Weiss couldn't shake the pit in her stomach. It had been two days since she'd talked to Ruby. Two days since her meet at the Moonlit Dew. Two days since spilling her heart all over the table. And when Weiss confessed, she felt so naked, so vulnerable. It terrified her.
It was so fucking embarrassing.
As Ruby's return to work grew closer, Weiss only grew more nervous. Ruby hadn't texted. She hadn't called. And Weiss couldn't imagine how Ruby would react coming back to work. What she'd say. What she'd do.
Weiss hoped that they could finally put this behind them. Be a good chef, a good sous chef, and get the job done. They didn't need to be friends to be friendly.
She laid her hand on the back door of the Gele, and took a deep breath. She pulled it open.
"Hey Chef." Ruby greeted nonchalantly from the line, holding a clipboard in hand.
Weiss felt her breath leave her. Then, she straightened her shoulders, tightened her core.
"Ruby." She greeted. "How's everything looking?"
"It's looking good, Chef." Ruby said softly. "We have a few extra prep projects, but covers are hovering around ninety-eight."
"Good. Good." Weiss folded her arms. "I'll be doing inventory today. If you knock out today's prep, you can take over Expo and I'll finish the night out with that."
"Okay Chef." Ruby said, flashing Weiss a brilliant smile. "Sounds good."
Weiss flushed. She turned on her heel and went straight to the back, holding a hand to her heart. Fuck, it was beating fast.
No time. No time to think.
Service started out normally. It gave Weiss a break from catching glances of Ruby, who was thankfully situated in the back, breaking down chickens. Weiss was able to focus on the tickets, the food, the steady pace of orders.
Time slipped by.
"Chef." Ruby greeted, coming to the front. "Prep's all done." She said cheerfully.
Weiss looked at the clock. One hour until final seating. Perfect.
"Good. Take over here." Weiss ordered. "You're waiting on two chops and three squash soups for table eighty-six. Otherwise, things have slowed down."
"Heard that Chef-"
"Chef!" One of the front of house rushed through the doors to the dining room. "We got sixty-two covers that just walked in!"
"What?" Weiss' head snapped up. "Sixty-two!?"
"Some rich kid and their posse." The server said.
"Who the fuck walks in with sixty plus people?! With no reservation!?" Weiss snarled.
"Not sure Chef." The server answered. "We're seating them now, but I thought you'd like to know."
"Yes, thank you." Weiss said, pinching her nose. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Ruby."
"Yes Chef?"
"Inventory will have to wait. You're the fastest, so take up Saute. Dusk, move to Oven. Everyone!" Weiss addressed the kitchen. "We're going into the trenches. If you have any prep you put off because it was slow, knock it out now! We've got sixty covers for the last hour. If you need help, tell me now or suffer the consequences! Let's move!" Weiss clapped her hands, and the kitchen moved.
Knives flashed on cutting boards, tapping out chives, slicing onions. Pans of product were flipped, skillets stocked, and stations wiped down to shine before the wave came.
Weiss glanced at Ruby, dicing onion and cutting mushrooms at twice the speed of the fastest cooks. Weiss still wasn't used to how fast, how clean Ruby moved. It made her feel warm. Flushed.
No! No distractions. No fantasies. It'll only slow her down. It'll only make her weak.
The wave hit, and the kitchen burst into a flurry of motion.
Plates clattered against metal, wreathed with garnish and topped with lamb chops, steaks, cold pastas, butter sauces and sliced peppers. Salads and soups slid from the line to Weiss' hands. Tickets were stabbed, food was carried, and the meals were pumped out like a machine.
"Hands!" Weiss called. "I need that wasabi caesar for 58! Where is it?"
"Forty seconds Chef!"
"Where's the lamb chop Dusk?" Weiss asked.
"Two minutes out Chef!"
"Ruby! I need-" Before Weiss could get it out, Ruby slid exactly what Weiss was looking for into the pass. "Thank you." Weiss said, voice softening. "Hands! Table 9!" She turned back to Ruby. "How long on the mushroom scapata?"
"One minute Chef." Ruby answered. "I've got the nine truffle-creams following. Need hands to plate."
"On it." Weiss walked around the line, flowing past Dusk. She pulled nine bowls from the top and set up the garnishes to go on. Ruby worked next to her, watching the cream sauce reduce in the pan around the slew of noodles. She handed Weiss the scapata, who garnished and pushed the bowl to the pass. She pulled the pan from the heat and, using a pair of tongs, twisted and laid nine portions into the bowls. Weiss followed, topping each with the prepared garnish, sliding them through.
"Hands please!" Weiss called. "Scapata and nine truffle-creams. Let's go!"
"Thank you Chef." Ruby called from the line.
Weiss head snapped to look at Ruby. She looked grateful and. . . Tired. Tired? Ruby?
"Anytime Red." Weiss called back. She couldn't think about it. More food was being pushed through the pass. Weiss checked it and passed it. Checked it and asked for a correction. More garnish, less sauce, and please plate it at the proper angle. More shouting. More hands. Dishes carried to the pit and Sun rushing out to provide bowls, pans, plates, ramekins and tasting spoons.
Then, as quickly as it came, the rush ended.
"We're done!" The front manager called. "Last call, no orders."
"Good." Weiss nodded. She looked at the kitchen. "Let's button up and get home everyone. Good service."
"Thank you Chef." The kitchen echoed.
Weiss went to her office, closed the door, and sat in the chair. She breathed a small sigh, and pulled her hair from its bun, letting it lay over the back of her chair. She leaned over and unlocked a filing drawer. She pulled an open bag of skittles from its depths, and stuffed it into her coat pocket. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail, grabbed the inventory clipboard, and began counting stock while her crew finished closing.
As she counted, she snuck a single skittle every moment or two when her crew passed by, when their backs were turned. It gave her a small thrill every time she did it. What if they saw their chef, whose palate was refined, heads and shoulders above the rest, eating sugary garbage just out of sight?
She continued to do inventory, and one by one the stations were closed, the floor was scrubbed, squeegeed, and mopped, and the crew shuffled out for the night.
Weiss moved on to the last part of inventory. The walk-in. She quickly counted off the meats. Two racks of lamb plus twelve prepped chops, one side of beef, two whole ducks, and a case of whole chickens. Weiss penned the numbers, then moved to the veggies. Half a case of broccoli, a full case of carrot, six bell peppers, nine eggplants, four leeks, five heads of lettuce. Weiss tapped her pen against the board, comparing this month's inventory to last month's. They went through their salads twice as fast. Unexpected for the cold season, but then again rich people eat to show off, not to give themselves any semblance of pleasure. Happiness.
Weiss snuck another skittle just as the walk-in door opened. She jumped.
"Everyone's clocked out and headed home for tonight." Ruby said, closing the door behind her.
Weiss flushed. Ruby had taken her hat off. Her hair was a sweaty mess, sticking at odd, sharp angles. She'd ditched her apron, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her jacket, exposing her collar, her low-cut tank top.
"T-that's good." Weiss said, turning to look at her clipboard.
Ruby stood at the door, silently regarding Weiss.
"A-are you heading home too?" Weiss asked, glancing at Ruby.
"Not yet." Ruby said simply.
Weiss gulped. She folded the clipboard against her chest, and turned to face Ruby.
"Is there something you need?" Weiss asked.
"Um. . ." Ruby rubbed her hair. "Could you show me your inventory so far?"
Oh. Just the inventory. Her job. Right.
"Sure." Weiss pulled the clipboard away from herself, about to hand it to Ruby. Before she could, Ruby walked over, standing right next to Weiss. "U-um. Here." She gestured to the clipboard, running her pen down the line of numbers, Ruby standing just behind her. "Everything in the restaurant is accounted for. If we get anything for specials - " She tapped some empty boxes near the bottom of the dry storage and walk-in sections. "We can write them in here. I don't write individual counts of veggies unless they're under ten or so. I just do half a case, three-quarters, full-"
Weiss squeaked, as Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss' belly from behind, pulling Weiss against her, breasts pressing into Weiss' shoulder blades.
"What-" Teeth nipped at her ear. She gasped. "What are you doing?"
"I'm helping you get some sleep." Ruby whispered softly, hands caressing Weiss' sides.
Weiss whirled, pressing her hand against Ruby's sternum, pushing her against a speed rack, jostling trays of salted fish and defrosting shrimp.
"Don't you fucking play with me Rose." Weiss growled. "I know I spilled my heart the other day, but that doesn't mean you can do as you please. I'm not weak."
"I don't think you're weak." Ruby said, silver eyes cutting Weiss to the core. "There's nothing wrong with getting what you want."
"And what are you getting out of this?" Weiss asked, voice softening.
"You're. . ." Ruby looked away. "You're not the only one who needs this."
So fuck someone else." Weiss snapped, remembering Ruby's confidence. Her cavalier sexuality. "You can have anyone you want."
"What, you think I get around?" Ruby chortled, rolling her eyes.
"Don't you? You seemed plenty confident in the bathroom." Weiss pressed harder into Ruby's chest, teeth bared.
"Heh." Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. "That was. . . That's not really me. I was trying to be cool, play it cool." Ruby glanced at the floor. "You hadn't been with a woman for a while, right?"
"Six years." Weiss answered.
"Right. Well, that was my first time in two."
Years?" Weiss asked in disbelief.
"Yeah." Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand, pulling it past her breast. "I'm lonely." The words punched Weiss in the gut. "I'm weak." Again. "And what you've got -" Ruby pulled Weiss' hand down to her core.
It was searing.
"It's working for me." Ruby admitted quietly.
Weiss held her palm against Ruby's core, feeling the heat, the wet just under those pants. She glanced at Ruby, then her hand, almost in disbelief. Then, slowly, she stepped closer. Her other hand snaked around Ruby's waist. She looked up into Ruby's eyes. Her body quivered in desperate need, and she hesitated.
"If you accept, you can take it back. But I won't ever offer this again." Ruby warned, her voice hard. "I can't do hot and cold right now. It -" Ruby took a shuddering breath. "I just can't. Okay?"
Weiss didn't deserve it. But she would take it.
"I understand." Weiss answered, ice blue meeting Ruby's sharp steel.
"Good." Ruby reached her hand up, cupping Weiss' cheek. She brushed her thumb against Weiss' lips.
A moment later, they met, and melted into each other.