Taste of Iron

Sixteen: Turn The Tables

Sixteen: Turn The Tables

"A zombie?"

"Yeah," Emil nodded. "Don't get me wrong, you still look handsome as you always do. But just a tad bit more tired than usual."

"I didn't get enough sleep," Atlas muttered as they walked into the employees room. Atlas opened his locker, taking out his chef jacket.

"Why not?" Emil asked. Atlas sighed as he shook his head, clearly not interested in answering his boss's question.

"Doesn't matter. I'm fine. Can I get to work now if you're done?" Atlas sounded snippy, making Emil frown but he nodded regardless.

Atlas was guarded, which Emil didn't mind too much since they hadn't known each other for very long anyway. So it wasn't like Emil was expecting him to open up and spill everything about his life. But still, Emil wanted to get to know more about Atlas, which was proving to be harder than he had thought.

Yesterday had been so much fun. Emil didn't want to raise his hopes too much, so he was genuinely surprised when Atlas agreed to go out with him. He was glad that the chef seemed to enjoy the escape room and the food at the diner, and just seeing him be so focused and excited when they were solving all the puzzles had Emil's heart fluttering the entire time.

He spent most of the day staring at Atlas as he worked out the games, which the blue-haired man didn't even seem to notice as he was so into what he was doing. Emil was making mental notes of everything. From how Atlas would chew lightly on his bottom lip when he was trying to figure something out, to how his eyes would light up whenever he got a puzzle right.

This had made one thing very clear— Emil was never going to get tired of looking at Atlas.

He was enchanted.

He knew it. And he liked it.

Emil didn't follow Atlas into the kitchen, considering it best to give the man some space first as he didn't look too ecstatic at the moment. He went to see the manager, Shawn, instead, to let him know that they'd be hiring a new sous chef. With Atlas now working lesser shifts, they needed someone new to pick up the slack. Shawn thought that it was a good idea too, and immediately got to work.

After an hour or so, Emil decided to check up on Atlas. The head chef was making a broth, looking as engrossed as ever as he concentrated completely on his dish. It was like watching an artist make a masterpiece, and once again, Emil could just stare at him forever.

Which was why, Emil was taken aback that when Atlas got a call, he immediately wiped his hands on his aprons and asked Denise to watch over the broth instead. Atlas never did that. He rarely ever touched his phone at work, so it must've been something, or someone, important.

"Damian?" Atlas spoke as he picked up the call. He was already on his way to the backdoor so that nobody could disturb him. "Hey. Is everything oka—"

That was all Emil heard before Atlas was out of sight. Emil furrowed his brows in confusion, wondering who the fuck this Damian guy was. He had never heard the name from Atlas before, though to be fair he didn't know much about his personal life.

But for Atlas to leave his food and entrust someone else to watch over it... whoever this Damian was, it sure seemed like Atlas cared a lot about him.

Emil was self-aware enough to know that he was jealous. He also knew that he had no right to be. He was a possessive man, but Atlas didn't owe him anything. It still caused Emil to worry, though. Was Atlas not interested in going out with him because he had someone else in his life?

No. If that were the case, Atlas would've told him head-on. He wasn't the type to beat around the bush.

Emil waited eagerly at his spot till Atlas was back. His chest felt tight when he saw the chef return with a soft smile on his face. It was very unusual for Atlas to look this happy. It was as if Emil's legs had a mind of their own as he walked towards the man, trying to act casual though his heartbeat was faster than normal.