Strange (Rosé x fem reader)

Chapter 8: Thongs and Gowns

I rushed out only to the end of the curb along with a couple of other teen girls as we all waited for an Uber. It was kind of pathetic and sad to sit out here with tear-stained cheeks and swollen eyes for all the wrong reasons.

I pressed the button on the light stick Alice had bought me, the light pulsed like a heartbeat and the pink hearts on both sides were illuminated. It was a cute light stick but I hated it right now because I was bitter and wanted nothing with love and cute pink hearts.

Finally, my Uber arrived and I sent her a message through the app to let her know where I wanted to be and home was definitely not the place. I'd get swallowed by more insecure thoughts and I'd feel too upset to sleep. I didn't want to spend my night crying and looking at the downside of my love life right now or drowning in thoughts convincing myself that maybe I was in the wrong, that maybe I overreacted.

Blaming myself to make reason out of the outcome.

I had to keep myself busy and luckily Jun was still at the restaurant closing even though I told him not to. So I snuck in and put on an extra apron to wear over my clothes. The clothes that I picked out for Roseanne to see me in and I didn't even get to take my coat off.

I put on my bandanna and checked myself in the mirror, seeing the black electronic devices and wires that allowed me to hear. I was so disappointed with and angry at myself. I don't even know why I was so angry at myself.

Before I knew it I grabbed both devices and took them off, throwing them against the floor.

Going back to the kitchen after my mini breakdown I began prepping so that tomorrow things would be easier for everyone and I decided that I was finally ready to go back to what I did before, handling pans and seeing that bright tall flame that brought me to life, the flame sparkling and painting an excited image on my pupils.

It was kind of refreshing to not hear anything anymore but I was just getting used to footsteps and hearing when someone comes in and out, the clicking sounds the stove made when I turned it on, or how the food sizzled when my head cook was barring me from my own kitchen.

Still, I felt a bit safe knowing that Jun was around either cleaning, mopping, or sitting waiting for me as he played on his phone although the last time I saw him he was sitting at the bar doing his homework.

As I was cutting vegetables and then meats, my phone wouldn't stop vibrating and I knew that it was Roseanne calling but I was too upset to talk to her and I didn't need to be upset when I was working with a knife. If I wanted to be upset I would've been home right now.

After a while, they completely stopped and I was glad because it allowed me to cut the red meat into cubes in peace. Meats ranging from beef, pork, chicken, and even goat meat which was in a lot of cuisines around the world, and personally I loved it. The aroma it released was powerful but that meant the taste was also full of flavors none of the other meats could bring. I had it in dishes like stews and even just grilled like a steak. It was an expensive investment since it's pricier than the other cuts used but it's what set my restaurant apart from most besides other components and it did well so I kept it. Another plus from setting up my restaurant where lots of ethnic families lived.

I was so lost in my happy thoughts of the kitchen and thinking about wanting to try Jamon Iberico which came from Spanish black hogs that were fed acorns. The process of caring for these hogs allowed them to fatten it up to help with the curing process that creates an exquisite, intense, sweet flavor you can't find anywhere else in the world with ham. A very unique flavor one can experience once in a lifetime.

A shoulder pull brought me away from the counter and I hadn't noticed that someone was there. Thinking it was Roseanne I dropped my knife onto the cutting board and was about to sign angrily and immediately stopped when I saw a large figure standing in front of me. His brows created a V and his eyes were feral, wildly angry, and terrifying. My anger dissipated and turned into complete fear.