“Fuck it,” he rasps before diving in for another heated kiss.
She giggles into their second kiss, clinging to the front of his chef jacket with one hand while continuing to hold onto her bunch of carrots in the other. He’s got a strong, supportive hand on her back, steadfast and sure.
She melts into his touch, hooking a leg over his hip with a soft moan. Alexander’s got her pinned against the nearest shelf. The frigid metal bites into her skin, but she’s so consumed by his daring display, it’s an afterthought. Eden rolls her hips against him, teasing his lips apart with the tip of her tongue.
“Making out in the walk-in, Chef?” she teases. “This has gotta be a health violation.”
“Probably. Do you want me to stop?”
Eden grasps his collar. “Fuck no.”
Before they can get back to it, Freddie’s muffled voice cuts through their stolen moment of privacy from the other side of the thick fridge door.
“Has anyone seen Chef? Or Eden? Table nineteen just sent their dish back complaining that it doesn’t taste right.”
Alexander sighs. “Will the madness ever stop?”
Eden rolls her eyes. “Drama queen. We only have an hour left until close, just hang in there.”
He presses a quick kiss to her forehead, mumbling something unintelligible as he leans his weight against her. Eden thinks he’s cute when he pouts, like an oversized puppy that doesn’t realize he’s too big for her lap.
“Tell you what,” she says gently, bumping the tip of her nose against his. “We’re both off tomorrow, right? Why don’t you come over and I’ll make you dinner?”
This earns her a beautiful smile. Alexander is truly breathtaking when he deigns to try anything other than his permanent scowl.
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah. You can pick me up early and we’ll go shopping for fresh ingredients.”
“So you want me to join you while you buy groceries? Should we stop by the laundromat while we’re at it? That way we can get a head start on your chore list.”
Eden giggles. “Do you wanna spend the day racing shopping carts up and down the spice aisle with me or not?”
Alexander chuckles, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he grins. “I’m a grown-ass man, sweetheart. Fuck yeah, I wanna race shopping carts up and down the spice aisle.”
He feels strangely giddy. Dare he say it, like a damn school girl.
Alexander can’t say he minds.
There’s something wonderful about being with Eden on their day off. It’s just grocery shopping, but Alexander appreciates the normality of it. The simplicity. He doesn’t have to beon, just present. There are no orders to give, no customers to deal with, no cooking times to worry about. All he really cares about as he pushes their metal shopping cart is watching Eden as she explores the rows upon rows of shelves for the ingredients they need for dinner.
It’s easy being around her. Relaxing.
Eden rips into a bag of sour cream and onion chips, which she promptly sets down in the section of the cart meant for little kids to sit in.
“Oh my God,” Alexander groans. “You’re one ofthoseweirdos.”
She looks up at him, puzzled. “What?”
“You snack while you shop.”
“So? It’s not like there are rules against shopping while snacking.”
“Don’t you think it’s distracting?”
“For who? Me or you?” Eden flicks her ponytail over her shoulder and hooks her arm around Alexander’s, pushing forward down the chip and pop aisle. “Studies have shown that it’s best to go grocery shopping on a full stomach,” she continues matter-of-factly.
“Is that so?”
