Rejected; Stalked by Second Mate

Melting

Revenna's POV

A loud rumble rips right through the dead silence and vibrates off the walls.

*Girl, was that thunder or your stomach!?* Jeez, thanks for being so subtle, Freya.

“Aren’t you hungry? I have no idea what day it is or when last I’ve eaten. I’m starving.” I jumped off the counter and walked past the window I was staring out of moments ago. Some time has passed, as the moon is almost at its apex and the entire kitchen is covered in a blanket of darkness.

“Lumières allumées,” (lights on), the sudden bright lights from above attacked my vision and I blinked a few times to adjust, while I shielded my eyes with my hands.

*Dramatic much?* Freya scoffs.

“Looks like I’m not the only hangry one here,” she gets just as grumpy as I do when it comes to food.

I walked over to the fridge and opened both doors. The left side is the freezer and the right side is the fridge, and it is jam-packed.

First, I grabbed a readymade chicken sandwich and started to devour it while I examined the rest of the contents of the fridge. It feels like my stomach is starting to eat itself, so I won’t be able to survive a cooking session without eating something first.

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and I want to thank Daniel for what he has done for me, and I’m sure a 5 course meal will do the trick.

I love cooking and enjoy everything second in the kitchen, but I’d never make it as a chef. I hate help in the kitchen. I need to do everything myself, because nobody will do it like I want it done, so I get frustrated and say awful things.

Dylan is the only one who understood that. This mouth has gotten me in trouble so many times with peers and authority figures.

I spot some lobster tails and grin like a killer spotting his next victim. For the next 10 or so minutes, I move about in the kitchen, looking for all the utensils, appliances and ingredients I need.

Everything is placed in perfect order on the island. Stuff for soup, then appetizer, then salad, the main course and dessert.

I started by dusting the counter in flour and rolling out some pastry dough I found. I set the oven to preheat, and cut the pastry dough into smaller sizes and rolled some croissants, which were then popped into the oven.

Next, the salad. I break up some romaine lettuce and wash it first. I open a bag of readymade croutons and drizzle them with olive oil before putting them in the oven for 5 minutes. While I wait, I grate some parmesan cheese and throw it in the bowl with the lettuce.

Once the oven dings, I add the croutons to the bowl and squeeze fresh lemon juice over everything. A sprinkle of black pepper and spoonful of garlic later, and the salad goes to the fridge.

I took the pumpkin chunks I found and placed them in a pot with onions, garlic and water (my secret ingredients for the perfect pumpkin soup). While that cooks I mixed together some ketchup, lemon zest and juice, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and a dash of hot sauce, and set it aside.

I heat up a pan with oil and garlic and throw in some de-veined shrimp. I fry them for a few minutes until they are nice and pink and dish them out. I scoop the sauce into martini glasses and carefully pack the shrimp on the brim of 2 glasses.

*To the fridge!*

“My, my. She speaks.”

I check my pumpkin, which is now soft enough, and I use the stick blender to puree the pumpkin. I add in some cream and leave it on the warm stove plate.

The oven dings again and I head over to take out the croissants and put them on a cooling rack.

And now. The main course. I have been dying to try this one, so hopefully I won’t screw it up.

First I wash and put some rice on, to start cooking. In another pan, I heat up some butter, parsley and garlic. I quickly chopped up some carrots, celery and ginger. I placed the lobster tails in the pan and fried them a bit, but not until fully cooked. I took the tails out, and threw in the stuff I just chopped, and fried that as well.

A few minutes tick by before I add in some cream and stir. I reduced the heat, and headed over to the other side of the kitchen where I brewed some extra strong espresso. I take my espresso and dump it into the pan and then add the lobster tails again, and close the lid.

While that simmers, I melt chocolate over a double boiler, slice some strawberries, and cut open the croissants. I neatly pack the strawberries in the croissants then drizzle them with chocolate.

I look over my creation and give a satisfactory nod, before switching off the stove.

*Well, there goes his pretty kitchen.*

At Freya’s words, I took in my surroundings. The entire counter and the sink are filled with dirty dishes, the island has sauces and chocolate and flour all over it.

“How did I get flour on the wall?” I sighed defeatedly and c****d my head to the side while looking at the wall.

A thunderous laughter suddenly infiltrates my ears and I jump a little at the sudden sound.

“Just look at you,” I heard the deep voice from behind me and steadily turned around to see Daniel leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, and a devilish grin plastered on his face. I caught his eyes quickly moving up to mine, but I knew exactly where they were. My outfit doesn’t really leave much to the imagination.

He scans over my entire face, then his eyes trace down my neck to my shirt and then my legs, before he chuckles again and shakes his head.

I stare down at myself, realising I look just as bad as the kitchen.

“Why don’t you go change and I’ll set a table? I can’t wait to eat, the aroma has been taunting me for hours.”

I can honestly say I have no idea how long I was busy, so I jogged out of the kitchen and up the stairs to my room.

I take a quick shower and change into some light blue jeans and a loose-fitting beige t-shirt, before galloping down the stairs. Daniel was waiting for me at the bottom and ushered me in the opposite direction of the kitchen, where I saw the dining table earlier.

All the lights were switched off, and the entire area was lit only by candles of various shapes and sizes. The table was extended to each side to allow room for plates, bowls and utensils, without the distance between us shrinking. He wants me as close as possible, even during dinner.

He leads me past the table set up straight to the bar. It has a high counter with 2 bar stools, and red lights shining from under the counter. On the opposite wall, there are about 5 bar fridges, with glass doors and red lights on the borders of the doors.

*Wow, this bar is nicely stocked,* Freya admired the inventory while I was picking a drink.

“So what will it be, darling?” Daniel was in front of me in an instant with his hands casually resting on the counter like the classic barman. So far, he might just be my favorite barman.

“I better be,” he says as he leans in towards me. I couldn’t form words at the thought of him kissing me, and just closed my eyes and waited.

The next moment, I hear a glass being placed on the counter and open my eyes, to find him smirking at me while making a gin and tonic.

“Not yet, I want to try everything you made first. You’re my dessert.” My Goddess, this man has a way of making me melt.

*Yummy, can’t wait!*

“Freya, f*ck off.” I can’t ever enjoy a moment with him without her interrupting.

He chuckles again while pouring a whiskey for himself, and takes our drinks over to the table.

“I’ll go get the soup.” I briskly walked over to the kitchen and poured some soup into serving bowls, before heading out and placing his bowl in front of him, making sure to trace my hand over his on the table, all the way up his arm. I quickly move away to take a seat before he could grab me.

We spend the evening teasing each other with light touches and a lot of flirting. I had about 5 drinks and he had 3, but he drank slower than I did.

He went to fetch the croissants, while I waited for him, admiring his backside as he walked away from me.

I was having a great time and now I was starting to wonder if maybe this wasn’t going too fast. I still haven’t been able to really ask him anything, so I barely know him. I hear his incoming footsteps and make sure to hide any emotions besides pure joy.

“I know you still have a thousand questions for me, but can we please just enjoy this one night,” He said while harshly placing my plate in front of me.

Uhm, okay? What the hell?

I looked at him with a confused expression while he took a seat. He was genuinely angry at me. His jaw was ticking and his eyes were burning red, but he didn’t look at me. Instead, he gave his croissant a death stare, and the chocolate on the strawberries started melting.

My eyes widened, and I completely forgot how to breathe. I have seen something like that happen before.

The red starts do dissipate, being replaced by the usual golden glaze. He instantaneously blinked up at me, and I let out the breath I was holding.

Without uttering a word, he stood up and disappeared right before me.

*What was that? Where did he go? How did he do that?* Freya was asking what I was thinking, but she left out the most important thing.

“Why did he react like that?”