Karishma woke up with a smile on her face, excited for her day to start. She hadn't done an early morning shift ever since Haseena raised her pay and decreased her hours.
She did like cooking breakfast food, but at the same time she was grateful for the extra hours of sleep. She needed the rest, and in the past few weeks her focus and energy had visibly gotten better. The bags under her eyes were lighter too, and she had a good morning routine of eating a healthy breakfast, doing some reading and then going to the gym before finally heading to work.
Karishma didn't know whether she was ecstatic to do the breakfast service, or to see Haseena again...
I haven't even been up for a whole minute and I'm already thinking about her Goddamnit, the chef said to herself.
The transit to the restaurant felt longer than ever before, and the chef was itching to get to work. Once she was finally in the building, she went to the kitchen, hoping to see Haseena there. But the woman was nowhere to be seen. She decided to check the employee's lounge and Shawn's office, but once again, the gangster wasn't there.
Of course, with Karishma not working mornings anymore, Haseena too had stopped showing up early. She came around the same time Karishma did, and that was before lunch. So maybe she was going to come in then? Maybe Karishma was getting in over her head by assuming that Haseena would come early just because she was.
Karishma got to work, trying to focus on the food even though the crime boss kept plaguing her mind. Flashes of last night...of their kiss...well, kisses, to be exact, kept appearing each time she closed her eyes.
Fuck, Karishma cursed internally, we didn't even decide how we're going to act at work.
Things might get a little complicated if they started dating, considering Haseena wasn't only her boss but the owner of the restaurant. Though it wasn't a corporate and there weren't any explicit rules against dating other staff but...still. It would just be awkward.
"Hey, Roy?" Karishma spoke up, trying to get her colleague's attention.
"Yes, chef?"
"Hypothetically, if two people that worked together in a restaurant started dating...what would you think about it?" Karishma asked.
"Huh? Oh," Roy hummed, rubbing his head. "If they're both chefs then it might be a shitshow if they break up."
"What if only one of them is a chef?"
"So, like a chef and a waitress?" Roy clarified.
"Sure," Karishma shrugged.
"You idiot," Jimmy sighed as he walked in and slapped the back of Roy's head playfully. "She means herself and the boss."
"Huh?" Roy blinked. "Oh. Yeah. That would make a lot of sense."
"What? No! That wouldn't, uh, that wouldn't make any sense," Karishma fumbled on her words as she shook her head. "Haseena and I are not dating!"
"Right..." Jimmy muttered.
"Yeah, sure!" Yelled out Katie, one of the line cooks.
"Come on, chef, we all have eyes," added Emmett, the head waiter.
"They're finally going out? Denise owes me fifty bucks!"
"We're not...get to work all of you!" Karishma ordered. Katie and Jimmy nodded, going back to their stations. Emmett chuckled but listened to the executive chef too, whereas Roy still stood there, looking at Karishma.
"So you and Haseena are-" Roy began, but was cut off by the new sous chef.
"Chef? The provisions are here," Leo said, glancing at Roy and giving him a look as if telling him to leave. Roy shrugged, but got the hint and left the head chef alone.
