It's been about a month since that day, and everything was what I had hoped for. A week after my official hire-on day, I received a letter from Elijah, with a brief congratulations. Standard formal letter, as far as i was concerned. The entertaining part was his side note, stating his intrigue to my raising hell in the kitchen at his brother. I kept the letter on the mantle of the fireplace, neatly folded and standing to where the "congratulations" was sure to be seen.
In the following weeks, I was halfway shadowed in the kitchen by my Soux Chef, and halfway shadowed by the eccentric brother, Klaus, both curious about my work as I decided what to do with the resteraunt's menu, Although I'm fairly certain it was not for the same reasons.
I also got to meet two more family members in the short time. Freya, the eldest sister and official accountant for the company, met with me to discuss costs of the resteraunt, labor, and food cost, that way I could use that information to shape my ideas on how and what to cook. She was very official, and although friendly, she was hesitant. I wasn't sure if it was because I was a new hire (basically), or if it was for other reasons. She was polite, none the less, and our business talk was very informative on both parts.
The second member and younger sister, Rebecca, came to train the hosts and hostess', all of which Elijah hand picked. I didn't question it much, as I felt I could trust his judgement after owning -several- successful restaurants. Rebecca came into the kitchen to introduce not just herself, but the hosting staff to the kitchen, before taking a peculiar interest in me. Part of me wondered if it was because the entire family knew about my outburst with Klaus, painting me a good picture of what they must think of me. The other part of me wondered if she had plans of her own, which did not bode well, either.
And now, after all this quick chaos of introductions and training and staffing, the kitchen was silent. Silent, except for the tapping of my fingers against the metal tables that would separate the waiter's from the chefs come tomorrow: The first official day of opening.
My mind was reeling at all the things that could go wrong. Not only that, but had I missed anything? Was there something I forgot to buy? Something I forgot to put on the list? Did Freya think it was too much? Was it too much?
"...Okay, enough." I said out loud as I put my hair up. I needed to give myself something to do.
Luckily, the kitchen was staffed with enough leftovers from the previous weeks that it would be entirely possible to cook... Well, anything I wanted. And I needed to give my hands something to do. Also, it was a good excuse to eat.
I diced some tomatoes, and chicken, whipped up some eggs, cooked pasta, and threw together, in an already hot pan, some carbonara, barely cooking the egg as it coated the pasta, then dumped it onto a plate. I stared at it for a moment before I got the best of me and garnished it, adding some cheese on top as well. Predictable.
Quickly I rinsed off all the dishes I had used before scooping up the plate and some utensils and pushing through the double doors into the main hall. I had fully intended to utilize the newly installed TV in the very front entrance until I noticed a figure a few feet away, sitting over a table that was barely lit by, what looked like, a candle, or possibly a dim phone light. The doors made a strange clicking sound as they closed behind me and the figure's head popped up to look at me, startled it seemed. After a few moments of silence, a throat was cleared.
"My apologies," A British voice said politely, "I didn't realize anyone else was here."
"...Elijah?" I took a few steps towards him. "I thought I was here by myself, too." We both chuckled slightly. "Are you... I mean, may I join you?"
"Please." He motioned to the table. I strode quietly before setting down the plate across from him and settling into the seat. He seemed to stare at the plate of food for a little while before smiling at me. "Sorry if I frightened you."
"Same to you." I grinned. "What are you doing here so late?" I asked as I looked over to his side of the table. Papers laid askew in front of him, with various scribbles and markings of, what I could only assume were, notes and... sentences?
"Ah... Last minute paperwork. Since tomorrow..." He trailed off slightly, looking over it himself as his smile noticeably faltered. That was when I noticed he didn't look particularly well. Perhaps he hadn't slept in a while, or just slept in his suit, as it was disheveled. His hair was slightly messy, probably from running his hands through it due to stress. I laughed slightly, to which he perked up from his daydream.
"Why don't you take a break?" I grinned, pushing the plate and fork at it. "Have some of this. I made too much, anyway."
"That's very kind of you, however..."
"Ah!" I warned, to which he raised an eyebrow. "It is impolite to deny a chef's meal, especially if what they offered you was their personal dinner." I mused as I stood. "Go on. I'll be right back." Before he could protest, I pushed back into the kitchen to grab another fork for myself, and a bottle of wine that would pair well with pasta, accompanied by glasses and a cork screw. As I came back, I paused to watch him spin the fork, wheeling the pasta around it slowly, as if to savor the moment. I grinned slightly before pushing myself to go back to the table.
"This is so simple, but it's quite delicious." He smiled before putting the fork into his mouth.
"I imagine it's because you're hungry." I grinned, making to open the wine bottle.
"Mm." His mouth was full, but he motioned for the bottle, and I shrugged, handing it to him. He was very swift with it, like he'd done it a million times, popping it open and pouring it with such ease. It was almost -fun- to watch. He handed me a glass after putting down the bottle.
"Thank you." I grinned, going for a bite of pasta myself.
"So. What are you doing here this late?" I took a deep breath and sighed heavily.
"Jitters? Anxiety? Nerves?" I shrugged slightly. "All of the above. I will likely stress about it until the night is over, So I... made something." I motioned to the food between us before taking a bite.
"You're stressing?" He smirked at this. "Odd, it seemed like you were pretty collected for the whole thing."
"Was I?" I laughed. "Hold on, where were you hiding that you would know that!?" I pointed my fork at him, and he raised his hands in defeat, laughing. "You didn't even say anything to me... How impolite of you."
"Guilty as charged." He mused. "I was, unfortunately, attending many other things, otherwise I would've very much enjoyed being in your company." He reached for the pasta again, but I pulled it towards me, which perplexed him at first.
"I'm not sure you deserve this now." I smirked, to which he laughed, pulling himself back in his chair.
"Alright, then. What shall I do to get back into your good graces?"
"Hm... What indeed." I took a moment to think before laughing slightly.
"You thought of something?" I nodded. "Well, let's hear it then."
"No, It's... It's silly." I laughed.
"My curiosity is eating at me." He mused. I shrugged slightly.
"Well... I'm curious as to what your favorite dessert is, seeing as I have your brother's secret in case I need it for later use." I laughed. He shook his head.
"Is that all?" He reached over and pulled the plate closer to him. "Its chocolate key lime pie."
"...Well that sounds intruiging." In fact, it sounded delicious, and now I was craving key lime pie. "Where does one procure such a dessert?"
"If one asks their mother for the recipe." He grinned. "She's stubborn, however. She believes that I will use it to make millions. In reality, I just want to keep that family tradition alive for as long as I can..." He hesitated on his next bite before taking it.
"Is she... Alright?" I asked, a similar hesitation. He hummed an affirmation.
"Perfectly. As I mentioned, she's stubborn." We both laughed. "Is your family as stubborn as mine?" To that, I paused. It'd been some time since anyone had asked me about -my- family, I forgot such a conversation could unfold. Elijah must've sensed my unease, and his demeanor changed as well. "Forgive me... I didn't mean to hit a tender subject."
"No, it's alright." I laughed it off gently. "It's just... It feels fresh sometimes still." I took a bite of the pasta and, after chewing thoroughly, washed it down with the wine. "I was disowned early on for following my own pursuits rather than their expectations."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." He seemed genuine, which was warming.
"No, it's alright. I much prefer where I ended up." I grinned, and he mirrored me.
"As do I." He raised his glass as a means for a toast, and I politely accepted, our glassing making a delicate sound as they touched together. "You're going to do perfectly tomorrow. Try not to ware yourself out."
"Thank you for the confidence... and I will certainly do my best." I chuckled. "Are you... Going to be monitoring the floor tomorrow?"
"No." He said quickly, setting down his glass. "Klaus will be."
"Nn." I hummed and nodded, almost disappointed.
"...Seeing as I'll be here to eat instead." He smirked slightly. I laughed.
"Oh I see. A taste tester."
"The very best." We chuckled together before simultaniously digging back into the food. "I was more hungry than I anticipated." He sighed.
"You can finish it." I said, setting down my fork. "I honestly wasn't that hungry. I was just, uh... You know. Nerves."
"Do you feel the need to preoccupy yourself when you're anxious?"
"Very much, yes." I chuckled nervously. "I was going to browse the TV, but..."
"Ah. Sorry. You didn't have to-"
"No! No, I'm glad you were here." I blurted out. It was silent for a moment while the butterflies suddenly built up in my stomach.
"...Me too." He grinned. "It was nice to feel normal for a moment."
"...Anytime." I said quietly. "...I should get going. I have to be up early and be back in a few hours." I said, looking to my watch. "Woo... Literally." I picked up my portion of the dishes and made haste into the kitchen to clean up my mess, pans and all. It only took a few minutes, or maybe it felt that way, simply because I was too focused on the nerve-wracking feeling that hadn't left. Once I was done, I put everything in their prospective places and made to exit.
"Tassryn." Elijah's voice suddenly close to me made my heart leap out of my chest. I held a hand to it, as if it would work to keep it in. He laughed, apologizing for startling me. "My driver can take you home."
"That's alright, I don't mind walking."
"I insist."
"Alright. Well... thank you." He walked me to the car, all of which I could see was black and very shiny, and bid me goodnight as he helped me in. I absentmindedly told the driver my address, and watched Elijah turn into a spec as we drove off. And, somehow, I could feel my heart sink at the sight, but my mind was filled with the chaos coming in the morning.
After thanking the driver for a safe trip, I pushed my way into the apartment. The lights were all off, signifying my roomie had gone to bed, so I did my best to quietly place things in their proper place: Keys on the key hanger, coat and purse on the coat hanger, and shoes by the door. After that, I let my feet take me to my room, the clothing coming off as I did so, and replaced it with pajamas when I entered the threshold that was my own personal space. I flopped on the bed and, with that conversation still fresh in my mind, passed out to the sound of my heart thumping loudly in my ears.
