Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

Abby

I feel frozen to my spot as the judges make their way toward Daniel’s station.

The grin stretched across his face almost makes me feel sick, and it’s all I can

do not to run off the stage right now.

“Wow,” Vanessa says as she takes the first bite of Daniel’s dish, which looks

leaps and bounds ahead of mine just by presentation alone. “Really, Daniel;

wow. Despite everything, you created a phenomenal dish.”

“Thank you so much,” Daniel says, his eyes flickering toward me. “You know,

with my sous chef’s wrist in so much pain, it was difficult. But we made it.”

Enter title…

Next, the judges begin making their way toward me, and I feel like I’m going to

be sick. They stop in front of my station, and I can feel the cold weight of

Logan’s gaze on me already.

“Hello, Abby,” Vanessa says, her gaze sweet as ever despite the circumstances.

“Your performance in the second round was lacking, but you’re here now. How

do you feel?”

I swallow. “I feel…” I pause, my throat cracked and dry. “I feel… Hopeful,” I

mutter. Vanessa nods in response along with the third judge, but Logan—his

face is as inscrutable as ever.

taste test, times feels as though it’s

me, Abby, the chef with

his presence by my side, but he’s

more vast and cold than it ever

Vanessa finally says, her voice

expected from you.”

a tightness in my chest as panic begins to

to—” I start to explain,

of understanding. “I see what you tried to do, but

the plate. I’m sorry,

Xavier, a chef of few

see it there before he even

adds simply, his voice

want to argue, to defend my dish, to say that the

swallow the words. They know the chaos that unfolded.

and yet they seem

and authoritative, that slices through the

what we have here is a fundamental problem,” he states, his cold

meeting mine.

of my station, my

in

eyebrow. “Well, to put it plainly…” He pauses, as though

didn’t follow the instructions, Abby. This dish is not what

asked for.”

gasping for air. “But I—I

my composure shattering. “This is farro mafaldine with

It’s exactly what

you’re wrong,” Logan says with a disappointed shake of

mafaldine with black truffle butter

already digging through the dish with

stabs a piece of black truffle and holds it up in

it this way and

like a

studio suddenly seems as though all of the oxygen has been