The Chef's Critic

Prologue

Maine was so excited when her parents told her that they will be going to Paris. As the only daughter of two famous chefs, going on a vacation with both of them is very rare. She is now 10 years old but it's rarely that she gets the chance to spend time with her parents. So when her mother told her that they will be going to Paris for the holidays, she was so elated that she started to prepare her suitcase for the said travel.

They arrived in Paris, they checked-in on a very posh hotel in the city. The biggest suite was given to them which was situated on Penthouse 1. Maine was very much impressed that when they arrived to the suite, she immediately roamed around and proceeded to one of the rooms that was assigned to her. She was so impressed with the view on the balcony that she didn't realized that her parents already left.

When she came inside and was about to ask her parents where will they have their dinner she then noticed that she was now alone on the suite minus the butler and the nanny that was hired to accompany her. She was informed that her parents already left to attend to a business meeting on the hotel's grand ballroom. The butler then informed her that her parents said that she can have dinner on one of the restaurants of the hotel. The nanny suggested that she just ask for room service, but since she doesn't want to feel alone, she choose to just go down below. After all she's now used to eating alone on different restaurants. Her situation never changes, she will be dragged by her parents in different places and checked-in on different hotels thinking that they will be on vacation, but as soon as they arrived on their destination, her parents will attend different business meetings and engagements that she is often left alone to fend for herself. So there's nothing new in this instance. But somehow, she's still longing to have someone to talk to and spend her time with.

While a young girl was left alone on the lower penthouse, a teenager named Richard was dressing to go down to the hotel's restaurant to have his Christmas dinner alone. His parents as usual have been busy doing their business that they already forgot that it's Christmas and their youngest son is left alone in the upper penthouse of their hotel where they reside. Ethan was already used to spending Christmas alone as this has been happening since he was 8 years old. Yes he has an older brother and a sister, but since both of them were already in college, they are already living their life of their own. Richard was used to being alone. Period. But deep inside he's longing for a company, a friend, for attention and for love.

In the hotel's restaurant, wherein there are less people, Maine choose to seat beside the window. Here she sees people, families passing by on their way to a party or to their homes to celebrate Christmas. She ordered Spaghetti Bolognese with Meatballs and a can of soda. After ordering her eyes and mind again roamed to the people outside and was wondering on how it feels spending holidays with your family.

Across from the young Maine, Richard was also seated, given that he is known to the restaurant, he was immediately seated and a waiter immediately attended him. He spent the last 7 Christmases dining alone. And since, he found comfort on small cozy restaurant of the hotel, he always chooses to dine-in here. He is now very much at home with the said restaurant as well as the manager and the chief cook. He orders the usual that he as which was Fettuccine Alfredo and a can of soda. What he didn't expect to see as a young girl seated alone across him on the other table. He can't help but think that the said girl is on the same situation as him. Little that he know that he was right.

After dinner, the waiter ask Maine if she wanted anything for dessert. She was told by the waiter that if she indeed want one, she can go to the pastries side of the restaurant and look for a cake she wanted to have. She then went to the counter and choose a very white simple cake. She didn't know what it was. She was curious of the said cake that she was about to ask the lady at the counter what it was when a boy told her that it called a Sponge cake. When she turned around and saw who said those words, she was faced to a tall boy. Judging for his face, she estimated that the boy was about 13 to 15 years old. The boy then smiled at him and afterwards ordered a sponge cake to the lady at the counter then left. Maine was left dumbfounded as she thought that the boy looks like an angel. She felt at ease immediately. It took her a couple of seconds before she heard the lady at the counter ask if she also wanted a slice of the cake. She then nod and went back to her table. Little that she know, that the boy seated across from her had been observing her.

Once the cake was served, Maine then greeted herself a Merry Christmas. She then again let her eyes drift outside where she saw a family hugging each other and the parents giving a gift to their daughter. Upon seeing it, she felt so sad that she didn't realized that tears was already flowing from her eyes. Ethen saw the longing look of the girl and he can't help but feel lonely as well. He felt like he was on a trance and before he knew it, he was already walking towards the girl and was already offering her his handkerchief. He then spoke, "Don't be sad. Everything will be alright". When Maine took the handkerchief, she turned to look at the person who gave it and smiled. She felt comforted with his words and was again had that feeling of ease. When Richard saw the girl smile, he was then smitten and he then felt that he was blushing.

Afterwards, the Manager of the hotel approached Richard and told him that his parents were looking for him. When he turned around to ask for the girl's name, she's gone and all he saw was a small pin on the table. He then saw that the said pin belongs to the girl and he took it hoping that one day they will meet again and he will be able to give it to her. After all, the girl's smile made him feel something different, a sense of belongingness. He didn't know that he already fallen for her.