15.06 (#2)

Chapter 16

The next few weeks went by too quickly as I prepared for a chefs convention. The actual event had passed smoothly, with many of my peers representing their restaurants to gain more publicity. It felt good to meet so many like minded chefs, to be immersed in everything food related. I even managed to catch a quick minute with Émile who made a brief appearance mid-way through the convention.

"Good job guys!" I cheered my team. "I think we did very well this week. Now let's keep up the good work in the kitchen too! To celebrate this success, I'm closing the restaurant tomorrow just so you all can get a break I think we all need. The last few weeks have been super busy, so the chance tomorrow to catch up with sleep or whatever you do to relax and I'll see you back again on Monday. Again, good job chefs." The convention ended and we all parted ways, our pockets filled with new business cards and our contact books bursting with new numbers.

I sat in my car in the parking lot and pulled out my cell.

Hey you busy? x

Kind of, but I'm home right now. Olivia is out with the rest of the family, I had some work to finish here.

Ah okay. See you soon then x

I sighed. Rori was becoming less and less reachable despite my efforts to continuously pursue her. So instead of going home I drove to meet her. I parked in her driveway before striding to the front door and ringing the bell. "Coming!" I heard her call. When she finally opened the door, I was surprised to see her in an unnatural state. She was wearing a oversized hoodie with the zipper done up halfway and one side slipping off her body, revealing a bare shoulder. Without a word she let me in and shuffled in her baggy sweatpants to the kitchen to put the kettle on. I didn't know what to say since this was the first time I had ever seen her in such a sloppy state because every time we met she looked very put together.

The woman in front of me was not the woman I knew. Rori pulled out two cups and added a spoonful of instant coffee into both before brushing her frizzy hair back into her messy, unkept bun. She looked like she hadn't slept in days and had lost some weight. Pursing her lips, she handed me the hot cup before heading upstairs to her room. Our whole interaction thus far had been awkward and static, but I longed to just be in her company so I let it be. Her room looked like a bomb had hit it. Papers, case files, binders were scattered across the bed, the floor and her desk. The trashcan was overflowing with balls of paper between which three, what I assumed to be, empty bottles of wine were tossed. While a stale smell of alcohol and coconut filled the space.

"Rori are you okay?" I asked awkwardly, as I stood by the doorway unsure of where it was safe to stand.

"Yeah, like I said case was heavy then I came down with the flu, so you should probably stay away from me. Don't want you catching it too." Her voice was hoarse, as though she had spent hours coughing and her nose was blocked. She placed her cup on what seemed to be an ever growing pile of cases and took a seat on the office chair. Clearing her throat she started up the computer and got back to work.

"Rori..." I moved into the room, careful not to step on the papers.

"Rori," I said slightly louder.

"Yes Christian?" She sighed, continuing to type on her laptop.

"What are you doing? If you're sick you should be resting, not working. I'm sure work will still be there, but you need to recover if you need to do it well." I moved some of the folders off the floor to reveal a large but faint red wine stain on the carpet.

"I'm fine. I will be fine." She replied dismissively. "Why are you even here?"

"I wanted to see you. Is that such a bad thing? We have barely said more than ten words to each other in the last two months."