Delectable - cth

by jetblkvalntyne

Summary:

Receiving the chance of a lifetime in the kitchen she's wanted to work in for years came as a huge shock. But Aliyah was excited, even if it meant proving herself over and over again to countless people, including herself.
But when it came to the right dish, one bite was always enough.
Enough to win over her soon to be boss, enough to keep her job, and maybe even enough to find her some love along the way.

Notes:

Hope you enjoy? idk thanks for reading friends <3

Chapter 1: One

Aliyah stepped over the threshold into her new job with a quiet breath. Where she was sure she’d be spending countless hours for the next however many years. The brunette just wasn’t sure how that first introduction would go, being told in advance she was going to have to win over the head chef. He didn’t even know she was coming. 

The interview process was easy, flawlessly answering questions and asking the right ones when the time came. The man hired her on the spot, and not that she was surprised, but she expected a call later on the day. Not the offer on the table right then and there. But after a few minutes of healthy negotiation, she was walking out with the direction to show up that Thursday night ready to impress the head chef. 

She went into that day acting as if she hadn’t had the job yet. That once the chef approved, then she’d be working there. Almost instantly the manager was in front of her, welcoming and ushering the brunette towards the kitchen. 

“He can be an asshole, but don’t let him intimidate you.” The manager that Aliyah knew as Brian smiled, pushing open a door and letting her walk in first. “And remember, he doesn’t have the power to fire you. Only I do.”

“Got it.” She nodded, smiling at the man, glancing around until her eyes landed on who she assumed to be the head chef. “That one?”

Brian chuckled quietly, nodding back at her before lifting his arm and beckoning the man over. “Calum, c’mere for a minute.”

The chef's head snapped in their direction before abandoning his spot and making his way over. Aliyah could already tell the two of them would butt heads, though she thought, or more so hoped, they would work through it. She loved this restaurant and had been waiting for a spot in the kitchen to open up for almost a year. 

“What’s up, boss? We close in five minutes.”

“I wanted to introduce you to your new sous chef– Aliyah.” He paused, glancing between the two of them as the girl held her hand out. “Didn’t want it to be a surprise tomorrow morning.”

He took one look at her, glanced at her hand, then back to the manager. “No.”

“Cal–”

“I told you I didn’t want a fucking sous chef.” The dark haired man argued, barely even giving it a thought. “The kitchen is running fine.”

“The kitchen needs another set of hands. You guys have been falling behind on orders– and not to mention you haven’t revamped the menu in months.” Brian shot back, rolling his eyes. “Reviews are coming in low, and we need to fix that.”

“Bullshit.” Calum rolled his eyes, turning around and walking back over to where he had been before. “Everyone go home, I’ll take care of this tonight.”

The rest of the staff did as he said while he continued cleaning up various items and making his way around the kitchen. Brian was quick to walk over to him, grabbing his arm and making the brunette look at him. “Give her a chance, she’s an amazing chef.”

“Get out of my fucking kitchen.” He mumbled, ripping his arm away and glancing at the girl. “You. Ya think you’re good enough to work alongside me ?”

The girl looked at Brian as he walked by her to leave the kitchen, noticing the small nod he gave her. “Yeah– yes I do.” She nodded at the chef across the room just as the door closed behind the manager. “I’m an amazing chef and I love to do it.”

“Care to put that to the test? I haven’t had dinner yet and I’m absolutely famished.” The boy was cocky, leaning on the counter he had just finished clearing off moments earlier. 

But Aliyah knew that was her chance, to prove that she deserved the job. “I can make anything. Just name your poison.” She paused, smiling at him with her eyebrows raised. “But my specialty is ratatouille.”

“You’re joking? Like the movie with the rat?” He chuckled, almost in disbelief. Who did this girl think she was? Claiming she was amazing at one of the dishes he had always struggled with himself. There was just something about it he couldn’t seem to get right. 

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes, stepping towards him. “That movie was actually the reason I became a chef. Anyone can cook, and I happen to be a part of anyone.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re good at it though, does it sweetheart?”

“I’m assuming you have the ingredients needed?” As the girl stepped opposite of him, she raised her eyebrows. He just chuckled and nodded, eyes glancing to the left towards all their fresh produce, amongst other things. “May I?”

Calum only nodded before speaking up. “Help yourself.”

She jumped right into it, wanting to prove herself and make it known that he should want to work with her . Was the girl nervous? Of course. Calum’s eyes didn’t leave her once, even as she was just collecting ingredients. It wasn’t necessarily a hard dish to make, and she was sure there were many others she could make to show the man that she belonged in the kitchen. But with ratatouille she could really show how passionate she was about her work. 

“Want me to make something else along with it? I tend to make it as a side and not a main.” She continued at the pan heating over the stove top, glancing over her shoulder at the tanned boy. “If you have any fish–”

Raising his eyebrows, he let off a soft chuckle. “Let’s see how you do with this first, then I’ll let you use more of my ingredients.”

“Fair enough.” She smiled, nodding and turning back to the stove top. She focused on adding the garlic, onion and carrot to the heated pan, happily taking in the smell of the sizzling garlic. One of her favorites . 

Calum leaned onto his forearms, eyes focused on her hands when he caught a glimpse, but every once in a while trailing up her body to the back of her head. He took note of the messy state of her hair, tucked nicely into some sort of updo that seemed to be secure, but gave it that tousled look. Much better than the other girls in his staff that just threw theirs into a ponytail. She respected herself, and that was important to the boy. 

He then took note of what she was wearing. If he let her keep the job, she’d of course get a uniform, but seeing how she represented herself now was a good tell. A white blouse, buttoned all the way and tied at the base of her neck in a small, loose bow, paired with black and white houndstooth pants, fitted to her body shape nicely, and a simple pair of black, closed toe heels. He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, assuming she didn’t plan on being in the kitchen and cooking that night. Any respectable chef would know to wear non-slip shoes.

Though the idea of having a sous chef when he was sure he didn’t need one still made him angry. Calum was fine with the way his kitchen was running, and didn’t need to add another body and make things more difficult. In his opinion, he was better off without the girl. 

The head chef hadn’t even realized she moved onto her next step. Letting the mixture sit that she had added the crushed tomatoes to, she was now carefully slicing the vegetables evenly, not a clue that his eyes never left her. 

“So where did you go to culinary school?” She spoke quietly, so obviously focused on the task at hand, but hoping to get to know the man she wanted to call her head chef. 

He was a little caught off guard by the question, standing up and blinking a few times before answering confidently. “New York, The Institute of Culinary Education.” He nodded, noticing her eyebrows furrow before turning to face him.

“I thought I read something about you going to school in Switzerland?” 

“I did.” Calum paused for a moment, wetting his lips. “I decided I didn’t want to be so far from home, so I came to New York instead.”

Already nodding, she sighed and turned back to the ingredients in front of her, checking the simmering pan and continuing to cut a few more vegetables. “I get that, being away from home is really hard sometimes. I thought about doing the same on more than one occasion actually. Especially those first few months away from home.”

“So, where did you go to school?” The tanned boy slowly started making his way over to where the girl was working, head cocked to the side as he waited for an answer. 

Aliyah paused, looking to him. “Le Cordon Bleu.”

“You went to school in Paris?” Eye’s slightly wide, lips parted, Calum couldn’t help the look of pure shock on his face, no matter how hard he tried.

She laughed lightly, rolling her eyes playfully as she started carefully placing the sliced vegetables in a perfect circular pattern on a new dish. “Oui, bien sûr.” (Yes, of course I did.)

He was sure this girl would be the death of him, going to the school he had always dreamed of, speaking french seemingly fluently, making a dish he always struggled with. And on top of all of that– she was his type. “Of course you speak French.”

She winked at him before looking back down at the dish. “It would have been hard if I didn’t.” The brunette smiled softly, shaking her head lightly as she slid the dish into the oven she had preheated before. “Living in Paris I didn’t have much of a choice, plus I had already taken it all throughout high school.”

Calum wet his lips once again, watching as she grabbed a few more ingredients and started on what seemed to be a sauce of sorts. “You’re probably the only one in this entire restaurant that speaks French.”

“Really? Don’t you guys pride yourselves on specializing in French cuisine?”

The boy's cheeks flushed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I mean, it’s what I’m good at. Just because I didn't go to school in France or I don’t speak French fluently doesn’t mean I’m not good at cooking French dishes.”

“No, you’re right.” She smiled, continuing on her sauce she liked to call her special recipe. Aliyah had just been messing around in the kitchen at home in the middle of her schooling, and made it to try with a few random dishes. Ratatouille being one of them, and since then she refuses to make it without the sauce.

“What’s the sauce for?” he questioned, looking over her shoulder, catching a whiff of the concoction and getting pulled in. “Smells decent.”

“It’s for the ratatouille, I made this sauce for it once and now I just have to every time because it makes it that much better.” She admitted, a small smile on her face. “You’ll see.”

The boy let her finish, giving her any space she needed as he cleaned up the rest of the kitchen, but getting distracted by the mesmerizing smell coming from both her sauce and the dish itself. Just over forty minutes later, she was plating a single serving nicely, carefully pouring some of her sauce over top of it.

He was just standing at the counter he had been at when she originally entered the kitchen, leaning onto it with his sleeves rolled up and waiting for the food to be placed in front of him. As Aliyah did so, he glanced at her, then down at the dish pleasantly pleased. 

“And here you go, Ratatouille prepared by myself and served with my secret garlic based sauce.” She smiled, stepping back to give him his space as he admired the plating. It looked good, but that didn’t mean it’d taste good. 

Carefully bringing his fork to the neatly plated dish, he glanced at her one more time before bringing it to his lips. As he parted them and placed the small bite into his mouth, he wished he could say he was surprised, but it was everything he expected from the girl. 

One bite was enough. 

Chapter 2: Two

Somehow even more nervous after gaining the head chef's approval, the following day Aliyah was told to be there before they open, and to be ready to cook. Brian wasn't there to welcome her that time, and she wasn't given a specific time. She simply googled what time they opened, and decided she'd get there as soon as she was up and moving for the day. Calum didn't expect her to beat him there.

She was outside in her car, waiting for either Calum or Brian to get there. She figured the door was locked, and didn't want it to look like she was trying to break in. The head chef expected the brunette to get there maybe a half hour before they were to open, but finding her in the parking lot two full hours early didn't surprise him as much as someone would expect. He could tell she had her shit together the moment he saw her cooking the night before.

Calum stepped beside the slate gray car, tapping on her window with his brows raised. He couldn't help the small chuckle that pushed past his lips as she jumped and dropped her phone into her lap. "You're here early." He said loud enough to what through the window.

It was only a mere few moments that Aliyah was grabbing her bag from the passenger seat and exiting the vehicle. The boy was already walking towards the back door to the restaurant, and she was doing a little jog to catch up with him. "You just said early, you never said what time. So I figured the earlier the better so I can familiarize myself with the kitchen."

"How long have you been out here?" Calum furrowed his brows, glancing at her as he pulled out his keys and started messing with the lock. He barely saw the girls cheeks go red before the lock finally clicked and he pushed the door open.

She shrugged, following him inside. "Just a bit before you–"

"I can check the camera footage." Calum chuckled, looking back at her again as he set his bag on a bench. Would he check the cameras? No, but he needed his kitchen staff to be honest with him. Most of them were like a second family to him, and Aliyah being his sous chef, he'd be spending a lot of time with her.

Aliyah sighed and set her bag beside his, looking up at Calum with a small smile. "Probably an hour and a half before you got here. I wanted to make sure I got here early enough to go in with you." she paused. "We didn't get to talk much before you kicked me out last night."

"I was hoping you'd get here extra early, it was a test." Calum smiled softly, rolling his eyes playfully. "Today you're going to be meeting everyone and shadowing me, just to get an idea how we run things around here."

The brunette nodded along as she took in the kitchen officially for the first time, she was actually working here. Everything started with a small tour of the entire restaurant. Brian's office, the main floor, the bathrooms, and everything else. It was easy to memorize and catch on, she wouldn't be anywhere other than the kitchen at most times.

"We get critics in here often–" He paused, glancing at the back door as it opened and a tall blonde man walked in. He raised his hand in a simple wave before looking back at Aliyah. "We won an award last year and it caused an influx, I'd say maybe one every couple of weeks at this point."

"Morning, Calum." The man that walked in smiled, making his way over and pulling some baking sheets out. "This the new recruit?"

"Aliyah Leighton, sous chef, it's nice to meet you." She smiled, holding her hand out and tilting her head back slightly to meet the man's eyes.

He chuckled, looking between her and Calum for a moment before shaking her hand and flashing her a bright smile. "Luke Hemmings, pastry chef. I hope this one doesn't scare you away with all the critic talk too early on."

"I'm just warning her, you know how often there's been reviews the past couple of months." Calum shrugged, pointing around the kitchen. "Produce is delivered daily, usually around this time but I got an email that they were running behind today. I'm almost always here to sign, but if not Brian will be here and you'll be able to sign off eventually."

Luke listened in quietly, getting some things ready and laying some flour out on the counter. He glanced at the head chef, realizing he was losing his train of thought. "Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings are our busiest times of the week. Our brunch reservations are filled for the next three months. So be ready for a very busy morning."

Calum nodded along with what Luke was saying, taking a small breath. "If you have any questions it'd be best to ask myself or Luke. But two other faces you meet today can also be helpful at times."

"I gotcha." Luke winked at her, chuckling quietly and beginning to roll out some puff pastry dough and whipping up some filling he had started on the night before. It wasn't a flirty wink, and almost instantly, Aliyah could tell Luke would be her go to for anything and everything.

She smiled softly, nodding at him. "Thank you." She mouthed, looking back at Calum as he began to speak again.

"Everyone else should be here within the next hour and a half, until then– I'll just show you how I normally prep in the morning."

Over the next hour, Aliyah was beside her head chef taking note of how he liked things done. She didn't want to be the reason that he got upset over something small, or be fired over absolutely nothing. The girl was introduced to the two others that would be helpful for any questions, but quickly and in passing.

"Michael, this is Aliyah, the new sous chef– and this is Michael our garde manger." Calum paused. "He does appetizers–"

"Salads and more of the cold foods." Aliyah nodded knowingly, smiling and shaking his hand before she was ushered over to another guy. Eyes slightly wide at the rush, she followed after him, stopping right beside him.

"Aliyah, this is Ashton, he's our sommelier. Wines and what not. Ash, this is my new sous chef." Calum introduced and stepped back from the two of them with a loud clap. "Alright, everyone!"

Everyone that had arrived since the two of them stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Calum, Ashton quietly smiling and shaking Aliyah's hand first. The girl was impressed at how easily he captured everyone's attention, commanding it in a way almost.

"Listen up, this is Aliyah!" Calum gestured towards her, raising his brows as if to tell her to give a wave of sorts, to which she did. "She's the new sous chef and if she needs anything, I need you to help her. She knows who to go to for questions before others, but on the off chance she can't find us." he paused, glancing around at everyone. "Don't be fooled, just because she's new does not mean you are better than her."

The three boys she had been properly introduced to raised their brows in surprise, glancing at the girl, then looking back to Calum.

"She cooked me a meal last night and after that first bite I knew she'd be able to cook circles around most of you." He chuckled when he saw the girls cheeks heat, raising his brows in warning at the rest of his staff. "You guys could learn a thing or two from her. Now, lets have a kickass Sunday and show these other restaurants how it's done!"

Everyone quickly went back to what they were doing, the mess of bodies dispersing and finding their place while Aliyah looked around for the head of brunette hair she'd be shadowing that day.

"Come on, we've gotta go see Brian." Calum nodded his head once the two of them caught each other's eyes. He led the way back to Brian's office where he was sitting and at a large desk, filling out paperwork.

"Right on time." The man nodded, putting a stack of papers down and smiling at the two of them. "Here's a few documents for you to sign, Miss Leighton."

"She also needs a key." Calum stated, standing by the door, watching as Brian's eyes trailed up the girl's body slowly. He just wanted to scoff, annoyed that the man could never follow his own rules.

Brian just chuckled and looked over at his head chef, shaking his head. "Already? Maybe in a few weeks big shot, she's gotta prove herself in the stressful environment that is this place."

"What are these documents?" Aliyah asked quietly, taking the small stack of papers from the manager, starting to glance them over.

"Our rules and expectations, how you'll be paid, and your work agreements." Brian nodded, turning back to the new employee. "Typical things, how we expect you to present yourself, be here on time, no relationships between co-workers, how our time off works."

Aliyah nodded along, reading over everything before signing her name at the bottom of the few documents and handing them back. "There you go, thank you again for this opportunity."

"You just signed your life away to this asshole." Calum chuckled, but something in Aliyah told her that the two of them didn't get along all that well. She followed the head chef back to the kitchen, ready to get through her first day and prove herself. She already showed him she could cook, but now came the stress test.

-

Luke wasn't lying when he said Sundays were busy, and even though Aliyah took everything thrown at her like a champ, by the time the brunch rush was coming to an end she felt like she was still anxious.

The head chef was nowhere to be seen as the tall blonde made his way over and grabbed either side of her shoulders. "You survived the hardest couple hours we have every week, just don't let Cal drive you away, yeah?"

Aliyah laughed lightly, shaking her head. "I don't plan on going anywhere, but that was insane." She quickly answered. "The adrenaline of making sure everything got done– that was amazing."

"Good, I need a new best friend." Luke grinned, tossing an arm over her shoulder and guiding her through the kitchen for a moment. "But I have a feeling right now you're looking for Cal to see what he wants you to do next." He paused for a moment by the back door, then pushed it open.

"He's–" she raised her brows in question, glancing at the open door as her new friend just nodded in response. She gave a nod back, stepping through the doorway and glancing around. To the left, just a mere few feet, her head chef was leaning against the dark brick with a cigarette between his lips.

"How do you feel?" He mumbled, laying his head back against the wall and plucking the small white stick from his mouth. As he spoke again, the smoke's speed at which it left his lungs increased, catching Aliyah's attention. "If you think that was bad, just wait until next Saturday night. That's when it's busy for us."

"I can handle it." She said confidently, standing up a little straighter before his head turned towards her.

Calum just chuckled and kicked off the wall, tossing the cigarette down and stomping it out. "I never said you couldn't. But seeing you help Luke today showed that if he needs it, we have someone that can almost match his skill."

"Almost?" She crossed her arms, raising her brows at the man in front of her as he reached for the door handle again.

"You're more of a..." he trailed off, waving his hand as he thought. "An entremetier. He's a pastry chef, it's what he does every single day."

"I've studied everything– don't write me off as one thing and one thing only." Aliyah shook her head, walking back into the restaurant. He trailed behind, chuckling quietly.

"Noted, but right now I need you to read over the menu and tell me what you'd be most comfortable making for the night."

She glanced back at him, nodding and smiling softly. "You're letting me off the leash on the first day?"

"No– no, no." Calum smirked slightly, shaking his head. "I'll still be watching and critiquing everything you do, but I want you to make something you're not gonna stress about and mess up a million times."

"I see, the less you have to fix the better?" Aliyah rolled her eyes, but nodded again as he held a menu out in front of her. She began glancing over it as if she hadn't eaten at the very restaurant every other week since she moved to New York. "I can make anything on your menu."

"Anything?" The head chef's brows raised again, arms crossed over his chest in challenge. "Good enough to the point that you'd let it leave my kitchen?"

She nodded, handing the menu back to him. She loved this restaurant and spent weeks attempting to perfect every menu item so she could have it at home. "Everything. Any appetizer, entrée, or dessert."

"You trying to impress me, Ally?" Calum chuckled lightly, taking the menu back and looking over it himself. But she was quick to speak up before he could again.

"Did you just call me Ally?" She glanced at the man she barely knew, that barely knew her. She wasn't upset, just wasn't expecting it from the man she met the night before.

He froze for a moment, studying her for a moment. "Sorry, too soon?" He asked softly.

"Oh– uh..." Aliyah took a small breath and shook her head. "No, it's fine. No one's called me that in a couple years, so it just kind of threw me off."

Calum nodded at her, scanning the menu once again. "Well, if I ever do anything you don't like, let me know and we can work it out." He paused, smiling softly. "I may kind of be your boss, but I want all my staff to be comfortable talking to me."

"Sounds good," Aliyah smiled back at him, letting out a quiet breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "If it helps, I already feel much more comfortable here than I have at other jobs I've had."

"I hope it stays that way." Calum chuckled softly, setting the menu to the side and glancing at the three boys he had introduced her to earlier that day. "We're a family of sorts here, and I think you'll fit right in."

Chapter 3: Three

“The pigeon is on the porch.” a waiter said as he entered the kitchen from the large swinging door. Only there for just over a week, Aliyah didn’t know what that meant and just continued to finish up the dish that she had been working on. That day was the first day that Calum completely let her off the leash, seeing how she responded to the chaos that was the kitchen. He was impressed and trusted her to ask for help when she needed it. 

As she glanced over the next order, she smiled confidently and got to work right away. The girl loved cooking, pouring her heart into every single dish she made and watching it go through the same door the waiter had walked through just moments earlier. The kitchen seemed to be a bit more chaotic for the next half hour or so than she was used to, yet Calum was nowhere to be found. 

“What’s the pigeon eating?” Ashton started asking around, hoping to find the perfect wine pairing for the meal. “Who has got– Aliyah?”

At the sound of her name, the brunette glanced over her shoulder with her eyes slightly wide. “What’s up, Ashton?”

“What’re you making right now?” He asked from a few feet away, pushing onto his toes in an attempt to make out what the dish was. “Is that fish?”

The girl nodded, brows furrowed before glancing back at the dish. “It’s bouillabaisse, it’s almost ready to go out.”

Ashton just nodded before going off to grab the wine he needed, weaving between different kitchen staff and keeping an eye out for Calum. Everyone continued working, seemingly harder than prior days, but Aliyah shook it off. She focused on what she did best– cooking. 

“Where the hell is Calum?” Luke glanced around, eyes landing on Aliyah, then on the dish she was making. He knew what was happening, and he figured it’d be best if the girl didn’t know until she finished. “How’s it going, Aliyah? Need any help? Want me to find Cal?”

“I’m fine,” she laughed softly, shaking her head. “I could probably make this dish with my eyes closed.”

“Well– don’t.” Luke laughed, shaking his head. “Just let me know if you need anything, I don’t know where Cal is but I’ve helped him make it before.”

Aliyah nodded, glancing to her left at him, then back at the dish as she continued. Everyone was acting weird, and she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. She was just there to cook and send delicious food out to paying customers. It wasn’t much longer before she was putting the finishing touches on it.

“Bouillabaisse is ready to go out.” she mentioned to the waiter waiting around anxiously, watching as the dish made its way through the door, Ashton following close behind with what looked to be a white wine. She made a mental note to ask what wine he’d pair with it so she could get some for home. 

“Go take a little break, Aliyah.” Michael made his way over to the girl, smiling proudly. “That dish looked perfect by the way, I bet it’ll be one of the best reviews we get.”

The color drained from her face, staring at the blonde man in front of her. “Reviews? You mean– oh my god, that’s what the waiter meant.”

“Way to go, Mike.” Luke rolled his eyes, linking arms with Aliyah and pulling her to the fresh produce fridge. “You did great, don’t stress. Michael is right, the dish looked great and I’m sure it tastes even better.”

“I probably could have done so much better, why didn’t anyone tell me that it was for a food critic?” The brunette took a sharp breath, shaking her head as Luke rested his arms on either side of her shoulders. “I could have done better.”

Luke just chuckled, shaking his head. “Everyone thinks they’d do better their first time around if they knew, I promise you it only makes it harder to do what you do best.” He paused, letting her digest the information a bit more. “You’re fine, it’s over now.”

“I guess you’re right, there’s nothing else I can do about it now.” She sighed, taking a deep breath shortly after. “Can you at least tell me if he’s harsh? Or his name or something?”

“You lucked out, Aliyah.” Luke smiled softly, walking out of the fridge with her. “Donovan Harrington, one of the nicest critics in the city in my opinion.” he paused again. “I don’t think he’s been here in a few months.”

“Thank god, I was scared you were going to say Marcus Thirdwell or something.” Aliyah laughed awkwardly, shaking her head as she remembered the harsh reviews she had read form the man.

She did her best not to worry about it for the rest of the day, but found herself wondering when the review would be out more often than not. The brunette even asked the waiter if the man had any tell-tale signs if he liked the dish or not, but he didn’t know. 

Once Calum was made aware he missed the critic due to some personal phone calls, he made sure to ask Aliyah how she thought she did. “Were you confident before you found out?”

“I mean– yeah. I would never send a dish out I wasn’t confident in.” She shook her head, accompanied by a small shrug. It was the bouillabaisse, I’ve never struggled with it before. I used to make it at home all the time.”

“Then I’m sure it exceeded his expectations.” Calum smiled softly, shrugging his shoulders lightly as he started on a new dish. “Come on, we’ve got work to do. Can’t fall behind on dishes because you’re overthinking too much now can we?”

The review came out a week and two days later. It was a Thursday evening at exactly 6:30 on the dot. Aliyah had set up notifications for the man's blog, wanting to know the moment he published his thoughts on her cooking. She heard the quiet ding from her phone, taking the first opportunity she got to step into the same produce fridge Luke had pulled her to before. 

Anxiously, she convinced herself she’d feel better after reading it, and pulled out her phone to do just that. Aliyah went into it confidently, remembering all the kind things her fellow staff had said about her cooking.

 

-

 

Never Judge a Restaurant by its Decor

Stepping into The Pearl Garden is always absolutely breathtaking. You’re instantly welcomed with the warm glow of strategically placed chandeliers and perfectly spaced tables. The waitstaff is always dressed to the nines and will greet you with a warm smile the moment you cross the threshold into the beautiful establishment. But as many people say never judge a book by its cover, I must say the same thing about this restaurant. 

Once I was seated and my order was taken, I was served within a half hour. All around me I saw beautifully done plating and I could smell the amazing fragrances from other dishes. I knew at that moment that my dish was not made by the same person.

The last time I had eaten here the wonderful Chef Calum Hood had made me an exquisite meal, my tastebuds begged for more. I was expecting greatness, and instead was served muck that was supposed to be bouillabaisse. I didn’t need to ask, the lovely waiter helping me that evening instantly started telling me who prepared what parts of my meal that was in front of me.

To no surprise, it wasn’t the head chef, Calum Hood, that prepared my meal that night, but instead his new sous chef, Aliyah Leighton. I expected much more from the beautiful fine dining restaurant I had enjoyed so much on my last visit. 

The so-called bouillabaisse I was served didn’t seem to have any rouille, and unless I digested it all in one bite, I don’t believe there was a single clam or mussel– something I greatly look forward to. I feel the word I used to describe the dish, muck, is quite on point and there isn’t much more to say about it. As hard as I’m sure Aliyah had tried to make this dish, she should leave it to the professionals in hopes not to give anyone food poisoning in the near future. 

Maybe a few more years back in Paris, if that’s even where she studied, would do her and the restaurant some good. I find it extremely hard to believe that someone could have studied for so long in Paris, and mess up a simple bouillabaisse.

On the other side, my wine was exquisite, along with the perfectly plated dessert I was gifted. They always wow me with the beautiful pairings of wine, even if the dish isn't up to par. But I trust their in-house sommelier and pastry chef to never let me down.

My suggestion, if you choose to eat at The Pearl Garden, ask to have your food prepared by the head chef himself, or you may end up severely disappointed as I did. As for the young lady who prepared my food that evening, is the management of The Pearl garden aware of the monstrosity she served me?

Donovan Harrington

 

Aliyah hadn’t even noticed the tears streaming down her cheeks until she lowered her phone and let out a quiet, almost silent, sob. She felt absolutely humiliated. Her very first review and she didn’t think it could possibly get worse.

What was Calum going to think? What about Brian? Was she going to get fired?

She couldn't’ think straight, not when someone could walk in at any moment and find her standing in the middle of the freezer acting like her world was ending. Even though that's exactly what it felt like. Aliyah dried her tears, giving herself a moment to take a few deep breaths before making her way back out and through the kitchen, straight to her car. 

The brunette just wanted a few minutes to let herself freak out, then she’d go back to work as if nothing had happened. No one else would probably read the review until it was published in the paper, and she’d have time to put on a brave face and act as if it doesn’t bother her. 

The girl spent a lot longer outside than she intended, long enough for a Calum to furrow his brows and look around the kitchen a few times before looking at Luke. “Hey, where’s Aliyah?”

The tall blonde just sighed at first, finishing piping some quick pastries and making his way over to the head chef. “That review came out on Donovan's blog.” he started, shaking his head as he met eyes with the man in front of him. “I think I saw her head outside, red puffy eyes and sniffles.”

Calum nodded a few times, glancing around until he nodded at Michael, telling him to take care of the dish he had practically finished, then looked back at Luke., “Okay, I’ll go check on her. We all get bad reviews once in a while. It’s nothing to cry about.”

“Here–” Luke held out one of the pastries he had just finished making. “And remember, it was her first review ever. It was brutal , Cal.”

Humming in response and taking the small pastry, the head chef made his way through the kitchen and out the backdoor to the parking lot. From the door he could see her in her car, the way her shoulders were moving up and down told him she was still upset. 

Aliyah hadn’t noticed him make his way over, letting out a quiet gasp when she heard the couple of taps on the window to her right. She looked over to find Calum wearing a small, soft smile, holding up the little dessert, and glancing down at the lock as if to ask her if he could sit with her. Slowly, she moved to unlock the car doors and Calum was seated beside her a moment later.

“Alright, let’s see it.” Calum sighed, holding out the cream filled pastry to her. “What did he say? Let me read it.”

Reluctantly, the brunette traded her phone for the snack, starting to pick as it as Calum’s eyes moved along the lines of text in front of him. It was far too quiet for Aliyah’s liking, feeling another sob foreign it’s way up her throat as the things the critic said  continued to replay in her head over and over again. 

“Well he’s obviously stupid and doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Calum stated simply, a shrug following quickly after as he locked her phone and set it in a cup holder. “You’re one of the best chefs I’ve met, and I’ve met quite a few.”

“My first review and he–” the girl took a quick breath, staring at her steering wheel. “I’m so embarrassed, I haven’t cooked so poorly since I was just starting out at school.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t bad, Aliyah.” Calum shook his head, resting his hand on her arm. “Trust me, we all get bad reviews once in a while. I have my first bad review framed at my apartment.”

“Framed?” The brunette let out a quiet laugh, turning to look at him as she wiped her tears again. “It doesn’t upset you seeing that all the time?”

“Quite the opposite actually.” He chuckled along with her, flashing a bright smile. “It reminds me how far I’ve come. I’m the head chef of one of the best rated restaurants in New York City.”

“And I’m the sous chef at that same restaurant. I should be proud.” Aliyah whispered, nodding to herself. “I wouldn’t be working with you if you didn’t like my cooking.”

“Now you got it.” Calum grinned, playfully punching her arm. “Take that confidence you had the first night we met and get back in that kitchen and show me why you’re my right hand.”

Doing her best to fix her makeup in the small visor mirror, she glanced over at her head chef and smiled weakly. “Thank you, I really appreciate you coming out here and giving me this little pep talk, I really needed it.”

“Anytime, Aliyah.” Calum nodded, climbing out of the car and walking to the front of it to wait for her. As she made her way over to him, he nodded and started leading the way back to the backdoor. “If you want, we can stay late tonight and I can help you with the recipe? We can always get better.”

“I’d like that a lot.” She agreed with a smile and nod, following him into the kitchen. 

-

“I want you to cook it exactly how you did earlier, don’t change a thing.” Calum stood beside her at the wiped down counter, all the ingredients laid out in front of them. “Pretend you’re cooking it for no one special, it’s just me.”

“Okay, okay.” The girl whispered, nodding to herself and starting the recipe the same way she did the past week. Or at least how she thought she did. “I know his review said I didn’t include mussels or clams, but I know I did.”

“He’s a bit of a pompous asshole, I wouldn’t be surprised if he made shit up just to get more traction on his post.” The head chef answered, shrugging his shoulders. “You’re doing great, making it the exact way I would.”

Aliyah took a deep breath, nodding along and continuing to prepare the dish. “He mentioned the rouille too, I remember getting it ready but–” the color drained from the girl's face, starting to shake her head. “I forgot to add it. It was on the counter and I just didn’t add it.”

The chef could tell she was working herself up again, on the verge of tears and blaming herself for the restaurant getting a less than great review overall. He quickly stepped right beside her again, turning her to face him, and cupping her cheeks. The two met eyes as he spoke, making sure she heard every word he said. “Ally, everyone makes mistakes. It’s okay.” He whispered, shaking his head slightly. “You are an amazing chef and I’m grateful I get to work alongside you.”

“I messed up–”

 He interrupted. “Can I tell you about my first bad review?” She barely nodded, her face still resting in the palm of his hands. He stepped back, hands dropping to his sides and stomach fluttering as he did so. “Keep cooking, and I’ll tell you while you do.”

“Deal.” Aliyah whispered, nodding again and turning back to the counter. “So your first bad review?”

“I was working at a smaller restaurant, right out of school just like you, and I decided I wanted to bring my meal out to the critic myself. I thought it’d make me more likable, but the guy hated it.” Calum started retelling his story, watching the girl's hands as she cooked. “He ordered peperonata. It’s like the Italian version of ratatouille if you didn’t know.”

“Oh? I honestly didn’t know that was a thing.” The girl admitted. 

He just smiled at first, chuckling and shaking his head. “I didn’t until I had to make it. But my manager told me to find a recipe and follow it. So I did exactly that and followed the recipe perfectly, except I must have done something wrong because he literally spit it back on the plate with me still standing there.”

Aliyah’s eyes went wide, turning to look at him, surprised. “Oh my god, really?”

“Looked at me and told me I was the biggest disgrace to cooking he had ever encountered.” He nodded as he spoke, trying not to laugh through the words. “It made me better, made me try harder and keep pushing. Now I practically run this restaurant on my own.”

The two shared some small talk as Aliyah finished getting the dish ready, glancing at each other between every few sentences. “Thank you for sitting here and helping me get better, and for sharing your first bad review story. I think I would have broken down right at the table if that happened to me.”

“You’ll make it up to me somehow.” Calum playfully winked, helping the girl clean up the space they had used. “Now, let’s share a glass of wine and see how this bad boy tastes.”

“Ashton paired it with a white wine, I’m not sure which though.” 

Chapter 4: Four

Weeks had gone by and Aliyah was feeling much better about the review and more confident about the role she played in the kitchen. It definitely helped that Luke was her partner in crime in all aspects, and he made sure no one brought up the review once it was in the paper. 

Calum snagged a copy and framed it for her anyway, waiting for the perfect opportunity to give it to her. He figured waiting for an amazing review would be the right time, that way she could look back and laugh about it. 

The head chef had noticed his sous chef and pastry chef growing closer since the review came out, almost always attached at the hip and whispering about something. Jealous wasn’t the word he wanted to use, but it was the most fitting term he could think of. He didn’t quite understand why he was jealous though, it wasn’t like he had feelings for the brunette working beside him everyday for over a month. 

He continued to glance at them across the kitchen, waiting for Brian to show up to start the damned meeting he called last minute at the end of that shift. Michael was attempting to hold a conversation with the head chef, but noticed his wandering eyes more than once. “Cal, I asked you a question.”

“Huh? Oh– what was it?” He quickly looked back at his garde manger, forcing a small smile and raising his brows. 

“Did Brian say what this meeting was about?” Michael huffed quietly, looking around for their manager. “How is he always late to his own fucking meetings?”

Calum shrugged, sighing deeply and mumbling to himself. “Not a clue.” He looked around once more, standing up and clapping his hands loudly. “Alright guys! I’m not sure why Brian had us all stay, but I have a few things I wanted to go over as well. So while we wait I guess I can do that.”

Everyone's attention was on the head chef, waiting for him to continue. Aliyah was still astounded at how well he commanded the room. A simple clap and all eyes were on him, she couldn't help but stare for a moment before snapping out of it. 

“First and foremost, I’ve noticed some flirting in the kitchen.” Calum’s eyes fell on his sous chef and pastry chef for a mere moment before looking around at everyone. “This is everyone's reminder that dating within the kitchen is strictly prohibited. Keep your hands and feelings to yourself, I’m looking at you Hemmings.”

Ashton could be heard snorting from the side, watching as Calum’s gaze fell on Luke and the girl. He caught a few peoples looks, to which he raised his hands in defense and let out a quiet chuckle. The entire situation that seemed to be happening in Calum’s head was far too funny to him. 

“As I was saying–” Calum shot his sommelier a look, turning back to everyone. “You’re all entitled to your breaks and I do want you to take them but please– for the love of god,” he paused. “Make sure you’re being respectful and smoking in the designated area, and we’re not being too loud.”

“I can take it from here, Cal.” Brian finally entered the kitchen, smiling as he made his way over to the head chef and turned to face everyone. “Thank you guys for staying late, I had a pretty big announcement and I wanted to get it out there as soon as I found out.” 

Everyone waited quietly, watching the restaurant manager grin and glance around at everyone's confused faces. Aliyah didn’t dislike him, but in the little time she had been at the restaurant, she caught him checking her out on multiple occasions. It always made her uncomfortable. 

“One of our very own, Mr. Calum Hood, has been nominated for an award or two this year.” Brian continued, gaining a few gasps of excitement from other employees. “I think we can all agree that it’s no surprise he’s up for Chef of the Year, but also Best Chef. Not only is he being recognized as one of the nations most passionate chefs, but also one of the most experienced.”

“Way to go, Cal!” Luke was the first to call out, clapping and hollering. It was only a moment before Ashton, Michael, and a few others joined in. Soon, the entire kitchen staff was cheering and yelling congrats to the head chef. “No one deserves it more!”

“Alright , alright!” Brian called out over everyone, chuckling as he did so. “That’s not it, they’re also asking that he does a demonstration of his favorite dish to make.” He paused. “It doesn’t have to be something from our menu here at The Pearl Garden, but it would bring in some extra traffic.” 

Calum rolled his eyes as his manager winked at him, but he couldn’t help but smile and feel his entire body heat with excitement. He’s always wanted to win an award for his cooking, this was a dream starting to come true. He just hoped he could bring home the win. 

“My treat, I’d like to buy a couple bottles of our best champagne.” Brian glanced over at Ashton, who was already nodding and making his way towards the locked cellar to grab those for him. “And I’d love it if everyone could help me celebrate how amazing our head chef is!”

Everyone was much more relaxed, hanging out around the kitchen and mingling with the rest of the staff. Aliyah hung around Luke most of the night, knowing him the best and not having talked to most of the people she worked with. He didn’t mind, enjoying the brunette's company and how easy she was to talk to.

“Hey, you didn’t tell Cal about you know who and I, right?” Luke asked softly, pulling out a pastry from the fridge and handing it to Aliyah. 

Her eyes went wide, shaking her head quickly. “No, absolutely not. That’s not my place to say anything.” she paused for a moment. “Plus I really like you guys together, you’re so cute.”

Luke just rolled his eyes, looking around the kitchen to meet eyes with his situationship before looking back at Aliyah. “You’re ridiculous and lucky you’re my best friend here.” The two ate their pastries silently for a moment, just looking around at the rest of their fellow staff. “M’proud of Cal, he’s wanted to be nominated for one of these awards since he’s started cooking. I can’t imagine how he feels right now.”

“By the looks of it, maybe a little tipsy, everyone keeps pouring him more champagne.” Aliyah laughed lightly, gesturing towards the man mentioned. “I think he’s probably had close to an entire bottle himself.”

Luke followed her gaze, laughing when he saw their head chef talking to a few of the other staff members, eyes obviously glossy from where they were. His cheeks were even starting to flush. “Come on, I think we should go congratulate him.” 

As Luke stood straight from leaning against the counter, Aliyah followed suit and finished her pastry quickly. “Absolutely delicious.” She paused, a mouthful of food. “Can I hire you for parties?”

“Parties?” Luke chuckled, raising his brows. “Who would you even invite? Didn’t you just tell me last week that I’m your only friend?”

The brunette's cheeks flushed, laughing and shaking her head. “I’d invite you, and your little friend if you wanted to bring them.” She paused, shrugging. “I have a few other friends, and I’d consider Calum a friend I think.”

“Well, if Calum comes then–”

“I know, unless you just pretend you’re not together for the night?” Aliyah smiled hopefully, looking up at him with the best puppy dog eyes she could muster. “Come on, I don’t have that many friends.”

Pretending to think about it for a moment as they approached Calum, Luke sighed dramatically and nodded. “Fine fine, I’ll let you know for sure tomorrow okay? Set up a date and let me know what you want me to bake for you.”

“There's the best pastry chef ever.” Calum grinned, turning to look at the two of them. “Obviously you guys had a little snack and didn’t invite me, Ally here has a little filling left on her lips.”

As Aliyah glanced up at the chef in front of her, she felt her cheeks flush when she realized his eyes were so zeroed in on her lips. She quickly brought her hand up, wiping at the corner of her lips with her thumb as she ran her tongue across the top and bottom to get anything else. 

“I saved one for you, asshole.” Luke smiled, holding out a pastry. The brunette wasn’t sure where he pulled it from, but she assumed that he pulled an extra one out when they were eating theirs. “Congrats on being nominated, dream come true?”

The chef chuckled quietly, looking at Luke and taking the pastry. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do if I don’t win at least of them.” 

“You will, you’re an amazing chef, Calum.” Aliyah finally chipped in, smiling and nodding along with herself. “Your cooking, and your passion for it is unmatched.”

“Thank you guys.” Calum smiled, looking between the two of them. “Fuck– I have the best staff and friends I could ever ask for.” He pulled the both of them into a hug at the same time.

The both of them hugged him back, glancing at each other across his back. “Once you actually win we’ll have a real celebration.” Luke smiled, pulling away to look at him. “You’ll take home both awards, I‘m sure of it.”

“We should let you keep mingling, but if you need anything, let us know.” Aliyah smiled, pulling away right after Luke had started to. “Don’t drink too much, you work tomorrow.”

Rolling his eyes, the head chef looked down at the girl and shrugged. “I do, but I’ll be fine. I actually did need your help with something, that is– if I can steal you away from Luke for a bit.”

“Be my guest, I have to go talk to Ashton about something anyways.” Luke smiled and nodded, walking off in the direction of the sandy blonde staff member. 

With furrowed brows, the girl looked up at the chef confused. What could he possibly need her for when he was supposed to be celebrating. “What’s up, Calum?”

For a moment he just looked down at her, an emotionless expression on his face that Aliyah wished she could read. She wondered what was going on behind the brown eyes staring down at her, and he wondered the same of hers. Several moments passed, the rest of the chatter blocked out by their own inner thoughts, until Calum finally spoke up and her gaze dropped to his lips for a split second. 

“Oh– as a little celebration I was hoping I could convince you to make me some ratatouille once everyone clears out of here.” He chuckled softly, running his hand through his hair until he could scratch the back of his head awkwardly. 

“Ratatouille?” She asked quietly, eyebrows raising. “Of course I can. You want me to wait until people leave?”

Calum nodded. “Yeah, that way you have room to do your thing and no one will be breathing down your neck.” he paused, looking around for a moment. “I’m actually kinda over this so I might ask Brian to get everyone to start heading out.”

-

Everyone had cleared out besides the two of them, and things felt normal. As if staying late at that very counter was becoming a usual thing for them. Being in an empty kitchen, able to move about freely and enjoy every little bit of it– that was something the both of them loved more than most things.

“Do you want my sauce with it?” Aliyah asked softly, looking over at him with just barely glazed over eyes. “I can make it either way.”

Calum’s gaze moved from the food in front of her right up to her pretty little face. He couldn’t find his words at first, lips parting to answer but nothing came out for several moments. “Yeah, your sauce was absolutely delicious.”

Proudly, the girl smiled and got to work on her special sauce, glancing at Calum every once in a while. He was focused on her hands as she worked, enjoying how effortlessly she moved around the counter. Calum let her work in silence, finding himself actually liking the quiet hums coming from her. He was sure if it were anyone else, or if he weren’t tipsy, he’d find it annoying. 

“Some ratatouille for the big award nominee.” Aliyah smiled, gently placing a neatly arranged serving in front of the man. 

He couldn’t help the smile that took over his face, the smell attacking all other senses in the best way. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing purely on the amazing fragrances in the air. “Phenomenal. I never want to smell anything else ever again.” He whispered, opening his eyes once again and looking at the girl. “Don’t tell me you only made one serving.”

“This was for you, Cal.” She laughed lightly, shaking her head. 

Sighing quietly, Calum shook his head and stood straight. He disappeared behind a small wall for only a moment before coming back with a second fork. “M’happy to share. It is your masterpiece after all.” He paused. “And I know you haven’t had dinner because you’ve been here since we closed. Don’t argue, just eat.”

“Thank you, Calum.” Aliyah whispered, smiling softly at the man before leaning against the counter opposite of him. “You get the first bite.”

The man took a bite, practically moaning as the flavor hit his tongue. To hide her rosy cheeks, the girl quickly took a bite of her own and stood up straight. 

“M’gonna get some water, did you want any?”

“I’ll grab us some of the good sparkling water, you stay here.” Calum smiled, holding up his keys that were for the restaurant itself and the wine vault. He turned on his heel, starting in that direction before looking over his shoulder at the girl. “You sure you don’t want some more champagne or wine?”

“I would, but I have to drive home.” She paused, smiling still. “And I think I may have to drive you home too if we’re being honest.”

“I’m not drunk, Ally.” He chuckled, shaking his head and continuing to go get the sparkling beverages for them. “M’just enjoying myself, letting loose a little while I have the chance. If those nominations become public, I’m going to have critics up my ass trying to find something wrong with my cooking.”

“That’s why you moaned, yeah?” She was louder than intended, but didn’t shy away when he popped his head around the corner with his brows raised in question. “You took a bite and literally moaned, Cal.”

“What happened to the girl that was so self conscious about her cooking after that review?” He chuckled, making his way back with two smaller water bottles full of the sparkling liquid. “I want her back, she needed my validation on everything.”

Aliyah couldn’t help but laugh along with him, taking another small bite. “Trust me, she still does. She’s just very confident in this one specific dish.”

“She should be.” Calum whispered, smiling and setting the drink in front of her. 

Chapter 5: Five

The restaurant had just closed, everyone was working together to get everything cleaned so they could all make their way home for the night. Everything was going smoothly and slowly staff members made their way out to their cars. With only a handful left, Calum took his chance the next time he saw Ashton, pulling him to the side. 

“Hey, I needed to talk to you.” The head chef smiled softly as his friend waited for him to continue. Just like everyone else, he was ready to go home. “As you know, I always go home for any holiday I can, and it’s been hard lately. But I finally made it work for the 4th of July, and I was hoping since you don’t tend to party with your own family, you could come help me with mine?”

“Oh–” Ashton’s eyes went slightly wide, staring at someone he’d consider one of his closest friends. At that moment he just wanted to spill his secrets and let Calum in on everything, but he knew it wasn’t the right time. “I actually uh– I do have plans.”

The brown eyed man's brows furrowed in confusion, shaking his head lightly. “I thought you hated spending time with your family.”

“Well yeah, I do.” Ashton started nodding, trying to find his words. “But I– I’m going to…” He trailed off, struggling to think of an excuse. He couldn’t go to Chicago, he needed to be there, in New York, for the holiday.

Luke came to the rescue, smiling softly and chuckled lightly. “Sorry, Cal. I got to him first, I invited him to spend the day with my family. I mentioned he wasn’t doing anything and they insisted I bring him with me.”

Ashton just chuckled awkwardly as Calum nodded along, letting off a soft sigh. “Okay, so you both can’t come help out, I’d ask Mike but I was hoping he'd take care of the kitchen while I was gone.” 

“Take Aliyah.” Luke shrugged, looking between the two guys he was standing with. “Well– assuming you need someone to come with you because you’re cooking for your family again?”

“Yeah, I want to make it all big and special because I’ve missed a couple holidays now.” Calum sighed again, closing his eyes and thinking for a moment. “Y’know what, you’re right, who better to have with me than my sous chef? It’s not like Brian will let her run things around here for the weekend anyway, she’s still too new.”

Ashton nodded along, smiling softly. “I think that’s the perfect idea, the two of you get along better than any of us.”

“Because she’s a better chef than the two of you combined.” Calum joked in a teasing tone. “Alright–” he paused and looked around at the group of people that were still hanging around the kitchen. “I’ll update everyone on the plan for my leave of absence in the morning. Thank you guys.”

The two boys nodded as Calum walked away, both of them letting out a quiet sigh of relief and turning to each other after a moment. “You need to get better at lying, Ash.” Luke chuckled lightly, shaking his head.

“I freeze up, I don’t want to get fired.” Ashton frowned lightly, shaking his head. “Especially with him bringing up the rule like that in front of everyone, even calling you out…”

Luke frowned lightly, tilting his head to catch the boy's eyes. “I don’t care about any stupid rules, we’re gonna have a great weekend. I’m excited for you to finally meet my family and they’re excited to meet you too.” The sandy blonde sighed quietly, smiling weakly. “I love you, Lu.” He whispered, heat rising in his cheeks. 

“I love you too, Ash.” Luke winked at him before nodding his head towards the door. “I’ll meet you at my place?”

The two nodded at each other once more before they went their separate ways for the time being. Never had it been so hard for the two employees to not touch each other while at work. There hadn’t even been a no dating rule when the two started talking, but Brian went through a messy break up with one of his employees and pulled the rule out of his ass. He had the mindset that if he couldn’t be happy with someone in the restaurant, then no one else could either. 

The following morning, Calum was ready to make a quick announcement. He waited for most of everyone to be there, not worrying whether or not Brian stepped in to hear as well. “Good morning, everyone!” He smiled brightly. “As we all know, the Fourth of July is coming up and as I’m sure some of you have heard, I’ll be going home for a long weekend, which means I’ll need someone to run things around here while I’m gone.”

Everyone listened quietly, all attention on the head chef as he started going over a few small things that would apply to everyone around the kitchen. But as he started talking about more specifics, people were surprised when they heard the name come out of his mouth. 

“I’m going to be working closely with Mike this week to make sure he’s prepared to boss you guys around while I’m gone.” He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “If anyone has any questions about anything for while I’m away, you have me for the rest of the week.”

There was a moment of surprised silence before everyone began working on getting the kitchen set up for the day. Prep was always chaotic, but throw in the fact that the head chef of the restaurant wasn’t leaving his sous chef in charge, and the rumors were flying off the walls.  

The biggest? Aliyah Leighton was going to get fired after that terrible review that had been published in the Times. 

Hearing the whispers as she passed by to grab some ingredients, the girl's stomach dropped. Nearing frantic, the girl wanted to find Luke. She needed him to tell  her that the other staff members were wrong. But she couldn’t find him. It seemed he was out for the day.

“Aliyah? Can I talk to you for a moment?” Calum snapped her out of it after she looked for her best friend for several minutes. “Aliyah?”

“Huh? Oh– yeah, yeah of course.” The girl nodded, swallowing thickly and making her way over to him. She felt like she was going to be sick. There for just over a month and she was about to get fired. What was this going to do to her career? “What can I help you with, Cal?”

“Luke called this morning and said he wouldn’t be here until later today, he had something important come up.” the brunette paused, smiling softly at the girl. “Do you think you could whip up some pastries for the morning? We don’t need a lot, just enough to get through an hour or so.”

Aliyah let out a breath of relief, staring up at him for a moment as if she wasn't making things up, that she had heard the right thing.  “Yes, of course I can.” She smiled, going to turn away before pausing and looking up at him once again. “Why are you leaving Michael in charge?”

The girl was out of her comfort zone, asking a question that she knew the answer would more than likely upset her. But she felt she deserved to know why she wasn’t going to be left in change, it made the most sense. As the two met eyes, Calum’s gaze softened and he let out a quiet chuckle. 

“All those ridiculous rumors getting to your head. Ally?” He raised his brows, tilting his head to the side in amusement. “I’m leaving Mike in charge because I was going to ask you if you’d be willing to come with me to Chicago, I have to make a huge meal for my family and could use your skill.”

“Your family?” Aliyah’s eyes went slightly wide, staring at him for a moment before he chuckled again. “I should go make those pastries.”

The boy watched her walk away, pure fear evident on her face as she began mixing some filling. He had far too much on his mind to help her through whatever was going through her head at the moment, reminding himself to talk to her later when they both had a chance. 

The day was dragging, for mostly everyone. It was just busy enough that everyone constantly had something to do, but never such a rush that they were running around and time was flying. Luke had shown up a few hours after opening, taking over for Aliyah, and she was to go back and help Calum make a few dishes.

“Cal, I don’t think I should be helping you cook for your family.” The brunette finally spoke up, shaking her head and adding a pinch of some herb onto the top of the dish. “I mean– you’re this amazing chef and they’re your family. They’re going to be expecting something absolutely phenomenal.”

“Yeah, and?” He raised his brows, waiting quietly for her to continue her point.

She just sighed at fit, shoulders slumping. “I’m not good enough to be cooking for them–”

“Get that bad review out of your head, Ally.” Calum shook his head, glancing around at everyone. “I know people keep talking about it today, but you can’t let it get to you. I told you that guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“Everyone’s seen it now, they’ve read it, they all think you’re gonna fire me.” Aliyah whispered, turning to look at him. “It’s embarrassing. Having everyone talk about you like you can’t hear them, shitting on your cooking even though most of them haven't even tried it.”

He stared down at her for a moment, jaw slightly clenched before turning his back to her. “Can I get everyone's attention please?” He called out, anyone in the kitchen quieting down and listening to him as they continued what they were each working on. “I want it to be clear that Aliyah is here, she’s staying, and she’s an amazing chef. That critic doesn't have a clue what he was talking about when he wrote those things about her.” He paused, looking around at everyone. “If I hear one more person talk bad about her cooking, you’ll be the one in Brian’s office with me. Am I clear?” There was a series of ‘yeah’s and nods amongst the staff, Aliyah’s cheeks only growing deeper the longer he talked. “Alright then, everyone back to what you were doing.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” Aliyah whispered as he turned to face her again. 

Calum just smiled smugly and shrugged his shoulders. “Anyone who talks bad about my sous chef is talking bad about me.” He paused again, going back to starting on the next dish. “Just be ready to leave early Thursday afternoon, I’ll pick you up from here and we’ll head to the airport.”

Nodding in understanding, the girl helped with the dish quietly, starting to wonder what this little trip will be like. She didn’t have plans herself, so she didn’t mind going to Chicago with her boss. She just needed some sort of idea if it’d be strictly work, or if they’d be doing anything else. Aliyah didn’t think they would be.

Thursday was dragging, the girl nervous to travel with Calum, and meet his family. She was just scared that they had somehow read the review, and already had a bad impression of her. Little did the brunette know, they had heard nothing but raving reviews about her from the brown eyed chef. 

“Have fun! Make sure you let us know what his family is like.” Luke joked, nudging Aliyah as she started making her way towards the back door. “Oh– here I made you both some snacks for your way to the airport.”

The curly blonde held out a little baggie full of various pastries, smiling brightly at his best friend. She took them happily, glancing down and already debating on eating one. “See you in a few days, here’s to hoping I don’t embarrass myself too much.” 

After only a moment, Calum was inside with his brows raised, obviously stressed. “Where’s Aliyah?”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” She laughed, hugging Luke quickly before making her way in her head chef’s direction. “Alright let’s go, my stuff is in my car.”

The ride to the airport, and walk through security was filled with conversation about the restaurant. He asked how the morning had gone, and continued to talk about how nervous he was to leave for four days. Before then, he had only been away from the restaurant for two consecutive days. Never more.

“Everything will be fine, Cal.” she reassured time and time again, never getting frustrated or annoyed. She knew how much the restaurant meant to him, she’d be worried too. 

Even once they boarded their flight at 8:30 that night, she could tell he was still freaking out. But at that point she wasn’t sure if it had to do with leaving the restaurant, or going home. The girl had an inkling that it was the latter.

“So tell me about your family.” Aliyah asked quietly once they were finally seated on the plane, glancing over at him with a soft smile. He had given her the window seat without a second thought the moment she mentioned it helps her nerves on planes. 

He just shrugged at first, looking back at her then continuing to dig in his bag for his water. “There's not much to say, they’re great but they can get annoying. They love when I come home and cook, but sometimes have the most outrageous requests. Last time I came home, all my sister wanted was a grilled cheese.” he chuckled, finally relaxing a bit. 

Aliyah couldn’t help but laugh lightly, nodding along. “You know what, I have no doubt in my mind that you’d make the best grilled cheese ever.”

“She didn’t even want anything special on it–”

“No, just a plain classic grilled cheese.” Smiling, the brunette girl looked out the window to her right, then at him again. “Sometimes all we need is something simple and comforting.”

Calum rolled his eyes playfully, pulling out a granola bar and breaking it in two. He handed half to the girl, then laid his head back and closed his eyes. “We’ll be landing around eleven, so we probably won’t get to my moms until closer to midnight.”

“So one in the morning for us, right?” She asked quietly, taking the granola bar and taking a bite. “I should try to get some sleep on the flight.”

And she did. Once the plane was in the air and they had reached a good altitude, Aliyah wasn't so nervous and allowed herself to drift into a nice nap. It didn’t feel too long, waking up as they were getting ready to land. She felt absolutely exhausted and could have fallen asleep anywhere after that landing.

Sleepily, Aliyah followed Calum through the airport towards arrivals where his sister would be picking them up. As they waited outside, the girl leaned most of her weight onto the handle of her suitcase. Calum was sure she’d have fallen over if Mali hadn’t pulled up in front of them when she did. 

“There’s my baby brother.” The girl smiled widely, climbing out of the passenger seat and pulling the chef into a tight hug. “You need to visit more, Cal. We all miss you out here.”

“I know, I know. I try, I promise.” Calum mumbled, hugging her back and glancing in the car, lifting his hand to a wave. “Hey Jake.” He smiled at his sister's boyfriend in the driver's seat, then glanced back at his sous chef. 

“This must be Aliyah?” Mali asked quietly, smiling at the short brunette and holding out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Calum’s older sister. Just call me Mali.”

“Nice to meet you too.” The girl smiled softly, shaking her hand as she laughed. “Sorry, I’m usually a little more put together than this.”

“Come on, let’s get to moms.” Calum spoke up, lifting their bags into the back of the car, then proceeding to open both passenger side doors for the girls. They both nodded in thanks before he walked around to the other side and slid into the back seat. 

The car ride was dark and quiet. The only sound was coming from the faint music on the radio played through the speakers. It was practically torture for Aliyah, at least for the first fifteen minutes as she tried to stay awake. 

Before she even realized it, a large hand was gently shaking her knee as a familiar voice whispered near her head. “Ally? We’re at my moms, you gotta wake up so I can show you where you’re sleeping.”

As the girl lifted her head, realizing it was on Calum’s shoulder, she felt her cheeks begin to deepen in color quickly. Had she really fallen asleep on her boss? In front of his older sister? “Oh– I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

Calum just chuckled and shook his head. “It’s fine, it was a really long day for you. I don’t blame you at all for catching a few Z’s here and there.” he paused for a moment, smiling down at her. “Come on, I’ll show you the guest room.”

Chapter 6: Six

When Aliyah woke up the next morning, she barely remembered Calum showing her to the guest room the night before. She figured she passed out the moment her head hit the pillow. But she was up and ready for the day, unsure what the plan was exactly.

There was a quiet knock on the bedroom door, and it opened only a moment after she answered quietly. “Come in.” She said as she fixed her hair in front of a full length mirror in the corner of the room.

“Morning, my mom is making breakfast for everyone if you want to come down.” Calum smiled softly. “I can introduce you and give you a run down on how the weekend will probably go.”

The short brunette nodded, looking over at him and realizing it was the first time she had ever really seen him out of his chef get up. She took in the old high school sweatshirt adorning his body, it looked to be for soccer, so she assumed he played. After a moment she grabbed her backpack she used as her personal item on the plane and started digging through it quietly. “Okay, sounds good.”

“So today is mostly getting things set up for tomorrow. I usually help my mom decorate, check out what kind of things she has around the kitchen, then end up at the store getting the last few items I need.” Calum began to explain quietly, furrowing his brows as he watched her grow more frustrated. She clearly couldn’t find something. “Did you lose something?”

“I swear to god I had a sweater on the plane.” Aliyah frowned, moving to her suitcase and digging through that instead. “I’ve been shivering since I woke up but I can’t find it.”

Calum bit at his cheek, trying to remember if she had worn a sweater. It didn’t sound familiar at all because he recalled noticing a small tattoo on the back of her shoulder he hadn’t seen before.

She sighed and gave up, looking at Calum with a hopeful expression. “Do you think your sister has something I could borrow? Or your mom?”

“Why don’t I just–” Calum pulled the sweatshirt over his head, leaving him in a t-shirt instead, then tossed the hoodie onto the bed near her. “I’ll grab another one for myself in a bit.”

Aliyah nodded again, quietly taking the hoodie and pulling it on. It was warm from his body heat filling it just moments before, and it smelled like him. Usually the man before her usually smelled like the kitchen, whatever the popular dish was that night. But this was just… him. She liked it.

“So we’ll eat breakfast and figure out what we want to make tomorrow, and I’ll probably try to convince my mom to let me cook for them tonight to make up for not making it the past couple holidays.” Calum continued to explain. “I’d love your help with that too if you’d be up for it. If not… Mali will probably pull you to the side, put a beer in your hand and convince you that I overwork you somehow.” He joked.

“I have to admit, that’s very tempting.” Aliyah smiled, shoving her hands in the pocket of the hoodie and following him into the hallway. “I’d be happy to help, Cal. I did come with you to help cook, so.”

The two made their way downstairs and to the kitchen. Within an instant Aliyah could smell the cinnamon coming from what she assumed had to be French toast. “Oh my god, it smells delicious down here.”

At that, a woman turned around and smiled at the girl. “Well you must be Aliyah.”

“Mom, this is Aliyah, my sous-chef at the restaurant, and Ally this is my mom.” Calum chuckled lightly, gesturing between the two of them before making his way over to the stove top. He wanted to keep an eye on the breakfast while his mother continued the conversation.

“It’s so wonderful to meet you, Cal here hasn’t stopped talking about how you could out cook anyone else in that kitchen of his.” she paused for a moment, pulling the new girl into a hug. “My name is Joy, please don’t call me Mrs. Hood or anything like that.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Joy, I can tell that you put some cooking in his blood.” Aliyah joked quietly. “I already know this is going to be the best French toast I’ve ever had.”

The woman smiled softly, glancing back at her son flipping the pieces over for her. “Thank you, dear. I can’t thank you enough for coming all the way out here with him to help out this weekend.”

“I love to cook, and I’ll take any opportunity to do so.”

Breakfast went smoothly, and Aliyah wouldn’t stop arguing with Joy to let her do the dishes until the chef's mother gave in. “Fine, but only because I’m going to do them tomorrow.” The woman grinned, winking at her.

“Absolutely not, you’re letting me stay here, letting me eat your food and use your water.” She laughed, shaking her head. “I’m doing the dishes tomorrow, Cal already told me I could.”

Joy narrowed her eyes, glancing between the girl and her own son a few times. “I’ll allow it, as long as Chef Hood here helps you with all the dishes.”

That time Aliyah looked over at him with her brows raised, maybe even the slightest look of puppy dog eyes to go along with it. “What d’ya say, Cal?”

He let off a loud, dramatic sigh but looked at the girl with a smile. “Deal.” he looked back at his mom. “But only because she was such a great mom all my life.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet.” Aliyah teased quietly, nudging him with her shoulder before standing and starting to collect everyone's plates. The moment her back was turned, Mali was leaning over to her mother and whispering. It wasn’t until the water was running at the sink that the two women were practically giggling.

“What?” Calum asked quietly, watching their eyes flick to his sous-chef a few times. “What’re you guys talking about?”

“Nothing, Cal. Go help her with the dishes.” Mali grinned, kicking his under the table before continuing to whisper with her mother. Hesitantly, Calum stood and collected the rest of the dishes, bringing them over to the sink where she was standing.

“So, where's your dad?” The brunette asked with a soft smile, soapy hands in front of her as she scrubbed the plates clean.

The boy leaned to the side to look out the back door, turning back to her a moment later. “He’s setting up some canopies in the backyard for tomorrow, it’s supposed to be really sunny this weekend.”

As the two finished up the dishes, the boy's mother and sister continued to talk at the table, mostly about the two on the other end of the kitchen. Most of the family had gone off to set up and prepare various things for the rest of the weekend, while Calum And Aliyah made a short trip to the store.

The rest of the day flew by, up until the two of them were in the kitchen together again, cooking that time. “Do you have–”

Calum wordlessly slid some freshly grated parmesan in front of her, continuing to work on kneading some more dough. She looked at him, slightly shocked that he had practically read her mind. She could have said anything, how did he know she wanted– “I heard you mention to Luke that butter parmesan crust is your favorite.” He mumbled, moving onto the next little piece of dough. "Simple, yet delicious."

Aliyah tried to ignore the way her cheeks flooded with red, quietly going back to preparing the crusts for everyone to make their own personal pizzas that night. She had a hard time thinking straight after that, realizing that conversation with Luke was weeks ago.

“I’m gonna go tell them to come pick out their toppings.” The girl smiled, stepping over to the sink and washing her hands. “They’re just in the backyard, right?”

“Yeah, you can just pop your head out the door and they’ll come in.” Calum smiled softly, rolling out the last two pieces of dough for himself and Aliyah. He took a moment while the girl left the kitchen to start adding a light layer of butter to each of the remaining crusts.

Aliyah walked back to the kitchen wrapped into a conversation with his sister, only to find out that Mali had asked the girl about any relationships back home in New York. He knew his sister all too well to not know what she was up to. But it wasn’t all bad, he might’ve been a little curious about her answer.

“I haven’t actually been in New York for too long.” Aliyah smiled with a small shrug, stepping up to the pizza crusts and lightly sprinkling them with the parmesan. “I was in Paris for school for years and before that I was in LA. I don’t think I’ve had a serious relationship since right out of high school honestly.” She laughed lightly.

Calum’s sister nodded along, smiling and leaning against the fridge. “Hey, you’ve been working on you and your career, there’s nothing wrong with that.” She paused for a moment, glancing at him. “Cal’s always been about work, the last date he went on was probably prom.”

“Oh she was such a nice girl, what was her name?” His mom chimed in, smiling happily at the memory of her little boy going to prom. “Melissa?”

“Melanie.” His father nodded, chuckling as he watched the look of horror wash over his son's face. “She was head over heels for you, maybe you should call her up while you’re in town. I’m pretty sure Charlie mentioned she was still living out here.”

“I didn’t like Melanie like that.” Calum rolled his eyes, turning his back to everyone as he finished up getting the crusts ready with sauce and mozzarella. “Come on, let’s make these pizzas so they can go in the oven.”

Aliyah accidentally fell asleep in Calum’s hoodie that night.

-

Calum was the last downstairs the next morning, his sister had kept him up drinking the night before in an attempt to get him to admit his feelings for his sous-chef. For the girl currently standing in his childhood kitchen, wearing a pretty white sundress, cooking his family breakfast.

She wasn’t making anything big and grand, but she’d stick to what she was good at. Chocolate and cinnamon croissants. Aliyah had the entire house smelling absolutely heavenly. “Careful, Ally. They’re going to expect me to bring you home every holiday.”

“Morning sleepy head.” The girl laughed, turning around to face him with her eyebrows raised. “At least I got up and cooked them breakfast, you lazy bum.”

“I like this one, Calum.” Mali smirked, staring at her brother with her back to the girl she was talking about. “Better not let anything happen to her at that restaurant of yours.”

“Don’t plan on it, though one day I’m sure she’ll have a restaurant of her own.” Calum chuckled, shaking his head as he looked from his sister to her. “She’s one of the best chefs I’ve ever met.”

Meanwhile, Aliyah was plating some of the croissants and walking them to the table. “Order up, it’s gonna be a long day.”

“Thank you, dear.” Joy smiled, grabbing one for both herself and her husband, setting it on his plate. “These smell delicious.”

The group of six ate quietly, enjoying the melted chocolate and the flaky croissants. It didn’t take too long for the parents to go off to get the rest of the house ready, and soon after Mali and her boyfriend followed suit. Calum looked down at the last croissant on the plate, then back at the girl that made them before gently picking it up and ripping it in two.

“It’s okay, you can have it.” She shook her head, picking up the now empty plate and making her way to the sink. “Your family is–”

Calum just rolled his eyes at first, standing and followed her to the sink. He watched as she went to compliment his family and took the chance to shove the second half of the croissant into her mouth. “They’re the best, I know.” He chuckled, taking the plate and starting to wash it. “Now can you actually be helpful and start pulling out the things we need for lunch.”

Aliyah hated how the entire moment made her feel, but only because she loved it. She took her time eating the bite she was forced to take, enjoying it as she quickly took the plate back and hip bumped him out of the way. “You do it.” She mumbled through her mouthful.

The chef just laughed, shaking his head at her and starting to grab various things from around the kitchen. “You know–” he paused, stepping beside her again. “I’m really glad you came with me. I appreciate you.”

She quickly swallowed the food, turning to look at him. “Thank you for inviting me, I would have spent the weekend alone in my apartment.”

“They’re really excited for food later.” Calum chuckled, continuing to move around the kitchen smoothly. “I keep hearing her on the phone talking to her friends about how they’ll have the best meal ever here today because her son and his new friend are cooking.”

The brunette laughed softly, setting the plate on the drying rack and picking up a towel. “Well we better deliver, we can’t make your mom a liar.” She whispered, feeling the nerves throughout her body. “We have to do our best.”

Noticing her change in demeanor, Calum frowned a bit, grabbing her shoulders and staring down at her intensely. “Get out of your head right now, I meant it when I said you’re one of the best chefs I’ve ever met.”

“What if it’s not good enough?” She felt her entire body tense up, thinking about the possibility of Calum’s moms friends hating what she cooked. “They could hate it.”

“And I could have hated the ratatouille you made me, but I absolutely loved it.”

She sighed quietly, nodding the slightest bit as she repeated those works in her head. Calum Hood loved the ratatouille she made him.

Aliyah finally started to feel more confident the longer the two of them cooked together that day. It was a lot of fun for both of them, cooking outside the usual workspace. “How are you always in my way?” Calum said through a small laugh, stepping right beside her and reaching in front of her.

“How are you always getting in my space?” Aliyah shot back, trying not to laugh. “Also, you’re supposed to be working on the sauce, why are you over here?”

“I wanted to see how much I could annoy you before you blew up on me.” Calum grinned, rolling his eyes and taking the salt. “No, I just need a little tiny bit of salt.”

Staying quiet, she let him take the salt and listened to him try his sauce behind her. The way he hummed happily told her all she needed to know, and the sound was like music to her ears.

“Hope you’re not working her too hard in here, Cal.” Mali poked her head around the corner, smiling.

He just rolled his eyes, turning to face his sister. “I was actually just about to tell her to go have a drink and soak up some sun.”

“Good–”

“Maybe once I’m done here.” Aliyah started, glancing between the two of them.

“I’ll finish it.” Calum insisted, nodding his head. “I promise I’ll take care of it. Go relax a bit.”

The girl sighed dramatically, smiling at her head chef in the process. “I guess if I have to…” she trailed off, taking off the silly little apron she had on, reminding Calum of the way the dress fit her so nicely. “I’ll be back in a bit, can’t trust you not to fuck up this food.”

“I’m not gonna mess it up, remember I’m in charge of you .” Calum chuckled, moving to look at the food she had been working on before she quietly made her way out the sliding door. “What do you want, Mali?”

“Mom and I are wondering why you’re not taking her to the award thing.” The older sister smiled, following suit and making her way over to him. “Like she keeps asking me why you introduced her as your friend.”

“Because she is my friend, she just works in the same kitchen as me.”

“Bull shit.” Mali rolled her eyes, turning her gaze to her brother. “You guys are constantly flirting with each other, so why aren’t you taking her?”

She was frustrating him, she could tell he didn’t know how to answer. “She’s part of my staff, I can’t just up and ask her to be my date to one of the most prestigious events in the industry.”

“Don’t take her as your date, take her to… help her get to know people.” The sister rolled her eyes again, shoving him lightly. “This is her first big job right? You said she’s only worked in little diners before this?”

“Yeah, yeah this is the first high end place she’s worked.” The chef sighed, nodding lightly and continuing to work on the meal Aliyah had been preparing. “They want me to do a cooking demonstration, it would be nice if she were there to help.”

Mali grinned, standing up a little straighter. “My work here is done then, you’ll ask her before you guys leave on Sunday.”

“Get out of here, Mal.” Calum shook his head, sighing deeply. “Stop trying to play matchmaker, I’m happy with where I am in life.”

The girl's face dropped, shaking her head. “This isn’t like dad trying to set you up with his friend's daughter. You brought her here, you obviously trust her and she trusts you to some extent.”

“She’s just–”

“Part of your staff, I know.” Mali sighed quietly, pulling her brother into a tight hug. “I’ve just never seen you so comfortable and carefree around someone before. So… happy.”

“That just means we’re a good match in the kitchen, that’s all.” Calum sighed and shook his head once again.

“Imagine it not only being in the kitchen though.” She stayed simply, pulling away from the hug after a moment.

“I’m not you, I don’t… I’m fine, you worry too much.” He whispered, staring her down.

“She cares about you, and it’s obvious you care about her too.” Mali watched him with a soft look. “She told me that you talked her through her first review, and how every time she’s had doubts about her cooking you’ve been there to remind her she’s great. You don’t do that for just anyone.”

“Can I please just– be alone while I cook for a bit?”

Nodding silently, his older sister sighed quietly and made her way back outside to share a drink with her family. Calum stayed in the kitchen, his head swarming with thoughts about Aliyah on his arm at the awards, her helping him with the demonstration, and then bringing her home in the end. He really wanted to take her.

“Hey, what’s on your– oh my god, Cal!” Aliyah’s voice snapped him out of his little daydream, the smell of something burning quickly attacking his nose. She was already moving the sauce off the stove stop, looking at him surprised. “We’re gonna have to restart that.”

“Shit, I said I wouldn’t mess it up.” The head chef sighed, shaking his head. “I can’t think straight today.”

Aliyah’s brows furrowed, turning off the burner and making her way across the kitchen to him. “Is everything okay? You look stressed. Is it your family?”

“No, no everything with them is fine.” Calum mumbled, glancing at her, then back at the food. “I was just hoping– well, wondering…” he trailed off.

“What is it?”

He froze, shaking his head and chuckling. He couldn’t go through with it right then. “Could you get started on the new sauce?”

“Oh–” Aliyah paused, furrowing her brows and nodding. “Yeah, of course, Cal.”

“Did you maybe want to be my plus one to the awards?” He asked suddenly, turning to look at her again, but avoiding eye contact. “They’re uh– they want me to do that demonstration and I figured it’d be easier if you were there.”

Surprised, confused, and overall taken back, the girl stared up at him for a moment, unsure what to say. “You mean like… as your date?” She paused, starting to shake her head, but before she could continue, he quickly spoke up again.

“No! No, just as my friend and sous-chef. I figured you could help and I could introduce you to some bigger names while we’re there.” He forced a quiet chuckle, his usual cocky and confident demeanor beginning to return. “Brian would have a ball firing us if you came as my date.”

She thought for a moment, biting at her cheek but smiling. “Well, as long as my job is safe…” she sighed with a quick roll of her eyes. “I’d love to join you… as your sous-chef.”

She only wished it was as his date.

Chapter 7: Seven

The Monday the two were back from Chicago wasn’t supposed to be too busy, and they could only hope that’s how things would play out. They had agreed to both arrive quite early in hopes to make sure everything was in tip top shape from the weekend, and to prep for going back to work after some short time off. 

Michael was the next to arrive, unsure if Calum would be back that morning, or if he’d be taking it slow that day due to getting in so late. “Clifford! How was everything?” The head chef asked brightly, excited to throw himself back into work and forget about the embarrassing weekend he had shared with his family… and his sous-chef. 

He lifted his head as he walked through the door, expecting Calum since he saw his car in the lot out back. “No critics, nothing drastic happened.” Michael shrugged, setting some things to the side. “Everything seemed to run fine.”

“Anyone take advantage and try to call off or be lazy while I wasn’t here?” Calum chuckled, joking around. But the look on his friend's face made his smile drop. 

He just sighed at first, shaking his head and making his way over to the head chef. “I wasn’t going to say anything because it really wasn’t a problem, but Luke and Ashton both came in late.”

“Hungover?” Calum raised his brows, crossing his arms over his chest. The other man just nodded before starting to prepare some things for the day. He didn’t want to get his friends in trouble, but he figured Calum wouldn’t really do much seeing as how close he and Ashton were. “Thank you, Michael. I owe you.”

“What was that about?” Aliyah asked quietly as the man stepped beside her again. “Everything okay?”

Calum just nodded at first, shrugging it off and continuing to do some prep work with her. The three in the kitchen worked in silence as other staff members continued to arrive and get ready for the day. It was only a half hour until both Luke and Ashton had arrived– separately. The two were talking at a counter, whispering quietly and keeping to themselves.

“Did’ya guys have a good time?” Calum stood a few counters away, raising his brows and smiling softly at the two. Both boys head’s shot up at the sound of their head chef’s voice, but Luke looked more worried than his boyfriend. At first he just raised his brows as if to say he didn’t hear him. “Your party?”

“Oh! Oh yeah, we had a great time. My family gets a little crazy around the holiday sometimes.” Luke chuckled, glancing at Ashton. “Right? It was fun?”

“Yeah.” Ashton simply smiled, looking back to Calum after a moment. He took his chance, knowing Calum wouldn’t be able to see, and gently brushed his hand over Luke’s in hopes to calm his nerves. 

Calum glanced between the two of them a few times, oblivious to their hands and their relationship entirely. “I was hoping the two of you could stay a little late today to help Aliyah and I plan some things and to make up for coming in late the other day.”

A little shocked, jaw dropped, Luke just nodded at first. “Yeah, we can– I mean, I’m good with that. Ashton?” He glanced at the boy beside him.

“Sounds like a plan.” He chuckled, nodding. “Let me know if there's anything you need before then.”

Calum studied Luke for a moment as Aliyah widened her eyes at him. He was being obvious and she didn’t want him to accidentally out his relationship because he was nervous. “You good, Luke?”

“Yeah, just a long weekend.” The tall blonde smiled, relaxing a bit as his boyfriend squeezed his hand and walked away. “Happy to have my kitchen buddy back.”

Aliyah laughed, rolling her eyes but grinning at him. “We’ll have to catch up later. I want to hear about your party and your family and everything that happened this weekend.” Even though she didn’t mention him by name, Luke knew she wanted to hear all about his time with Ashton. 

-

The morning wasn't busy, but as soon as things slowed even more, Calum gave the Aliyah the okay to go talk to Luke. He could tell the two of them had been itching to catch up, and he wasn’t so worried about the two of them flirting and what not once he heard Luke’s first sentence. 

“So I introduced my girlfriend to my family this weekend.” He started, a bright grin on his face as Aliyah nodded along happily. She knew what he really meant, and that’s all that mattered. It was the only way they could openly talk about his relationship in the kitchen. 

The brunette urged him to continue, wanting every little detail. “How’d that go? Tell me everything.”

***

“Why are you so  nervous? I told you, they’re going to absolutely love you.” Luke whispered, squeezing his boyfriend's hand as they approached the door and paused. 

Ashton just sighed, turning to him and shaking his head. “Because my family practically disowned me when I came out.” He took a shaky breath as the tall blonde dropped his hand and cupped his cheeks. “That fear will always be there that it’ll happen with others too.”

“I’m sorry that happened, Ash.” his boyfriend whispered, blue eyes meeting hazel with the softest look either of them had ever seen. “You didn’t deserve to go through that and I hope I can show you, and share with you, how loving and accepting my family is.”

It was silent between the two of them as the shorter of the two nodded, and placed a gentle kiss on his boyfriend's lips. The two took each others hand as Luke knocked and pushed the door open slowly. 

“Hello? I’m here and I brought company!” He called out into the house as the two stepped inside. At first no one answered, but then he spoke up again. “We brought pastries and wine.”

Most of the boys' immediate family suddenly started making their way towards the door to greet the two, all grinning excitedly. “Oh hello, darling.” his mother was first, pulling him into a tight hug, then glancing at the handsome boy beside him. 

“This is Ashton, my boyfriend.” He paused, giving Ashton a moment to take in and enjoy everyone's welcoming smiles and excited demeanor. “And this is my family, Mum, Jack, and Ben.”

“It’s lovely to meet you dear, Luke here never stops talking about you.” With one simple sentence from his mother, Luke’s cheeks were the most red they’d be for the rest of the night. “Well come in come in, don’t worry. We won’t attack you with hugs.”

“I’d actually love a hug.” Ashton smiled weakly, needing the comfort of a mothers hug after finding out he’s gay. “If that’s alright with you of course.”

Without another word, his boyfriend's mother stepped towards him and pulled him in for a much needed, long overdo, comforting hug. The two stood there for a few moments, she could tell he needed it and she wouldn’t be one to deprive the poor boy from a mothers love. It was her son's boyfriend, he was practically family. 

While Ashton enjoyed the hug, Luke’s brothers greeted him with tight hugs and pats on the back. “You look happy, can’t wait to spend all night embarrassing the shit out of you.” Ben chuckled, glancing at Jack as he spoke up.

“We gotta find those old photo albums.”

Luke rolled his eyes, shoving the two of them away. “Shut up and go bring these to the kitchen.” he held out the pastries and the wine. “And don’t have any yet, I know exactly how many there are.”

Each brother took one of the two items, sighing dramatically and making their way towards the kitchen. “Always such a buzzkill.” They joked. 

The tall blonde turned to his boyfriend and mother as they pulled away from each other, smiling softly. “Sorry we’re a little late, there was a bit more traffic than I anticipated.”

“No need to apologize dear, I’m just glad you made it.” She answered, smiling and turning to walk farther into the house. “The two of you are staying here tonight, right?”

“We’ve got work in the morning–”

“We’d love to stay if you’ll have us.” Ashton interrupted, much more relaxed than he was outside the door. 

The night went on, stories of Luke being told to embarrass him at every opportunity, as well as Ashton being grilled about his own life. The group shared dinner, wine, and dessert, then a few more glasses of wine as the day came to an end. 

Luke had yet to show Ashton his old childhood room, quickly pulling him through the house once the wine had invaded their senses. “This is it– this is where all the magic happened.” He joked.

The boyfriend grinned, looking around and taking it all in. “If I didn’t already know from one of our first dates, I would have never expected you to be so into music.”

“That's crazy, music was the biggest competition to baking.” Luke laughed, falling back on his bed. “But really, I feel like everything happened in this room. Lost my virginity right here on this bed.”

“These sheets and everything?” Ashton raised his brows, making his way over and sitting on the edge of the bed as the tall one just nodded quickly, joking around.

“Yeah, never washed ‘em or anything.” Luke continued to laugh, pulling Ashton to lay back with him. “I’m really glad you agreed to come with me today. It would have been so boring if you didn’t.”

He sighed happily, staring at the ceiling for a moment before speaking up quietly. “Your family is amazing, I didn’t know– I just never thought that people could be so accepting and loving of who I am. Especially people that I just met.”

“If she hasn't already, I’m sure my mom will make sure you have her phone number so you can call her with anything.” Luke whispered, eyes closed and blindly reaching for Ashton’s hand. “I think she knew I was gay before I did, but she still made it special when I came out. We celebrated, just the two of us and she asked me about any crushes I had.”

Ashton glanced down at their hands, smiling and letting go a moment later to reach into his bag he had packed. His boyfriend sat up, brows furrowed, confused as to what he was doing before he caught sight of the brand new bottle of wine he was pulling from the bag. “Share a bottle with me?”

“I’d love nothing more.” Luke whispered, smiling and standing. “I can go grab the corkscrew–”

“No need.” Ashton chuckled, cheeks flushing red as he began to unscrew the cap. “It’s cheap, shitty wine that’ll get us giggling like drunk school girls in no time.”

The taller of the two never thought he’d see his boyfriend drink a wine he called cheap, let alone have the two of them drink it together. He always insisted they have some exquisite, aged wine that paired well with their meal. 

Without another thought, Ashton took a big swig of the fruity wine, holding the bottle out to his boyfriend happily. “I know it’s a little far into our relationship for me to ask you this, and you've been so thoughtful about not bringing it up in front of me. But what was it like when you came out?”

Luke eyed the man, as if to triple check that he was okay talking about it. Ashton had talked about his story before, and the boy never wanted it to shove it down his throat how good his own experience was in comparison. “It was good.” He nodded,  a soft smile tugging at his lips as he took his own drink of the wine. “I think I was thirteen when I came to the realization that boys were who I wanted to be with, but it wasn’t until I was fifteen that I actually told my mom.”

“And it all went great? She just flat out accepted you as you were?”

“Yeah, I guess I’m pretty lucky.” Luke nodded, sighing softly. “I was nervous as hell, but I had just had my first kiss with a boy and I was too excited to care. I wanted to tell her and my brothers about it.”

Ashton listened quietly, a pang of jealousy aching in his chest, but he was happy his boyfriend had such a pleasant experience. He would never wish someone to be kicked out and practically disowned the way he was years earlier. “And your brothers? They took it well too?”

“Yeah, it took a lot more getting used to for them, but it was never bad.” He shook his head, taking another drink before passing the bottle back. “They didn’t worry about me flirting with any girls they brought over anymore, and they were never weird about me talking to their friends. They didn’t really make jokes about me crushing on their friends or anything.” he paused for a quiet moment, chuckling. “They did have some hot friends though.”

“You’re annoying.” Ashton laughed, eyes crinkling before taking a few drinks. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

Chapter 8: Eight

“I can’t believe I’m actually here.” Aliyah whispered, looking around in awe as her and the head chef stepped into the banquet hall. “This is absolutely gorgeous.”

Calum had to stop himself from saying the typical cheesy comment, gently resting his hand on her lower back and leading them in the direction of their table instead. “They outdid themselves this year. This banquet hall is phenomenal.”

As he pulled out her chair, she sat with a quiet smile as a thank you, then folded her hands in her lap. “It’s not always in New York, is it?”

“No, it changes every year.” He explained, sitting beside her and sipping on the water that was set in front of him a moment later. “Last year it was in Miami, they'll probably announce where it’s going to be next year tonight.”

The brunette nodded along, eyes still scanning the venue and the people filling it. “I hope I get nominated for an award here one day.” The man could tell she was more so speaking to herself, but that didn’t stop him from smiling and watching her. 

“I’m sure you will, and you’ll win whatever you’re nominated for.”

She just rolled her eyes, gaze falling to him as she held back a quiet laugh. “Tell that to the review that got published in the times.”

“Trust me, you’ll be here one day.” He paused, gently placing his hand on top of hers for a mere moment before pulling it away and continuing. “For yourself, not me. Though, I don’t look forward to going head to head with you.”

“Head to head? With your little friend here?” A man stood behind Calum, hands on his shoulders with a wide grin before leaning down so the man sitting could see him. “Hey Hood, how’ve you been?”

“James–” Calum’s eyes went wide for a moment before standing up to greet him. “Hey, wow. I’ve been good, how are you?”

“I’m good, I’m good. Sitting with Timothy and Steven over yonder.” The man now known as James gestured towards a different table before looking back at his old friend. “This must be Aliyah, your new sous chef?”

“Uh yeah, yeah this is her.” Calum smiled and stepped back as James held his hand out to the girl. She stood, shaking his hand and looking between the two of them with a small smile. “Ally, this is James. One of my friends from culinary school. James, this is Aliyah, like you said she’s my new sous chef.”

“It’s nice to meet–”

“Yeah, she’s the one that had that nasty review in the Times.” The chef's friend had a sick smile tugging at his lips, looking back at Calum. “So, I know you weren’t talking about her when you mentioned going head to head with someone.”

The brunette's heart dropped. Sure, she didn’t know the man, but she didn’t expect him to take a jab at her the first time they were ever speaking. It was obvious that Calum was surprised as well, expecting to be picked on himself. “Whoa, James…”

“It’s part of the business, Cal. She’s gotta get used to it.” He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders and looking back at the girl. “And never get your hopes up about winning any awards here. I’m still surprised Calum was nominated at all.”

She was speechless, letting Calum do the talking for the both of them at that point. “Feel free to think that way all you want. Ally’s a great chef, hence why she’s working alongside me.” He paused, offering his arm to the girl. “Anyways, we’re going to go get a drink. Have a nice night, James.”

“I will, I’m presenting one of the awards tonight.” The man stood tall, as if it was something to be more proud about than actually getting nominated. Calum made sure to remind him why he himself was there.

Once Aliyah’s arm was looped through his, he looked his old so-called friend up and down again. “Only way you could get in this year? Y’know, not being up for an award yourself, you’ll just give one to someone who deserves it.”

The man went quiet, eyeing the two in front of him for a moment before forcing a small, tight smile. “See you around, Cal.”

James walked away first, leaving the two that worked together alone for a moment before Calum started leading her to a bar set up to the side. “Don’t listen to him, he’s always been an asshole.”

At first the girl just shrugged, asking the bartender for a martini quietly, then turning back to her chef. “He seems like an ass, yeah. But he wasn’t really wrong about me.”

“Don’t let him get in your head like that, Ally.” The brunette man sighed, shaking his head and grabbing her shoulders gently. “We’re going to kill that demonstration and show them how great you are. I wouldn’t have let you stay or invited you here if I didn’t think you deserved it.”

A moment of silence passed, the two staring at each other before the drink was set carefully in front of her. “Maybe we should go get ready for that demonstration then.” She whispered, looking down and turning back to the bar to take her drink. “Thank you.”

After getting a drink for himself, Calum led the two of them back to their table so they could sit and enjoy their drinks before getting to work. Neither spoke up right away, not wanting to start an argument about Aliyah’s ability to cook and her self esteem. “Ready to blow everyone away?”

The two jumped right into it, making their way over to the small kitchenette set up on a small stage behind a curtain, making sure everything they would need was easily within reach. There had been some talking and introductions on the other side of the curtain, hyping up the crowd a bit before announcing them, “Now I welcome to the stage, the wonderful Chef Calum Hood, and his sous chef Aliyah Leighton, to give us a demonstration of one of their restaurants most ordered dishes.”

As the curtain suddenly opened, Aliyah could feel all the eyes on her, flattening her apron before jumping in with Calum and aiding with whatever she could. Both her and Calum knew that he could make the dish in his sleep, but he got her help on every step. Even if it was as simple as stirring the pot for a few moments while he started on something else. The two worked perfectly together, never once bumping into each other, wordlessly handing the other something they needed, no asking necessary. 

Plated in the smallest portions they could muster, the dish was handed out to random people around the room, each given an opportunity to comment on the chef’s work. They heard nothing but good, happy, hums of appreciation. The two could see James seething in the back. He had something he wanted to say, and Calum would be damned if he let him say it in front of everyone. 

One last person had a helping to try, smiling and taking the microphone into his hand and gently clearing his throat. “Of the demonstrations I have had the honor of trying over the past however many years, I must say that Mr. Hood and Miss Leighton have most definitely exceeded my expectations for this portion of the evening.” The man paused, looking between the two chefs smiling. “I do look forward to seeing if you won either award you’re nominated for this year.”

“Thank you, sir. Thank you everyone, truly. It’s an honor to be here at all, let alone to be able to cook for you.” Calum smiled, stepping to the side and gesturing to the girl beside him. “An extra thank you to my wonderful and talented sous-chef, Aliyah, for always being there to help when needed.”

The room erupted in a quiet applause for the two of them as the small kitchenette was moved from the stage, and the two started making their way back to the bar for a small celebration between the two of them. Hoping to go back to their seats and relax a bit before the awards started, their plans were interrupted by a certain group of old friends stepping in front of them.

“Why do you give her so much credit for a dish that you made?” James crossed his arms, brows furrowed with the other two men behind him. “She’s not a well practiced chef or anything, let’s be honest– she’s just there for the pretty factor for you.”

Calum just smirked slightly, gently resting his hand on Aliyah’s lower back before looking at her, then back to James. “Aww that’s so sweet, James. You think she’s pretty?” He paused, taking a breath. “I mean, you’re not wrong. But once again, she works with me because she’s an amazing chef. Now if you’ll excuse us–”

“No, I won’t.” James didn’t move from his spot, shaking his head lightly. “Not until you admit that you hired her because of her looks and not her skills, we all read that review, Cal.”

“Not everyone gets a raving review the first time around.” The chef simply stated, looking his old friend over once again. “But at least she can climb, and she will, whereas you fell. You stumbled. You James, you got one good review and got too cocky.”

“I did not–”

“Yeah, you did.” Calum nodded once, his hand still resting on Aliyah’s lower back. “Now you’re struggling, you had to practically beg on your hands and knees to get in here tonight, didn’t you?”

Shocked and speechless, James' lips parted, but nothing came out. Instead one of the guys behind him spoke up, resting his hand on his shoulder. “Let’s just go back to our table, man. They aren’t worth it.”

Calum just smiled, stepping around the men and holding his arm out for Aliyah once again. “Let’s go sit before the awards start, yeah?”

As the two went to sit back down, the brunette had to hold back a quiet laugh, sipping on her new drink every few moments. “Alright, he’s officially the biggest asshole I’ve ever met.” She laughed quietly, shaking her head. “What shoved a stick so far up his ass he can’t let others be happy?”

“Exactly what I said earlier–” Calum took a sip of his drink, raising his brows lightly. “Got a great review, got cocky, everything went downhill from there.” He paused, smiling softly. “Enough about him, you enjoying yourself for the most part?”

“I am, it's so cool to be here.” The girl smiled brightly, nodding along with herself. “All these amazing people here, good drinks, great food, being here with you.” 

“With me? That’s a highlight?” He just chuckled, drinking in hopes to hide his reddening cheeks.

She nodded, shrugging lightly. “Furthermore, the fact that you’re gonna walk out of here with two awards.”

“We’ll see.” Calum whispered, feeling his stomach erupt into a swarm of butterflies. Even though James had been a complete asshole that night, she was having a good time with him. It felt all too quick that awards started getting announced, many rounds of applause passing before the same man that complimented Calum’s dish was standing at the podium. 

“Down to our last few awards of the night, everyone still doing alright?” He smiled, looking around the room slowly. “I've been up here the past fifteen years handing out these few awards, and it’s always such an honor to celebrate all of you.”

He had everyone's attention, there wasn’t a whisper in the room as he held up a small crystal award. Though Aliyah’s focus was split, noticing Calum’s leg bouncing under the table nervously. He wasn’t so confident in himself. The girl gently rested her hand on his knee to remind him she was there with him, whether or not he won it was an honor to be nominated. They could read each other so well when it didn’t come to their feelings for each other. 

“Let’s get to it, nominees for Best Chef this year are…” the man read the names, Calum’s included, before slowly opening the small envelope. “Our most passionate chef this year, someone who always shows their passion in every single dish they make, big or small, extravagant or simple. You can always taste their love to cook. It goes to…” he paused again for the anticipation. “Calum Hood!”

Calum stood as everyone cheered, Aliyah smiling up at him proudly. “Congratulations.” She whisper-yelled, grinning at him. She watched as he received many compliments and congratulations as he made his way to the stage, accepting the award and giving a few thanks to his family. But she could tell he was ready to move on, truly wanting to learn if he won Chef of the year or not. That was the biggest of the awards, the highest honor of the night.

Sitting back beside the brunette, smiling, but nervous, he set the award down on the table and let his leg start bouncing just like before. He knew it was next.

“Without further ado, our nominees for Chef of the Year.” The man paused, listing off the few names, including Calum’s once again, causing him to tense suddenly. “This award goes to someone who has wowed everyone with a dish, always improving and working harder to succeed. I can personally say, I haven’t seen someone so deserving of this award in years.”

There was a silence in the air, everyone on the edge of their seats as they awaited the announcement of the winner. The air was slowly being sucked from Calum’s lungs in anticipation.

“And our winner of the 2019 Chef of the Year,” The man smiled, opening a small envelope before looking back out at the crowd. “Calum Hood!”

Before the brunette had even stood fully, Aliyah’s arms were wrapping around his neck in a tight hug. He couldn’t even help it when his arms did the same to her lower back, and he lifted her from the ground with his face nuzzled into her neck. The two stayed there for a moment, the applause drowned out by their own fuzzy, screaming minds. 

It clicked after a minute, someone else at the table gently resting their hand on Calum’s back to congratulate him, causing the two to quickly pull away from each other with red cheeks. All Aliyah could muster was a whisper. “You deserve it, Cal.”

“Thank you, Ally.” He answered just as quietly, finally making his way up to the stage to accept his award. That time around he gave more of a speech, a little choked up at first but he worked through it. “I can’t even begin to thank… everyone in my life for helping me get to where I am today. I never thought that I’d be winning such an amazing award so early in my career.”

Aliyah gave him an encouraging smile from her seat, nodding at him as he continued to speak. She was so focused on him versus his words that almost didn’t catch him saying her name. 

“I truly have my mom to thank the most, she pushed me to follow my dreams from a young age, and my sister always made sure I was pushing forward through all the obstacles thrown my way.” He took a breath, looking down at the award in his hands for a moment. “Everyone at the The Pearl Garden has been with me on this path, especially Ashton Irwin, Luke Hemmings, and Michael Clifford. It wouldn’t be fair of me not to mention Aliyah, my newer sous-chef, though she hasn’t been around for long, I know she’s going to help me continue to grow and be even better.”

Her heart stopped, feeling multiple pairs of eyes move to glance at her before everyone's attention was back on the man accepting the award. She was incredibly thankful herself, getting to work alongside Calum and everyone else he mentioned. If there was one decision she was happy she made, it was accepting the position at The Pearl Garden.

“Thank you all, I’m sure there's some things I forgot to say but if we’re being honest everything's a blur and the few drinks I had earlier are definitely staking their claim on my senses.” Calum chuckled, shaking his head at himself.

Receiving congratulations and compliments on his walk back to his seat again, the brunette didn’t even sit. He just held his hand out to his plus one for the evening with a small smile. She just looked up at him before speaking up quietly and placing her hand in his. “Where are we going?”

“We’re getting a celebratory drink or five.” He chuckled, nodding his head towards the bar. “I think I deserve it, and maybe some fresh air.”

Without another word, but instead a simple nod, the two made their way to the bar and each ordered their third drink of the evening. But a twenty might’ve been slipped to the bartender while the word ‘shots’ was thrown in quietly. Four shots precisely. 

They were gone before the bartender even turned his back to the pair, brows rising when he saw the short girl hold back a gag. He silently placed a glass of water in front of her, chuckling quietly when Calum rested his hand on her lower back and lifted the glass to her hand. 

After sipping the water a few times, Aliyah looked at the bartender with a thankful smile, and turned to Calum with red, embarrassed cheeks. “You said something about fresh air?”

“Let’s go, I saw a balcony out here earlier.” Picking up both their drinks, Calum directed the girl in the right direction while following behind her closely. “Through those double doors.”

Nodding in confirmation, Aliyah stepped through the doors and smiled at the view. Overlooking the city wasn’t something she expected. The girl thought maybe she’d come face to face with a brick wall or another building, not the beautiful cityscape that she now called home. “Wow, it’s beautiful up here.”

Calum passed her drink to her, closing the doors behind them and leaning against the railing carefully. “I’ve been to one other event in this building, but we weren’t this high up.” he mentioned quietly, glancing at her before looking back out at the city. 

The girl enjoyed the silence for a bit, sipping her drink before finishing it quickly a moment later. “Why have you been defending me so much tonight?”

Calum shrugged, avoiding looking at her and finishing his drink as well. “Defending you goes hand in hand with defending the restaurant.” he paused. “If people are talking bad about you, it looks bad for our workplace and Brian would kill me if he knew I let things like that slide.”

“That’s it? For the restaurant?”

“I mean–” He turned to face her, sighing softly. “Obviously I don’t want people talking bad about you, Ally. What do you want me to say?”

“Just…” Aliyah groaned quietly, shaking her head. “You’re so fucking dense!”

“And you’re too fucking clever to be asking me why I’m defending you when you already know the answer!”

She couldn’t take it anymore, taking charge and pulling him down into a heated kiss. There was no hesitation to kiss her back, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her impossibly close. Calum could feel her nude lipstick transferring to his face, but at that moment he didn’t care about what kind of consequences it could mean. He was finally feeling her skin against his own.

“You deserved those awards more than–”

“Shut up.” Calum mumbled, interrupting her and starting to kiss along her jaw to her neck. “I don’t want to talk about the damn awards.” 

She just let him, too lost in the moment to focus on much else besides how soft his lips felt against her own, and now against her neck. The two couldn’t keep their hands off each other, tugging and pulling at each other's hair and clothes, overall being sloppy. At some point, the girl's back was against the side of the building, the cold exterior a nice counter to her burning skin. 

They were together out there for fifteen minutes before they finally pulled away to breathe, the make up on Calum’s face causing Aliyah’s heart to drop. What was she kissing him? It wasn’t allowed, and she knew that. He knew that. 

“We had way too much to drink.” Aliyah whispered, starting to shake her head. 

Calum was frozen for a moment. He couldn’t believe either of them would risk their jobs like that, but he knew he’d do it all over again. “Yeah, um yeah.” he agreed, though he knew the alcohol had barely hit his bloodstream yet. “Shouldn’t have taken those shots.”

“We should– we should go.” She continued whispering, taking her purse and pulling out a napkin before trying to wipe the makeup from his face. “Sorry, there’s lipstick.”

“I know.” Calum chuckled quietly taking the napkin. “I can feel it.”

Chapter 9: Nine

“What the hell happened to you?” Luke asked, watching Aliyah walk in the next morning, much closer to open than she normally did. “You look like you got hit by a bus with Cal.”

“Huh?” She looked over at him, brows up and sunglasses hiding her eyes. “Oh– Cal winning both awards is what happened. We celebrated a little too hard I guess.”

The pastry chef's eyes lit up, glancing over his shoulder at Calum, then back to Aliyah with slightly parted lips. “He won? Both awards?” he paused before turning and calling out to the entire kitchen. “Let’s hear it for Mr. Calum Hood, not only did he bring home one award, but he brought home both last night!”

Before the cheers even started, both Aliyah and Calum winced at the volume of their friend’s voice, though the head chef was happy to have friends and staff that were so happy for him. The cheers were loud enough to make the two headaches from the night before even worse, but at least it was for a good reason.

“Okay okay, maybe we can all talk about it and celebrate together when my head isn’t going to explode.” Calum chuckled, squinting at everyone around him with a small smile. “I may have had a few too many last night in the moment.”

“Well now ya gotta suffer the consequences.” Michael laughed, hands heavily resting on Calum’s shoulders as he shook him gently. 

Ashton was quick to speak up next, a wide grin spread across his face. “To Calum Hood, the most amazing head chef we will ever have the honor of working with!”

“To Calum!” Everyone cheered out, quickly surrounding the man to give him handshakes and hugs, congratulations and compliments. 

The brunette girl kept her distance, smiling happily for him, but starting to get things prepped for the day. He deserved his moment with everyone in the kitchen, she got to celebrate him the night before. 

As she began pulling some things out, laying them across the counter, she was interrupted by her blonde curly haired friend smiling widely. “So what was his speech like? Terrible? I always imagined Cal would be terrible at speaking in front of huge crowds like that.”

She just rolled her eyes at first, laughing quietly. “It was actually really sweet. He thanked his mom and family, and everyone in the kitchen.” She paused, stopping what she was doing and looking up at him. “He thanked you, Ashton, and Michael all specifically. Then ended it by saying the drinks he had were affecting him.”

“He’s such a softy.” Luke chuckled, shaking his head. But he narrowed his eyes at the girl a moment later when she didn’t laugh along with him. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you celebrating with everyone?”

“Because we still have jobs to do and I got to celebrate with him last night at the awards.” Aliyah smiled weakly, shrugging her shoulders. “He deserves to enjoy this time with all of you guys now.”

“I’ve always wondered, Cal always refuses to go out drinking with anyone at work.” Luke paused, a little smirk playing on his lips. “What is he like when he’s had a few?”

“Hmm? Oh, um…” Aliyah thought for a moment, trying to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks as she remembered their moments shared outside together. “Not much different, just a little more talkative I guess?”

The tall friend studied her, eyes narrowing more as he bit his cheek. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing!” She answered all too quickly for him to drop. Instead he just raised his brows and crossed his arms, quietly and patiently waiting for her to continue. “Okay, okay… not here though.”

“Come on then.” Luke quickly took her hand and instantly started pulling her back outside to the parking lot, the grin on his face unmistakable, and catching Calum’s attention. Though Ashton was the only one to notice the way his jaw ticked, taking a moment before going back to thanking everyone for the congratulations. 

As soon as the door closed behind the pair outside, the brunette sighed and closed her eyes before speaking up quietly. “Luke, you can’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you, okay?” she paused to reiterate. “Not even Ashton.”

He frowned for a split second, but nodded in understanding. “It stays between us, I promise.”

“We kissed.” Aliyah whispered, eyes still closed as Luke’s only widened. It was silent between the two of them for several moments before the girl finally peaked her eyes open again. “Please say something.”

“Sorry, sorry yeah. Um– wow.” Luke shook his head, still in shock. “That's… I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I wasn’t expecting it to happen, but he just kept standing up for me all night because this asshole wouldn’t drop the fact that I got a bad review and it was just so hot I couldn’t help it.” The girl rambled, making Luke finally crack a smile and chuckle. 

“So you kissed him? Not the other way around.” he asked quietly, biting at his lip to keep himself from smiling too wide. “You initiated it and he happily joined in, didn't he? I mean look at you, you were probably in some beautiful floor length gown, there to support him, looking at him with your big doe eyes all night.”

Aliyah swallowed thickly, staring up at her best friend nervously. “I fucked up, I know. We were drinking and he looked so good and he was so protective and I just– I couldn’t help it and now I don’t know what to do.”

“Step one, ask yourself if you have feelings for him or if it was just the buzz of the alcohol and the event.” Luke whispered, gently resting his hands on her shoulders and smiling softly. “No matter what, it’s gonna be okay. I mean look at Ashton and I.”

“Cal is like- our boss though, he preaches about the no dating rule.”

“And yet… he kissed you back.” Luke shrugged lightly.

Meanwhile, Calum had stepped away from the small celebration to hide out in the office for a moment. But Ashton was right behind him, brows raised and arms crossed like Luke just minutes earlier outside. “What’s goin' on?”

“I can trust you, right? Anything I say will stay between us and only us?” Calum was ready to spill his guts the moment Ashton followed him into the empty office, more than relieved that Brian wouldn’t be in until later that night. 

The slightly older friend furrowed his brows, arms crossing as he nodded lightly. “Yeah, of course, Cal. What’s got you like this?”

Calum closed his eyes, sitting at the manager's desk and sighing quietly. “She kissed me. She kissed me and now she totally regrets it.”

“Who? Aliyah?” Ashton asked softly, moving to lean forwards onto the desk slightly. “I’m sure she doesn’t regret it.”

“She ran off with Luke the moment she got a chance.” Calum sighed, laying his head down on the desk. “And like– I know he’s in a relationship and shit, I heard him telling her how he introduced her to his parents. But she’s obviously into him.”

Ashton stifled a laugh, his face blank when Calum lifted his head to glance at him. “I’m sure she wouldn’t have just kissed you for no reason, Cal. Tell me about the night, from start to end.”

Leaning back in the chair and looking at who he’d call his best friend, Calum let out a soft sigh and nodded. “I picked her up at her apartment, and got the tiniest little glance inside when she stepped away from the door to grab her purse.” he paused, sucking in a quiet breath at the image in his head. “She was absolutely breathtaking, and her kitchen was exactly what I imagined– what I could see anyway.”

The older friend smiled, keeping his comments to himself and letting the brunette continue on his own. 

“But her dress, it fit her so perfectly and the blue just matched her so well. It was this like– silky light baby blue and she had this really shimmery sparkly makeup on her eyes.” Calum continued to ramble, imagining the pretty girl behind his closed eyes. “We just talked the entire drive, mostly about past awards and if I had ever been before, so I told her all about last year.”

Ashton nodded, smiling at his friend happily. He wasn’t sure the last time he saw Calum so happy and excited to be talking about a girl versus some new dish he was making. “So you got to the awards, and?”

“Did I ever tell you about the guy I was in culinary school with? James?” Calum asked quietly, a small sigh following shortly after his friend shook his head. “Well he was always an asshole, picking on me and making comments about how I ended up dropping schools and choosing New York instead.”

“Sounds like a dick–”

“He is, and he decided to continue commenting on Ally’s review in the Times all night. Just trying to make her feel like shit because he got a great review then fucked it up from there.” Calum shook his head. “Whatever, the point is I hate the guy and he was pissed that Ally and I were there.”

Ashton nodded again, a small smile tugging at his lips. “When he was being an ass and saying these things about Aliyah, what’d you do?”

“Stood up for her of course–” Calum stopped himself, furrowing his brows when he noticed Ashton’s little smile. “If he’s talking shit about my sous chef, he’s talking shit about my restaurant, Ash.”

“And he was talking bad about the pretty girl you’ve been falling for but okay.” He shrugged, his smile only growing when he noticed the slight tint to his head chefs cheeks. “I get it, no dating in the kitchen.”

The dark haired man rolled his eyes, shaking his head before continuing. “We did our demonstration, it went amazing, then they started awards and she like– I was so nervous and anxious and she just calmed me down. I don't get it.”

“What about when you won?”

“She was the first to congratulate me, and when…” Calum trailed off, his cheeks heating a bit more as he remembered the way she threw her arms around his neck. “She gave me the best hug I’ve ever gotten when I was announced Chef of the Year, it was like time froze.”

“You’re so incredibly whipped, Cal.” Ashton chuckled lightly, shaking his head. “She’s got you wrapped around her finger and she doesn’t even know.”

The chef just rolled his eyes, avoiding looking at his friend as he continued. “So we got some drinks, and stepped outside for some air and that's when she kissed me.”

“What happened right before she kissed you?”

“She called me dense and I called her clever because she was asking why I was standing up for her or something and she didn’t like the bullshit answer I gave her.” Calum sighed deeply, putting his head down into his hands. “I need to forget anything even happened, we have rules for a reason.”

Ashton glanced over his shoulder at the door back towards the kitchen before offering a  weak smile at the man that wouldn’t even look at him. “I don’t know, Cal. Speaking from experience, sometimes breaking rules can lead to the most amazing outcome.” he stepped towards the door. “M’gonna help the others prep for the day, take whatever time you need in here.”

Both Luke and Aliyah were prepping in the kitchen when Ashton returned, the oldest of the small group sending Luke a small knowing smile before talking to some of the other staff members. 

“What was that about?” The girl quickly asked the curly blonde, raising her brows curiously.

Luke chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “M’not sure to be honest, I’ll talk to him later and find out.” he paused, making a questioning face in his boyfriend's direction before Calum walked from the office where he had left just moments ago. He didn’t have to ask, he knew in that moment that Calum confided in Ashton, just as Aliyah did in him.

“I think I need to do something after work today.” She admitted quietly, looking at Luke in hopes he’d join her in doing something. 

He frowned slightly, glancing over at Ashton, then back to her. “Yeah, I can see if–”

“No, no.” She quickly shook her head, smiling weakly. “You obviously have plans already, we can hang out some other time.”

“Soon, I promise.” Luke smiled, pulling the girl in for a tight hug and kissing the top of her head. He paused for a moment, glancing down at her, but she was just smiling, she didn’t mind the little kiss on her head. It felt protective, like an older brother watching over his sister. 

The dark haired chef watched from his place at a counter across the kitchen, his jaw tight and fists clenched. Seeing Aliyah with his pastry chef was harder than expected, even though he knew Luke was in a relationship. 

He just had to stay away from her, no more moments alone where he’d be tempted to pin her against the counter and kiss her.

Chapter 10: Ten

A week had passed and Calum had barely said a full sentence to his sous chef unless it had to do with making a dish for the kitchen. He hadn’t said a word about the times they had spent together outside of work, and he didn’t plan on it. The idea was to pretend they didn’t happen at all, the two had never kissed, they never joked around and had any moments in his old childhood kitchen. 

Aliyah was well past annoyed at that point, understanding wanting to distance from each other after their shared moments, but to be completely ignoring her hurt. She didn’t want to admit it, but it upset her that he wanted nothing to do with her. Even if that was in her head, and wasn’t the case whatsoever. 

She felt the need to call him out about it, but knew she couldn’t do it at work and decided to show up at his apartment one day after closing. Angry and hurt, she knocked and crossed her arms right after as she waited impatiently for him to answer. He hadn’t even begun to unwind after work by the time she was there, opening the door just after a few moments. 

“Aliyah?” his brows furrowed, taking in her stance and moving out of the way. “What’re you doing here?”

The girl frowned, stepping through the door and glancing at him. “Why are you avoiding talking to me?”

“I’m not–” He lied, and she instantly shot him a look that reminded him she wasn’t stupid. “You know the rules, and you broke them. I’m trying not to get fired.”

For a moment, she thought that was a fair excuse, but the more she stood and let it marinate in her head, she’d call it absolute bullshit. “No. That doesn’t mean you can't still be my friend. You can still talk to me at work and not completely ignore me.”

“Ally, you don’t understand.”

“I understand completely, you’re just being an asshole and not caring if you hurt anyone else in the process.” The brunette spit at him, shaking her head. “Instead of being a decent human being and just wanting to move past it together, you decided to just ignore me and pretend I don’t exist–”

“Why are you so fucking hot when you’re angry?” He blurted, swallowing thickly as he watched her. Waiting for her reaction, ready to pull her into him and kiss her all over again. “You’re making it harder than ever not to touch you right now.”

Hesitantly, wetting her lips and staring right back at him, Aliyah whispered, “Who would know?” 

A mere few seconds passed before Calum took the few steps he needed to close the gap and push his lips against hers. Reaching behind her and pushing the door closed, he didn’t waste any time before pushing her into the kitchen and lifting her onto the counter. Not once did their lips part from each other. 

Time felt frozen for the moment, like no one could touch them and they were in their own little world. That they weren’t risking their jobs for one of the best feelings they had experienced in so long. Alcohol not affecting them at all that time, heads only foggy from the taste of each other. 

“You taste like pastries.” Calum mumbled against her lips just as he left them, wanting to trail kisses along her jaw instead. As her head instinctively fell to the side to give the man more access, she let off a quiet breath. “Makes sense, I see how often you sneak bites of whatever Luke is making.”

“Can we not talk about another man right now.” She whispered, grabbing at his shirt to pull him impossibly closer. “That feels s’good.”

Maybe it gave him a bit of an ego, but he couldn’t help it– the sounds she was making for him were so pretty and all he was doing was leaving needy kisses on her bare skin. His hands found her hips, pulling her to the edge of the counter. “I’ve been wanting to do this in the kitchen all week.”

“Mhm.” Aliyah hummed, eyes fluttering closed. “No more talking.”

Wordlessly nodding, Calum pushed his lips to hers again, softer that time. Everything slowed down again, their hands gently grabbing at each other, pushing their hair out of the way as they gasped into each other's mouths. 

Several minutes passed, longer than they thought when the chef slipped the girl's shirt over her head, connecting his lips to her neck again once she was in her bra. His hands on her hips, thumbs pressing beneath the waistband of her pants as he silently begged to be even closer.

The pressure on her hips quickly caused her hands to move to his shirt, struggling to get the buttons undone as fast as she could. Blindly feeling for the next one to pop open, Aliyah felt the man freeze, grabbing her hands to steady them and breathing against her neck. 

“We can’t.” As the whisper fell from his lips, she knew he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to stop, but he didn’t want to risk their jobs. “I- I’m so sorry, Ally.”

She was already shaking her head, her hands moving to cup his cheeks gently. “It’s not– don't be sorry.” Quietly, she began buttoning his shirt again, eyes focused there until he lifted her chin to meet eyes. “I started this whole thing– I’m sorry I dragged you into it.”

“You didn’t.” Calum whispered, gently brushing his thumbs over her cheeks. “I wanted it just as much as you did, probably more.”

Aliyah laughed softly, looking down at her lap again, or more so trying to because the chefs hands on her cheeks kept them eye to eye for the time being. Neither of them said anything right away, both searching their minds for some sort of solution, for some way that they could possibly see if it could work out. 

“What if no one knew?” He suddenly spoke up again, nervously searching her eyes as he did. “What if we kept things how they’ve always been in the kitchen? But when it’s just us it can be however we want.”

The girl's lips parted, contemplating silently for several moments. Her answer wasn’t hard to come to, she was just worried about what could happen if people found out. Would they go straight to Brian? Would they keep it to themselves? She knew she could trust both Luke and Ashton, but anyone else?

She didn’t want to dwell too much, taking a quiet breath and gently pressing her lips to his as if to give her final answer. The two couldn’t help but smile against each other, feeling a little giddy about the idea of sneaking around together. Risking their jobs for the opportunity to see what they could be together felt entirely worth it in the moment. 

“It has to stay between us– if anyone finds out, we end everything and deny deny deny.” Aliyah whispered between kisses, her hands finding his buttons again. Wordlessly he nodded along with her, letting her kiss him over and over while his hands landed on her hips again. 

Within a few simple movements, she had unbuttoned his shirt once again and pushed it off his shoulders, the black fabric landing on the floor silently. Calum thanked himself in his head that he had lifted her onto the counter, not having to lean down all that much to connect his lips to her bare skin. She was at the perfect height for him to absolutely devour her in the moment. 

 

Chapter 11: Eleven

Working was… weird. But they got it done. The two just wanted to pull each other away every once in a while, compliment each other, flirt, and maybe even kiss some. Though they knew they couldn’t, and absolutely wouldn’t. It was enough of a risk being together only at home, let alone the kitchen. 

“Can you go grab some more fresh veggies? Just whatever we need to prep more of?” Calum asked, raising his brows and glancing at the girl beside him and continuing to chop some carrots. “Definitely carrots, I think I’m about to use all of these.”

Aliyah nodded, turning on her heel and starting to make her way towards the back of the kitchen, where all that day's fresh produce was stored carefully in the fridge. She was collecting carrots and a few other items before turning once again and almost running directly into her best friend. “Oh my god, you just scared the shit out of me.”

“What happened when you confronted him?” He crossed his arms over his chest.

Wide eyed, Aliyah just shook her head. “Nothing. We just talked and decided to leave it behind us like adults.”

“Mhm, sure.” Luke rolled his eyes, waiting silently for her to spill the actual story.

“I don’t know what you’re staring at me for, there's a simple rule that some of us want to follow, Luke.” She whispered, starting to walk past him. “I can’t lose this job.”

The curly blonde's jaw dropped, gently grabbing her arm to stop her from walking any farther away. “Oh my god, you guys totally got together.” he chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Was he good?”

“Luke!” She quickly scolded, her eyes going wide again, but the blood rushing to her cheeks gave her away. He laughed again, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “You’re insane, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Come over tonight after work?” He asked softly, tossing an arm over her shoulder and walking back to the kitchen with her. “I want to hang out with my best friend.”

“Fine, only because I know what you’re doing.” The girl sighed, hip bumping him away from her as she gently set the fresh vegetables on the counter near Calum. “I’ll get these chopped and ready.”

“Thank you, Ally.” Calum smiled softly, finishing up another dish and plating it so it could go out to the customer. “Don’t do all of them, just like one or two carrots for–”

“The pigeon is on the porch.” One of the servers suddenly looked around the kitchen as he stepped through the swinging door. His eyes landed on Aliyah and the girl's heart sank. “They’re asking for Aliyah to make them something.”

Calum glanced from the server to who he’d consider his girlfriend, then shook his head. “Who is it?”

The server swallowed thickly, watching the color drain from Aliyah’s face when the name finally left his mouth. “Harrington.”

“Oh god.” She mumbled, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. “Fuck, I feel like I don’t remember anything.” 

Calum watched her tense up a bit, more nervous than he had ever seen her. She was so calm and collected when she cooked for him to convince him she deserved the job. “Come on, to the freezer, we gotta shock your system and it’ll all come flooding back.”

The chef didn’t hesitate before grabbing her wrist and pulling her to the deep freezer and closing the door behind them. “Calum, I–” She took a deep breath, shaking her head. “I can’t. After what he said about me…”

“You are the most amazing chef I know.” Calum whispered, grabbing her shoulders and staring down at her. “Look at me, Ally. I mean that with absolutely everything in me. Watching you cook is probably my favorite thing to do here because you just… do it. You float around the kitchen.”

“He’s just going to talk bad about me again.”

“I won’t let him, I’m gonna help you. Right now I’m your sous chef, okay?” He watched her try to take a few breaths and struggle to do so, shaking her head once again. The chef's hands moved to her cheeks, gently leaning down and pressing his lips to hers for several seconds, pulling away and searching her eyes. “You got this.”

Slowly, the girl nodded, finally catching her breath. “Yeah, yeah I can do this.” She whispered, forcing a small smile and looking up at him. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, Ally.” Calum whispered, smiling and glancing at the door before gently kissing her again. “Now let’s blow that asshole away and show him how amazing you really, really are.”

“Let’s do it.” She laughed quietly, turning on her heel and heading towards the door, but glancing at him before opening it. “That was risky, but I didn’t hate it.”

“Noted.” He whispered, reaching past her and opening the freezer door and holding it for her. “After you.”

The brunette girl led the way back to where they originally were, a newfound confidence about her when she looked directly at the server. “What does he want to eat?”

The server forced a tight lipped smile, glancing at the door before he spoke up. “He wants the bouillabaisse again. He said he heard how highly Chef Calum speaks of you and wanted to give you another go at it.” he paused. “If you ask me, it seemed like maybe he knew you made a simple mistake last time and wanted to give you another shot.”

“I don’t need his praise, but I’m gonna make him eat his words from before.” Aliyah got right to work, the stress still evident on her face, but everyone gave her encouraging smiles when they caught her eyes.

Calum stepped beside her at some point, nudging her shoulder. “Stop thinking so hard, we all cook our best when we just let our bodies take control and don’t force ourselves to think.”

“Okay, okay.” She whispered, nodding at him and taking a deep breath, shaking out her upper body. “Do you think you could get me some fresh garlic?”

Calum nodded, turning and going to get that for the girl without a second thought. If he weren’t so focused on making sure she felt confident in herself, the chef was positive he’d be out in the dining room berating the man for giving her a bad review in the first place. 

Silently cheering on his best friend, Luke was really just enjoying watching the two interact. No one had a clue, but it all felt so obvious to him. Every little touch or look between the head and sous chef was so minimal, but intimate. Luke could tell that Aliyah felt so supported by the man at her side. 

“Okay, it’s ready.” She whispered, staring down at the dish as Calum waved the server over to take it. “And yes– before you ask I am sure it’s ready.” she shot a look at the server as he approached, a sheepish smile on his face.

“Don’t chew him out, Ally.” Calum chuckled, shaking his head. “He’s on your side, we all are.”

The girl's cheeks went red, taking a deep breath and nodding. “Sorry, just stressed. There’s only been a handful of times I feel like I’ve cooked better than just now and I– I just want today to go well.”

“It will.” Luke finally spoke up, stepping beside her and nudging her with his elbow. “You have this whole kitchen behind you, A.”

Calum glanced between the two of them a few times, the smile never leaving his face. He felt more confident after their shared moments, and was happy Aliyah had Luke as a friend. “He’s not wrong.”

The curly hair blonde didn’t say what was on his mind right then, having to hold back a soft chuckle as he wrapped his arm around Aliyah’s shoulders. He maybe wanted to get a reaction out of his head chef, watching him closely as he spoke up. “We should celebrate. My place tonight?”

Aliyah looked over at him with slightly raised brows, taking a moment before smiling and nodding. “Yeah, yeah that sounds perfect. Though, what’s to celebrate?”

From the corner of his eye, Luke could see Calum’s jaw tick, turning and going to continue working. “You know what, you’re right, maybe we'll hold off until you get that raving review.” Luke winked, kissing her cheek dramatically. “Now get back to work you lazy bum.”

-

The moment Luke closed his apartment door behind the brunette, she turned to him with her brows raised. “Everything we talk about here tonight stays here and you never tell another soul.” She held her pinky towards him, waiting for him to link his with hers. 

“You know I wouldn’t dream of telling anyone and losing your trust, A.” Luke rolled his eyes playfully, slipping his pinky around hers and using it to pull her to the kitchen. “Now spill, I want to know everything.” 

“You’re nosey, you know that right?” Aliyah laughed, shaking her head and sitting at one of the barstools. “As you know… I went over there to confront him about ignoring me. I was pissed. Like I understand he just wanted to pretend it didn’t happen but we are adults and we work together.”

Luke nodded along, pulling a cheap bottle of wine from the fridge and pulling down two wine glasses. “Don’t tell Ash I bought such cheap wine.” He chuckled lightly, looking at her over his shoulder. “So you confronted him and what happened?”

“He kept up with the bullshit for a bit.” The girl rolled her eyes, taking a glass of wine when held out to her. “I don’t really remember what happened before it happened but he kissed me again. Like he…” she trailed off, thinking for a moment. “Like he needed me.”

“You guys are such a hot couple, I swear.” Luke grinned, sipping from his glass. “The way you just kiss–”

“We’re not a couple.” Aliyah whispered, looking away from her best friend with pink cheeks, but she didn’t last long before looking back to him with a little smile. “Well… we maybe decided to try a little secret thing.”

The wide smile never left his face, bouncing up and down excitedly. “I swear, your secret is safe with me.” he paused, about ready to blow. “But I’m serious, you guys are so cute in the kitchen. Every time you look at each other or like– talk at all I just get so giddy.” he paused again. “But no one else knows and it’s so crazy cause I can see the tension and the chemistry around you guys.”

“Shut up, you’re so annoying–”

“Do you think you’ll ever fool around at work?” he interrupted.

Aliyah made a face, shaking her head. “Too risky, we can’t get caught.” she sighed quietly. “He did kiss me in the freezer today, and I won’t lie– I liked it. It kinda gave me a little adrenaline rush.”

“Do you think Cal would ever say anything about Ashton and I if we knew about you guys?” Luke asked quietly, leaning onto the counter and raining his brows at her. “Like, he can’t out us if he’s doing the same thing. He has some sort of moral compass.”

She thought for a moment, biting her cheek. “Maybe once we’re a little more established. I mean we just decided last night that we’d try this, I don’t want to freak him out that you know.”

The two hung out for a little over an hour, talking and gossiping about the best ways to keep their relationships hidden from everyone but each other. To say Aliyah wasn’t a little giddy to be sneaking around would be a lie, she enjoyed the excitement and adrenaline that came along with it. 

Chapter 12: Twelve

A Second Chance Surprise

As many know, I don’t give second chances often, but learning that the head chef of the Pearl Garden has spoken so highly and given all his praise to his sous chef, I just knew I had to come back and give her that second chance. 

When I asked my server to have Aliyah Leighton make me the same dish I had before, I could see a flash of panic before confidence took over. Even someone as simple as a server had the confidence in this young woman, and to be blunt, he wasn’t wrong to. The restaurant's confidence to stand behind one of their own after my last review was heartwarming, but I wasn’t convinced yet.

After both a wonderful, and a let down of a visit, I wasn’t sure what to expect myself. I had hope, the way the restaurant had been doing in other small ‘yelp’ reviewers eyes since I had been there. I had read praise of the sous chef, not only from nobodies, but from her Chef and the manager of the restaurant itself.  

As the dish was carefully set in front of me, I was impressed. It looked delicious, and from a simple glance it didn’t seem as if it was missing anything. 

The bouillabaisse I was served looked nearly perfect, though I never call anything perfect. Part of me feels I was too hard on the young woman last time I was here, but who would push her to do better? Would she had been able to prepare such a beautiful dish if I hadn’t said what I said?

Once I took my first bite, I was in heaven. Much like when the head chef, Calum Hood, had cooked me a dish before, my tastebuds were begging for more. I fear I was so engrossed by the dish that I didn’t take my time to enjoy it, scarfing it down all too quickly. 

Needless to say, I will be coming back and I hope Miss Aliyah Leighton and Calum Hood continue to make amazing dishes.

I retract my past statement about the girls schooling, seeing, smelling, and tasting this dish is the work of someone who truly studied French cuisine. Once again, no complaints with my wine, or my dessert, as I never have complaints with Irwin or Hemmings. I fear this was one of the best meals I had ever been served at a restaurant, and hope someone one day can prove me wrong and have my tastebuds dancing in delight. 

My suggestion, eat at The Pearl Garden, no matter who is preparing your meal will have you smiling and wanting more. As for the young lady who prepared my food this evening, will we see Aliyah Leighton win awards in the future? My gut, or more so my stomach, tells me yes.

Donovan Harrington

As the brunette finished reading and the smile on her face only grew, Calum didn’t hesitate to wrap her into a tight hug, lift her from the ground, and spin her in a circle excitedly. “Ally! That’s such an amazing review!”

Everyone around just stared for a moment until Ashton faked a sneeze and Calum was quick to set her down with slightly wide eyes. “Thanks, Cal.” Aliyah laughed softly, her cheeks heating. “Thank you, everyone. I seriously don’t think I would have gotten this if it wasn’t for everyone's support.”

“And Donovan is a hard reviewer.” Luke grinned, moving beside his best friend and wrapping her in a tight hug. “You deserve it, A.”

“Thanks, L.” She whispered, moving her face against his shoulder to hide her red cheeks. “Let’s celebrate tonight?”

“Yeah, you invite who you want. We’ll all meet at your place tonight, Ash will bring the wine, I’ll bring some yummy snacks.” Luke smiled, pulling away and nodding. “Just let me know how many people I’m feeding.”

Aliyah rolled her eyes, turning and making her way over to the counter. “Yeah yeah, sounds good.” She laughed softly, shaking her head again. “I’ll update you before we leave.”

The day continued as normal, just a few more congratulatory phrases thrown at the brunette girl as she spoke to different staff members. But it was finally time to close, and Luke hip bumped the girl with his brows raised. “Just the four of us?”

“Four?” She furrowed her brows. 

Luke chuckled and shook his head. “You, Ash, me, and Cal of course.”

The girl sighed and nodded, cheeks slightly red. “M’not really close with anyone else here–” she paused, her eyes lighting up a bit. The perfect buffer, a reminder that they can’t be touchy with each other. “Actually, I want to invite Michael too, we’ve been talking more lately.”

“So– five?” Luke asked softly, gaining a nod from the girl. “Got it, I’ll be at your apartment in like a half hour?”

-

Calum made it a point not to be the first at the brunettes apartment. He’d be too tempted to get into things with her, specifically her bed, so instead he took his sweet sweet time getting there. Leading to Ashton being the first to knock on her door with a small smile.

As she pulled it open, she smiled and instantly wrapped her arms around him and let off a quiet sigh of relief. “Thank you so much for coming, Ash. It means a lot to me.” 

“You’re kidding, right? Personally I think you deserve a huge celebration paid for by big boss Cal, but this will have to do.” Ashton grinned as he pulled away from the short hug. “You and him gonna be able to control yourselves tonight with a little wine in your systems?”

“Oh– shut the fuck up!” Aliyah whispered with wide eyes, quickly shoving him away. “I swear to god you and Luke are going to be the death of me and my relationship.”

“Cool it missy, it’s not like I’m gonna say anything.” Ashton rolled his eyes, walking into the apartment and carefully placing a few bottles of wine on the counter. “I’m not an idiot, I’d be more worried about Cal accidentally being too touchy or something in front of Michael.”

It wasn’t long until the rest of the group was there, well– besides Calum. He had an idea and needed to execute on it before knocking on the girl's door. To say he was proud of himself was an understatement. When the final knock echoed through the small apartment, Aliyah was watched as she pushed herself from the couch with a glass of wine in hand, and made her way over. 

Upon opening the door, she didn’t expect a present to be shoved against her stomach, a grinning Calum right behind it. “You don’t have to open it now, but I figured we’re celebrating so now's the best time to give it to you.” He chuckled, glancing past her to see if he could see the others. As much as he wanted to give her a quick kiss, even on the cheek, he caught Michael's gaze and smiled then waved instead. “Smells like Luke baked you something, and Ash brought you wine. What’d Michael have to offer?” He joked. 

“My friendship, Asshole!” Michael laughed from over on the couch, rolling his eyes. “M’not sure you’re offering much yourself.”

“I gave her the job in the first place, so beat that.” 

Luke raised his brows, looking between the two brunettes a few times, lips parting for several moments before he finally spoke up. “Actually, Brian hired her. You tasted her cooking and couldn’t turn her away.”

“He encouraged me to keep trying after that first horrendous review.” Aliyah laughed quietly, rolling her eyes and making her way back to the couch. “Come join us, Cal. We’re not really doing anything, just hanging out and getting a little tipsy on wine.”

“Sounds dangerous, you guys sure you want to drink with your boss?” Calum half joked, sitting on the opposite side of the couch from Aliyah as Ashton filled him a glass of wine. 

Luke’s smile was nothing short of a shit eating grin. “I’ve been wanting to drink with you since I got this job, don’t hold back now. Let’s see what Chef Hood is like when he’s drunk.”

“We are celebrating after all.” Michael chimed in, holding his glass up. “To the best review I’ve read coming from Harrington.”

“The best?” Aliyah choked on the sip of wine she was taking, eyes wide as she looked around at the four boys. 

They all nodded in agreement, each meeting her eyes to show they mean it, but Calum was the first to speak up after. “Donavan Harrington is a harsh critic, one of the harshest that visit the Garden. Then for him to even go as far as saying he thinks you’ll win awards is huge, Ally.”

“I don’t– I don’t really read reviews that often.” Aliyah admitted quietly, staring at Calum before looking at each of them again. “Have any of you gotten a bad review from him before?”

Luke and Ashton shook their heads, but it was expected, the girl knew Harrington wasn’t there to review his dessert and wine selection. Though he’s always given them praise with what they’ve selected for him. But Michael on the other hand– he chuckled, his pale cheeks going pink.

“It wasn’t as harsh as your first one, but he got in my head a bit the first time he had come in for some appetizers.” Michael admitted quietly, Calum trying to remember when that happened before bursting out laughing. “Oh shut up, need I remind you of your first bad review?”

“Don’t make me fire you, the only reason any of you know that story is because I use it to help you move past it. We all can’t have amazing reviews all the time, and knowing your head chef has gotten a couple helps, yeah?” Calum raised his brows, looking around at the group who all nodded in unison. 

The girl they were meant to be celebrating for finished her glass of wine on the spot, smiling a bit wider and holding it up. “Then tonight is a celebration of all the good and bad reviews received thus far. They’re there to remind us we can always get better.”

Luke rolled his eyes, playfully and exaggerated, but he raised his glass all the same. “You guys are a bunch of saps.”

-

Once they each had a bit of wine, the night was flying by. It was around two hours later that Calum was insisting he made them all something to eat. He wouldn’t stop. “Come on, did anyone actually eat dinner?”

“Cal, I can’t have you burning down my kitchen while drunk.” Aliyah laughed softly, rolling her eyes and setting her empty glass down in front of her. 

The corners of Luke’s lips twitched into a small smirk, glancing between the two of them a few times, then to Michael to see how close of attention he was paying. “Why don’t you help him then, A? The two of you drunk would probably level each other.”

“Yeah, come on.” The head chef quickly stood without a second thought, offering his hands to pull her up. “We cook better together anyways, remember the awards?”

The girl's cheeks quickly flushed as all the events from that night flooded her mind. To hide her face, she let him pull her upright and started her short walk to the kitchen. “Fine, let’s see what I have. Maybe we can make a little mini dinner.”

The smile spreading across Calum’s face as he followed after her was undeniable, and maybe a tell tale sign that he had been drinking. The other three in the living room had never seen him so smiley before, but it suited him. Especially alongside the other brunette. 

“Damn, those stupid kitchen rules. They would be so cute together.” Michael chuckled softly, shaking his head and leaning back in the large chair. He closed his eyes, just in time to miss the shared looks between his other two co-workers. 

“Yeah, they would be.” Ashton sighed, smiling and brushing his fingers along Luke’s cheek while he had the chance. “Stupid kitchen rules indeed.”

The older boy pulled away before anyone, even Aliyah, could see, and deflated a little. The two boys' relationship never affected how they do their jobs, nor would they ever let it. He just wished he could openly be with his boyfriend in front of his friends. 

“Okay no dinner but we’re making some pasta.” Aliyah called out to her friends from the kitchen, almost giggling as Calum drunkenly poked at her sides. She quickly spoke in a hushed tone, staring up at him with slightly wide eyes. “Cal, stop, they're gonna see us.”

“Let ‘em.” He mumbled, going to lean in for a kiss before she dodged it. The pout quickly followed, staring down at her with soft puppy dog eyes. “Hey…”

“Go sit down, you’ve had way too much to drink to be even remotely alone with me right now.” The sous chef whispered, staring up at him, almost pleading. She’d love to indulge and let him kiss her, but they couldn’t risk it. Maybe inviting him was a mistake. She knew it’d be hard but with the wine added into the equation, it was nearly impossible to stop thinking about what they could be doing together. 

Calum pouted even further, shaking his head.  “I’ll behave, I’ll keep my hands and my lips to myself. I promise.”

Brows raised as if to question him further, Aliyah waited for confirmation before starting to pull a pot out to boil some water. After the ‘almost’ moment shared between the two, cooking was simple and easy. As if they were at work and Brian could walk in at any given moment. 

After eating, Michael was the first to go home. He said he had some cleaning to do before his girlfriend came over the following day, but everyone could tell he was just tired. Ashton spoke up next, slowly standing from the couch and smiling weakly at everyone, though he knew Luke would be leaving shortly after him. 

“I should probably head out too.” Luke looked across the small coffee table at his best friend, smiling softly. “I have a lot to get done in the morning and don’t want to be too hung over.”

“Are you sure you’re okay to drive? You can crash on my couch if you need to.” The girl asked, all for show. She knew that Ashton was waiting downstairs, the car warmed up, ready to drive him and his boyfriend back to one of their apartments. 

He just shook his head, opening his arms for a hug from the girl. “No, it’s okay I should really make sure I sleep and if I’m here I’m sure we’d stay up watching stupid rom coms and gossiping until all the wine is gone.”

“All the wine is gone.” Calum chuckled, watching his secret girlfriend stand and wrap her arms around the tall curly blonde torso. “See ya in the morning, Lu.”

“See ya, Cal.” Luke chuckled, hugging the short brunette back and placing a light kiss on the top of her head. They were more like siblings than friends at that point, it was heartwarming to the chef. “Bye, A. Love you.”

“Love you too, L.” She smiled, pulling away. “Now get out of here, Cal’s right behind you, I need to sleep too.”

The girl walked him to the door, trying to get him to take the rest of his baked goods home, but he insisted she keep them because they’re her favorite. After another short goodbye, Luke was out the door and leaving secretly with Ashton. She turned back to face her boyfriend on the couch, smiling softly, head tilted the slightest bit to the side. 

“You staying here tonight?” She asked quietly, brows raised.

Calum just smiled at first, pushing himself up from the couch and slowly making his way over to her. He gently placed his hands on her waist and stared down at her, meeting her gaze with a comfortable confidence. “Do you want me to?” he asked, fingertips pressing into her skin gently, just enough to catch her attention. 

“Yeah, yeah I want you to.” Aliyah smiled, nodding and pushing onto her toes to finally press her lips to his.

Chapter 13: Thirteen

After the new raving review, days had become more busy and hectic. Weeks went by of customers requesting dishes from Aliyah, and to say it gave the girl a confidence boost was an understatement.  She was floating around the kitchen, not a thought in her mind besides making delicious meals for people… and the burning feeling anytime Calum “accidentally” bumped into her. 

But one morning, Brian was there before everyone else. He was just standing int the kitchen, waiting for the bulk of everyone to arrive. He knew the others would get the message from their friends working that morning. “Alright! Everyone listen up!” he yelled over the chatter, the entire kitchen going silent after a moment. 

Aliyah settled against a counter beside Luke, glancing at him to see if he had any idea what this meeting was about, but just like her boyfriend's face, she could tell they were both as confused as she was. 

“Good morning everyone, thank you for getting here a little early for me, and I hope that you’ll pass on this information to those that aren't here.” The manager continued, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. This time around, it wasn’t just the kitchen staff, but everyone that worked in the restaurant, servers, hostess, busboys and anyone else. “First, I want you all to know how great everyone is doing. I know we’ve been quite busy lately, and you’re all taking it like champs and getting shit done!”

That earned a small cheer from everyone around, Luke hip bumping Aliyah with a cheeky grin. Everyone knew it was because of her most recent review from Harrington. 

“Friendly reminder to everyone , relationships within the kitchen– within the restaurant as a whole– is strictly prohibited and is a fire-able offense on the spot.” He paused, looking around the kitchen  as if he was trying to catch any bad reactions to the reminder. But he didn’t find anything. “It’s come to my attention that there may be some flirting going around and if I find out it’s anything more than that… I will not hesitate to let someone go.”

Again, Brian scanned his employees, looking for any sort of sign that they are involved in a relationship within the restaurant. As much as Aliyah wanted to look over at Calum, she kept to herself, watching Brian instead. There was no way he knew about them.

“But– onto happier news!” Brian smiled widely, his gaze falling on the short brunette. “Let’s hear it for Aliyah, she has grown tremendously since she started here and has brought in so much business since her newest review.”

The girl felt her cheeks flush as everyone around her clapped and cheered, earning a  small, “thank you” as she looked around at everyone else. But as she looked over at Brian again, Aliyah couldn’t help the slight shiver that ran up her spine. She hated the way he was looking at her.

“She never complains about early mornings or late nights, and she’s always there to offer help when it is needed.” Brian continued to praise the girl, his eyes never leaving her body. She wanted to wrap her arms around herself and hide. “I’ve never met someone with a work ethic quite like hers.”

Earning a few playful eyerolls and laughs, Brian dismissed everyone to continue prepping for the day. The manager was making his rounds, stopping and speaking with people along what way until Luke looked passed Aliyah and muttered under his breath. “Brian’s coming over.”

“Hey, Luke.” He smiled, resting his hand on his shoulder before looking at the brunette immediately following. “Aliyah.”

“Hi, Brian, how’re you this morning?” The girl asked softly, making sure to continue helping Luke with whatever filling he had tasked her with that morning.

He just shrugged at first, looking down at the filling, then back to the girl. “Fine, could you meet me in my office for a few moments? There's something I need to talk to you and Calum about.”

Aliyah’s heart dropped. There was no way he knew about them… right? Only Luke and Ashton knew and even then, they wouldn’t say anything at the risk of her outing their relationship as well. She couldn’t even speak, only forcing herself to nod with a small smile before washing her hands and making her way towards his office. 

On the short walk to the office, Aliyah felt herself starting to panic, she couldn’t lose this job. There was no way she’d be able to afford her rent if she got fired. Calum was already inside, leaning against the wall when she stepped in, meeting his eyes for a few fleeting moments before standing across from the desk. 

Brian walked in just a minute after her, moving to sit at his desk. He looked between the two of them with a smile, brows furrowing when he could see the panic on both their faces, even if it was just traces on Calum’s. “You guys aren’t in trouble if that’s what you think.” He chuckled, holding up a menu in front of him. “This menu is a problem, we need to update it.”

The short brunette let out an almost silent breath of relief as Calum kicked off the wall and made his way over, taking the menu from Brian’s hands. “Okay, I can work on it this week.”

“The both of you will.” The manager stated, looking between the two of them. “People come here for both your cooking, so I want you to both stay late this week until we have a new and improved, revamped  menu.”

Aliyah opened her mouth to protest, then remembered the little speech Brian had just given to the entire staff about how she never complained about staying late. It closed just as fast. She nodded and forced a small smile, standing up. “Sounds good, I’ll plan on being here late all week then. Thank you, Brian.”

Without waiting for an answer, Aliyah made her way back to the kitchen and towards the back door. She didn’t hesitate to find Calum’s jacket, and search the pockets for his cigarettes and lighter before stepping outside to light one. 

As she brought the small white stick to her lips and leaned against the rough brick, Aliyah realized that her manager probably didn’t know that she was supposed to be off most of the week. She had cleared it with Calum weeks ago, not him.

It didn’t take long for her secret boyfriend to find her, ultimately asking Luke where she had gone before stepping outside to join her. “You don’t need that–” he started, reaching to take the cigarette from her, but she turned away. “Ally, c’mon.”

“I just– I’m stressed, okay?” The brunette frowned and faced him again, taking another long drag from the cigarette. “I was sure he was about to fire me because he found out and had you in there just to watch because there's no way he’d fire the both of us with how the restaurant is doing–”

“Hey, take a breath.” Calum furrowed his brows, gently grabbing her shoulders and staring down at her. “Neither of us are getting fired. He just wants us to work on the menu.” he paused, a ghost of a smile crossing his face. “Plus if he was going to fire one of us, it’d be me.”

“What makes you say that? You’ve been here so much longer..” she trailed off, sarong up at him confused. 

The chef just chuckled at first, lightly shaking his head. “Because I’m not his type, sweetheart. If he fires you he knows he’s losing any chance to get you into bed with him.”

Aliyah’s face twisted, her nose scrunching up at the thought of being in bed with her manger. “These stupid rules are his, there's no way that he looks at me that way. Plus, if he did fire me, then it wouldn't be breaking any rules.” she said in a matter of fact tone, giving Calum the opportunity to pluck the cigarette out of her hand and smoke it himself.

“The rules are no dating between kitchen staff and co-workers.” He started explaining quietly, watching her face for her reaction. “He’s our boss, not our co-worker. Plus, he technically doesn’t work in the kitchen itself.” He paused once more. “And it states no dating , nothing against just a fun little fuck.”

“Gross- he really thought it all through when he made that rule didn’t he?” 

“Precisely, and I see the way he looks at you.” Calum mumbled, rolling his eyes. “I constantly have to bite my tongue from saying anything.”

Aliyah had to bite back a little laugh, smiling up at him, almost taunting him. “What? You gonna fight him?”

The girl's boyfriend just stared down at her for a moment, gears turning behind his eyes as he finished off the cigarette and tossed it to the ground. “Might just have to if he makes a move.” he shrugged, turning to go back inside. “Come on, we have some prep to do for the day.”

The rest of the day was spent cooking, thinking of possible new recipe ideas, and feeling her manager's eyes on her every once in a while. She felt as if anytime he was in the kitchen, he was watching her, or talking to her, and it no longer felt friendly. All she could think about was what Calum had said.

Halfway through the day and Luke could tell something was wrong, he just couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. As he did on a daily basis, he pulled his best friend over to help him with some filling, playing it off that he wanted her to taste something new he was playing around with. 

“What in the world is going on with you?” he asked softly, brows furrowed as he scooped some filling with a spoon, holding it out to her. “Did something happen to cause you to be so on edge today?”

The girl just shrugged at first, trying the spoonful and smiling with a little nod. “God, Luke. That’s delicious.” She mumbled, licking her lips to make sure she didn’t miss any. “What flavor is this?”

“Blueberry strawberry creme.” the pastry chef smiled, proud of himself, but then raised his eyebrows at her. “So what’s going on in that head of yours?”

Aliyah shook her head, hip bumping her friend. “It’s nothing, just have to stay late this week to work on fixing up the menu, it’s no big deal.”

“But aren’t you supposed to be going home tomorrow? To see your mom?” Luke frowned as he watched the sadness wash over his friend's face. “Just tell them you can’t this week, that next week you’d be happy to–”

“I already agreed, Luke.” Aliyah shook her head, forcing a small, weak smile. “It’s fine, I’ll go see her another time. For now I just want to focus on work.”

He studied her for a moment, having to fight the urge to cross his arms over his chest. “Cal is staying after too, right? It’s not just you and Brian?” he raised his brows again. “Because if that’s the case– I’m staying after too, I feel like he’s always watching you.”

“Cal and I are reworking the menu together, you don’t have to stay.” Aliyah smiled, grateful she had people looking out for her. She thought about it for a moment, glancing around the kitchen until she realized Brian wasn’t around. “Cal said the same thing, that he looks at me a certain way and he thinks he’s trying to… get in my pants…”

Luke chuckled, but nodded all the same. “Oh absolutely, that’s why he’s always hanging around the kitchen. He thinks he’s in the clear that you don’t have a boyfriend because you never talk about it so he tells himself it’s fine to try to make a move on you.”

“Ew.” She shuddered, then joked quietly. “Then I need to start doing what you do when you talk about your ‘girlfriend’ that you totally have.” 

“Do it, m’sure Cal’s ears will perk up like a dog hearing the word treat.” Luke laughed, smiling brightly. “And I know I’d love to see that.”

Chapter 14: Fourteen

The two didn’t get much done the first night. They spent most of their time going over the current menu and deciding what should stay, and what absolutely needed to go. The couple agreed on most things, but others may have caused a little dispute. 

“We should get rid of the bouillabaisse.” Aliyah stated without a second thought, then continued reading over the menu.

But the head chef just stared at her in disbelief, shaking his head silent for a moment before finally speaking what was on his mind. “You’re joking right? People come here specifically for your bouillabaisse, we can’t get rid of it.”

“M’sick of making it. I feel like it’s all I make anymore and that’s not–” The girl sighed, frowning and meeting her boyfriend's eyes. “I didn’t get into cooking to make the same dish for the rest of my life.”

Calum’s face softened, watching her try to find more of an argument. “I’ll make you a deal, I’ll start making it more often so you can have more of a choice when orders make it to the back. I don’t want you feeling held back, but we can’t get rid of one of our best sellers.”

She thought about it, chewing her cheek and looking between him and the menu multiple times before ultimately nodding. “Fine, I can be okay with that. I can help you make it the way I do.”

“What about the coq au vin?” He asked softly, taking his sharpie and marking up the menu as they went.

She tilted her head side to side a few times. “I feel like it's a good one, we don’t get it super often like some others but it’s always a crowd pleaser.”

“Fair enough.” He nodded, feeling no need to argue her reasoning. “Then that leaves the pot-au-feu for our most popular dishes, which we obviously can’t get rid of because–”

“It’s France's national dish and we’re a French restaurant.” The two finished the sentence at the same time, laughing softly. 

“Plus it was one of the first dishes I got one of my great reviews on.” Calum admitted, setting the menu down. “Luke and Michael are probably going over appetizer and dessert menus, but we could probably make some suggestions along with what we think would pair well with our portion of the menu.”

“That’s a good idea.” The girl smiled, watching him stand from the stool. “But we should finish our part before we move onto theirs, don’t you think?”

Calum chuckled, nodding and sitting back down. “You're right, I’m getting ahead of myself.”

-

The second night they had started talking more about specifics they want to see or don’t want to see with new items, though Aliyah was a bit more out of it. Her mind was obviously elsewhere, but she seemed so keen on continuing to work. At first Calum let it slide, but after saying her name three times to get her attention while she was staring past him, he tilted his head to the side and frowned. 

“What’s going on?” He asked softly, closing his laptop in front of him and abandoning the work they were doing to give her his full attention. “You haven’t heard a thing I’ve said the past five minutes.”

The girl quickly looked at him, shaking her head and forcing a small smile. “Just zoning out, m’sorry.”

“No, you’re not just zoning out, I can see it on your face. Something’s bothering you.” Calum walked around the counter to her side, staring down at her. “What is it?”

“I don't want you to feel bad.” She whispered, shaking her head again. The chef instantly started thinking about what he could have done that she thought he’d feel bad. But she was quick to interrupt the thought process. “It’s fine, Cal. Really.”

It hit him like a bus. “You had time off this week.” he whispered, piecing it together in his head. “And I never told Brian so he didn’t know that it was this week and you didn’t want to speak up when he– fuck. I’m sorry, Ally.”

“I’m serious, it’s fine.” 

Calum could tell it was in fact, not fine.

-

By the third day Aliyah was barely talking, she looked a little pale, and she couldn’t focus on anything for more than 2 minutes before checking her phone. 

“Ally, take a break and put the phone down.” Calum whispered, sliding a glass of water in front of her. She hadn’t even seen him walk away to grab it; she was so distracted. “Is everything okay?”

The girl picked up the glass, taking a small sip and nodding. “Just checking in with my dad.” She admitted softly, smiling weakly. “He hates that I’m not home right now.”

He sighed, shaking his head and looking at his feet. “You were supposed to go home and visit with your time off this week… weren’t you?”

Aliyah shrugged and took another sip of water. “Yeah, but it’s fine. He and my brother have everything under control and are keeping me updated about everything.”

Calum was already chewing on his lip, shaking his head at himself. He should have told Brian about her time off and remembered himself so that she could be home instead. “Keeping you updated about what?” He already knew he didn’t want to hear the answer.

“My moms surgery.”

Fuck. 

“Ally, why didn’t you say anything?” The head chef frowned deeply, gently resting his hands on her upper arms, trying to meet her gaze. “Is everything okay? Is it a major surgery?”

She just shook her head, forcing a small smile. “Can we just keep working? I don’t really want to talk about it, I’d rather just do my best to stay positive and check for updates every once in a while.”

With a small nod, Calum forced a tight lipped smile and looked her over once more. “I’m sorry, I just– I have one more question.” he paused for a moment, taking a small breath. “Do you want to leave now and go home?”

The girl thought about it, silently, chewing on her lip as she tried to decide if it was even worth it at that point. But in the end, she shook her head with a small breath. “No, I don’t want to risk my job for something so small. She’s almost out of surgery and I’ll call her tomorrow.”

“And everything's fine?” He asked, softer that time. 

Aliyah’s face betrayed her words, closing her eyes tight and nodding. “Yeah, m’not worried about–”

“C’mere.” Calum mumbled, pulling her to his chest and rubbing her back as she started to cry. “It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay.”

“I just can’t imagine how she felt before, in pain and expecting me to be there but then last minute I tell them I can’t make it this week.” Aliyah cried, shoulders shaking as she hid her face against Calum’s chest. “All three of them told me it’s not a big deal but I know they just keep saying that so I don’t feel bad.”

The chef didn’t speak up, he just held her until she was ready to let go. 

“I can barely focus on anything and I can’t bring myself to eat, I’ve been so worried about her.”

But at that, he pulled away and stared down at her. “Is that why you look so pale? You haven’t been eating?” he searched her face, lips parted. “Ally?”

“I can’t–” Aliyah shook her head, tears continuing to stream down her cheeks. “I’ll get sick, I can't eat.”

“You have to eat, Aliyah.” He whispered, closing his eyes and pulling her back to his chest. “You have to, no arguing.” He kissed the top of her head and took a deep breath. He couldn’t let her ruin herself. “Let me make you something.”

She stayed quiet, letting him pull away and move her to sit on a stool. The girl watched him, playing with the edge of the menu she had been marking up. “You don’t have to–”

“Yes I do.” No hesitation. He was already putting some water over a burner, pulling out the ingredients to make some simple cheese noodles. “Do you want a certain kind of cheese?”

-

Calum continued on the little meal for her, even panfrying some chicken to make sure she’d get a little protein. But when his girlfriend's head suddenly shot up, lips parted, he raised his brows at her in question. 

“I just got an idea for a new dish.” Aliyah whispered, standing up, starting to make her way around the counter and staring up at him. “Let me make it, we can see if it’s good and I can still eat. Two tasks, one dish.”

He nodded, stepping back and letting her take over, silently watching for a moment. “What can I get you to help?” 

Aliyah thought for a moment, scanning their ingredients behind closed eyes. “Garlic–”

“Of course.” They both finished at the same time, causing the both of them to laugh. “Anything else besides your most favorite and trusted ingredient?”

The girl's cheeks flushed, rolling her eyes playfully. “Some veggies, I want to make a pasta that's similar to ratatouille but with some good protein too.”

Calum’s face lit up, staring at her happily. “Ally, this is going to be delicious. You’re a fucking genius.” He smiled, turning and making his way to the far end of the kitchen to grab a variety of different vegetables. 

With a happy smile, Aliyah continued working on what was in front of her, watching the chicken closely as she waited for her head chef to be back with what she needed. The two of them worked well together, floating around each other as they chopped and stirred. The tall brunette boy continued to hold pieces of veggies out to the girls mouth, wanting something in her stomach sooner than later.

“I haven’t been so excited to eat something in years.” Calum admitted quietly, moving to sit in the stool the girl was before, his eyes following her hands everywhere they went. He said it before, and he meant it with his whole heart. He loved watching her cook. 

Every little flick of her wrist or hum from her lips was only egging him on more. It had only been a couple months, but Calum could feel himself falling harder and deeper with every passing second. He wasn’t sure he had ever loved a past girlfriend, but he was positive he was falling in love with Aliyah Leighton. 

“What?” She laughed softly, stopping and looking at him for a moment. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Nothing.” Calum smiled, shaking his head lightly and looking down. He felt his cheeks burn at the idea of her catching him staring. But he couldn’t help but wonder if she thought about him the same way, if she was falling in love with him too. He could only hope.

“You don’t just stare at someone like that for no reason.” Aliyah rolled her eyes playfully, moving a pot from the burner, and raising her brows at him. “What’s going through your head right now?”

He just rolled his eyes right back at her, standing up and making his way around the corner once again, looking over her shoulder. “What’s next? Need help with anything?”

“Can you cut the chicken for me?” She asked quietly, smiling softly over her shoulder at him. He didn’t hesitate, moving to her side, hand just barely brushing over her hip as a tell tale sign he wished they could be together openly. 

Both thinking to themselves as they worked to complete the new dish, it didn’t take long for it all to come together. Veggies thrown in some sauce, mixed into the perfect al-dente noodles, and perfect pan fried chicken laid over top. It looked delicious, but would taste buds agree with eyes?

“Okay, come here.” Aliyah whispered, grabbing a fork from the side and making sure to get a good bite, everything included for the perfect melody of flavors. He chuckled softly, letting the girl take her chance and push the bite into his mouth, waiting quietly for his reaction. 

The chef took his time, closing his eyes to focus on every little flavor, chewing slowly and blocking out everything besides the bite that currently in his mouth. After he swallowed, he even waited another moment for any sort of after taste thoughts, slowly opening his eyes and staring down at her. He wasn’t sure how to voice his thoughts. 

The girl didn’t speak, not while he ate, and not after. She wanted him to speak first, to give his honest opinion and any critiques he may have. Her eyes never left his face, looking for some sort of hint as to what was running through his mind. 

The two met eyes, his lips parted as he searched for the right words, then finally letting them fall from his lips in a whisper. “That was– that is one of the most delicious and amazing things I have ever tasted in my entire life, Ally.”  He stared at her, almost in shock, unsure what else to say.

“Yeah?” She answered, blinking a few times but not dropping their met gaze. She didn’t have to get a bite for herself, Calum was already loading the fork with some of the food, pushing it against her lips. 

“See for yourself.” He mumbled, this time watching her enjoy her own creation. It showed on her face the moment the taste invaded her senses. “It’s delicious, Aliyah. Absolutely amazing.”

The two stood there together, taking turns taking bites. Neither of them had to say it, this would be a new menu item without a doubt. They were so lost in the food, enjoying the taste and the satisfying hums from each other that they didn’t even notice the smoke. 

It wasn’t until the loud screeching beeps and the water raining down from the sprinklers that they had realized something was burning. But they didn’t move from their spots, eyes glued to each other like they couldn’t look away if they wanted. Their hair was sticking to their foreheads, water soaking their clothes and running over their faces. 

Several minutes passed before Calum simply shook his head and mumbled under his breath. “Fuck it–” he pressed his lips to hers as his hands moved to her waist and the back of her neck, holding her close. Aliyah melted against him in an instant, her own soft hands making their way to the back of his neck.

She had never been kissed like that . And she knew it was love, she didn’t let him pull away when he tried. The girl was pouring all her emotion into that single kiss. But she should have let him, maybe then they would have seen the figure standing in the entrance to the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest and his brows raised. 

Chapter 15: Fifteen

It wasn’t until he cleared his throat that the two jumped away from each other, looking over with wide eyes to find Brian standing there. He looked almost menacing, most of the light coming from behind him, making him a dark silhouette with the water pouring down around them. Not to mention what words were to come from him. 

As Aliyah just stared at him, fear coursing through her veins, Calum was pulling out the burning pastries he had snuck in the oven so they could share a little dessert. That clearly wouldn’t be happening.

“Care to explain yourself, Aliyah?” Brian asked, enunciating her name as he took a step further into the kitchen. “Or do you just want to leave it to what I witnessed?”

She could find her words at first, stumbling over every single sound that tried coming out of her mouth. How was she supposed to explain? “I– we– the food we were….” she sighed quietly, more in defeat than anything else, and looked at the ground. “No, Brian.”

“We got caught up in the moment.” Calum tried salvaging it, standing on a stool by the wall to flip a switch for the sprinklers. The water finally stopped impeding their vision, Calum staring at Aliyah, Aliyah at Brian, and Brian at Calum. But her head dropped to stare at the ground again as he continued speaking. “Delicious food, both in our favorite place, it was just a one time thing. A mistake.”

It went silent for a moment, Brian thinking and mulling over his options before parting his lips. “Aliyah?”

“Yes?” She whispered, lifting her head to fully look at him again. She was hopeful that what Calum said would be enough. 

“You’re fired.”

The girl's heart dropped to her stomach, almost collapsing at the feeling of it stopping altogether. She didn’t have words, mouth opening and closing multiple times before she opted to just nod and turn on her heel. The now former sous-chef started making her way to the back door, collecting the few things she had left there over the past couple of months. 

“No–” Calum started, sending daggers towards Brian with just his eyes, but he quickly moved to follow after Aliyah. She was clearly struggling to hold it together, grabbing her jacket and bag, then quickly making her way out to her car. “Ally, wait.”

“Why, Cal?” she stopped as she reached the front of her car, the only indication that tears were falling was the crack in her voice. “Why wait? He fired me. I’m done, I’m gone.”

The head chef felt his heart break, wishing she’d just turn to face him. He wanted to hold her, comfort her and tell her that everything would be okay. He felt like it should have been raining, that everything would feel better and more like they were in a romantic movie instead of their actual lives. That there would be a happy ending. The moonlight wasn’t enough. “Look at me.” 

Slowly, she turned around, her lower lip trembling as she still tried to hold it together. Her cheeks were wet though, and it wasn’t from the sprinklers. “He fired me.”

“I’m gonna fix this, I’m gonna get you your job back and make it all better.” He whispered, stepping towards her and taking her hands in his. “I’m gonna talk to Brian and figure it out.” but she just shook her head in response, making him continue. “Yes, Ally. This is your job and no one else's.”

“You can’t get me this job back, Cal.” Aliyah whispered, shaking her head again as she tried to look away, but his hands moved to her cheeks. Their eyes met again. “We can’t be together here, it’s just not possible.”

“We can make it work, we can take a break and make things secret again.” The head chef kept trying, he needed to find a solution. He didn’t want to lose her, not in any way. “Brian can think we broke things off– no one has to know.”

“Calum I can’t be here with you and not be with you!” She cried, a sob forcing its way up her throat and out into the open. It hurt losing her job, but keeping things a secret with Calum, not telling people that she loved him… it was killing her. “Being here with you everyday and not touching you or flirting with you has been absolute torture.”

“But you said this is your dream job.” As if seeing Aliyah like this wasn’t breaking him, the thought that he was the reason she lost her dream job was the final straw. “This isn’t fair to you. I was the one that kissed you .”

Aliyah shrugged, forcing a small, tight lipped smile. “I’ll just have to get a job at a different restaurant and be your biggest competitor.” she paused, laughing softly. “We should have known it was gonna end badly, after a couple drinks at an event where the best chefs and critics were at– we were outside making out. If that doesn’t spell disaster, then I don’t know what does.”

Her laugh was music to his ears. “If you want to compete, I won’t go easy on you.”

“Good, I wouldn’t want you to.” She whispered, smiling and pushing onto her toes, kissing him softly. “Come over when you’re done here?”

“As if I would do anything else with my free time.”

After making sure she had her things and was safely in her car, Calum made his way back inside. Brian was just standing there, waiting. He looked mad, upset, maybe even a little sad, but more than anything, disappointed. Calum knew better than to think it was about the situation as a whole, but instead the fact that he knew he’d “lost” to Calum. Aliyah picked the chef, not the manager. He won and Brian lost, and the man took that like salt being rubbed into a wound.

“Of everyone, I expected you to be the last person to break my one fucking rule.” he started, throwing his hands in the air and rolling his eyes. He’d do what he could to make it about the rule, and not that he didn’t get to the girl first. “I mean– fuck! I get it, she’s hot but you risked your job for that ?”

“Don’t talk about her like she’s an object to be ogled.” Calum scoffed, shaking his head as he started cleaning up the mess that he and Aliyah had made. “I see the way you look at her, always hanging around her and touching her when you pass by. Don’t act like this rule isn’t just for you to get in any girls pants that you want to–”

“You sure you want to take it there, Hood?” Brian’s expression hardened, stepping towards him and taking a breath. “I already fired Aliyah, you want to be next?”

“And what are you gonna do? Run the restaurant with no chef?” The brunette rolled his eyes, dropping the rest of the food into the garbage, turning to look at his manager again. “I’ll be back in the morning to take care of these dishes. I have to go check on my girlfriend who just lost her job.”

“Girlfriend?” Brian raised his brows, not even trying to hold back his laugh. He didn’t believe that at all. “You’re fucking joking, as if she’d actually be with someone like you.”

Calum tilted his head to the side, brows furrowed as he studied his manager. “Like me? You mean the award winning chef of the year?”

“You come from nothing–”

“Bold of you to assume she cares about that at all.” Calum whispered, shaking his head. “She isn’t the normal kind of girl you try to get into bed with. She is the sweetest, most caring girl I’ve ever met and she’d never touch you in that way, not even with a ten foot pole.”

Brian’s jaw ticked, staring down his chef and trying to work though how he could fire the man and keep the restaurant up and running until he found a replacement. “Sounds like she’s made you an idiot, talking to me that way and all.”

“I’m stating facts, she would never sleep with you.” Calum reiterated before starting to walk back towards the door his girlfriend had just minutes earlier. “See ya in the morning boss, I have some things to take care of tonight if you don’t mind calling the cleaning crew to get in here.”

-

When Aliyah wasn’t in the kitchen the next morning, Luke assumed she was sick. He wasn’t entirely wrong, but she wasn’t sick in the way he thought. But watching Calum throughout the day, seeing just how many smoke breaks he was taking, it clicked that maybe something more was wrong. 

But he didn’t want to jump to conclusions after only one day. She could be sick, and Calum could just be worried about her. But after three days of no answered text messages, he was ready to make those jumps towards drastic assumptions. 

The final nail in the coffin of his positivity was when she wasn’t there Sunday morning for the brunch rush. He didn’t hesitate to pull his head chef to the side, swallowing thickly. “Where’s Aliyah?”

The head chef sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “She’ll be here later, okay?” He’d hoped that was enough for the time being. It wasn’t a lie, she was planning on visiting, it would just be a surprise to the others in the kitchen that she wasn’t there to work. That she had gotten fired. It was her personal information to share, not his.

“Oh– okay.” Luke nodded, smiling and going back to work as if nothing had happened. His best friend was just coming into work late that day, everything was fine. He had nothing to worry about. Right?

Though when she showed up in some black jeans and a shirt branded with a little diner logo, his heart dropped. Brian found out, she got fired, and Calum got to keep his job. “Hey, Lu.” She smiled softly, making her way over to him. “Let’s skip the boring small talk about it and get right to it. Yes, I got fired, but I’m fine.”

“How’d he find out–”

“He walked in on us kissing.” The former sous chef whispered, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s okay, we can be together now and I already got a new job.”

“Hey you.” Calum grinned, stepping behind her and wrapping his arms around her before kissing her cheek. “I missed you, m’sorry I couldn’t come by the past two nights.”

The brunette girl laughed, rolling her eyes playfully as she placed her arms over his. “It’s okay, I know you’ve been extra busy here.” she glanced between Luke and Calum before biting at her lip. “I got a job, I started today.”

Calum’s eyes went wide, smiling at the thought. He had felt bad that he hadn’t had time to help her search, or even written her a letter of recommendation. “That’s great, Ally. Where at?”

She debated on lying for the time being, knowing he wouldn’t be too thrilled about the tiny run down diner she started at. But lying in any relationship never ended well. “Um– that little diner we ate at a few weeks ago. Off of Congress Street?”

His smile fell, causing her best friends to do the same and jump in before he could bring the mood down. “You cooking over there? Showing them how it’s really done, A?” Luke chuckled, plastering his smile back on his face. “Can’t wait to visit.”

“They say I’m the best they’ve ever had.” Aliyah laughed, winking at her friend, then looking at Calum. “I’d love it if you guys came to visit sometime, I can make you some feel good food after a long shift here sometime.”

“Then we’ll plan that soon.” Calum whispered, kissing the side of her head again before glancing at the counter he was usually at all day. “I’ve gotta get back to it, but you stay here and hang out with Luke. Don’t forget to say bye, okay?”

Aliyah smiled and nodded up at him, looking back at Luke as her boyfriend walked away. Before she even had the chance, her best friend was speaking up, eyebrows raised, and arms over his chest in an accusatory fashion. “Can you even afford rent with where you’re at now? You told me you were struggling–”

“Shh!” The girl's eyes went wide, staring at Luke as if he were telling people she had killed someone. “Cal can’t find out I’m struggling. I’m figuring it out, okay? I’m fine.”

She was in fact… not fine.

Chapter 16: Sixteen

Calum was already at the girl's tiny apartment when Luke knocked on the door, standing quietly with a small container full of different pastries he had baked for her. Her best friend figured a few feel good, favorite treats wouldn’t hurt to boost the girls mood. 

“Hey, Cal.” Luke smiled weakly, glancing past him at the girl on the couch, scrolling through different apps on her phone. “How’s she doing?”

At first he just shrugged, pulling his pastry chef into a half hug, sighing softly. “Not great, but she won’t admit it. She won’t let me help.”

Luke chuckled softly and hugged him back, smiling weakly as they pulled away from each other. “Sounds like her, she’ll get back on her feet. You’ve seen her determination first hand, Cal.”

“Yeah, yeah you’re right–” The brunette paused, smiling when he saw their third friend walk around the corner of the apartment building. “Hey, Ash.”

The sommelier smiled, chuckling softly as he glanced at Luke. “Thought I saw your car down there.” he joked quietly, acting as if they hadn’t driven there together. “I brought plenty of wine, some for all of us, some for her to keep cause I know she asked for a bottle.”

“Then let’s pop open a bottle, shall we?” Calum smiled, hugging the other brunette man with a pat on the back before the three of them were fully inside the apartment. “Babe, they’re both here, want some–”

Aliyah hopped up off the couch and made her way over to greet her two best friends with tight hugs. “Thank you guys for coming over, I needed this.”

“You know we’ll be here whenever you invite us, A.” Luke smiled with a little wink, making his way to the kitchen to turn on the air fryer and heat up some pastries. The remaining three followed behind shortly after, both bottles of wine being set on the counter before Aliyah started searching for her corkscrew.

“Next drawer over, babe.” Calum chuckled quietly, watching her from the opposite side of the counter. “And please let Ash open it, you almost always break the cork.”

“I do not!” She argued, cheeks already red as she turned to face them with the small tool in her hand. “Okay fine, maybe I do. But you don’t have to call me out like that in front of our friends.”

Then all of them were laughing, shaking their heads as one heated up some pastries, and another opened one of the bottles of wine. It was supposed to be a chill night, Calum and Aliyah finally allowed to be themselves and with each other around their friends. The girl enjoyed it, feeling her boyfriend's arms wrap around her from behind as they were all standing and talking, the various kisses he’d place on her cheek or shoulder. 

A few glasses of wine and a pastry each later, Aliyah leaned against the tall chef and looked around at the three of them. “How’s the restaurant doing?”

“Don’t do this babe, let’s just order some food and watch movies and hang out.” Calum whispered, pressing a kiss behind her ear and giving her a little squeeze. 

But she just shook her head right away, glancing over her shoulder at him then looking back at the other two. “I miss it there, I want to know how things are going or if Brian regrets firing me or anything.”

“Oh he definitely regrets it, doesn’t get the chance to stare at your ass anymore–” Luke chuckled softly, earning an elbow in the side from Ashton. “And of course your cooking and contributions to the kitchen.”

“Well if he didn’t think with his dick or have these stupid rules he could still stare at me ass.” She joked, but it didn’t land very well, the three boys just giving awkward smiles. They wanted to help get the girl her job back where she belongs. Professional chef in a professional kitchen– not some ratty little diner where she’s working as a line cook. 

After a few moments of awkward silence, Calum kissed the side of her head again and spoke up. “So what are you guys thinking for good? Chinese? Mexican?”

“No, no.” The girl quickly shook her head, spinning around and staring up at him. “I want to cook for you guys.”

“We’re supposed to be relaxing and hanging out, Ally. Not working–”

“This isn’t working for me, this isn't my job anymore…” the girl gave him a pleading look, pausing for a moment before her lips parted again. “Please let me have this, I miss it so much.”

Calum glanced past her at the other two who just gave the smallest nod each, Luke shrugging shortly after. It pounded like she needed it. “Fine, but I want to help. Let me be your sous chef.”

“Sure, if you really want.” She rolled her eyes, though she had a ghost of a smile tug at her lips. 

The four of them hung out in the kitchen, all drinking wine except Calum, wanting to keep an eye on his girlfriend. She had most of the bottle that had been finished, and insisted they open the other right then while they were all together. 

“So it’s mostly burgers, fries and tenders, and it’s always so fucking greasy but it’s a job so i really shouldn’t complain.” Lily shrugged, starting to plate each of them some food. “And the couple waiters I’ve gotten along with have all been really nice and there to help with anything–”

“Do they flirt with you?” Luke smirked, raising his eyebrows and glancing at the other chef in the room for his reaction. “Do they offer to help to get close to you?”

“They all know I’m with Calum, so it doesn’t matter.” She laughed, rolling her eyes once again and gently setting two plates in front of the secret couple. “And even if they were flirting, I don't care.”

“Bullshit it doesn’t matter.” Calum mumbled, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend holding her close. “Even though I thought you were with Luke for a while that didn’t stop me– it sure as hell won’t stop them.”

“Oh my god the fact that you ever thought that makes you insane.” Aliyah laughed loudly, looking up at him with a grin. “Lu and Ash are far too cute of a couple for me to come between.”

The three went silent, and Aliyah was sure she could hear both Luke and Ashton’s breaths catch in their throat, one of them swallowing thickly. “What?” Calum asked quietly, brows furrowed, looking over at the two in question. “Are you serious?”

Luke’s lips parted, no words coming out as he tried to think. Would it really be that bad if Calum knew? He wouldn’t go to Brian, he was almost positive. But Ashton spoke for the both of them, linking his fingers with his on the counter as he did so.

“Yeah, uh– Luke and I are together.” He whispered, staring at Calum for a moment before smiling and looking at Luke. “For a while now actually.”

Calum was processing, thinking back to any time the two had hung out, piecing it all together in his head. “Holy shit, and you’ve known the whole time?” he looked down at Aliyah with wide eyes, and she just stared back, unsure how to answer. “Ally?”

“I mean– yeah. Lu and I confided in each other really early on.” She whispered, it barely came out as a squeak.

“I get that I’m your head chef and shit, but I wouldn’t go to Brian. You guys know that right?” There was a flash of hurt on Calum’s face as he looked back at the two, sighing quietly. “I’m really happy for you guys. I swear, your secret is safe with me. I’d never want what happened to us to happen to anyone else, his rules are stupid.”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to just blurt that out.” Aliyah whispered, turning to look at the two as well. “I swear I haven't told anyone else and I never will. You guys are way too important to me.”

Luke and Ashton were both already smiling though, happy to have another friend that accepts them and that they can confide in. “You’re fine, A. Really.” Luke grinned, leaning over and pressing a kiss to Ashton’s cheek. “It’s kinda been on my mind to talk to Ash about telling Calum anyway.”

All of the tension was gone instantly, Calum rounding the counter to place his hands on both their shoulders. “Well I think knight just turned into a  double date celebration.” He grinned, leaning down between them. “What d’ya guys say?”

Aliyah happily squealed, nodding quickly with a bright smile. “Yes! Finally, this is what I’ve been waiting for. I think I have some candle sticks somewhere– I’ll be right back.” She ran off before anyone could say anything, causing the three boys to chuckle.

“Damn, I need to be on Aliyah’s level. Pour me some more.” Luke laughed, pushing his empty wine glass towards his boyfriend. 

Calum just shook his head, walking back around and pouring a glass of water for the girl for when she returned. “Speaking of, I think it’s time I start sobering her up so she doesn’t get sick later.”

After a few moments, there was a small crash of things falling out of a linen closet, causing all three heads to turn. “I’ll go check on her, you two hang out.” Luke laughed, standing and making his way in the direction of the sounds. 

“I have something insane to run by you.” The head chef took his opportunity to turn to his friend, grinning and leaning on the counter. “And you’re gonna agree, and help me with it all. You and Luke both.”

Chapter 17: Seventeen

While Aliyah continued working at the small diner, looking for other professional chef jobs, Calum started his own project with the help of their three best friends. As soon as he mentioned the idea to Ashton, he was on board and mentioned they should get Michael’s help. They both knew Luke would already jump on the opportunity.

At first the girl didn’t really notice how often he said he’d be working late or that he’d be going to hang out with Ashton on his off day, but then Luke started getting too busy to spend time with. That’s when she started getting suspicious, and she was sick of spending any free time she had alone.

“Luke, c’mon…” she whined into the phone, laying over the armrest on the couch, upside down. “We haven’t hung out in like– over a month. I’m bored and lonely. Cal’s working late… again.”

He didn’t answer right away, chewing on his cheek on the other end of the call. “Yeah, yeah I can come over. Just give me a few minutes to change and get ready.” He glanced over his shoulder at the other three guys standing at a folding table and conversing. “I’ll be there in maybe a half hour?”

“Perfect, thank you!” Aliyah answered in a sing-song way, sitting up and heading to her bedroom. “I’ll get ready, I want to go out and do something okay? I’m tired of sitting at home hating my job.”

“Deal. I’ll see you soon, A.”

“See you soon, Lu.”

Once the line disconnected, Luke made his way back to the table and looked over some of the options, shaking his head and pointing at a simple white rectangular tile. “This with dark grey grout, she’ll like it best.” He mentioned, shoving his phone in his front pocket. “M’gonna go spend some time with her, we’ve all kinda ran head first into this and didn’t think about how lonely she’s been. I can hear it in her voice.”

Calum couldn’t hide the frown that crossed his face fast enough, swallowing thickly as he barely nodded. “Sounds good, we’ll start working on some other choices I trust us to make and run them by you next time you’re here.”

Luke just nodded, leaning over and pressing a kiss to Ashton’s cheek. Michael caught on pretty quickly after spending so many nights after work with the others, one look between Ashton and Luke gave it all away. He was happy for them, and just like Calum, promised to keep their secret. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Luke?” Calum offered a weak smile when the blonde looked at him. “Please make sure she has a good night tonight.”

“You got it.” He smiled back, grabbing his keys from the table and heading out back. The building was beautiful, large and perfect for the layout Calum was planning. It was all coming together slowly, but nicely. He was sure Aliyah would be speechless when she finally got to see it. 

Less than an hour later Luke was knocking on the girl's apartment door and she pulled it open almost instantly. “Hi! Oh my god I missed you.” She quickly pulled him into a hug, letting out a sigh of relief.

Luke wrapped his arms around her, smiling softly and nodding. “I missed you too, sorry I’ve been so MIA.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, you’ve been busy.” She smiled, pulling away and looking up at him. “What do ya say we get some greasy ass food from a bar and have a few drinks?”

“Sounds absolutely delicious.” Luke chuckled, grabbing the girl's jacket from the hook by the door and holding it out for her to slip her arms into. “It’s chilly tonight, you’re gonna want it, trust me.”

The girl just laughed, turning around and letting him help slip the sleeves onto her arms. After a few more moments, they were out the door and on the short walk to the bar. Aliyah was already starting to feel a little more like herself, laughing and sharing random conversations with her best friend. And Luke was determined to make sure no matter how long Calum’s project took, none of them would let her feel lonely like that again.

 

Cal
How is she?

Luke
She’s good, we’re gonna get a few drinks and hang out at the bar for a bit

Cal
Let me know if you guys need anything, have a great night

 

The two made it to the bar shortly after, claiming a table in the back and ordering a few different things to share with each other. It didn’t take long at all for a few drinks to invade the girl's senses and push her to ask what had been on her mind.

“So what has Cal been doing staying late so often?” She rested her chin in her hand and watched Luke as she waited patiently for an answer. 

He chuckled at first, shaking his head and taking a sip of the drink in front of him. He was taking it slow, wanting to make sure he could get her home safely. “Working on the menu, Brian’s been talking about updating the kitchen and has been wanting Cal’s opinions on everything to make sure it’s to his standards.”

Aliyah nodded along, smiling softly before taking a few bites of the fries between them. “He’s seemed so stressed and excited lately and I couldn’t really figure it out. But that makes sense, I’d be excited about an updated kitchen too.”

“I’m sure once everything is squared away he’ll bring you out so you can see it.” Luke smiled, leaning back in his chair. “Don’t tell him I told you though, I think he wants it to be a surprise.” 

“My lips are sealed.” Aliyah grinned. “Promise.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Calum’s fingertips hadn’t stopped tapping on the small table for several minutes as he thought. “What if she hates this? That I didn’t let her be a part of it?” 

“Cal, she’s gonna love that you’re surprising her with something so special.” Michael shook his head, furrowing his brows. “No one in their right mind would hate someone for doing this for them.”

Ashton chuckled and placed his hand on his best friend's shoulder, raising his brows at him. “Mike’s right, she’s going to be in awe. Plus, it’s not just for her, is it? It’s for both of you?”

“Yeah, yeah.” The chef nodded a few times, closing his eyes and letting out a quiet sigh. “Everything just has to be perfect.”

“It will be, we just can’t rush things.” Ashton continued, offering a small smile when the man opened his eyes again. “We have to think about the options before making any final decisions.”

“One thing at a time.” Michael nodded, agreeing. “What’s next on the list?”

Calum took a deep breath and ran his finger along the list of things he had in front of him. After thinking for a moment he nodded and looked between the two. “Countertops and appliances. We all know how important that is.”

-

Another two months flew by, and Calum was finally ready to talk to his friends about something that had been on his mind throughout the entire process. It was the end to a long day, none of them were planning on working on the project that night, but Calum asked them to meet him there for just a few minutes so he could run something by them. None of them argued. 

“So what’s going on, Cal?” Luke was the first to ask, leaning back against the brand new countertop that was installed just over a week earlier. “You said you had something you wanted to talk about?”

He chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head, looking between the three of them. “I was wondering, and maybe hoping, if the three of you would want to work here once we’re up and running?”

It went silent for a minute, the three being asked all glancing at each other, then back to their head chef a few times before Ashton finally spoke up. “I mean– I don’t know about these two but I half expected a job offer long before this.” He winked, moving to toss an arm over Calum’s shoulders. “You want a sommelier, you got it. I’m here with no questions asked.”

“Without a doubt, I’m in.” Luke grinned, nodding along, then glancing at Michael, who daresay… looked a little nervous. “What about you, Mike?”

He took a small breath, biting at his cheek before nodding. “I’ll join, but you better not be inviting everyone from the Pearl to work here, I can’t fucking stand Kylie.”

Calum just laughed, shaking his head and smiling brightly. “No no, there's no one else I was planning on asking. Can’t completely run Brian out of business, have to show him what we’re capable of here first without him, right?”

Luke smirked, nodding. “Oh absolutely.”

“We’re in the home stretch, just some final touches and making sure we have the staff needed to open up, double check our permits for everything, then–” Calum paused, smiling to himself. “Then we surprise Ally.”