The knife sliced cleanly through the juicy steak. He wanted to just pick it up and bite into it, who cared how bloody his hands got. But that wouldn’t have looked good.The chef of a 5 start hotel didn’t use his hands. And now everyone looked in while he cooked. No it wouldn’t be good. But damn it was tasty. Cooked it was a bit paler than normal beef. But he’d seasoned it too perfection. It had been a long time waiting. 28 days in fact and the anticipation had been killing him.

He glanced up at the faces watching. The pale and blotchy skin of the rich bankers, the dull eyes of the bored mistress, the excitement of the young couple out to celebrate. A birthday. No an engagement. A night to remember.

This would be a night to remember, with his cooking it would be unforgettable.

“Jack.”

She smiled at him, turning to him as she sat in their kitchen. “This is incredible, oh my god. I thought you were all hype, but ugh it’s amazing.” She laughed and turned back to her plate. He smiled to himself.

“Jack”. He started as Maddox shouted to him, the restaurant burring back into life as the memory faded. “3 more table 16. 2 Medium, 1 rare.” Maddox continued as he prepped the sides. “Going to be busy tonight”.

Jack turned back to the grill. His head slightly

Beaded in sweat from the heat. His eyes were set intently on the steaks. Seasoned, rested and ready to cook. He reached a hand out gently feeling the press of thumb and forefinger on the tender meat. He felt the weight in his hand and smiling placed it on to the hot grill. The hiss of the meat filled his ears.

The sound merged with sound of the hiss of a helium tank as he filled a balloon.

“Just a few more, we’ve got loads already alright.” She said looking flustered.

“Ok, last one.” Jack said tying it off and handing it to her. She grabbed it and stalked off to tie it up in the corner. They had all the classic birthday tat that went with a 30th birthday.

“Go get changed” she said, “they’ll be here soon and you look…” her voice trailed off. Jacks face darkened but he walked off to the room as she touched up her make-up in the mirror. She was very concerned with how they looked tonight he thought, but it was a special occasion after all. The doorbell buzzed.

The service buzzer seemed to go on forever. Until at last he looked up and one of the waiters carried the plates off. He stared after them watching them float through the crowds on their stainless steel shield. He watched the faces light up in anticipation. The gentle swallow of the throats. The twitch of the nostrils in anticipation as the smell wafted up. He was so focused it almost felt like he could zoom in. Hear the clink of the cutlery. The sound of laughter.

She laughed again. The sound floating down the stairs. Magical and yet deep and guttural. Not a pretty laugh, but something real and edged with genuine happiness. He smiled to himself as he took his coat off and tossed it on the sofa. Wondering what rubbish she was watching to make her laugh so truly. And then he heard another laugh. Deeper. He glanced at the old rope they used for walking Charlie hung by the door. He picked the rope up and stepped onto the straits. Above he heard footsteps and a giggle followed by a door slamming.

The door slammed open as Maddox came back into the kitchen.

“Jack” Maddox looked at him. “Sorry, we’ve had a complaint. I know it’s just dick heads trying to impress their partners.”

Jack stared blankly at him. An almost animal grin appearing on his face.

“Don’t worry I told them these are premium cuts, aged for 28 days.”

“28 days. They have no idea what that wait has been like.” Jack said and started to laugh.