A Cup of Restraint
A Cup of Restraint
Chapter 1
It's so infuriating just standing here. Watching him whisk with that absurdly gorgeous arm, he is completely oblivious to the fact that he's the center of attention in the kitchen. I'm not the only one who thinks so…of course. But I'll be the only one to go unnoticed by him. I'll be the only one to evade those crinkled eyes, which are the exact color of chocolate. I've noticed.
"Order up!" he suddenly called from his station across the room from where I stood gawking.
One cup minced walnuts… I almost spoke aloud. It took all I had to concentrate on my own order and not run to embrace him when he spoke like that. His voice was the consistency of melted honey, which matched his Greek god-like appearance. It proclaimed to the world, or at least to me, "Completely Unattainable!" Still, even through these thoughts about how ridiculous my fantasies sounded, there was still a sliver of hope, and with that hope came confidence, and with that confidence came…
"Kelley! I need your order NOW!" The head chef yelled from somewhere to my left.
…restraint, restraint, Lucy… I told myself scathingly. The lovely but lethal Kelley flounced in front of me to the swinging door carrying a steaming tray, moving as much of her hips as she could when she knew he could see her. Her white blonde hair swirled wildly in its high ponytail. The worst part was that she actually distracted him. She always had, since the day he started working here almost a week ago now. And sure enough, he glanced up and stared, doing a double take, when she passed by with such loping grace.
His distraction caused him a loss of concentration. His knife slipped on the edge of an apple mid slice, and the blade chopped down on the cutting board against the skin of his thumb. I gasped when he should have felt the cool metal break his skin.
He jumped, looked down and relief flashed on his features when he saw that his hand was intact. But then he did something that I never thought possible; he looked at me. His expression was curious; his eyebrows forming into perfect creasing arches. My breath hitched in my chest for a moment. Had I gasped out loud? Did he hear it? He studied his hand again, not saying anything, but redness was starting to surface under his skin, and his face was a bit blanched. The fire at the base of my throat flared a little at that rush of blood, but I pushed that aside. Go to him, the persistent little imp inside me urged, but my own consciousness volleyed back with the usual, restraint, restraint...don't make a fool of yourself! I hid my face with as much of my mousy colored ponytail as I could. By now, Kelley had rejoined us, completely unaware that she almost caused a trip to the emergency room, and was nearly responsible for turning a Golden Delicious into a Crimson Crisp. The emergency had the potential to be much more disastrous if his blood was spilled, but that was a non-issue now, thank goodness.
He flipped his head up to look at me again, this time, as if he'd never seen me before. Surprise surprise. His expression was not displeased, though. Rather, it was bright with excitement. When his face lit up on mine, the urge to float into his sturdy arms washed over me again like a rip tide. Restraint…restr-
"Oh, forget it!" I actually breathed semi-audibly. I stepped determinedly away from my station and walked forward towards him. The look of astonishment deepened and became more permanent, which gave me all the more determination to press through my fears. With every deliberate step, I shattered through my layers of protective tempered glass; defying the odds of my insecurities with every amplified crease of his smile. I pointedly ignored Kelley's evil glares and the odd stares from the other chefs. They just glanced off my upright form and rebounded. Nothing was stopping me now! The little muse inside me was doing a victory dance, as I felt myself smiling- actually smiling, after so many dreary days without sunlight. (Figuratively speaking of course…sunlight would actually be a problem.)
I was in front of him now; he wore a goofy grin that made his face look quite boyish up-close, and undoubtedly matched mine. He extended his bronze hand towards me slowly and I saw that it was shaking. Little dew drops had suddenly sprung up along his dark hairline, but whether they were from his near cleaving accident, or from our proximity, I couldn't tell.
"I'm David." His butter smooth voice was even trembling. Then, still marveling at my unwavering courage, I lifted his hand to my mouth and gently kissed the reddened spot where the serrated blade nearly severed his thumb, never breaking eye contact. The monster screamed at me to give in to my nature. His crimson blood was so close to the surface!
But no. I would not be the fiend that took this angel's life. So instead, I just kissed his little abrasion delicately, blocking out the astonishment of the crowd around us.
Now that I had his attention, I was not about to let it go!
His eyes widened in pleasant astonishment, as I finally spoke.
"I know…"
A/N: This is just the first chapter in a rather long story! I will try my best to keep updating frequently cuz I know how frustrating it is to be in the middle of reading a non-updating story! haha I'll be back soon! Reviews are always welcome! wink wink P Thank you!