~Elvira~
The scent of roasted garlic and rosemary hit me as soon as I entered the kitchen.
After ten hours of bleach and steam, the smell of food made my stomach growl loudly.
The dinner rush was over, the space was quiet, except for the sound of a knife against a wooden board as a junior cook helped Silas chop vegetables.
I stood by the entrance, my damp hair sticking to my neck.
I kept my hands in my apron pockets to hide the raw, red skin
“You’re late, but I saved you a plate,” Silas said.
He looked up from a pile of carrots, his arms large like trunks and flour on his beard, he pointed toward a small wooden table in the corner where a steaming plate sat under a ceramic lid.
“Thank you, Silas,” I said.
“Don’t thank me. My cousins wouldn't let me clear the line until you s
