with me anymore?”
“Guilty as charged,” Haseena winked.
