A stranger.

"Char, wake up."

"Leave me alone." I groaned lazily, turning to the other side of the bed.

"Won't you wake?" she asked but I didn't respond. Suddenly I felt something sting my face.

"Argh. "I screamed as I shot my eyes open to see my best friend, Diane chuckling at the edge of the bed.

"What? Don't look at me like that. It isn't my fault. I tried waking you nicely but it wasn't working so I was left with no other choice." she smirked.

"Why must you use ice water?"

"I don't know." she giggled as she entered my bathroom. "Is today not your first day of work at that famous restaurant down the street?" she asked popping her brown head from the bathroom and I grunted.

"What is the time?"I yawned as I stretched my hand to the table near my bed for my phone.

7:34 am.

"Oh shit!" I shot out of bed, scurrying to the bathroom bumping into Diane as she came out. "Why didn't you wake me up? Now I'm gonna be late on my first day."

"Don't blame me. I did my best darling, but you wouldn't budge," she said and I groaned as I hurriedly brushed my teeth.

Tying my hair into a bun, I came out of my bedroom to meet Diane making breakfast.

When she saw me she burst into a fit of laughter.

"What?"

"This work humbled you."

"How?" I asked raising my eyebrow in confusion.

"You finally took a bath."

"About that...." I paused and waved my hand for her to move closer before whispering in her ear.

"Ew, you're so gross," she shouted at me and I smirked back at her.

"What are you making?"I asked as I stretched my neck to take a look.

"Waffles."

"Waffles? Why do you make the right dish on the wrong days?" I asked as I knelt to tie my shoelace.

"Cause I know you won't be able to eat it as you are in a rush. As your friend, I'm still so surprised why the waffles are your favorite. Well...as a chef, I'm sure you'll fix something for yourself."

"I'm sure you'll fix something for yourself." I mimicked. "You are a witch. You want to get me fired on my first day. Such a hater." I said, picking an apple from the kitchen island.

"Agreed," she said and I grabbed my bag.

"Bitch." I said raising my middle finger at her before running out of my apartment.

I was offered a job at Eat and Buy, a restaurant that was not far from my apartment. Eat and Buy was tagged as one of the most famous and expensive restaurants in the city; thereby making the pay of each worker worth their time and energy.

"Good morning, Charlotte." I heard a guy's voice beside me on entering through the glass door. Turning to my side, I saw a red-headed guy dressed in an apron, which surprisingly looked extremely hot on him.

"Good morning," I replied.

"You are late."

"What?" I pretended not to hear.

"You are four minutes late Miss. Miles."

"I'm sorry but who are you?" I asked confused.

"I'm Alexander, the head chef." he introduced, extending his hand.

"Oh, it's nice meeting you," I said as I shook his hand.

"It wouldn't be much nicer if you came early." he stated withdrawing his hand."The boss and late-coming employees don't go hand in hand so I'll advise you to be an early riser."

"Okay, thanks."

"Enough of the chitchat and let's start," he said as he led the way to a busy sophisticated-looking kitchen.

As a kid, I had fallen in love with cooking and it became my passion. Well for starters I had wanted to become a tourist but with time, people began advising me about taking cooking as a job since I was good with my ingredients but I was determined to still become a tourist. Unfortunately, after college, I couldn't find a decent job so I used most of my time cooking dishes on orders and I found my daily earnings in it. Gradually I realized that being a tourist was just a waste of time and fate wanted me to take part in what I love doing so I dropped the idea of being a tourist, went back to college, and studied to become a chef. When I finished college, I had already become a master in cooking, and finding a job wasn't easy but after seeing one, my past employers had been something else which led me to either get myself fired or quit. But so far I haven't had any regrets, about being a chef.

Alex turned out to be a fun-loving guy and he, like me also took his work as his hobby.

"It is a second being I possessed since a tender age," he had said while we waited for the cakes in the oven.

Though it was a stressful day even as my first day, it was still a lot of fun and it was worth all the tiredness.

Listening to 'Helplessly by Tatiana Manaois', I walked home in the dark of the night.

I had entered the elevator and it was already closing when it suddenly opened again. Raising my head, I saw a guy dressed in black and his face was covered with the shade of the cap he wore.

*Cough* I coughed when the stare he was giving me behind the cap was too much for me to bear.

As he entered without saying anything, I scoffed mentally at him. "Rude." I muttered as he pressed the up button.

The elevator began to move and I, felt the guy gazing hard into my back, which made me uncomfortable. From uncomfortable, I felt began to panic. Suddenly, the thought of how people were killed in the night, at unexpected places hovered in my mind and I couldn't stop shivering in fear but his eyes never left me.

'why is his gaze this... no Char, you are overthinking. He might be visiting a friend.' I tried reassuring myself but it was the perfect time for Lenka's Trouble is a friend to boom through my headphones, making me tremble in fear.

After minutes that seemed like hours, the elevator stopped and I ran out before the doors could open widely. On glancing behind me, I saw him following me and I increased my pace until I got to the entrance of my apartment. When I was sure that the door was opened I looked again and to my greatest amazement, he was also opening the door next to mine. Shocked, I watched him as he entered and locked the door behind him.

"What's wrong with you?" Diane asked as I entered. "It seems like you've just seen a ghost." she chuckled and I ignored her and collapsed on the sofa."What's wrong? Sorry where are my manners?" she mumbled as she took a seat beside me. "How did your first day at work go? Is your boss, gentle and handsome? Is he handsome and temperament? Is he ugly? With your expression it seems he did something. ..... Is he rude?" she looked at me. "I knew it, celebrities that are owners of big companies tend to be arrogant and rude. I told you men like that would look down on their employees. If I find him I'll..... ." she kept ranting.

"That's not what happened so can you keep shut up and let me think properly?"

"Sure." She muttered as she pressed her bacon on the sofa. "Do you care to tell me what happened?" She asked after some moments of silence.

"Someone was going to kidnap me." I blurted out and she shot from the sofa and looked at me before bursting into a fit. "Or that's what I thought." I added silently to myself.

"What? What did you just say? Someone was going to kidnap you?" She stopped laughing. "Into it, if you were going to be kidnapped why are you home?" she asked before bursting into another fit.

"Ha ha ha ha keep on laughing. " I laughed without any trace of humor.

"I'm sorry but I can't believe someone would try to kidnap you. You of all people?" She said and I shot her a glare.

"Me of all people?"

"Yeah, you don't have any connections and it is not like you came from an influential family or you, yourself are rich. Nowadays, the kidnappers would prefer going for the rich kids, because they know with only one phone call their parents would bring hefty ransom," she said and I sighed. "I'm truly sorry but how can you think of such?" she laughed again.

"He was dressed all in black and kept boring his eyes in my back."

"And so? Even if he was dressed in black and kept drilling holes in your skull, it doesn't mean he was after you."

"Not when the thoughts of how people, were kidnapped recently kept playing in my head and also thanks to your horror movie." I rolled my eye as I stood up from the sofa to my room, and I heard her laughing in the living room.

"Anyway, I'm leaving tomorrow," she said, entering my room.

"What?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow," she repeated.

"I heard the first time. Why are you leaving?"

"I'm not supposed to leave?" she asked confused.

"Yeah, yeah, you are expected to leave but why so soon? I thought you were going next week."

"Yeah, that was what I planned but I guess they never planned it like that for me."

"I asked confused.

"My brothers."

"Ohhh."

"That's what I get as being the only baby sister to five brothers."

"Huff." I sat in the bed and looked at her.

"Don't worry, it's just for a year."

"Are you crazy???" I shrilled. "A year? You call a year, just? 365 days girl." I huffed.

"I was only trying to comfort you but I'm gonna miss you," she said, hugging me tightly.

"Get off me you bitch."I shoved her as I sat on my bed. "You are saying that from your lazy ass and not your heart."

"No, it's from deep down, darling," she said kneeling at my feet as she looked at me with softness in her eyes. "Now don't pretend to be strong and come here.", she said with her arms stretched out wide.

With tears threatening to fall, I knelt beside her and moved into her arms, and hugged her tightly.

"You're choking me," she said and I chuckled before bursting into tears.