1. MICE --- (Part 2)

"I hope he doesn't recognise us," Asha whispered as they hurried towards the front desk, clutching their clipboards like shields.

"We should steer clear of the kitchen for a while," Rachel muttered gloomily. "What are we supposed to eat then?"

"Water," Asha said flatly.

Both groaned in unison, the harmony of two underpaid souls.

Then suddenly, Asha gasped and yanked Rachel's sleeve, dragging her down behind the counter.

"What?!" Rachel hissed.

"The man is coming this way!"

"Oh my God! But why are we hiding?"

"Do you want to talk to him?"

"No!"

"Then shut up and hide!"

They crouched beneath the desk like two guilty schoolgirls caught bunking class.

The sound of measured footsteps stopped right in front of them.

Luke's voice, smooth and cool as polished marble, broke the silence. "Is there a reason the front desk appears to be unattended?"

Rachel froze, eyes wide. "Oh, bloody hell," she breathed.

Asha mouthed, "Don't move."

The footsteps shifted, slower now. The scrape of leather shoes against the tile. Then Luke leaned casually over the counter, peering down until his gaze found them both squatting there, one pretending to tidy papers that did not exist, the other looking like a rabbit about to bolt.

He crouched slightly, his voice calm, faintly amused. "I knew you two couldn't be guests. You look broke."

"That's rude!" Rachel shot back before she could stop herself. "We prefer to say financially challenged."

"That's a good one, Rach," Asha whispered, both of them snickering, which somehow rattled Luke's composure for half a second. Who the hell laughs when they're caught red-handed?

Luke folded his arms, unimpressed. "You ate leftover steak and drank champagne out of dirty glasses."

Rachel rose halfway, muttering defensively, "It wasn't that dirty."

"Lipstick marks don't count as seasoning," he said, deadpan.

Asha snorted. "Bit posh for a chef, aren't you?"

Luke arched an eyebrow, turning that hawk-like stare to her. "Bit mouthy for a receptionist, aren't you?"

Rachel tried to stand to regain dignity, only to crack her head on the underside of the counter. "Bloody hell!" she yelped, clutching her forehead while Asha wheezed with laughter.

Luke bit back a chuckle. "Which one of you called me Daddy last night?"

"It wasn't me!" Asha blurted instantly.

"It was you!" Rachel said, pointing at her, though her face flamed as if she were the guilty one. The word Daddy still hung between them like smoke, and Luke's grin deepened.

He straightened, composure sliding neatly back into place. "Try not to steal dinner again tonight. There are cameras."

He rested one hand on the counter, his tone suddenly formal but teasing at the edges. "Miss Turner. Miss Patel." He said their names like a man memorising them for later, cataloguing chaos.

"You two are troublemakers," he said, smirking now. "I'll see you around."

The words were for both of them, but his eyes lingered on Rachel, dark with something dangerously close to amusement. Then he turned and walked away, his stride perfectly unhurried.

Asha slumped back against the desk. "He's terrifying."

"He is..." Rachel murmured, touching her still-flushed cheeks.

Lunch hour rolled around, and their stomachs made noises loud enough to file a complaint. Between them, they had a handful of coins that could not buy air, let alone food. Rachel was halfway through chugging a glass of water when Asha came back, flushed and guilty, her fist closed around something shiny.

She poured her pocket's treasure onto the desk: a crumpled handful of chocolate coins.

"I nicked this from Kimmi's cart," Asha whispered, looking both ashamed and proud.

Rachel gasped. "Oh, Ash, you absolute genius!" She arranged the chocolate coins on the desk and counted them.

"I hope it fills us up," Asha said, doubtful.

"It won't. We've got six of these miniature chocolates." Rachel lined them up neatly on the counter. "Three for you, three for me. That's dinner for queens, that is."

"What about actual dinner?" Asha muttered, staring at the tiny chocolates as though they might multiply if she stared long enough.

"Your parents' place?" Rachel asked hopefully.

Asha scoffed. "I'd rather starve than listen to my mum calling me a disgrace in Hindi. The woman's got a PhD in guilt-tripping."

"My questionable choice of major still hasn't been forgiven, and this dead-end, underpaid job? Just another nail in the coffin of my mother's disappointment. Meanwhile, my cousin's marrying a doctor, and I'm dating myself straight into spinsterhood," she continued.

Rachel burst out laughing. "You make it sound poetic, babe."

"When's the wedding anyway?" Rachel added with a grin. "I can't wait. Free dinner!"

"You'll be having free dinner. I'll be having free dinner with Hindi scolding ringing in my ears."

They both dissolved into laughter. Then, after a small pause, something softer passed over Rachel's face.

"I miss my mum," she said quietly, a small smile tugging at her lips. "If it weren't for that court order, I'd probably pop home every night. She'd make a roast, complain about Dad, then send me off again with leftovers in Tupperware I'd never return."

"Don't, Rach," Asha murmured, her tone softening. "You'll make me cry, and I'm already dehydrated."

They then ate the chocolate like it was communion, slow, reverent, desperate to stretch the sweetness as far as it would go.

Then Rachel suddenly straightened. "Asha! I've got an idea!"

"Oh no," said Asha, already regretting it.

Rachel was unlocking her phone, eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Rachel," said Asha, narrowing her eyes. "If this involves OnlyFans, I'm out."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "No, it's our oldest trick. Free dinner, remember?"

Asha groaned. "It's a Tuesday. I can't fake interest in a man who calls every woman 'babe' on a Tuesday."

Rachel ignored her, snatching Asha's phone too. "Do you want to starve tonight or flirt with financial freedom?"

"I want to eat now!" Asha snapped, but she was already leaning over to help swipe.

Soon, both girls were giggling, scrolling through men like they were judging a buffet.

"Too oily."

"Too rare."

"God, this one looks expensive!"

Finally, Asha gasped. "This one! Look at that smile, probably owns more than two shirts."

Rachel peered at the screen. "Perfect. Book him."

"And I've found mine!" Rachel said proudly. "He's not bad-looking either. Maybe he can afford dessert."

By the end of their shift, the two broke girls were positively glowing, not from wealth, but from the sheer relief of knowing that somewhere out there, a free dinner awaited them.

When their shift finally ended, Asha and Rachel made a beeline for the lost-and-found room, the hotel's unofficial charity shop and their personal couture boutique. The air always smelled faintly of lemon polish and desperation.

They rummaged through the mountain of forgotten clothes, tossing aside scarves, a single sock, and what might have once been a bridesmaid's shawl. Then,

"Rach! Look at this!" Asha held up a maroon spaghetti-strap dress, silky and sinful, the kind of thing that did not belong in a cardboard box.

Rachel gasped as her fingers brushed something equally magical, a figure-hugging dress with soft floral prints. "Oh, she's perfect," she whispered, like she had just met her soulmate.

Both girls stared at each other, wide-eyed and grinning. They squealed, hugged, and twirled in the dusty light of the storeroom. It was like Cinderella had a shift schedule and rent due on Friday.

"These are borrowed treasures," Rachel reminded solemnly, holding her dress to her chest. "We return them tomorrow, just in case their rich owners suddenly remember being generous."

"Agreed," Asha said. "One night only, before midnight, before security, before anyone notices."

They prepped themselves in the staff restroom, wielding expired lipstick and clumpy mascara like battle gear. The lipstick still smelled faintly of cherry, and that was good enough. When they were done, they looked, shockingly, glamorous. Desperation, it seemed, was the best stylist.

They threw on long duster coats over their borrowed finery and slipped out through the staff door, giggling uncontrollably.

Outside, the night was brisk and alive, and they were two broke goddesses about to conquer it.

"Where are you two off to, looking all posh?" called Andi, one of the junior sous-chefs, leaning lazily against the wall. The faint glow of his cigarette lit up a cheeky grin. His eyes lingered on Asha a moment too long, admiration flickering there, before he caught himself and looked away, pretending he had not been staring.

Asha flipped her hair dramatically. "On a date, thank you very much."

"Ah," Andi said knowingly. "One of those free-dinner specials you two go on when there are no scraps left from the kitchen?"

Rachel gasped. "Andi! You'll make us sound poor!"

"You are poor," Andi laughed.

That made half the staff chuckle, but the laughter dimmed slightly when Luke glanced over.

He was standing by the loading bay, mid-conversation with his senior sous-chef, when their chaos broke through the hum of post-shift exhaustion. His gaze landed on them, on her, and stayed there.

Asha noticed first. She nudged Rachel. "Erm, I think the scary chef's staring."

Rachel froze. "What? Why? Do you think he knows we borrowed these not-to-be-borrowed dresses?"

"Yikes!" Asha squealed. "Don't make eye contact! He looks like the sort who confiscates joy."

"Let's go before he scolds us!" Rachel whispered.

They darted off like fugitives in heels.

"Rach! This way!" Asha called.

"But the bus is that way!"

"Do you have bus fare?"

Rachel checked her wallet, empty. "Fair point." She spun on her heel and bolted after Asha.

Behind them, laughter rippled through the kitchen staff like a warm breeze. Even Luke's mouth curved, just slightly.

He watched Rachel run, her floral dress flashing beneath her coat, her dark blonde hair catching the light of the streetlamp, her laughter echoing against the stone. She was not the kind of woman he usually noticed. Too messy. Too alive. But there was something magnetic about her, a sort of beautiful chaos that drew him in, even as his mind scolded him for it.

He smirked to himself.

And for the first time in a while, Luke Kingswell was genuinely amused.

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