The Unexpected Princess (Completed)

Chapter 23

All the feelings and memories she’d ignored and dampened with her forced indifference for the past year flooded her mind. All she could see was Anthony standing in front of her demanding and formidable as ever.

Naledi gritted her teeth. She tried her best to push them out of her mind.

She couldn’t seem to be able to forget him. Not from a lack of trying.

She has meet a lot men who had tried their best to show their interest in her, but none of them made her feel like Anthony had. They left her yearning and needing something she could never have.

She had a weird attachment to the prince she couldn’t explain. Where many would have forgotten she was hyper aware of him, of his touch and the simple kiss he had placed on her lips in the kitchen on that fateful night of the dance. There were other moments of déjà vu where she thought they had done more than that.

The moments were vivid and clear Naledi wasn’t sure if she’d dreamed them up or lived them – his body deliciously heavy over hers as she pulled him close for another kiss, his scent enveloping her as he leaned closer and his husky voice whispering in her ear, begging for her to stop him. To not allow him to kiss her, or to open herself to him completely.

Naledi innately knew she had done all of that or she desired it with her whole being it was a tangible fantasy.

The potency of her feelings sometimes scared her.

She was even afraid to talk to Dineo about him because she feared she will think she was crazy or that she was clinging to something they both knew will never happen.

How was she to explain that he was everywhere she turned, and she dreamed about him every night? When she didn’t understand it herself.

‘He’s not there, he’s not there’ she chanted in her mind until she believed it.

She shook her head feeling the longing and loneliness that had found residence in her heart surge to life. Naledi came to an abrupt halt. She closed her eyes placing her hand to her chest. If only it didn’t ache so much.

She opened her eyes, and then continued to walk down the small passageway. She came to a door that was left propped open. She walked inside to find nine other interviewees waiting in to be interviewed.

Naledi calmed her nerves. If she and Dineo’s conversation that morning was anything to go by, she only had a few months to go before she had to return to the village. She’d like to spend it doing what she loved. And getting the job was the first thing she needed to do. Forgetting Anthony Tloung was the second.

Taking a deep breath Naledi tried to relax, she had to concentrate on the here and now. She shouldn’t allow him to affect her so far away from the village. Anthony Tloung had no power here. She was far away from the village and free from the restrictions of her family’s legacy she could do whatever she wanted.

It was easier said than done, Naledi knew but she forced herself to focus. She never done anything out of bounds her entire life. And she knew she wasn’t going to start now. But she could follow her heart. This was where she wanted to be.

After a few minutes they were all called into what appeared to be a state of the art kitchen. It was massive and a chef’s dream. Every kitchen appliance she could think of was available on metallic surfaces and glass cabinets. Naledi buzzed with energy as they were handed aprons and shown to their stations.

Her heart was like a drum in her chest from all the energy that thrummed in her veins. She really needed to get this job. She was literally lighting up like fireworks in the sky. And she loved the feeling.

Here she had no worries. Here she was the master of her destiny. Here she was not the great-great granddaughter of a slave. Only her talent mattered. No one will judge her according to anything else.

Naledi smiled to herself. She finally felt in control. She closed her eyes remembering Dineo’s warning – will she be able to let this job go when the time came?

Blissful energy thrummed in her veins. She didn’t know if she could give it up.

A man dressed in a chef’s jacket walked into the kitchen as though he owned the place.

“My name is Samuel Dube, I am the Head Chef and master of this kitchen,” he said as he came to a stand in front of them. “One of you is going to be my sous chef. In front of you are ingredients that you will turn into delicious and amazing dishes. Think out of the box. Impress me.” Samuel stared at his wrist watch, “You have one hour, to cook, dish and garnish your plates. Your hour starts now!”

A cacophony of sounds ensues as pots, spoons and other appliances were pulled from their resting places to be utilized. Naledi calmly tied her apron around her waist and inspected her ingredients. She tuned out the noise and imagined herself at home, in the kitchen cooking for the people she loved. Her grandmother, Dineo and…Anthony made an appearance too.

She had many dreams were she cooked for him – he would be there, leaning against the fridge watching her every move, his whole body relaxed and looking satisfied.

Tears filled her eyes because she knew that was only a dream. A dream that she knew will never come true.

Naledi breathed deep and swallowed her tears.

She stepped to the table. She reached the set of knives set close for her use. The handle felt perfect in her palm. She focused on the task at hand. With every moment she felt calm and sure of herself. Her whole world centered on that moment – the control she had over what she created and the situation around her.

Everything faded away as she started to cook.