Hell's Smitten (Gordon Ramsay x Reader)

Chapter 59- When will this day End?

Wednesday, July 10th, 2013

Once the kitchens are spotless, my new team and I trudge up the stairs together. I've not had time to process what happened– my brain has been on autopilot ever since being called up to the chopping block. The interview crew tries to intercept me at the top of the stairs, but I manage to wave them off, promising to talk with them tomorrow.

Most of the chefs had already prepared a fast dinner for themselves during lunchtime, but since I was gone I had no time to make myself anything. My blue kitchen teammates finish off their meals then head into the bedroom without much talking. I wonder when we'll inevitably discuss what Pietro might have meant. Everyone must be in shock still.

Abel steps back out of the blue dorm a minute later with a fresh book in his hands. He heads towards one of the armchairs and sits down with his back to the kitchen.

I have no idea how Gordon deals with the stress of leading two kitchens and still wakes up early every morning to set up our challenges. Maybe it gets better over time, or maybe I wouldn't be so drained if I didn't have to deal with so many conflicting emotions in one day.

I sleepily head into the kitchen and stare dully into the fridge with cloudy eyes. I should eat something before bed. It's already close to midnight, so I don't have time for anything extravagant. I pull out some wheat bread, a package of turkey, mayo, and some muenster cheese. This will have to do.

I set the ingredients on the countertop and begin working on preparing my sandwich. A fly buzzes past my head annoyingly and lands on a calendar hanging on the wall above me. I give it a hateful look. Damn flies. Make your own food, you freeloaders.

My eyes move past the fly onto the calendar.

Today is July tenth.

Reflexively, my eyes trail across the calendar until they land on July thirteenth. Unlucky thirteen. The day my parents died.

I had hoped being at Hell's Kitchen would distract me so I'd miss the day entirely. Usually, I'd call out of work and spend the day curled up in my bed mourning them. Even though my jobs never paid well, they weren't heartless and never made me come in on that day. Now I don't have much of a choice. It's not like I can take a break from Hell.

The numbers on the calendar begin to get fuzzy and mesh together. Somewhere in the distance, I hear the fly take off. Before I know what's happening, my eyelids droop and exhaustion overtakes me.

*~*~*

I clamber from the creaky chair and admire my work. A rainbow-lettered 'Welcome Home' banner sways in front of my doorway. Dad will get a kick out of this. Sure, maybe 'Welcome Home' isn't the most fitting of banners, but I'd severely narrowed my options when I waited until the last minute to stop my bike at the Dollar Store and pick it out. So it was this or 'Happy Birthday'.

 I slide the chair back under the table. The cake I'd baked for the occasion sits under a glass dome, its clean white icing contrasting heavily with the pitted wood of the ancient, rickety surface beneath it. Each chair around the table is mismatched, but hey– they were cheap.

My back pocket vibrates with an incoming text. I pull out my flip phone to see an incoming message from Mom.

"Honey, congrats on your apartment! We know it must have been so hard saving up for it.

We are so proud of you, and we have a special gift for you when we get there! See you at 3:00!

Love, Mom and Dad"

I smile at my phone then write up a short response.

"Awesome! I can't wait to show you guys the place. Movin' on up ;)  Love you."