#Chapter 51: Impressed
Abby

“Alright, paperwork’s done,” Karl declares with an air of finality, piling the last of the filed sheets into a

neat stack.

The office is a maze of papers, scatt ered across the desk and floor, but we’ve managed to conquer the

monster of bureaucracy.

I chuckle, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Who knew running a restaurant came with so

much… paper?”

Karl snorts. “Did no one warn you?”

I roll my eyes dramatically. “Alright, Mr. Know-It-All. Next is ordering. Let’s head to the kitchen and see

what we need.”

He nods, and we make our way to the heart of the restaurant. The stainless steel countertops gleam

under the dim overhead lights, and I breathe in the familiar mix of spices and cooked food. There’s

something soothing about being here, even when the bustle is gone.

I grab a clipboard and start jotting down a list. “We definitely need more garlic, basil, tomatoes…”

Karl starts peeking into various containers and cupboards, joining in on the inventory. “Don’t forget the

mushrooms and parmesan.”

There’s a moment of comfortable silence as we both get absorbed in our task.

Then, from a distance, the soft strumming of a guitar fills the space. It seems one of the staff has left a

radio on.

“Is that… Ed Sheeran?” Karl asks, looking up with a smile.

I nod, swaying slightly to the rhythm. “Perfect. I haven’t heard this song in a while.”

My head instinctively bobs to the music as I get back to work. But then, I feel a presence beside me. I

look up to see Karl standing beside me, his brown eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Dance with me?” he asks.

Shaking my head, I turn away slightly. “You’re ridiculous. We’ve got work to do.”

“C’mon, Abby. We haven’t danced in so long.” Before I can stop him, he reaches out, grabbing my

twirling

away as a heat

With a mischievous laugh, Karl grabs me again, pulling me

with him, partially victim to his Alpha aura and partially victim to my

feelings.

cold, hard kitchen tiles are becoming our dance

us.

soft chords of the song fill the kitchen, Karl’s hand finds my waist, pulling me in closer.

pressure as his fingers dance against my back, guiding our movements. Our

tap and slide against the cold tiles, creating a

eyes, intense and warm, lock onto mine. Every turn, every

of memories

distance that has come between us, the weight of Karl’s body

familiar, comforting.

admit it, but… I’ve

used to spontaneously decide to go out, drawn to

Karl

for someone of

had a confidence, a surety to them that drew me in. The way he could command

the way he led our

the steps or the music; it was

twirled under his arm, the heat of our bodies moving

outside ceased to exist; it was

that pulsed

teasing, breaks my reverie, almost as

to dance the night away? Every

You’d spin me around till I was dizzy, and we’d laugh like kids, not

about anyone watching.”

waist for

mischievous glint in his eyes, “at that

ached and our clothes were soaked in

can’t help but giggle. “God,

we left.”

“Well, dancing

sweat, was it?”

mock horror, and I smack his

my reprimand lacks any real heat, and the flush that creeps

ears, warm and infectious, and I find myself laughing along,

up a glare.

the soft hum

faces inches apart, our breaths mingling. The intensity of

a split second, everything else fades

back in, reminding me of the

that I’ve drawn.

a deep breath, I gently pull away, breaking the magnetic pull between

hungry I feel, or maybe

toward the fridge. “Are you hungry?” I

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