Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

Chapter 0151
Abby

The restaurant has long since closed, but the aroma of sauteed onions and garlic still lingers in the air.

The sound of sizzling oil on the stove and the faint melody of a song that I don’t like wafting from a

speaker in the corner mix together to create a tense symphony that I absolutely don’t need to be

hearing right now.

I’m stressed, to say the least. Really stressed.

John stands next to me, his eyes focused as he skillfully dices tomatoes. His posture is rigid, the

tension between us as palpable as the texture of the dough I’m kneading for our homemade pasta.

“How’s the dough coming along?” he asks, throwing a quick glance my way.

“It’s fine. Just needs a bit more kneading,” I reply, my palms pushing and folding as I get lost in the

repetitive motion.

John grunts in acknowledgment and moves on to chop basil. There’s an air of seriousness around him,

an unwavering concentration that should make me feel reassured.

And yet, it doesn’t.

I’m hyper-aware of the disconnect, the invisible yet unignorable gap between us.

reading from different recipes,

olive

fingers brushing for a moment, but there’s none of the warmth

Karl and I

but with Karl, it was natural to work together. Sure, we had

John and he’s a good cook, but we just don’t

in the kitchen. What should feel effortless instead feels like a

the oil over the tomatoes, then hesitates, looking at the array of spices laid out

think a touch of paprika would give the sauce

biting my lip. “The recipe is already

throw it off.”

not to rock the boat, but in

John? Are you crazy?”

furrowed. “We’re not following the

to make

ruining the integrity of the dish,” I retort,

than I

and takes a deep breath, visibly trying to rein in

sous chef for this competition. If you don’t trust my

here?”