Take Out Chef

Chapter Eleven

Chapter's song: better when I'm dancing by Meghan Trainor. (I can't remember if I posted it already. I just freaking love the song. lol)

"I just need to make a quick stop on my way home." Bryan said as the panic started to set in. I couldn't go to Bryan's home. He was my boss and teacher. That sounded like a bad combination. It would be awkward and weird. More so than the whole Mr. Gomez ordeal. And that's saying something.

Frowning, I opened my mouth to tell him what an awful idea this was, when he parked at the valet of a fancy restaurant.

"Good evening chef!" The valet boy greeted him while opening his door. He spotted me and rushed to my side.

Bryan shook his head. "Ladies first, Erick." He teased the boy as he stepped down.

"Sorry." Erick apologized to me at the same time his eyes swept over my clothes, making me feel self-conscious, but then I glanced at Bryan and he was wearing jeans too!

I followed Bryan as he stepped inside the restaurant and greeted the hot-shot blonde hostess. They talked for a minute as she showed him some sort of chart. However, she kept stealing glances my way as I waited.

Bryan didn't say anything, but I was sure this was one of his restaurants. The unnerving part was how everyone stared at me. The hostess, the waiter that gestured me to sit at the little sofa at the entrance. Everyone. It was as if he'd never brought anyone here, and that was impossible.

He glanced up, our eyes met and my heart did a summersault. What. The. Hell. I licked my lips when he walked to me. "Come on, I want to show you something."

I followed him through a hallway, but I stopped when he disappeared behind the kitchen doors. I held my breath. Someone passed beside me and stepped inside as I stood frozen like a moron. This was an actual restaurant kitchen.

Biting my lip, I took a deep breath before pushing the doors. People were in a hurry, talking loudly among each other, screaming orders, all of them busy doing something. The sound of pans and spoons clanging filled the room and the mixture of different aromas reached my nose. Sweet, tangy, and salty. All at the same time.

It was chaotic. It was beautiful.

There was a large grill on the corner with fiery flames dancing through as the chef tossed a steak. On the other side of the room was another chef plating a dessert, completely focused on what she was doing, painting strokes of sweet sauce all over the plate as if she were actually painting a canvas.

Warmness burst from within. My life would never be the same. Not after this. I knew that this is exactly where I wanted to be.

"You can close your mouth, Jessica." I didn't notice that Bryan was beside me.

"This is amazing," I murmured softly as my eyes kept wandering through the kitchen, trying to convey every little detail. "It's much more than amazing, it's extraordinary." I touched my throat, felling the rush of blood and the erratic thumps of my heart.

I glanced at Bryan and my whole body stayed still for a second. He was staring at me as if I was the most interesting thing ever. His lips parted and I felt as if I had hot rocks in the pit of my stomach. Until he looked away.

Clearing his throat, he bobbed his head. "Would you like to take a tour?"

"I'd love to." The exhaustion I felt vaporized as if an act of magic. A surge of energy rushed in as he gestured me where to go.

He walked me through everything. From the different stations to the positions his workers had, introducing me once or twice. People were quiet as we approached them, but he talked with them as if they were old friends, not his employees. There was admiration and respect from both sides.