Page 45 of Change My Mind
I also hadn’t seen him since I left his room five days ago.
The only signs of life were the shower running in the early hours of the morning, and that he was eating the meals I left on the oven for him.
It was quite the adjustment after a month of a routine where we saw each other every day for hours at a time.
And it had allowed me to get very in my head because there was no way he should be able to work that many hours while employed at Vivi’s.
Which meant that he was avoiding me.
Which only stung a little.
Although I had now sighted my flatmate, he was still avoiding me. I had been given a job to do via a member of staff whose name I had completely forgotten because I couldn’t get over the fact that it wasn’t directly from the head chef.
I was peeling potatoes and turning them into chips that, fortunately, I was not going to have to cook.
Everyone knew peeling potatoes was a task you assigned to your enemies. I already had two blue plasters on my hands.
Although I could admit that my injuries might have had more to do with stealing glances at Eli as he worked.
Seeing him in his element was beyond attractive.
There was a practised ease to the way he moved around the kitchen. Checking in on his staff while they moved through a mildly chaotic prep time. Chopping vegetables at an alarming rate. Managing to maintain three different sauces and make a massive batch of pasta.
And he didn’t look like he was frazzled at all.
I had seen chefs working with a full staff, looking more stressed than Eli did with two team members missing.
The only time I caught even a flicker of stress was when Dad came into the kitchen to say that we were five minutes from opening.
He shook it off quickly and called for all five of us to clean down our sections and get ready for service.
My chips were taken away by Kayla, who, by the looks of things, was going to work both desserts and mains. As I wiped down my section, I tried to switch my mind to a leadership role. It sat in a similar lane to my professor persona, so it wasn’t too difficult to find.
I heard a throat clear behind me and turned to find Eli standing awkwardly.
His eyes were guarded but still gentle. It was only now that he was looking at me that I realised I’d missed him this week.
“Is it okay if I give the team talk?” he asked. Quietly, but with a gruff undertone.
I took a deep breath before I replied.
“This isn’t my kitchen, so go ahead.” I gestured at thefloor.
He clapped twice. “Gather around, everyone!” Eli called.
Seeing us all in the huddle, I realised how truly tiny this team was today. If this service went off without a hitch, it would be a miracle.
“I know it feels like we’ve come into this service on the back foot, but I have faith in this team and I know that we are going to have a good service.”
A chorus of ‘yes, chef’ was enthusiastically cheered, signalling the end of a speech that I thought would go on longer.
Everyone dispersed to their stations, and then I remembered something.
“Eli, quick question. How do you want me to call the dishes? As the protein, or do you have a system?” I should have asked earlier. If there was a system, then I was fucked. I was a quick learner, but I wasn’t that quick.
“Protein is fine. There are no duplicates. Thanks for helping today. No one else could cover at such short notice.”
“Oh, you mean no one else wants to pull double shifts at an obscene rate?” I hadn’t meant to say it. I definitely hadn’t meant to say it in such a mean tone. Eli actually flinched.
