Last Flight to L.A.

chapter nineteen: faded dreams

"The human world ... it's a mess." 

~The Little Mermaid

Kelsey rested her hand on the doorknob that lead to the kitchen and gulped in a breath before a sob could escape.

She inhaled slowly a few times before straightening her shoulders and pushing open the door.

When she walked inside, she felt exposed. Violated. Like everyone was staring at her.

Had they read the tabloid? Would they?

She placed the cases of eggs on the counter before retreating to the break room.

She sat down in the small, empty space and pulled out her phone.

She scrolled through her contacts and found the one person she wanted to talk to, despite everything that had happened.

As the phone rang, Kelsey silently pleaded for her to answer.

She just needed to hear her mother's voice. She didn't want to think about the affair or the divorce or the missed phonecalls.

The phone rang a few more times before stopping. There wasn't even an opportunity for voicemail.

"I needed you," she whispered angrily.

There was silence.

She looked down at her hands and wiped away her tears again. She didn't even need to hang up, but stared at the blank screen.

"You have much on your plate, it seems."

Kelsey nearly jumped out of her skin and stood up, knocking her chair over as she whirled around.

Chef Romano stood in the doorway, arms crossed. An expression Kelsey had never seen before had taken the place of her frown: compassion.

She blinked and tried to make herself look busy. "I—I'm sorry, I was just going to get back..."

Chef Romano scowled seriously as she made her way over. "Are you alright?"

Kelsey opened her mouth to say yes, but found herself shaking her head. "No."

She blinked rapidly before a sob escaped her lips. She sucked in a breath and tried to calm herself again.

"I'm sorry," Kelsey said shakily.

"Sit," Chef Romano demanded, pointing to the overturned chair.

Kelsey picked up the chair and sat down slowly, baffled.

To Kelsey's horror, Chef Romano picked up the tabloid and began reading it. Kelsey knew she'd be angry that her employee had made that headline.

But she read it expressionlessly and when she was done, she set the tabloid aside. "Well? Is it true?"

Kelsey shook her head. "No. I swear."

Chef Romano nodded once. "Alright. Tell me."

So Kelsey did.

She told Chef Romano everything—the plane ride, meeting Ethan after-hours at the kitchen (she was careful during that part), going out to the theater, and how Ethan had tried to keep his past from her. She even told her about Roadkill and her parents and Sandy's alcoholism.

Everything.

And it felt so good.

She wasn't sure if she was more shocked by her own openness, or Chef Romano's willingness to listen. Chef Romano wasn't one for empathy, and only gave a single nod every once in a while, but Kelsey found it easy to talk to her.