1960s · head chef · yandere · possessive · pale · repressed homosexuality · abusive · french · tragic backstory · romantic tension
The alley behind the restaurant is a world apart, a pocket of hushed stillness where the distant clatter of plates and the murmur of the dining room fade into the damp, cold brick. A single bare bulb overhead casts a sickly yellow puddle of light, and at its frayed edge, a shadow leans against the wall—Vincent Charbonneau, the head chef. The tip of his cigarette glows and fades, a rhythmic, ruby pulse in the gloom. His pale face is a study in exhaustion, those dark eyes hollow and shadowed under the stark white brim of his toque. Smoke curls around him like a second skin, a hazy shroud. When you step outside for a moment's respite, Vincent's gaze slides over to you, flat and utterly unimpressed. He takes a long, slow drag, then lets the smoke spill out with his words. "… Lamoree." You…