Unlikely Alliance

Chapter 5

Emily's Point of View (Continued)

"We have an order for two beef sandwiches". Peter informed me.

I nodded my head and continued cooking. Back at Rosette restaurant, the orders kept pouring in, and I found myself buried in hectic kitchen activities. Days like this, when the restaurant was overcrowded, were the most challenging. I couldn't even afford a moment to switch off the gas because the orders were relentless.

Peter, the waiter, was running around trying to handle all the tables by himself, and Michael was merely adding to the chaos. The restaurant was in a frenzy, and the pressure was overwhelming.

"Table 7 is waiting for you, get moving, Peter, don't be sluggish!" Michael yelled at Peter, who seemed unfazed by the urgency. I decided to lend Peter a hand, at least for a little while, and let the other chef know I'd be stepping out briefly.

"Peter, whose order is this?" I asked, holding up a tray with two beef sandwiches.

"Table 3, the lady and the guy at that table," James replied.

I walked over to Table 3 and noticed a familiar figure.

"Here's your order, sir and ma'am," I announced politely, before placing the tray on the table. The two diners turned to look at me, and there he was.

"Charles!" I exclaimed, taken aback by the unexpected encounter.

"Emily! You work here?" Charles appeared equally surprised.

"Yes, I work here. I'm a chef, not a waitress, though," I quickly clarified. "Oh!" He looked somewhat uneasy as if he had been exposed.

Although I wasn't a gossiper, I couldn't help but find it interesting. Charles dining at a restaurant was a departure from his usual high-class venues. I didn't expect him to be dining there, but I didn't make a big deal out of it. I was definitely going to tell James all about it though—that isn't part of gossiping, right? James is my husband after all.

Charles and his companion continued their dinner, though it seemed far from pleasant. I couldn't help but overhear snippets of their conversation, and the lady was quite rude.

"Charles, I don't like this restaurant. It's so not my class. What happened to Valie, Monxhoire, and the likes?" she complained.

"Sia, this is a middle-class restaurant. I just wanted a quiet dinner, so I chose this place where I wouldn't be recognized or bothered," Charles explained.

"Well, it's not so quiet after all. You know the lady, right?" She pointed to me. "Who's she, your s*x buddy, because such a poor lady can certainly not be your girlfriend." She blurted rudely. He rolled his eyes like he wasn't ready for all that drama.

"She's a married woman, Sia, she's my friend's wife, so can we just eat? " He picked up the sandwich and bit it.

"Such a poor friend," she made a passing comment. Charles' face tightened and he dropped the sandwich.

"Can you just shut it, Sia, else I'm leaving you here."

"You can't do that. Your mum invited me here. You must oblige her request by having this dinner with me"

"Not when you keep making silly comments like that, you either shut up or I walk out", he threatened.

"Why are you unnecessarily rude and disrespectful because I respect your mum's relationship with mine? That's why I agreed to come for this meetup."

"Great then, let's just go back and tell our mums that this can't work out". There was silence between the two as Charles continued his beef sandwich.

I initially went out to help Peter with the customers, but now I'm more interested in this scene than my job.

"Get to work!" Michael yelled at me as I stood peeping at the duo on a forced date.

As I returned to the kitchen, I couldn't help but think that Charles and his date were a terrible match. Their arguments and confrontations didn't seem like a harmonious date, and I couldn't imagine them spending a lifetime together. The drama at the restaurant was amusing in a way, and I couldn't wait to share it with James when I got home.

After finishing my shift at the restaurant, I rushed home, eager to recount the day's events to my husband. However, when I arrived, the door was locked, which was unusual. James didn't typically stay out late, and he didn't have work that day. I used my key to enter the house, but it felt strangely empty.

I searched the entire house, but James was nowhere to be found. His phone was switched off, which added to my anxiety. My heart started racing and my mind was filled with all sorts of worries. I called Charles, thinking that maybe they had gone out together after his dinner.

"Hello Charles, I'm sorry for calling you this late," I began.

"Hello Emily, are you okay?" Charles's voice was groggy, likely because it was already late. It was past 10 p.m., after all.

"I can't find James," I blurted out, the concern in my voice more pronounced than I had intended. "What do you mean you can't find James? Have you called him or his office?" He sounded like I was used to raising false alarms, but I didn't bother—I was too worried to care about his tone.

"His numbers are all switched off, and I don't want to raise any alarm at his office yet. That's why I called to check if he was with you," I explained.

"No, he isn't. Just go to bed and keep calm until tomorrow morning, I'll drop by your house in the morning" Charles suggested, trying to console me. But I wasn't the least bit comforted. Something felt wrong, deep in my gut, and I couldn't shake the feeling. The house, though seemingly intact, felt empty, and I couldn't shake the dread of my husband disappearing mysteriously after just one year of marriage.

"Calm down, Emily. Don't overthink this. James is probably fine. He has to be!" I told myself as I lay on the bed, trying to sleep but unable to shake off my restlessness.