Food Network Presents Birthdays and Restaurants part six
Elisha looked up and sighed, “Dude, how did you even think you could work today? Loved the promo, but seriously? I’m surprised you’re outside.”
“Paris, why are you here?” asked Jared.
“Because, Leesh was all freaked out that the paparazzi would turn up. So I came so that if they do I can just do my ‘I’m Paris Hilton’ act and make them leave. But now I’m cooking so I’m staying.” She smiled as she took a pan off the heat, and slid tuna onto a bed of wild rice, “Table three’s plates are ready.” Then, as they were whisked away, she sighed, “Jared, we’re fucked. Every queer loving liberal in the state is trying to get a table. And it’s like, hey fuckers, you can’t get a reservation on an average day, we don’t need solidarity reservations. We’re always fully booked for like, a month. We now have three months of reservations plus a hotlist of people willing to drop everything if we have a cancellation, good-fucking-luck. But I looked totally hot in the promo. Chad always gets my good side.”
Jared laughed, “We’ll worry about all that later. This is Jensen,” he gestured to Jensen and then said, “Jen, these are Elisha and Paris, my best friends from CIA.”
“I saw a little of that reality show,” Jensen nodded as Paris and Elisha kept cooking.
“Ugg,” Paris groaned. “That was so stupid. It’s like, ‘OMG, Paris can’t cook because she’s stupid and funny.’ Well guess what, cooking’s hard and I’d never attempted it, of course I was gonna look like a fucktard. They might as well have made a show about the fact that I don’t know how to be an astronaut.”
“They had to cancel it once we started tutoring Paris and got her up to speed,” said Jared.
Paris smiled, “It turns out I’m a natural and shit. Once I got good there was no point to the show.”
“But we still love you.” Jared said.
“I’m so glad you’ve finally come, Jensen,” said Elisha. “We’ve really wanted to meet you. Table twenty-two.”
“I gotta tell you,” said Paris, “my dad really liked you when I was younger.”
Jensen smiled, “I get that a lot, parents liking me. I mean a lot.”
“I really didn’t like your music.”
“Don’t hold back, please,” Jensen said with a laugh.
“No, but see the last few years every time I hear really good music in a film it’s always yours.”
“We used to listen to your Christmas CD all the time,” said Elisha.
Jared stared at her, “We did? No we didn’t.”
“You always sang the girl bit on Baby, it’s Cold Outside,” Elisha said. “And I used to cry at the version Silent Night. Table Twelve is done,” she called.
Jensen laughed and his cheeks colored. But Jared just said, “That was you, Jen?”
“The funny thing is we weren’t supposed to make that album, we did that junior year. We were supposed to be doing the one we eventually did after that, one of the ones that was just our music. Um, but, we turned up drunk and antagonistic and demanding to do Christmas music… it was April. So we just played all the music and sang all our favorite songs until everyone in the studio was forced to go along with us. And Tricia tried to browbeat me into singing the girl part of Baby, it’s Cold Outside, but I refused. There was a minor slap fight… man we were drunk.”
“I can’t believe that was you,” said Jared, “I loved that CD.”
“Me too,” said Jensen with a smile. “It’s really nice to meet you both, I’ve heard so much about you… and stealing white truffles from the test kitchen for a party.”
“Table seventeen,” Elisha called. Then she said, “We couldn’t afford them. They’re three hundred dollars an ounce. And it was totally worth it, we made the most amazing pasta and a gorgeous dip,” Elisha justified.
“That’s what Jared said too.”
“That was not a good party,” Paris sighed, “that party sucked. Table six.”
“You only say that because you made out with Chad,” said Elisha.
“I hate you, Leesh.”
They continued to work and Jared said, “Can we put in an order?”
“I hate you, too,” said Paris. “What do you want?”
“Two orders of the meatloaf, please? I would offer to help but-”
“We’re already a chef up, just stay out the way,” said Elisha.
“Jen, sit down, get comfortable.”
“At the chef’s table?” asked Jensen with a smile.
“It usually has a flat fee, advanced reservations, and a party of at least six. Plus we don’t let them make the reservation unless we like them to begin with and we do a set tasting menu. But I like you so you get real food and a free lunch.” Jared kissed him lightly. “Sit, I’m getting us a starter.”
Jared moved between different stations to get to the back counter where little dishes were already set up. Elisha leaned in as he passed and said, “He’s fucking adorable in person.” Jared laughed, grabbed two dishes, two glasses of sweet spiced iced tea, and walked back to the table.
“Spicy hazelnuts and sweet pecans,” he said pointing to each bowl respectively. “They’re each a bit much on their own but they’re really balancing together.” He smiled easily, “Y’like my kitchen?”
“It’s awesome, and so fitting.”
Jared felt the pleasure seep from his bones outwards. And he ate the nuts quietly, just listening to the kitchen and Paris and Elisha barking orders at the other people in the kitchen. “I don’t know how I ever thought engineering could be my life. I mean, I still think it’s fascinating but I can’t imagine being half so happy without food.”
“Which is why,” said Elisha putting plates down on the table, “you should quit the fucking show.”
“Here, here!” Paris agreed, waving a spatula.
“If it weren’t for the show we wouldn’t be booked solid with a standby list.”
Paris rolled her eyes, “We’re always booked solid, Jared. Now eat your fucking lunch and get the fuck out because some of us are real chefs not TV celebrities.”
Throwing back his head to laugh Jared said, “That is so funny coming from you, Miss Simple Life.”
“Whatever, I made an industry I can fall back on if I ever get burned beyond working in a grease fire. Those stupid shows made me a lot of money and no one can claim I live off my daddy. Tables nine, four, and eleven.”
The food was the same as it always was, right on the Zagat Guide money. Jensen was groaning appreciatively and the kitchens conversation flowed easily and happily as always. When Jared had started working in restaurants he hadn’t liked them. People were angry, head chefs were rude, and all the other people in the kitchen were underpaid. So when he’d gotten the money together to start his own place he’d wanted to do it right. He’d gotten his two best cooking friends in on it. Then he’d hired everyone else carefully. They were efficient, diligent, laidback folk who rolled with it and stayed a top of any given situation. Which meant that, while there was a lot of shouting over the noise, there was never any yelling. They stayed and were still talking when a meat delivery came and Jared left Jensen to go and help bring it in.
~~~
The minute Jared was gone Paris said, “Cover me, Leesh?”
“On it,” said Elisha and then Paris came and sat down next to Jensen.
“Are you a nice man?” asked Paris. “Chad likes you and that’s a good sign because Chad’s good at people reading. But are you nice?”
Jensen shook his head, “No, not really. I mean I’m kind of a misanthrope who somehow ended up with a huge group of very close friends. I’m good with small kids and animals. I care deeply about the people I love and am not particularly interested in anyone else. I am speedy to empathize but I don’t like people. I’m not a particularly nice man. If on the other hand the question is, am I nice to Jared? Then yeah, I’m the nicest guy on Earth.”
“Good answer,” said Paris. “Do you like the food?”
“It’s amazing. I mean, I knew that Jared is great and knew that his restaurant would be, especial after hearing about what the three of you used to get up to at the CIA. But it’s so good. I don’t get to eat like this very often.”
“Right, Jared told us about Jamie. That must be horrible.”
“Not really, not totally. I don’t mind eating that way so much. It’s much more upsetting to eat like this, to be honest. If I couldn’t go from here to Jared’s to shower and change I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to eat this. And the doctors always say that he could get over the allergies, that it could go away, but at the same time they always imply that I should cherish every single minute because it could all end so fast. So I don’t mind eating like that. But this is a huge treat.”
She grinned, “Well, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better restaurant in Texas.”
“Y’know, I was surprised to hear about you really enrolling in the school,” said Jensen feeling free to say it after her words.
“Asking if tuna is fish or chicken can get you really famous. Dumb sells and I wanted to sell. Plus I was kind of in a sex tape that was a problem because, I totally knew about it, I wave at the camera. But I had to deny it and then no one was going to take me serious for a long time. After a while ditzy gets boring. I’m not a hard worker, I get easily distracted. If cooking hadn’t been easy for me I would have given up, but it’s fun.”
“It’s weird,” said Jensen. “Elisha, Chad, Mike, you. You all followed Jared back here.”
“If Jared went into a third world country-”
Elisha interrupted, “Paris-”
“Developing nation,” Paris rolled her eyes. “And said, ‘Hi, I’m your new dictator,’ they would all cheer. I mean, who the fuck wants to live here if they didn’t grow up here? But Jared said, ‘Come,’ and we all moved.” She rolled her eyes, “He’s like a snake charmer for people.”
“Or a people whisperer,” added Elisha. She brought a hot chocolate tart over to Jensen. “Try this, it’s Jared’s favorite thing on the menu.”
“He never lets us take it off, even in summer. Who wants hot desserts in the summer?”
Jensen took a bite and found that the center was melted chocolate and peanut butter, “Oh, fuck that’s good. I totally get why it never comes off the menu.”
Paris reached over with a fork and took a small bite, “Yeah,” she agreed chewing it slowly. She said, “I better get back to work.”
Jared said goodbye to everyone before they left and Tom called. Jensen said, “Would you mind looping Jared’s house again?”
“Totally. I’ll get back my car from you sometime?”
“Sounds good thanks, Tom.”
“Of course, man. Don’t worry about anything.”
“The dogs are at your house.”
“We’ll trade them when we trade cars.”
“Cool, thanks. You’re the best.”
Despite Tommy’s best efforts there was still a small crowd of paparazzi outside of Jared’s house. Jared just ignored them and pulled up to his garage which he opened with his clicker and shut behind him. But even though he was acting cool he was shaking a little. “Okay?” asked Jensen. Jared nodded, tight lipped.
Jensen realized that he didn’t have much time before class. They brought Jared’s bags in from the car and Jensen showered and dressed quickly. In the kitchen he looked at Jared and said, “So what are you going to do?”
“Hide, maybe? I don’t know. Can I come over later?”
“Of course you can.”
“Actually, I left some laundry in your machine and only got through a bit of Violet Sea. So I’ll go to your house, finish those, and go for a long swim. If that’s cool?”
“You did the laundry? You’re fantastic.” Jensen leaned in to kiss him. “Go home and chill out. Don’t panic, okay?”
Jared smiled at him, “Okay. I’m ready to go.”
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