Why can't I stop thinking about her?

I'm sure that if it wasn't for Stephanie I would be madly in love with my girlfriend Elisa. If she's still my girlfriend, that is.

I've kept my feelings hidden for so many years now. I couldn't tell Stephanie how I felt, I just couldn't. But she's the one. Her skin is a radiant shade of white and her smile warms my heart. She's always been there for me. Even saved my life once.

Is it possible to love two women at the same time?

Maybe, but I don't really think so. I just can't get over Stephanie.

I heard footsteps coming from the restaurant kitchen. The head chef, who I was working for till I made enough money to travel home, was walking with a tray of food towards the booth I was resting in.

I started to get up. "I'm sorry, sir. I was just taking a five minute break. I'll get back to work."

"Nonsense." He said as he sat the tray down on the table and slid into the bench across from me. Atop the tray were a bowl of noodles and a cup of soba. "Have you ever heard of the 'National Noodle Fan Organization'? Every year they pick the best buckwheat noodles in the country and award the chef a prize."

"Woah!" I exclaimed. The noodles were fresh and steam rose from the plate. "You won an award for these? Can I try them?" I asked quickly. He nodded lightly and grunted.

"Thank you, sir." I said bowing my head to him and grabbing the pair of chopsticks resting on the tray. I whispered quietly, mostly to myself, "I can't believe I'm about to eat the best noodles in the country." I twirled the chopsticks around the plate, the noodles grasping to the ends, and pulled them up to my mouth. It took a second to realize it, but the noodles were terrible! They were soggy, foul and maybe even a little stale.

"What do you think? They good?" The chef asked. I considered lying, for the sake of this man's dignity; I mean he did win an award for these noodles.

"They're really awful." I admitted, covering my mouth to prevent from hurling the food back up.

The chef chuckled to himself, "Good answer. They're the cheapest noodles I could find at the market." My eyes widened and I reached my hand to my throat. "I never said anything about these noodles winning an award; I merely stated that the award existed. You just jumped to that conclusion." He said very finally as he stood up and returned to the kitchen.

I scoffed back at him, but he didn't see; probably for the best. The man was excellent with a soba kiri.

I sat there for a moment thinking about what had just happened. Why would he feed me such disgusting noodles from the cheap end of the market? Was I really that bad of a helper?

Maybe the guy just liked playing practical jokes. I did see him working on a jigsaw puzzle the other day; perhaps he thought he was smarter than me.

I merely stated that the award existed. You just jumped to that conclusion. The words echoed in my mind.

So what if I jumped to the conclusion that they were special? I thought to myself.

Oh, wait. Stephanie.