Chapter's song: better when I'm dancing by Meghan Trainor. (I can't remember if I posted it already. I just freaking love the song. lol)

"I just need to make a quick stop on my way home." Bryan said as the panic started to set in. I couldn't go to Bryan's home. He was my boss and teacher. That sounded like a bad combination. It would be awkward and weird. More so than the whole Mr. Gomez ordeal. And that's saying something.

Frowning, I opened my mouth to tell him what an awful idea this was, when he parked at the valet of a fancy restaurant.

"Good evening chef!" The valet boy greeted him while opening his door. He spotted me and rushed to my side.

Bryan shook his head. "Ladies first, Erick." He teased the boy as he stepped down.

"Sorry." Erick apologized to me at the same time his eyes swept over my clothes, making me feel self-conscious, but then I glanced at Bryan and he was wearing jeans too!

I followed Bryan as he stepped inside the restaurant and greeted the hot-shot blonde hostess. They talked for a minute as she showed him some sort of chart. However, she kept stealing glances my way as I waited.

Bryan didn't say anything, but I was sure this was one of his restaurants. The unnerving part was how everyone stared at me. The hostess, the waiter that gestured me to sit at the little sofa at the entrance. Everyone. It was as if he'd never brought anyone here, and that was impossible.

He glanced up, our eyes met and my heart did a summersault. What. The. Hell. I licked my lips when he walked to me. "Come on, I want to show you something."

I followed him through a hallway, but I stopped when he disappeared behind the kitchen doors. I held my breath. Someone passed beside me and stepped inside as I stood frozen like a moron. This was an actual restaurant kitchen.

Biting my lip, I took a deep breath before pushing the doors. People were in a hurry, talking loudly among each other, screaming orders, all of them busy doing something. The sound of pans and spoons clanging filled the room and the mixture of different aromas reached my nose. Sweet, tangy, and salty. All at the same time.

It was chaotic. It was beautiful.

There was a large grill on the corner with fiery flames dancing through as the chef tossed a steak. On the other side of the room was another chef plating a dessert, completely focused on what she was doing, painting strokes of sweet sauce all over the plate as if she were actually painting a canvas.

Warmness burst from within. My life would never be the same. Not after this. I knew that this is exactly where I wanted to be.

"You can close your mouth, Jessica." I didn't notice that Bryan was beside me.

"This is amazing," I murmured softly as my eyes kept wandering through the kitchen, trying to convey every little detail. "It's much more than amazing, it's extraordinary." I touched my throat, felling the rush of blood and the erratic thumps of my heart.

I glanced at Bryan and my whole body stayed still for a second. He was staring at me as if I was the most interesting thing ever. His lips parted and I felt as if I had hot rocks in the pit of my stomach. Until he looked away.

Clearing his throat, he bobbed his head. "Would you like to take a tour?"

"I'd love to." The exhaustion I felt vaporized as if an act of magic. A surge of energy rushed in as he gestured me where to go.

He walked me through everything. From the different stations to the positions his workers had, introducing me once or twice. People were quiet as we approached them, but he talked with them as if they were old friends, not his employees. There was admiration and respect from both sides.

We stopped with the chef making fresh pasta. I always wanted to learn how to make it from scratch, but for whatever reason, it felt daunting. Plus, I didn't have the equipment nor the time to do it. I followed his hands as he shaped tortellini and my mouth watered at the sight.

"Try one." Bryan reached out for one tortellini and offered it to me.

"It's raw." I frowned at him.

The lines of his eyes creased as a boyish smile tugged on his lips. "It's the best way to eat it." My heart skipped a beat at his smile, the way he looked so happy, so different from the last couple of weeks.

I grabbed the tortellini. It felt smooth and warm. I placed it in my mouth. The pasta was so soft that you might think that it was already cooked. Nonetheless, the intense flavor surprised me. You could taste the olive oil and the cheese packed inside. It was completely different and definitely divine.

"Oh my God." I clasped a hand on my mouth after I stopped chewing. "That was amazing." I looked at Bryan and the chef in front of me. "What have I've been missing all my life!"

They both chuckled, and Bryan's laughter filled the room. "Wait until they're cooked." He glanced at his chef, "Mark, save us a plate, will you?"

Mark nodded, "of course, chef." He bobbed his head in a sort of respectful gesture.

We kept jumping from station to station and each and every time, I was amazed. I tried different dishes, from fish to steak, until we arrived with the pastry chef. She made the most delicious cheesecake I'd ever tasted. By the time we finished the tour, I was completely full, but I'd never tasted food as delicious.

It was almost midnight when we left the restaurant. "Did you create all the recipes?"

The car jolted as he stopped in a red light. "I didn't do it by myself, but yes, I tested each and all of them."

The red light turned to green and he accelerated, but for some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was so passionate, so in love with his work, it was astonishing.

Bryan was so different from what I imagined.

"You'll be working along those chefs in a few weeks," he said with a small smile as he made a turn.

"Wow. I still can't believe that this is my life now. It's so different from what I thought I'd be doing a month ago." I stared out the window where the lights blurred as we rode beside them.

"What happened when you finished high school? I saw that you had good grades. You could have entered college." We reached a fancy neighborhood. Of course. You had to be rich to have two restaurants.

"My mom passed away. Seth was ten and Juno had a hard time supporting us." I shrugged. "We couldn't afford college."

He drove towards the last house of the street. It was a two-story house. It looked too modern, like different cubes blocked together. He parked in the open garage it had on the side and I suddenly felt small and awkward all over again.

Suddenly, being back at home ─even with Mr. Gomez─ didn't seem so bad, after all.

Bryan unlocked the door and opened it, letting me pass through before him. Biting my lip, I stepped inside. My feet froze. "You have a pool inside your living room." Even with the light off, the water formed soft waves that glimmered under the moon rays that seeped through the windows as they rippled.

"I do." I wasn't looking at him, but damn, he sounded smug.

That's so cool. I stayed quiet as he closed the door and passed beside me.

The rest of the house was simple yet elegant at the same time. There were a couple of sofas next to the pool that ran from the living room towards the patio. It was beautiful and mesmerizing, and it made you feel in calm.

"You can jump in, if you want." Yeah. Right. Bryan's voice across the room caught me off guard. He'd lost the jacket and stood in front of a small bar across the pool. He took a couple of sodas from the fridge. He raised one. "Do you want one?"

My mouth felt too dry. I nodded. "Thank you." He moved closer and opened the can for me.

"You can put your feet inside. It feels nice, " he added a moment later, with a slight smirk on his face.

I drank a large sip. I took off my shoes and folded my jeans. The water felt amazing as I immersed my feet. It wasn't warm nor cold. It was the perfect temperature and it felt soothing. Bryan sat across me, and after taking off his shoes, he put them inside the water too.

If Bryan wasn't my boss and I had a swimming suit, I would have loved to jump in.

"You have a really nice house," I said just to fill the thick silence.

Bryan stayed quiet for a while. I glanced up and he was thoughtful as he looked at the pool. "Thank you," he finally said with an edge in his voice. I wanted to ask him about it but I didn't want to pry.

We sat in silence. Both deep in thought. My eyes roamed around the house. It was simple yet classy at the same time. I pictured him coming home every night. At first, I thought about the epic parties you could have here, but he didn't seem like the party kind. Bryan was really young and quite successful. I figured that he was a total workaholic.

"This was my parent's house. I renovated it a year ago." His gaze was lost in the distance. "I wanted to come home to a quiet place where I could forget about all the stress and noise I'm usually surrounded with." He gestured with his hand towards the pool, "Thus, the pool."

He looked so... lonely. My heart felt tight. He was successful but he was alone. I didn't know what happened to his parents, but if this was their house, I figured they were gone.

I thought about mine. The house was old and most furniture had chipped. The outside needed paint, but it felt warm. Like a home should feel like. Life is about moments and moments are much more enjoyable when you can share them with someone.

The silence was thick for a while. In a soft voice, staring intently at the ripples across the pool, I moved my feet under water. "Thank you for letting me stay here."

I could feel his gaze on me, but I didn't look up. "No problem." His voice was sort of strained, like he wanted to say something more but he didn't. "It's nice to have a guest," even if they can be annoying as hell."

He smiled as I glanced at him. My breath caught in my chest. He never looked so handsome as in that moment. The light from the pool reflected on his face. His eyes had never been so blue, he had a five o'clock shadow and suddenly his lips looked fascinating. Knots formed in my stomach as I averted my eyes.

Bryan cleared his throat. "We should go to sleep." He stood up. "Come on, I'll show you to your room."

He led the way as I bit my lip completely mortified for thinking about his lips or the shape of his face. He's my boss, for God's sake.

We took the stairs and stepped inside another hallway. "This is your room," he opened the door for me. "And I'll just get you some clothes so you can change." I muttered thanks avoiding his eyes.

The room was quite simple like the rest of the house. There was a large window overlooking the garden and a large bed set in the middle of the room, next to a paneled wood wall. I heard him approaching and I ran to the window so I wouldn't have to look at him.

"Here's a t-shirt for tonight. And you can wear this one tomorrow."

I looked at both t-shirts in his hands. "Maybe I can go back home really early so I can take a shower."

He frowned at me. "I don't think you'll have time. You can use the washer, if you want." He looked wary as he said it, looking everywhere but me.

He gestured with his thumb at the room across mine. "I won't leave my room, so feel free to wander about." He took a step back. "Good night, Jess."

"Good night," I murmured softly. The air was heavy and thick with awkwardness as he bobbed his head and walked away.

I took a deep breath. I shouldn't be noticing his eyes or his smile, and I definitely shouldn't feel butterflies in my stomach. But I did, and there was nothing I could do about it. 

I'm part of a wattpad beta tester. They asked us to try to do a scrapbook here. Well. Not an easy task but really fun once you get the hang of it. 

Hopefully you've enjoyed it as I have :) 

Will try to put on something on next chapters, but it all depends on the time I have!!

Have a great week everyone! Don't forget to vote and comment!!!