Chapter 20 Trip to Paris 3

Two weeks went by quickly. Site-seeing, little parties, and fun activities kept Narumi and Daiki busy. Paris was a place full of sights and sounds they could never forget, but the socializing made Narumi's brain hurt a little.

"I'm so sad because this is the last week of our vacation." Akari muttered as she held Ryo's arm.

"I know," Aoi agreed.  "Staying here in Paris has given me such a beautiful and new environment for me and my child."

'I can't wait for it to be over.' Narumi thought as her gaze turned towards the scenery of the Parisian city in front of them. They were at the top of the Eiffel Tower, which offered an incredible view of everything around them. The sun shone brightly on them, making their skin feel pleasantly warm.

"I have an idea so that we can have an amazing time to remember." Akari's voice broke Narumi out of her thoughts. "Let's have a contest."

"Contest?"     Narumi looked up.

'What kind of competition?' 

Akari smiled.   "A cooking competition between the three of us; let's see which wife has the best cooking skill."

'What?' Narumi almost jumped out of her skin. 'Cooking contest? I'm horrible with anything cooking.' 

Daiki looked at Narumi; he noticed how pale she looked after hearing what Akari had said.

'I wonder what's wrong. Is it because of the cooking contest? He wondered. 

"Pardon me, Mrs. Bakamori, but I think the competition should be between each couple; that way, it will be more fun." Daiki interjected before Akari started talking again.

"Oh, Daiki, please call me Akari, and your idea sounds so fun." She replied sweetly. "The competition will be between each couple, and it will start immediately after we arrive at the hotel. Let's get going."

The group took another look at the beautiful view before heading down the elevator and to the street, where their respective chauffeurs were waiting for them. One by one, each car drove off, heading for the same destination.

"What did you do over there?" Narumi asked.

"What do you mean?" Daiki was perplexed by the question.

"Why did you tell Akari to make the contest between each couple?" She asked.

"Oh, that." Daiki shrugged. "Your face turned pale after hearing what she said, so I thought that was a suggestion that could help you."

"My face turned pale because I can't cook." Narumi admitted that her hands were clenched together on her lap.

"Oh, that's alright." Daiki smiled.

"No, it's not." Narumi argued. "I suck at cooking, and I'm sure you know nothing about it, so how can we win?"

"I feel extremely offended because of what you just said, ma'am." Daiki  pouted.

Narumi rolled her eyes. "You can't cook, and I'm sure of that."

"It's 2023, ma'am. Men can cook now, and some of them are really good at it." Daiki replied smugly. "I'm a good cook."

"You are lying."    Narumi retorted. 

"I had three elder sisters who taught me to cook, so no, I'm not lying." Daiki defended himself.

Narumi was really shocked by Daiki's answer. She couldn't believe he was telling the truth because most men can't cook.

"Alright, we need to work together so we can win." Narumi said. "I don't want Aoi to win at all."

"I know." Daiki nodded. 

They arrived at their hotel, and Akari led them to the kitchen. She looked around for someone.

"What's wrong, Akari?" Aoi asked. She always wanted to look like a saint in front of everyone, which is why she asked Akari if she was alright.

"I'm alright, it's just that there's someone I need to meet." Akari said.

"Who?" Aoi asked.

"The head chef." Akari replied. "She needs to be aware of our competition."

"Oh, I see." Aoi smiled, but deep down, she wasn't amused by anything.

'Akari likes to behave like a social butterfly. Why in the world would she come up with a cooking competition? Oh well, as long as I get to crush Narumi in something. Aoi thought.

"Oh hi."  Akari greeted a tall woman standing next to the stove, who had short brown hair, a big nose, and green eyes. Her body language screamed professionalism.

"Mrs. Bakamori, what brings you to the kitchen?" The woman smiled.

"You all, I want to introduce Mrs. Margot Adilene Blanchet; she is the head chef of this hotel." Akari announced. "I'd like you to be the judge for a cooking competition we're planning among ourselves."

"Oh, that will be such an honor." Margot said. "What are you guys going to

make?"

"Takikomi Gohan. A Japanese dish." Akari replied.

"Sounds delicious." Margot agreed. "You can start. I'm sure we have all the ingredients you need."

Aoi, Minato, Akari, Ryo, Narumi, and Daiki spent an hour preparing their dishes, and after they were done, Margot tasted each dish.

"Oh my!"  She exclaimed. "Every dish is delicious, but this one is the best."

The dish she was talking about was the one prepared by Narumi and Daiki.

"Thank you, thank you very much." Narumi bowed, and Daiki also gave his thanks with similar elegance.

"How can that be possible?" Aoi asked; she was clearly irritated.

"What do you mean?" Akari asked. "Their dish is amazing, so they are supposed to be the winners. Are you offended?"

"It's not like that." Aoi smiled. "I'm just surprised."

Margot smiled. "Mr and Mrs Tsukumo I hope you will bless us with your recipe."

"Of course they will, but right now we need to go swimming, then at night we will have a couple drinks together, then we will all sleep." Akari clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Excellent plan, Akari." Aoi smiled. "My husband and I will go and change."

"Same here," Akari said before dragging Ryo out of the kitchen. Aoi and Minato followed suit.

"I'm going to go to Akiko's room so I can change. You can use our room." Narumi 

said before leaving. She didn't even wait for Daiki to respond.

'She's so hot-tempered and also beautiful.'   He thought to himself before heading to his room.

                              ~*~

"I have everything I need." Narumi muttered. She was dressed in swimming attire and wore a white hat with a yellow flower on the front to cover her face.

'Wait, where is my manga?' She muttered. 'I must've put it somewhere, but where?' 

She checked everywhere but couldn't find it. Suddenly, realization set in.

'Shit!'

A small gasp escaped from her lips, and she quickly headed out of the door. Narumi ran through the hallways; she left her manga in her room.

'Daiki is changing there, so would it be right to go there?' She thought. 'He should have finished by now.'

Her mind was made up, so she ran straight ahead and headed to her room, although she was completely wrong about Daiki being finished. He was there, shirtless.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at him; he was looking like a Greek god that only appeared in her fantasies, and she felt herself blush under his gaze.

'Why am I staring at him like a lost puppy? Why does it feel different this time when I see a man without a shirt?' Narumi thought.

"I'm sorry for showing up here." She started. "I forgot about my manga....."

Her words were cut off because of a dragonfly.

"Aah! Dragonfly!"  Narumi shrieked and jumped back.

"Relax Narumi I will  catch it."  Daiki said, but as he tried to catch it, Narumi slipped on the marble floor. She held on to Daiki's towel, which caused him to fall down as well. They were so close to each other, chest to chest, and the sound of their heartbeats resonated within each other's ears.

Narumi froze when she felt Daiki's chest rise and fall against hers. His arms wrapped around her waist, and both their bodies were frozen. They remained in that position until the moment when the dragonfly flew away. Both of them breathed heavily while still holding onto the other's body.

"I'm sorry." Narumi muttered shyly as she moved away and helped Daiki stand up again. "I'm going to get manga and leave." 

"That's alright."  Daiki said.  Narumi took the book and left the room; her cheeks were still red.

'Why am I acting this way? This is so weird?' She thought before heading to the pool. It was really crowded, and lots of people were swimming in the pool. Many people were sitting on lounge chairs or swimming.

'This is going to be a long day.' She muttered to herself before sitting on a lounge chair. Daiki came to the pool eventually, and Narumi found herself staring at him again.

'Stop looking at him like a creep and concentrate on reading this book!' She scolded herself. 'Let today pass by quickly.' 

It seemed as if the universe was listening to her prayers because nighttime came around. The only people in the pool area were married couples because it was time for the couple's drinking party. Daiki was already on his third glass of wine.

"I think you should take it easy." Before closing the book she was reading, Narumi said.

"Why? Are you worried about me?" Daiki asked.

"I'm worried because I don't want you to do something stupid." She replied in a serious tone. "Take it slow; don't get too drunk."

"All right, all right, calm down." Daiki sighed.  "I'll drink slowly."

Daiki took another sip from his bottle.

"I'm going to drop this manga in our room and get some fresh air; please don't do something stupid while I'm gone." Narumi told him while standing up.

"That's alright."  Daiki smiled.  He watched as she walked toward the exit.

'I'm only drinking because I need to forget the fact that she can never be mine.'  Daiki thought before continuing to drink.

"Hello, handsome man." A blonde lady said She sat down next to Daiki and used her hands to try and touch his bare skin.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but can I help you?" He asked. 

"Of course you can." The lady responded. She pushed her chest out a little bit, so her cleavage was showing more.

"I have been admiring your beauty for so long, and I don't mind having a little fun time with you." She said it seductively.

'What does she think she is doing?' Daiki thought. 

"If I remember correctly, this is a drinking party for married couples, which means the both of us are married to different people." He told her with a cold expression on his face. "I'm a faithful person, so I can't do all this; besides, I wonder what my wife is going to do if she sees you with me."

"What's your wife going to do if she sees us together?" The lady said.

"My wife is crazy, so I don't think you want to know." Daiki laughed. "Turn around, then ask her what she will do."

The lady turned around and saw Narumi standing behind her.

"This man is my husband, so please stay away from him." Narumi said coldly. "He's not interested in any kind of relationship."

"He might be your husband, but he doesn't like other women." The lady rolled her eyes.

"This man is all mine, so I suggest you keep your distance."

"Fine, I shall leave then." The lady stood up. She was annoyed that the guy wasn't interested in her at all but decided to leave nonetheless.

Narumi looked at Daiki. "I leave you for a few minutes, and some blonde lady is trying to hit on you?" She shook her head, slightly amused.

"I don't know why she came here." Daiki chuckled.

"I'm sure she's your type." Narumi teased. 

"Why do you inquire? Are you envious?" Daiki asked.

"No. I'm just curious." Narumi shrugged. "I like women who are independent, intimidating, and beautiful, have ice-cold blue eyes that can stare into my soul, plus red hair." He smirked. "That's my type."

Narumi was surprised; her lips were sealed but her eyes said a lot of things.

"That's your type," she muttered.

"Yup. I'm going back to our room." Daiki said. "Good night, wifey."