<div style="text-align: right"><span style="font-size: 22px">aven miller</span><br/>
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</div></div><div style="text-align: justify">"Not long? You were on my ass for <i>months</i>, Rafael," Aven replied incredulously. Her eyes drifted to Rafael's skilled hands, studiously watching the quick manner in how he minced the garlic before tossing it all into a steel pan. It was nearly soothing to peruse the familiar action of Rafel's agile fingers working deftly to prepare a dish. Aven recalled nights and early mornings observing his every action and technique. In their line of work, mastering the arts of cooking did not just stop at school. There were always new methods - better ways to improve. Aven had picked up a lot from Rafael and Alejandro as well once she had joined his team. "I'd been convinced in those earlier months that you'd just toss me right out," In his kitchen, Aven had been a ball of neverending nerves, tense in moments that required peace, and almost always on her toes. It was no secret that Rafael was intense with his work. The magazines had picked up on it, and Aven had firsthand experience on just how fervid Rafael grew with his passions.<br/>
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Aven hummed in response. She wasn't supposed to be there when Rafael had proposed to Danielle. Being in the place had been under no guise either. Her intentions hadn't been to have him to herself when he was with his longtime girlfriend or to cause any evident rift and let something slip despite Rafael's constant assurance that he would leave Danielle when the time was right. Aven had been there purely for work - there had been a specific contractor that wanted to sign Rafael up to his first show. The day had been a busy one though with the kitchen preparing for the venue of a large wedding meant for a celebrity. Seeing Rafael drop down to his knees, a smile on his face, and a bright glint encompassing his handsome features had fractured something so deep in Aven that for those moments, all Aven called for was violence. In those moments, she had hated Rafael so much that she had wished she'd never met him - that she'd never entered his stupid first restaurant and smiled at him on her stupid first day. When Rafael and Danielle had seen her, wisps of satisfaction warmed her blood. Seeing Rafael's tan visage pale from fear had Aven feeling triumphant because for those moments, Aven knew that he would feel just an inkling of what she had felt. She had been foolish to genuinely believe that Rafael would pick her. She had been foolish to remain loyal to a man like him even though deep down Aven knew that their relationship would burn down in flames. She supposed that she wanted to be reckless in one aspect of her life especially since she had been so careful for so long. "I'm happy for you both," With shame, Aven realized she didn't know if she meant it. She was happy now - with a boyfriend who was supportive and understanding and stable. Sebastian was a good man - the best man. And yet a small part of Aven wanted Rafael to be happy, but not as happy as he had been with her.<br/>
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"It's gotten me this far," Aven retorted, her lips tugging into a lilt of a smile. She loved making him laugh. It always felt like such a reward considering how fixated he was in the kitchen.<br/>
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Aven shrugged. He wasn't wrong. A bar in Seattle where the cost of living was astoundingly high and a bartender's salary notoriously low made it difficult to enter such a high-risk business. Aven had offered to dip into her savings to aid Sebastian out, but he had blatantly refused to borrow his girlfriend's money no matter how hard she had tried to convince him that he could pay her back later. Aven had the money for it. Working as a sous chef, especially with her history with the notorious Rafael Silva had offered Aven a salary that a younger, more broke version of herself could only dream of. "So was opening a restaurant during your time," Aven pointed out. Her wooden spoon turned along the large frying pan, the crackling sound of the oil increasing as she dropped in the bell peppers she had just cut. "Sebastian's a smart man. He has the grit to pursue and the mind to succeed. If there is anyone that could pull it off, it's him,"  Aven only now just realized the similarity of both the men she'd been in a  relationship with. Appearance-wise, the pair couldn't have been any more different. Where Rafael's hair was as dark as the night without a single star,  Sebastian's took on a brighter note, platinum blonde hair florid under the sunlight. Rafael's eyes were so intense that looking at them for too long held a hypnotic effect while Sebastian's were a dark brown that held the sweet promise of comfort and security. In terms of ambition though, the pair could not have been more alike. She thought back to her boyfriend and recalled the excited glint in his eyes every time he would talk about owning a bar. He had all the details worked out down to tiny, little refreshments in the bathrooms that would add just that additional touch to his bar. His enthusiasm was infectious, and soon Aven had found herself planning things out with Seb too - looking up best wholesalers to buy chairs from for the bar, conveying different textiles and photos that could be placed against the walls. Aven huffed out a laugh at his comment. She loved experimenting too much to reduce herself to poppers and good wings.<br/>
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"They'd be the best damn poppers in all of Seattle. Maybe they'd whisk away some of your customers too," Aven quipped playfully, her thin wrist flicking as she gently placed all her freshly sauteed peppers onto the tray. Turning to the blender, Aven stashed the roasted peppers into them along with a mixture of thyme, salt, truffle oil, and a combination of different herbs that fragranced the area around her. She turned the same time Rafael did and momentarily, Aven's heart seized at their eyes meeting synchronously. "I missed your humility, Rafael," Aven muttered, casting her eyes away. At the mention of a show, Aven tensed. When she had seen him and gotten over the shock, Aven knew that working with him under tense regime would be difficult especially since she would be his sous chef once again. Subconsciously, a blockade had formed around Aven's heart and with that, a line that would not be crossed. Supporting him at a daytime show was one of them. Keeping the small smile on her face to minimize the awkwardness, Aven slipped away from Rafael. Just because she could smile and laugh with him did not mean her heart didn't ache at the sight of him. He'd been the first man she'd fallen in love with and the first one to break her heart in the cruelest manner possible. Aven couldn't just forget that. "I don't think that is the best idea...plus, I'm sure Danielle would love to see you try and charm another crowd," Aven grinned. Her smile felt forced.​</div>