Olivia's POV
A huge smile played on my lips upon seeing how a couple was enjoying their meal, which become wider upon seeing a mother making her one-year-old baby eat food which give warmth to my heart.
Don't think of me to be some owner of a café or a chef of some restaurant but I was a baker in the small café located in the streets of Paris.
I was one of those shy girls who loves to hide behind the counter and watch people enjoying their meal. I love when people praises the food cooked by me leaving a huge tip for me.
"Chocolate soufflé at table number nine," Nina one of the server informed me the order of table number nine and I smiled to her while starting my work on Chocolate soufflé.
I smile, I always smile. People will think that I was weird because no one can always smile after what had happened with me. I still smile
after losing my everything in last seven years. The people who were aware of the miseries of my life thinks of me as a fool who keeps smiling. However, my psychologist told me that solution of each problem was to smile so I always smile, hiding my pains and fears in the depth of my heart.
"Chocolate soufflé is ready," I announced once the desert was ready and garnish it on the serving tray, pushing it out toward Nina and started working on the evening special dish, which was my experimental
dish.
"What are you baking sweetie?" Betty entered the kitchen and inhaled the aroma with delight and I know my dish passed its first exam as
Betty can easily tell with just the aroma that if my experiment was passed or failed.
Betty was mother like figure to me who had supported to me when I was running from my demons. She was the one to give me shelter. She herself taught me how to cook and bake, giving me this job, understanding my mental
state at that time. I wasn't in the condition to meet unknown person, So I was given my special baking unit where rarely any person contacted me.
She was the only one who pushed me toward the psychologist who changed my life, making me the one who I was today. She was the one who stood by my side at the time of…. I shook my head not willing to go to that part of my past again and completed my dish before serving one to Betty.
"Now give me your critic's master chef," I place the plate in front of her with huge smile on my lips.
Betty returns my smile, tasting the dish, which I had just served to her and huge smile appeared on her lips before she pushed a spoon in my mouth and I moaned in delight as my experiment was a big hit.
"What's special today?" my best friend, Saphia from the café come in smelling the aroma of my dessert before tasting it.
Betty chuckled seeing Saphia before pushing plate with desert in her hand and leaving us both alone. Saphia was the first one in the café to break the ice with me. She was the girl breathing in the fresh air. She had a
habit of changing jobs one after the another and she works at Betty as part
time. In her words 'she can't leave Betty till I was working here as she was damn addicted to my desserts.'
Therefore, Saphia was part time server at Betty and about her weird name, an astrologer predicted that O in her name was unlucky for her. Therefore, she changed her name from Sophia to Saphia.
She can leave anything, she can change anything except her love of desserts by me and her childhood boyfriend David.
"Saphia, on the table number five now," Betty ordered Saphia upon seeing that the café was again becoming filled with the evening time customers. Saphia quickly finished her plate and run out to do her work while I also
started to bake the orders for the evening.
"Ouch," hot oil splashed and falls on my skin, turning it red. If it was seven years ago, then I would have done some tantrums at just a simple burn but that Olivia was no more, so I just blow air at the part of burn before
again getting back to work.
I keep baking as evening time was the peak time when all the employees who do not want to have food at home come rushing here just to have the food. Sometimes in nighttime, café was completely empty but most of the
time people come with their families to enjoy our cuisines which were served here.
"Finally, the shift is over. Today there was so much rush," Saphia breathed hard once we are inside the employee's room.
"Right, today rush was so good and most of the orders were of deserts only and now I am hell tired," I yawn, stretching my body and sit down on the bench beside her.
Saphia give me the bottle of water, which I gulped down in one sip. "We should go home. It's very late," I pointed out.
"Yes," Saphia stood up from the bench and moved toward changing room to change her dress while I walked toward my locker and removed my apron. Taking my handbag, I walked toward the exit, waiting for Saphia who also arrived shortly after changing dress.
"Let's go," we both walked toward the exit. "Need any lift?"
Like always I shook my head as my apartment was just two blocks away from the café and I prefer to walk toward it. Moreover, Saphia's house was in opposite direction so I do not ever prefer a lift from her as it will be
waste of her time only.
"And I know that it will be waste of time to protest with you," she shook her head. "Ok ciao, see you tomorrow." With a wave of hand, she left me alone on the streets and I start walking toward my house.
All of the sudden anxiety and fear filed my nerves with that creepy feeling as if someone was following me. I turned around to find no one but my sixth sense was telling me otherwise. I increase my speed, running fast
toward my house only to hear footsteps following after me and I know someone
was following me.
My heart squeezed in fear, imagining him following me. What if my demon was following me?
Then this time he will for sure kill me after fulfilling his ruthless demands from me. My heart starts beating extremely fast thinking of
him to be the person following me.
Sweat starts forming on my forehead as I increased my speed. Finally, I reached my apartment and start fiddling in my bag for the keys when I feel a shadow behind me, making me skip a heart beat in fear.
"Don't let it be him," I prayed to my God, sweating hard. "The person should not be him," murmuring the same line repeatedly, I turn around to look at the person.