When Micah was dropped off, he entered the restaurant which was like his second home. There were already a few people and families sitting down on their red seats, having a good time in the dim atmosphere. The place had black, shiny tiles around, making the floor sparkle up like a night sky.

He went into the kitchen and was hit with the hot steam, floating around the brilliant lights along the orange ceiling, and the aroma of delicious food cooking in pots, filled with seasoning. He was immediately immersed in it and a sense of refreshment came over him. Working at the restaurant was like his happy place, away from all the drama he dealt with his father.

"Hello, Micah." Carlos interrupted his train of thoughts as he came over.

"Hey." He was happy to see his boss, with his cheery, friendly face in comparison to the stern look he always got from his father. With him and in this place, he felt accepted, but at home, it was a different story.

"Had a good morning?"

"Yeah, I guess." Micah shrugged. He found it amusing the way Electra had to eat off the floor earlier today, she definitely deserved it since she refuses to leave where she's not wanted. What was she even expecting to stay in a place where most of the people hate her? Definitely a not nice treatment.

"Has any order come in?" He asked.

"Yeah, someone wants some scrambled eggs, will you be able to make that?" Carlos said.

"Okay," Micah said and got some vegetables to add to it.

He cut some tomatoes, bell pepper, and then onion, and he added it to a large skillet which he filled with oil. He began stirring it as a grin appeared on his face. He loved making sure all the ingredients were thoroughly mixed. Seeing them gradually combine and turn into something delicious was extremely satisfying.

He then added the eggs and seasoned them with salt and pepper. He also added some chopped parsley and then scrambled it all together. He found the mixing quite fun and entertaining, watching all the tiny substances dance around, their smell tickling his nose, small bubbles blowing up, and the exciting expectation that they are going to turn into something delicious.

It reminded him of when he cooked with Mariana the day before they went to Aspen. A smile immediately glowed on his face when the memory came back fresh like the ingredients he used. Having her between his arms, made him grin like a cartoon sun. He could almost smell the sweet scent of her luscious curls, and the cupping that soft face, he wished she was with him right now. 

The egg mix gradually started clumping together in the pan, and soon the scrambled eggs were complete. He poured it onto a plate and then made some toast to go along with it.

It got sent out and then he cleaned his chopping board, ready for the next dish. The heat started making him sweat a little, but this was the norm for him, even though it made him feel a little sleepy when it was in the afternoon.

The next order was stuffed cubanelle peppers boats with avocado sauce. He was happy because this was one of his favorite things to make, it was fun making the peppers look like little ships sailing across the ocean. Whenever he was younger, he and his brother would play with their toy boats in a lake. They would sometimes pretend to be pirates like in Peter Pan. Even though their mother would buy them some, they preferred to play with the ones they made from scrap.

What good times they were, when he and Mason hardly fought over the things they did now.

With a sad sigh, he got out the green ones and washed them, not wanting to think about it anymore. He then cut it in half, removing the seeds and veins. He then placed it to the side and got to the fun part: seasoning the meat.

He got the minced beef and then placed it in a large bowl. He coated it with garlic and onion powder, pepper, cumin, and some salt. He mixed it all together with his hands and then heated it in the oil. Working with all this meat and seeing all the juiciness drip everywhere, was starting to make him a bit hungry as his stomach rumbled a little.

Once everything was ready, he took the cooked peppers that he stuffed with the meat and poured the base sauce all over like a waterfall. He made it rain cheese and then placed it back on the stove, cooking on low heat.

Once the avocado sauce was chilled and the cooked peppers had simmered enough, he carefully placed them on a plate. He watched it get sent out like a boat drifting away in the never-ending ocean.

When it was time for his break, he couldn't help wonder how Mariana was doing. The way his brother talked this morning scared him a little, and an uneasy feeling shriveled down his spine. He didn't want him to hurt Mariana in any way, and that would probably happen if he ever touched her.

He sent Mariana a quick message just to check up on her before having a little rest, hoping she will reply soon so he can have peace of mind.

****

When Mariana finished her work, she was walking down the busy, bubbling streets with Elena. The sun beamed down on their faces as her hand grazed over her neck, hoping her concealer still covered her hickeys. She didn't mind them as they reminded her of Micah's sweet kisses and touch.

"So tell me all about your trip to Aspen!" Elena said.

"Well, first of all, we went on a hot air balloon!" Mariana exclaimed, unable to keep the excitement of her adventure to her friend.

"Really? We're you up very high?"

"Yeah, everyone looked like ants down below." Mariana giggled.

"Can I see some pictures?" She pleaded.

"Yeah sure." Mariana got out her phone and then started scrolling through her camera roll. They went through the pictures they took at the mountains, and around the valleys.

"Wow, all these look so beautiful!" Elena took the phone off her and freely swiped through, which made Mariana a little uncomfortable.

"Is that you and your boyfriend? He looks so fine!"

"I know." Mariana smiled and quickly took her phone back. She immediately locked it and held it in her hand. They continued their calm walk, looking through the windows, seeing if there was anything they fancied until Mariana felt her phone sending vibrating up the lines of her palm. She took a quick look at it and was surprised when she saw a message from Micah.

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Hey Mariana, are you okay?

Mariana: Hello my love💜 yes I am, why you ask?

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Just wanted to check up on you. You know I love you right?

Mariana: Of course❤️.

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: So what have you done today?

Mariana: I just finished work and now I'm with Elena.

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: That's nice. I miss you baby girl and I want to see you. Can you meet me outside of my workplace since I'll be finishing in less than an hour?

Mariana: Okay sure. See you then xx

She put her phone back in her pocket and then started walking back to her car.

"Was that him?" Elena asked.

"Yeah."

"Ah okay, so tell me more about Aspen!" Elena suddenly changed the subject.

"Well... he got me a pedicure and then we ate lots of food, and then in the night... he swept me off my feet in the most romantic way, Elena it was beautiful..." Mariana said with the most dreamy look in her eyes.

"Aw you sound like a teenager on her first date with her crush."

"True." Mariana agreed as she laughed a little at that comment.

"But it does sound like you had a really fun night"

"Yeah, it was the best!" Mariana said as she hoped to experience it again one day.

After they parted ways, Mariana started driving toward the restaurant he worked at in her Mercedes. She enjoyed using it so much, she felt like she could never get tired of it.

She had only visited the restaurant once as a surprise visit, and luckily, Micah had prepared her order, and the taste was extraordinary. She really did fall in love with his cooking.

Once she reached there, she was right on time as Micah came out in his ordinary clothes. He climbed into her car and then shut the door behind him. Mariana gave him a big hug and he pulled her over to his lap. He snuggled into her neck, feeling the warmth that radiated off her, as he left a trail of kisses.

"How are you? Are you alright?" He held her face a few meters away from his to get a good look at her.

"Yes I'm fine," she said, playing her hands on his chest.

Micah's eyes examined her whole face. His thumb grazed around her blushing, round cheeks which seemed to have no scratch, he noticed her curls had no frizzy and were as glossy as ever. And her eyes didn't have a hint of pain.

He finally let go and then cuddled her tightly. "I love you, you know..." he whispered.

"Um, I love you too," she replied, feeling very weirded out by his actions.

"So, is there anywhere you wanna go right now?" He asked.

"Um not really, we could just drive around."

"Alright." He let her go back to her seat.

She started driving and rolled down the window while they cruised around the town.

"How was work, my baby? You had a good day?" Mariana asked.

"Yeah, it was really good."

"Did my baby do well?" She asked, giving him a quick kiss at the traffic light. But a certain aroma caught her senses. It smelt something like perfume that aroused some suspicion. She sniffed him again, without being obvious, and it was faded as the smell of food and coca butter overpowered it.

A few minutes and she didn't seem to smell it anyway, so when the lights turned green, she drove away.

A/N: Hey I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

I love how clueless Mariana is in all this😂. She's like why he acting like this
👁👄👁 and all Micah can think about is how his bro said he'll bend her over the table.