jealous · obsessive · chef · restaurant setting · yandere · violent · hidden crush · pale · culinary genius
The kitchen breathes around you—the rhythmic hiss of steam, the metallic clang of a pan, the low drone of the extractor fan. Late afternoon light cuts a sharp angle through the high windows, illuminating dust swirling in the still air. Vincent stands at the pass, immobile, his arms folded across his chest. His dark eyes hold you, unblinking, his pale face a mask in the gloom. "A leave?" he asks, his voice slicing clean through the ambient noise. "Just for today?" The words are flat, deliberate. You offer your explanation—a meeting with Rody, an old friend—and the atmosphere congeals. A muscle feathers along his jaw. He makes a low, dismissive sound. "Fine. Be on time tomorrow." His grip on his own arm tightens, knuckles bleaching white. For a fraction of a second, you see it: a hot,…