Unexpected

Fight in the Fridge

My heart was still hammering by the time I got back to the kitchen. Closing the kitchen door behind me I cursed myself. What was I doing? I tried and tried to disappear into the background of all these mindless, brain-washed, but I only seemed to be noticed more and more! When we had first met I had become a biological interest to Loki, with the whole the-scepter-not-working-on-me thing, but I was merely a cook! Then I became his delivery service during which he liked to make me feel uncomfortable, asking questions and making comments to make me squirm. Now we were dinner partners and reading buddies! Well, maybe not that much, but still I opened up about my past and he did his and we talked, really talked, to each other. Now we were both on first name bases! So much for fading into the background, but that was what made it all even worse! I didn't want to fade away from him anymore. I enjoyed our conversations and even though I knew who he was, what he was, and what he was planning and could do, I was starting to really enjoy his company!

Shaking my head hard to get rid of my thoughts, I looked around the kitchen to see what needed to get done. Turning on a playlist of Taylor Swift songs I went over to the sink and started on the dishes, which of course took a small eternity. Once they were done, I then went out into the cafeteria and wiped down all the tables before returning to the kitchen to clean the stove-top, the inside of the oven, and the griddle top. Turning the griddle on high I let that start warming up while I wiped up the stove top, scrubbing away the drips and splashes from the last handful of day's meals. The oven had kept pretty clean so it only took a minute to sanitize it down. The griddle top was now nice and hot, so I went into the broom closet to find the special cleaner for it and poured it on top. The liquid hissed and huge, grease colored bubbles formed and popped, looking like a giant chemical reaction. I watched the bubbling for a minute before using a special scraper to move the liquid off the surface and into its grease trap before turning the knob to turn the griddle off. Then taking some sanitizing spray I started wiping up and polishing my workspace countertops and kitchen surfaces.

I was squatted down in front of the oven, working at a stubborn smear on its see-through baking window, when someone spoke from the kitchen door behind me. "Well, finally I found you."

My mind halted for a moment and I gasped, my muscles clenching up. It wasn't only that was I seriously surprised by the sudden voice behind me, but it was also the fact that the voice belonged to someone I truly hadn't wanted to find me. Slowly standing up, I turned around and faced none other than Ed, who was leaning against the doorway and smirking an unsettling smile that seemed both flirtacious and extremely dangerous.

Play it cool, like you haven't been trying to avoid him, act like you have before, make a snappy comment or something! My mind raced, and it was all I could do to try not to let my eyes wander around to try to find an exit. He would see that probably, know that I had been avoiding him, Ben, and their crowd on purpose, and it would provoke him.

"So now you're creeping up on women? You excel at being a jerky creep don't you?" I said, holding back a fearful stutter as he took a step toward me as I spoke.

"Guilty as charged." he said with a chuckle, though his eyes flashed something other than amusement, "And you excel at being a big-mouthed bitch and, as it seems, an excellent hide-and-seek player."

"I don't know what you mean." I responded, watching him closely as he stepped farther across the kitchen, getting closer to me. Instead of going cold with fear I started warming up, frantically trying to think of something to get him to go away.

"No, of course you don't," he winked, showing me that he didn't believe me. He was now halfway across the kitchen, which was far too close for me, so I made a surepticious step to the side, away from him and in front of the griddle, "Now, being the kind of guy that I am, I like the chase."