Michelin [+18]

[fameandfortune212]

STORY

 

Michelin. The name that all chefs and restauranteurs fear, look up to and even worship.

 

The Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants and hotels that provide nothing but perfect food and services. However, perfection has a high price. For this so-called perfection, countless chefs and restauranteurs have driven themselves into madness and witnessed their own lives crumble to pieces.

 

This story is about the journey of an ambitious young man going after his first Michelin star and an unprofessional but amazing cook.

 

 

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CHARACTERS

 

 

Michael Vimen.

 

The nuns of Engalynk, an orphanage near Ipswich, had a rather sick sense of humour. They named him Michael Vimen. Vimen was in fact the latin word for wicker basket (the thing in which Michael arrived to the orphanage).

 

I will not bore you with the details of Michael's troubled growing up environment. Like many before him (and many more after him), Michael became a wild child and escaped from the orphanage at the age of 10. He picked up all kind of bad habit such as drinking and smoking, but one thing he got out of that orphanage was his amazing sense of survival. Michael made his way to Colchester and started working for a dodgy butcher shop that ignored child labour law. Every little money he made, he put in a rusted canister that he hid behind a loose brick in the alleyway he slept in.

 

At the age of 18, he managed to save just enough to buy a one way ticket to France. He somehow lied his way into a bistro in Nice and adopted by the chef there. The 50 year old chef had no child and saw the fire within Michael's eyes that he has never seen before. He passed down every knowledge he possessed to Michael. The boy for the first time felt love, and cooking became his life (like breathing).

 

Michael worked at night while he went to culinary school in the morning. Soon enough, he had a degree and was able to work in more classy restaurant. He became the sous chef at Oliviera.

 

Ten years passed and one day Michael told his friends at Oliviera that he would be going for his first Michelin star. All of them thought he was insane as he pulled out the money he managed to save. However, he successfully convinced all of them to fund his new restaurant with the promise of fame and fortune.

 

Michael had one year before the launch of his new restaurant - The Supper.

 

 

Trivials:

- Michael hates small talk, his last name and people who assume that he has OCD

 

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Name: Levin Horlacher.

 

Age: 27.

 

Gender: Male.

 

Occupation: Currently works as a photographer.

 

Extra:

> Can't eat sweets.

> Scared to death of spiders.

> Cooks like a professional.

> Loves music.

[fameandfortune212]

November 25th, winter has never been colder in Nice. The temperature dropped much below 10 C but it did not stop Michael from waking up at 4 in the morning to go on his usual drill - market inspection. It has been many months now, since Michael decided to open his new restaurant and go after his first Michelin star, that he religiously went shopping earlier for the freshest ingredients money could buy.

 

Michael put on his scarlet scarf and a tattered coat before driving off to the market near the water. He walked by rows and rows of tanks that swarmed with fishermen that yelled at any passing-by customers (and also the salmon, crabs, oysters, scallops and lobsters). Each protein he walked pass, his brain flickered and he conjured up a new recipe for the launch menu. Not all recipes he made up were good, so he pulled out a well-worn notebook and put down only the best recipes in his mind.

 

He decided to make salmon ballotine and scallop starter. So he ordered some "I'd like 5 whole salmons and 150 scallops to be delivered freshly to The Supper restaurant at Rue de la Liberte. 6 o'clock sharp. Thank you"

 

Michael then changed direction to the local vegetable market. While it is not the most fancy market, the ingredients cannot be fresher and anymore seasonal. Michael has always been a meat lover but he can't live with veg and herbs either. The zinginess of lemons and the fraguant scent of thymes and rosemary delighted him. Michael picked a pack of turnips and a pack of parsnips, two carton of tomatoes and snow peas, tarragon and thymes. He packed everything to the back of his car and drove straight to work.

 

 

The construction for his restaurant has long been finished but the inner clockwork was still yet to come together. His menu was still in complete and his staff were lacking and untrained. Words has been spreading about the ambition of Michael Vimen and some people have given him dirty looks while some... admiration. Today he received the same people and probably some extra eyes of a couple tabloid journalists. They asked him questions about his restaurants and some personal informations but he simply ignored. Michael has never been famous, they just wanted to be the first to cover either 'the biggest flop of the decade' or 'the biggest boss of the decade'

 

Michael walked straight to the spotless kitchen that his entire fortune had paid for. He turned on the light and started prepping all the vegetable and herbs straight away, along. Around 5 minutes to 6, he heard the honking from the back alley as the fish he ordered arrived. He quickly grabbed them and the invoice before going back to work. Slowly, his employees and some of his business partner started flowing into the restaurant and the new day was about to start... at The Supper.

[Z3N]

Getting up at 6am was one of the toughest chores of this day. Eyes half closed as he sat on his bed. Taking a few minutes to get back to earth as he had just woken up. Having no dreams nor nightmares became slightly boring as he wouldn’t have anything to think about. Though it may have been a good thing too. Running a hand through his messy hair before cleaning himself up in the bathroom. Water trickling down the shower, the smell of mint due to brushing his teeth. Putting on some clothes that was nicely put together. Though it only consisted of a white shirt, black ripped jeans, black shoes and a biker jacket. His hair was slightly less messy but it looked fine.

 

Picking up his cam as he had to get out soon to get the first picture. The sun was barely visible, the sky was still dark. The streetlights were on, but on the verge of going off. Rosy-orange shades started to form. Going to a street that never seemed to end, it had the most beautiful view to the eye. The lights, the sky, the people. Squatting down while holding his camera in front of him and then, snap. The shutter went off and the picture was made. Making another few of them before looking at the results. One in particular seemed to be the most decent so he went with that.

 

Making his way further into the city as he tried to look for something interesting or eye-catching. It took a bit of time before he found it. Stopping at a bakery which displayed its sweets behind glass so those that passed by could see them clearly. It was a good strategy as it would make people feel like eating one of them. Especially since it looked good to the eye. Asking for permission to one of the employees before taking a good looking picture with the right lighting. He’d need to retouch it later on when he would be back home, but even without it, it still looked pretty good in his eyes.

 

Suddenly, his stomach started to make funny noises. Sighing at the sound that he was making. Deciding that he’d need to eat something first before looking for his final picture today. It weren’t long hours that he had to work, mainly because he chose them himself. They would be displayed in museums and such later on so he liked to take his time instead of randomly photographing something that wasn’t even worth to look at. Just as he was about to stop by his favourite restaurant, he came across a newer one. It hadn’t been here for long and heard people talking about, yet he never felt like going in. Contemplating for a second about what to do, he finally gave in to his curiosity and went inside.

 

Sitting down at an empty table, his eyes scanning around as if he was reviewing the place inside of his head. The interior wasn’t too bad, not entirely his taste but it could go through with it. Asking the waiter about what he would recommend, taking one of the dishes that sounded right to his ears together with some orange juice. And breakfast having some bacon in it was the best thing for him. Patiently, he waited for his order to arrive.

[fameandfortune212]

About an hour into the morning, all his staff have assembled and got ready for a new day service. It has not been very busy as his business was not officially opened. People who came in are critics and friends of critics, business partners and friends of business partners. But all that did not make an excuse for any to slack off in the kitchen or the front of house. Michael nearly fired a waiter and a commis chef as they made stupid mistakes within his sight, the commis chef threw away the corriander stems and the waiter was yawning and his uniform was untidy.

 

"Is this a fucking joke to you?" he started getting more and more pissed at his staff "How long have you been working here and you don't know that we throw away NOTHING" his voice raised by the second.

 

The young commis chef stammered and could not give any answer, his face was reddened with shame as the entire kitchen stopped to look and he was on the verge of tears. Which only annoyed Michael even more and he was about to open his mouth to continue his rant and possibly throw out the trainee but he was stopped by a voice from behind him.

 

"Isn't it a bit early to throw a tantrum, Michael?" said a well-dressed gentleman with auburn hair.

 

"I can't take any chances, Luke. The launch is only months away and I have to work with.... these goons" Michael said, loooking back at his staff before decided to let his mistake go "GO back to work!"

 

Luke was one of Michael's business partners. The man was one of the regular guests that occassionaly would come to Oliviera (the restaurant he used to work at) and somehow befriended Michael.

 

"What have you got for me today?" Michael said while washing off his hands before leaving the kitchen and walked to the dinning room.

 

"A SINGLE critic of a MAJOR publisher." the other man said, smiling deviously while eyeing Michael up and down his form in the chef jacket. "I should get a reward, no?" he leaned closer to Michael dangerously.

 

"By making your money multiplies." He shoved the kitchen rag into Luke's face and said demandingly "Show me the critic".

 

It was by accident that the critic sat at the table right behind Levin Horlacher (whom Michael never met) and ordered almost the same food and drink as him.

 

"He ordered the breakfast menu and orange juice. Take care of him, will you?" he said, pulling out his phone and dashed off through the back door "I'm a bit late for something. I'll see you later"

 

Michael watched his friend departed and looked curiously at Levin from behind the counter. Didn't he look a bit young to be a reowned food critic? And also a bit... messy? Michael thought but snapped as he realised he had been staring. He quickly went back to the kitchen and handled Levin's order himself.

 

It was scrambled eggs on toasted croissant and topped with prosciutto (a posh kind of bacon). Michael whipped up the ordered within no time and his staff marveled at how sufficient and beautiful he performed, it nearly made all of them stopped the idea of quitting. He poured the golden, silky scrambled eggs with flex of chives on the toasted croissant and then came the crispy prosciutto.

 

Michael decided to bring out the order himself. He took a deep breath before taking the order to Levin and gently put it down. "Thank you for visiting and supporting The Supper." He smiled "I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts about the food."

 

He bowed and left but something stopped him. He knew damn well the curiousity killed the cat, but Michael was no scardy cat. He turned back to Levin and politely asked "Do you mind if I ask which publisher are you from? I don't think I've never seen you before with my 12 years in the professional kitchen? Pardon me for my rudeness"

[Z3N]

He silently waited for his food to arrive, noticing that not many people were present. Opening his Instagram account where he had quite some followers. Having hit about 25k, one could say that he managed to become quite popular amongst the crowd. Especially due to his variety in pictures which could go from scenery to people to food. His most liked ones were about the food category where he gave his opinion about. He was honest with his words and it was an influence to those who read it, some wanting it to try out themselves to see if he was right or not. There were some cases where he was proven wrong as he had chosen a dish that just didn’t suit his taste so he had to go again to try something else and it was indeed a different experience then.

 

He wasn’t a critic, just a foodie. There was a difference between the two as he wasn’t actually professional with his words. His followers knew that but still liked it anyway.

 

Once the food arrived, his whole face seemed to lighten up. Looking at the whole before taking his fork, twiddling it around between his fingers. Yet before he was about to take a bite, the employee asked him about some kind of publisher he was supposed to come from. Raising an eyebrow at the male as he didn’t know how to answer on that. ”I think you have the wrong person.” He said with a confused expression. ”I’m a photographer who publishes my own work. If you’re wondering about critics…” He paused and looked around to find one.

 

His eyes spotted the male behind him and gestured towards him. ”He has more of a reputation in that field than me.” He commented without thinking much about it. The critic was better dressed than him and had a little notepad with him to take notes of the food. So in Levin his eyes it seemed only normal for someone to recognize the person in question. ”Sorry to disappoint.” He said with a chuckle.

[fameandfortune212]

Within a minute, Michael felt like a total idiot when the person he thought to be a critic was not a critic. He flustered and did not know how to answer the other. It was too late for him to do anything as he saw the waiter brought the critic that sat behind Levin the food made by his commis chefs. In his brain, he could only wish that his staff did not fuck the food up at the best of time.

 

"Well... mhmm. I do hope to hear your opinion all the same when you finish the food" he said, leaving the mistaken critic behind and heading towards the real critics. "Pardon me"

 

"Thank you for visiting and supporting The Supper. I'm the chef and owner. I hope I can hear your opinion after you've finished" he then bow and leave for the kitchen.

 

For the next half an hour his mind kept coming back not to the critic but to the person he mistook for the critic. Who was he? Why was he here? All sort of questions ran through his mind and he was determined to know. Maybe Michael was out of his mind or maybe it was his supposed 'OCD' personality could not let anything left unknown.

 

Time went by in a flash when the waitress told him that the customers had finished their food while he was preparing the gremolata.

 

He quickly washed his hands and went out to the kitchen where he greeted the critic and had a brief conversation with him before he left. Generally, the critic was happy and could not fault the dish from his kitchen. Michael felt relieved and invited the critic to the dinner party before opening night. He closed the door and watched him departed before turning his back against the door and deeply exhaled.

 

Michael noticed that the guy was still there. He politely walked over to him and held out his hand for a handshake (he's left handed). "Sorry to bother you. I don't think I've introduced myself. I'm the owner and chef here." he smiled "How did you like the food?"

[Z3N]

Levin smiled lightly towards the man before the male moved over to the actual critic’s table. Well, it was possible to make a mistake like that. Not letting it get to him, he took out his camera and took a nicely angled picture of the food in front of him.

As he took a bite of the food and his eyes widened due to the flavours that came out of it. Even though it was a simple dish, it tasted much better than the other restaurants in the neighbourhood. With that bit of information, he felt like this restaurant could make a name for itself. If breakfast was this good already, then how was dinner going to be.

 

Scooping up more food into his mouth, taking an occasional sip from his drink. Nodding to himself before taking out his cell phone again. Having send the picture from his camera to his phone, he could edit it nicely on there with a few touches on the screen. It already looked a lot better than just the picture by itself. It didn’t need much of retouching but still.

 

Not noticing the man walking over to his table, he typed up a quick review of the food and restaurant interior before pushing the post button. Having a satisfied expression on his face as it appeared on his Instagram. Not bothering to switch of the screen as it was laying there on the table.

 

Looking up at the man as he heard the voice. Shaking the other’s hand after checking which one he held out. ”It was pretty good. You baked the prosciutto a bit too long but besides that, it all came into one whole.” He said, standing up, already having paid the bill to one of the waiters. Picking up his cell phone, putting it into the pocket of his jeans. ”Your waiters are not that trained but they’re trying their best, which is a good thing. One of them still has problems with holding two plates but that’d be fixed in no time if you give him some pointers.” He said, smiling gently towards the chef.

[fameandfortune212]

Over the year, Michael has received what felt like tens of thousands comments on his food but never has one given him such a blunt and constructive advices. Michael felt almost offended but also grateful that the other were willing to comment on his food before the launch of his restaurant or else, everything could go down in flame.

 

The other stood up and looked like he was ready to leave the place. "Mhmm thank you for your criticism. May I ask your name?" Somehow the words came out of his mouth. Maybe it was politeness maybe it was genuine, sometimes Michael could not explain his own mind and how it worked. "Would you like to come back? Maybe for... tonight services? On MY invite?" Michael wanted the other to check on his dinner services even though he was not a critic since he felt no lies in the other's words.

 

Michael greeted the other goodbye when they finished chatting and returned to his kitchen.

 

That afternoon, he fired the waiter that could not carry 2 plates. He also threw out the patch of prosciutto that after he tested was indeed left too long in the oven. He nearly gave all his kitchen staff a scolding but thought better of it as the real critic liked his meal. The rest of the day up until dinner, Michael did not stop working. He skipped lunch. He was also seen by his employee to work in his office for the menu and then work in the kitchen the next minutes, leaving nothing to chances.

 

At that point in time, he forgot what he was trying to do and who he was trying to impress. The critics or the guy he met at breakfast.

[Z3N]

Looking at the chef as he asked for his name. ”Levin. And I’d love to come over later today.” He responded to the other, a faint smile on his lips before packing up his stuff and heading to the exit of the building. Taking in the bit of fresh air surrounding him as he walked through the streets again. Not having much to do today, he guessed he would just go to his usual hangout where other people were bound to be.

 

And of course, at the park, a group of people was hanging out. Once they noticed Levin his face, they gestured for him to come over. They didn’t get the whole Instagram thing except for a few people which mere mainly girls. Talking about what they were about to do today, Levin mentioning that he was invited to this restaurant “The Supper” which made them turn heads.

 

Supposedly they had heard about the chef before from this restaurant Oliviera. Levin never heard about it before though, which was an utter shame. Rubbing the back of his neck as he apologized jokingly to the others who only smacked him on the back in response. They went around town for the rest of the time, going inside some clothing shops as they needed something for Christmas to wear. As well as going to some other shops to buy some presents. Levin already had his so he just gave some advice to others who were running around like crazy. Maybe slightly panicked even.

 

Time went by and Levin noticed that he had to go to the restaurant now. Taking two others with him who kept on nagging to him to come too. They really loved trying new restaurants and so he almost couldn’t refuse their pleading. Giving in, the three of them went to the restaurant. Taking place at one of the empty seats in the building, appointed by one of the waiters.

The two woman ordered a dish with salmon and a dish with scallops. Meanwhile, Levin just asked to be surprised by the chef. He mostly did this as he was truly expecting for something delicious to come out.

[fameandfortune212]

It felt like an hour since morning and lunch services but when Michael looked at his hand watch, it was nearly evening. He immediately abanddoned filleting his fish and told his maitre d' to tell him when Levin (the person that stopped by the restaurant in the morning) arrived.

 

It was about half an hour into services and he still didn't hear anything about Levin and already began to feel anxious. Though it did not got side-tracked from serving food to order. It was surprising that his mood was almost not foul and he still hasn't shouted or kicked anyone out yet. Even his staff was getting anxious for an entirely different reason than Michael's.

 

Luke came again for dinner services and saw there were already 15 tables filled with important people. He smiled, satisfied with everything and walked to the kitchen to have a little chat with Michael. Maybe there was something going on with them, but at least not to Michael's attention.

 

"Busy it seems. How are you?" he said, casually taking a bottle of wine and poured himself a glass. "I noticed that we lack one waiting staff. Something happened?"

 

"If you're so sharp, Luke. You may well aware that the wine is not free." Michael looking through the tickets and making sure nothing was behind. "It's 150 if you wanna know."

 

"1 crab, 1 scallop for appetizer.

2 lambs for main course.

And 1 souffle and 1 creme brulee!"

Michael shouted that to his kitchen team from the newly arrived order and he received a loud 'Yes, Chef' in return.

 

"Come on.. don't be so cold, my dear" he said, delicately kissing the rim of his glass and slowly enjoyed the wine. "I'm only..."

 

At that very moment, Luke was cut off by the maitre d' who told Levin has arrived. And to Luke's surprised, he could see the faintest wisp of pink and excitement swept accross Michael's face. He quickly retreated awkwardly from the kitchen and said he would have to treat his guests that he invited.

 

Michael received the order not long after and he himself took care of the order. It was one scallops and one salmon but only for main course. He then told the waiting staff to tell Levin and his friends that Michael would treat them with an appetizer and a dessert. Each.

 

Michael then send them ham hock terrine on a bed of celeriac as appetizer. Then he made them baked scallop and salmon confit and for Levin, the most stunning stuffed saddle of lamb and vegetable provencal. Dessert was creme brulee with a crispy spun caramel bonbon. It was almost a mirecle how Michael single-handedly served Levin table while supervising the rest of the tickets without fumbling. Well... if you ask Michael, he'd say 12 of working in the trade comes with a benefit or two.

 

It was quite a busy service for a while. When Michael deemed everything could be passed down to his sous chef, he told him to go to the pass while he came out and greeted Levin and his friends. He adjusted the chef jacket and got a new clean white apron before he went. As soon as he entered the dinning hall, you could start hearing mumbling and head turning and even a tiny fangirl squealing at the far corner of the restaurant. He simply ignored and walked straight to Levin's table.

 

"Greetings. Do tell me if you enjoyed your dinner, lady and gentleman?" he smiled faintly. "Any criticism? I need them before official launching night" he reassured so noone held back.

[Z3N]

Levin was surprised as they received a terrine as an appetizer first. Being sure he hadn’t ordered it and asked the waiter about the food who just repeated what the chef had said. Appetizers and desserts on the house. Blinking rapidly as he couldn’t believe his ears and just stared at the retreating back of the employee.

 

The two women were overjoyed with the news they received. Especially since they just planned to get a main course this evening. The two of them fiddled with their cell phones, taking pictures of everything they deemed as interesting. Their eyes twinkled as they reviewed the pictures they had taken just a few minutes ago. Editing it with all kinds of effects, adding texts to it as well.

 

Everything came out a steady pace. The terrine had a nice bite with composed flavours that exploded in his mouth. Leaving a trail of the ingredients the chef had used for the dish. Not being able to stop a smile from creeping up his face. His next dish consisted of lamb with vegetable Provençal. The lamb was really tender, every bite would melt in his mouth. He almost didn’t even need a knife to cut through it. The vegetables still had a nice crisp to them, not overcooked or anything. It was almost unique for something to be this nice.

 

However when the dessert came up, his eyes widened lightly as he looked at the crème brulee. The two women looked at Levin, grinning towards his direction. ”We’ll take care of that for you.” They said in unison, making Levin feel relieved as he didn’t have to eat it all by himself. However he did the polite thing and ate some of it. As he thought, he still didn’t like anything sweet. Placing his plate between the two who ate happily from it, finishing the dessert in a matter of minutes.

 

When the chef arrived at the table and asked about the food, Levin tapped the table as he thought about it. Nothing seemed to be really displeasing, smiling satisfied towards the male’s direction. ”Everything was really good. The appetizer was really good as you could taste almost every ingredient in it. The lamb was really tender when biting into it, almost melting on my tongue. The dessert, you’ll have to ask them…” “The crème brulee was really soft, almost as if you were eating from a pudding cloud.” One of the females responded before resuming: ”Levin can’t eat sweets, he’s always been like that. But he did taste it!” Reassuring the chef so he would know the efforts Levin put into it.

[fameandfortune212]

Michael was almost entranced when Levin seemed to be satisfied with the food. His attention averted his eyes to the female companions of Levin and was generally pleased. But the fact that Levin cannot eat sweet intrigued him greatly. His brain conjured up semi-sweet dessert recipes or something to impress the other, but also wondering why he had a distaste for sweet. Michael smiled as bright as ever and said thank to all of them and Levin especially for trying out his dessert even though he couldn't.

 

"Since you can't eat sweet" he said softly "maybe you can come try out different dessert I made another time? I will make sure it will not be too sweet. Oooh and if you're not busy that is"

 

Despite the ooh and ahh and people beaming their eyes towards Michael when he made such exclusive offer, he could not care less. Something about Levin that he wanted to explore. He did not seem like a fussy eater, he made accurate and honest comment about his food and his sweet intolerance. All that made Michael WANT to know. He took out his notebook which he always carried beside and wrote down his phone number and tore off the mable colour page and gave it to Levin.

 

"Simply for... professional academic" he reassured... or lied when his eyes stayed at the other's for a minute too long.

 

Michael greeted them and bid them a good evening and excused himself back to the kitchen. The rest of the service, Michael could not much remember but according to his staff as they happily cleaned the kitchen by the end of the night. Michael got to his office, did some calculating and paid today's invoices with his card before closing the computer and rubbing his temple. It was nearly one in the morning but thanks goodness they did not open on the weekend. At least not yet.

 

He locked the front door and turned off the light in the kitchen before leaving the restaurant through the back allet. To his surprise, Luke has been waiting there, smoking.

 

"What was that for?" said Luke

 

"What was what for?"

 

"Your exclusive invitation. I have never seen you doing that to anyone"

 

"You have. Earlier tonight."

 

"Stop with your sarcastic remark!" he dimmed his cigarette onto the wall, annoyed "Why not me? Why won't you go out wi..."

 

"I told you before, Luke. I don't want to be romatically involved with my business partner. Also, this is only because I have a hunch he may know a great deal about food... more than normal people could". He said cold and pushed the other male aside who was getting too close "Good night, Luke" and got to his car and drove home.

 

-----

 

The next morning was cold but pleasant as Michael could sleep in for a couple of hours. But due to habit, he woke up only slight after 5 in the morning. He brushed his teeth and had a quick shower before getting out of the house again. Even though he did not need to order anything for the next two days, he still wanted to have a look to inspire himself to cook all the same. Around six o'clock, he went to explore a new cafe in town and tested out the food, dreaming hazily (probably about food) as he looked out the window.

[Z3N]

Chuckling at the suggestion of the chef, he looked at the other suspiciously when the word ‘dessert’ came up. No person managed to make him like any kind of dessert, only his mother managed to once however she passed away two years ago so he couldn’t eat it anymore which was slightly depressing. She was his best friend and could share anything with her without being judged for it. Leaving an empty hole in his heart which couldn’t be filled by somebody else.

 

”I’ll think about it.” He responded to the other. His face smug as he said that. The two women weren’t paying much attention to the two as they were too busy with their cell phones and the comments they received on the pictures. Hell, if he would leave now they wouldn’t even see it.

 

After the chef went back into the kitchen, Levin stood up and almost dragged the two out of the restaurant. They parted their ways after that as they had to go to their part-time job. Sighing softly as he stared out in front of him. Feeling slightly lonely as he didn’t really have anyone to go home to. The presence of his house was cold as well, almost gloomy as it didn’t have much personal possessions besides the photographs and cameras.

 

Opening his agenda on his cell phone to look at the date. November 26th. Only about three more months left before March 1st. Closing the thing again before making a final round around town and then going back home.

 

---

 

November 27th. Not having had any sleep this night due to excessive gaming at his house, he felt bad. Awful. Small dark bags could be seen under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept in days. Only taking a quick shower before getting out again. Having an appointment with a fashion magazine for a shoot outside. He didn’t know why they even wanted it to go through at five but he couldn’t complain as it was his income.

 

Getting his camera and the bag that went with it, he got outside wearing a long coat that would keep him warm. The shooting went by pretty nice. Not too many people got in the way and understood the importance of waiting just for a few minutes so he could finish things up quickly. It still went on for about an hour or so before work came to an end. The managed thanked Levin for his work which was really weird as they had been friends for quite some time now. Perhaps because Levin didn’t have much free time before so it was difficult to catch him for a job like this.

 

Luckily they were in the complete centre of the town where a lot of bakeries and restaurants were situated, so he could get his breakfast in a matter of seconds. Yet, he was too tired to even move and plopped down on the first bench he came across. The smell of freshly baked goods made its way into his nose. Letting his head fall back as he closed his eyes. Resting them for a few minutes after making sure that his camera was put away well.

[fameandfortune212]

The dull morning made Michael feel lazy as much as he hated to admit it. Not many occassion did he have the chance to rest even for a day. For months now he worked restlessly, only sleeping 4 hours a night, invested all his time and energy to his restaurant. It was after all his child... sort of.

 

Dragging his eyes lazily around town through the window while sipping a bitter cup of strong black coffee. His slice of quiche arrived warmly under his nose and he thanked the waiter before tucking in. But something else caught his attention.

 

Michael saw a familiar figure. A man with messy black hair that cooly brushed over a side of his face, his eyes were sharp and rebellious piercings that showed some rebellious nature (a bit rich coming from Michael who's covered with tattoo and piercings). The male was Levin, a newly met customer of Michael that caught his attention entirely, sat down on a bench tiredly.

 

He abandoned his quiche and went outside at the bench the other was sitting on. Not sitting too closely as he did not wish to weird the other out.

 

"Hey. What a coincidence. Mhmmm... mhmm" he stammered and struggled to find topic or something to talk about but he completely sucked at small talk. "MHmmm what are you doing here? Wanna... go over there and check out the food. It's new and I haven't tried it yet" He smile awkwardly.

 

When he could not come up with something, he always talked about food. It was very much his entire life and some people got sick of him around, only talking about food and gived less than a poop about everything else.

 

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[Z3N]

Slowly opening his eyes as he heard a voice coming from beside him, not knowing who it could be before his eyes focused on the other more clearly. Once the features of the male’s face became perfectly visible, he smirked towards the other. He didn’t think he would meet this person outside of the restaurant. Perhaps it was faith, but the mere thought of that sounded like a joke to him as he didn’t believe in such a thing.

 

His hand made his way towards the male, taking a grip on the guy’s chin before sitting up a bit. ”Can I eat you instead?” He said, his voice a bit lower than usual. Eyes piercing right through the other. However, he let go soon after and started laughing due to his own actions. ”Sorry about that. I wanted to try doing that.” He apologized, calming down a little so he wouldn’t seem like a maniac.

 

As he thought back to the topic of food, he thought about it for a few seconds. ”Let’s go to that place then. Haven’t eaten anything all day so I’m starving.” He said, standing up and taking his camera into his hand so he wouldn’t accidentally leave it there. It cost a lot of money, way too much to forget it in such a place.

 

”What kind of café are we talking about? French? English? Asian?” He asked out of curiosity. It was only normal to know what kind of food they were about to eat.

 

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[fameandfortune212]

The slender, painted fingers made their way smoothly to touch Michael's pointed chin and caught him off guard. His eyes was almost glued to the other's while his mind, which was normally high-functioning, now failed to process the situation and give a proper answer. He felt a thump somewhere and he thought that someone nearby dropped their grocers but turned out it was his heart.

 

He was almost awestruck but thanks heaven that the other apologised for his action and laughed heartily. Michael gave an awkward laugh along with the other. "No problem... ahaha".

 

He looked away quickly and scanned the street as though looking for someone or avoiding the other's prying gaze. Of course the other was joking. Noone in their right mind would say that some some of the most notoriously fierce like Michael. His brain got back to work and he thought it must be the lack of sleep due to the other's eyes bags, or Levin was simply... different.

 

Michael looked back at the other when they had accepted his invitation for breakfast. He pointed to the shop across the street, slightly hidden behind a huge McDonald that, quite frankly, Michael was very sick of.

 

"The shop is just over there if you follow me. And it's a Scandinavian cafe, very Swedish." He got up from the bench and led the other to the shop. As he passed the McDonald, he could not help the expression of disgust and an urge to say bad things about it "I cannot stand fast food" he muttered.

 

He then showed the other his table where he was sitting. It was warm and cozy from his corner that made him a bit drownsy as it greatly eased the searing cold on the outside. His quiche was still warm even though he left it out for a bit. He sat down and bid the other to sit on the opposite chair.

 

"I'll wait for you to order." He said with a shudder from the temperature changes "So... have you given my offer any consideration? Oooh... and I see you carry around a camera. Are you a photographer?" It was a wild guess and also Michael's awkward way to start a conversation.

[Z3N]

Not noticing the slightly awkward reaction of Michael as he didn’t know the other well to begin with. He blew against his hands, his hot breath heating them up slightly so they wouldn’t freeze off. It would’ve been quite the sight if that actually happened.

 

When the other pointed towards the shop behind the McDonald, Levin nodded and walked besides the chef. The walk was a bit silent but he didn’t dislike it. After all it was still in the morning so he was still waking up. The muttering of disliking fast food however made him chuckle softly. He still ate at such places whenever he didn’t have enough time, plus it wasn’t so bad as some people said.

 

Once inside the shop, the warmth crashed onto his body, heating him up in only a matter of minutes, seconds even. ”Hmmmm… About the challenge of making me like a dessert? Well, I don’t think it’ll hurt. When do you want to try it out? After breakfast?” He responded to the other, slightly curious as to what the other had in mind for an anti-sweet dessert.

 

At the comment of his camera, he nodded. ”Yes. In matter of fact, I had a small shoot for a magazine earlier on. It just ended a few minutes before you started talking to me.” He explained, sighing a little as he remembered the time he woke up today. ”I’m still not used to waking up this early.” He muttered under his breath.

 

As he noticed a waitress passing by, he waved towards her which made her come to the table. ”I’d like makrill fillet with a glass of sparkling water.” He ordered and then gestured towards Michael to order something as well.

[fameandfortune212]

It wasn't in Michael's nature to go and offer to exclusively make food for people as food had a very personal meaning to him. It also wasn't in Michael's nature to expect people to accept his offer, a stranger offer as well, so willingly. But Levin never failed to surprise him.

 

"A-a-after breakfast would... would be great." he stammered. "I don't have work on Sunday and... I don't have that much friends to go out with either. We can do some grocer shopping and head to well... where do you want to go? My place? Your place or the restaurant?"

 

The thought of the other agreeing to come with him wherever and trusted him to try his food made him slightly red... and the with the help of the heat inside, his cheeks were almost a peach colour.

 

"I... I've come up with a few recipes. A coffee-chocolate mousse, a bit bitter, so I think you may like. Or a lemon tart, very refreshing." He talked and tried to distract the other from his awkwardness and red cheeks.

 

The other did not seem happy about waking up early and it made him chuckled lightly as he himself, cannot sleep in for more than an hour even if he wanted to. "Well... if you put your alarm across the room. You'll have to walk there to turn it off and you'd be awak by the time you're back to the bed. That's a tip for you" he smiled smartly.

 

"I already ordered" He said. "But maybe I can do with some orange juice" he thought about it in a quick second before telling the waitress.

 

Michael didn't eat his quiche until the other's order arrived and then he took a bite into his still warm quiche. It was... most exquisite. Smooth cooked custard and savoury filling that hit him with some hidden spice and the crust was so buttery it screamed French as he chewed it. He could not help it. He reached out for his coat and got out his notebook, a book so old and strewn with sketches and scattered words that you would think it belonged to a doctor, and noted down what supposed to be his inspiration for a future recipe.

 

"Pardon me" he then looked up at the other from his book and asked. "How did you... get your job? Have you always been a photographer? Tell me more about your job... and yourself...." at the latter request, he felt his eye twitched a bit.

[Z3N]

Levin glances towards Michael as he ordered a glass of orange juice. Well it wasn't abnormal since he already had the quiche. The ideas about the desserts however kept his thoughts occupied for a while. Humming lightly in response as he wasn't too sure if this challenge was going to succeed. It was pretty difficult to find something to his taste and many had tried before. He gave up some time ago and just didn't take the effort to look for it or make it himself.

 

At the question of how he became a photographer, he grinned, leaning a bit forward to the other. "Luck I think? I entered a competition for price money and had spend a couple of days or even weeks to find the perfect shot in the theme of a new day. I could go many directions with this and that's what made it even more difficult." He took a small picture that was in his wallet which was a tiny copy of his shot.

 

"And for myself, I don't think there's much to tell. College drop-out, worked a lot of part-time jobs and eventually became a photographer somehow. I'm also a pretty good cook if I believe my friends and family. But I don't make desserts because of the obvious reason. Hmmm... I also like going for a drink and watching movies." He told the other, feeling that he was lacking the more interesting part that a life should have. It had been a while since he experienced something thrilling.

 

"But I'm the only one talking here now... What about you?" He asked and just after that, their order arrived at the table. He pricked his fork into the food and put it in his mouth. Smiling at the tasty flavour bursting out in his mouth. It had been a while since he ate a dish like this and it made him realize how much he missed home.

[fameandfortune212]

Michael paid attention whole-heartedly when the other was talking about himself and how he came about his job, dropping his pen and notebook aside. He was looking in awe at the tiny copy of Levin prize-winning picture then he was caught off guard. What he wasn't ready for was questions about himself. Though he was never ashamed of his childhood background, he never expected to tell that to anyone in any time soon. But he guessed it was the point of socialising, exchanging facts about one another in order to learn more about them.

 

"I... actually was an orphan in England. Somehow I got a bit of money and by 'somehow' I mean a shop that ignored child-labour law and hired me. I flew here, lied my way into a bistro of a talented man and he sort of adopted me and I learned how to cook from him." Michael told the other, smiling reminescently at his past as though it was full of rainbow and cotton candy.

 

He waved his hands airily "It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you love what you do, right?" nodding at Levin.

 

The blue sky was glowing brighter as 7 o'clock was creeping near. When Michael had finished his food and other was about to clean his plate as well, Michael asked for the bill and paid for both with his card.

 

"Before we go for groceries shopping mhmm... do you wanna walk around with me? like... at the theme park nearby... you know, just to get the digestion going?" he awkwardly asked, scratching his cheeks and flustered lightly.

[Z3N]

Levin listened to the other’s words with utter care. Taking everything in as if he was listening to a speech than just to someone’s background. Perhaps it was because this guy managed to pull his attention or it was something else that made him act this way. He didn’t know for sure as he didn’t put any thought to it as of yet. After all, they just barely knew each other, the only thing he was sure of was the fact that he liked this male’s food a lot. Even though there were some small mistakes that needed some improvement, it was still near to perfection. He wondered how far the other could make it in his life. Unlike Levin who just gave up half-way and changed course to photography.

 

“Hmmm… It’s not bad. Photography is a way to out my emotions to the public and some will be able to relate to it. It’s kind of neat if you think about it like that.” He responded with a cheeky smile.

 

Once he stood up and heard the suggestion of going to an amusement park, he nodded in agreement. “Sure. It’s not that far from here anyway.” He said and opened the door for the other to go through. Taking in the air once he was outside again. He definitely liked being outside more than being trapped between walls unless he was standing in the kitchen as there he still had some kind of freedom as he was in control of making the food.

 

Merely a ten minute walk away after some small talk, they arrived at the amusement park. The thing that was the most eye-catching was towering above everything else. The Ferris wheel. He took a gulp as he looked at the enormous thing and felt his heart drop the more he stared at it.