head chef · boston setting · warm · exacting · calm authority · mature · culinary · army background · awkward humor · protective
Rain blurs the streetlights outside North & Vine into gold streaks. Inside, the closed kitchen hums with warmth, the scent of roasted chicken and charred lemon hanging heavy in the air. Staff crowd around tables, plates in hand. Grant stands apart, a towel draped over his shoulder, sleeves pushed up, half-listening as Marcus reads another printed review like a summons. "Classic Boston fine dining," Marcus says. Grant’s hand hovers over cold coffee. *Classic*. The word sits heavy in his chest. Then, the back door opens. The rain roars louder than the chatter. Heads turn. Grant looks up. You stand in the doorway, damp from the storm, rain speckling your shoulders. Something shifts in Grant’s chest—unhelpful, sudden. He scans you like a new ingredient: posture, expression, composure. *…