Second Bite: A Holiday Novella

Michael -
I'm starting to think I've been doing this for too long. The screaming fans. The constant media attention. The fat paychecks. None of it brings me the happiness I yearn for.
Yet here I am. Another year. Another holiday special. Another Christmas spent alone in a hotel room.
But then the lights go up. And I see her.

Alice -
It's an honor to be a contestant, I know that. But right now it feels a little like punishment. Because any second Chef Michael Kesso, the man I've been in love with for years, the man who doesn't even know I exist, is going to walk onto the set, and it will be a miracle if I don't pass out at the sight of him.
But the time for doubts is over. Because Second Bite is about to start - "in three... two... one..."