In the Kitchen

As they stood at their respective stations, excitement was thick in the air. The judges arrived—a panel of local culinary icons—and Mia shifted nervously on her feet. Transferring her weight from one tired foot to another.

"Just remember, I'm rooting for you… sort of." Her voice was somewhat playful, her cheeks flushed.

"Thanks for the encouragement," he replied sarcastically, glancing over at her workstation already stacked with ingredients she had picked out "What's your game plan, Ms. Critic?"

"Game plan?" Mia scoffed, picking up her vegetables to start chopping with impressive speed. "Newsflash! I don't actually need any game plan—just my raw talent and that's what I brought today."

Before Leo could respond, the competition started officially. They were each to prepare a three-course meal in two hours, a challenge different from any he had ever faced. But intriguing nonetheless.

Soon, the air grew thick with smoke and aromas. Leo moved with impressive speed, agility and ease like a ballet dancer, filling the kitchen with the melody of sizzling pans and chopping blades. But there was undeniable tension between him and Mia.

Halfway through the competition, while prepping his main dish, Leo noticed Mia struggling with a sauce. She was clearly out of her element, the pot was boiling over as her eyes widened in shock and confusion.

"Hey, focus on the heat," he called over, feeling a surge of pity for her. This is not her forte and it was quite obvious. "You only need it to simmer, not boil over. You're letting the pressure get to you. Don't do that. You don't want to lose now, do you?"

Her frustration turned swiftly into annoyance. "I know that, Leo! Just focus on preparing your own dish instead of being a babysitter! I've got this!"

She turned back to her pot, turning down the heat, but not before he caught a hint of a smile creeping onto her face. The playfulness of the kitchen fueled his adrenaline.

With only 30 minutes left, Leo began plating his first dish: a beautiful seared scallop with a mango salsa. He glanced over at Mia, who was finally finding her rhythm, a charred piece of salmon taking shape.

The judges approached to inspect each of their kitchen stations closely. Leo felt a rush of confidence as the judges examined his plating. "This looks exquisitely beautiful, Chef," one of them remarked, nodding and smiling at him approvingly.

Finally, it was time for the presentation. Just as Leo came forwards to serve his first plate. The power went out, plunging the entire kitchen into total darkness. A gasp of shock came from the judges.

Mia let out a string of curses, and Leo chuckled in the dark. "Guess you'll just have to rely on your other senses,Mia Reed."

Energy surged through Leo's veins now, and he quickly moved to grab a flashlight. "Stay where you are! So you don't spill anything!"

Mia hissed back, her voice laced with panic. "I'm fine! I just need to find—"

In that moment, Leo heard a crash followed by a small yell. He dashed over, beaming the flashlight to her direction. She had knocked down a stack of pans and pots, and was bent over on the floor, trying to gather the mess up and fix things back in place.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice suddenly concerned.

"I'm fine! Just… a little accident over here," she replied, her cheeks pink in the dim light.

"Here," he said, helping her to her feet. "Just focus on what you were doing. You're actually doing great, despite being 'just' a food critic. I must confess, I'm impressed."

His reassurance seemed to calm her down a little. As she gave him a little smile and looked away shyly.

When the power finally returned, they both went back to face the judges who looked as if they had just caught them in a dramatic romance thriller.

"Again, ladies first," Leo said, gesturing to Mia. Urging her to present her dish first.

Taking a deep calming breath, she confidently walked forward to present her salmon dish to the judges, her hands quite steady and confident despite the earlier chaos. She seemed to be 'back in her elements'.

"This is a char-grilled salmon with maple glaze and a side of garlic sautéed vegetables."

Leo looked on in wonder as she described her dish, her power and pride growing with each word she said. Something inside him recognized the transformation—this was no longer 'just' a critic who had bruised his ego; this was Mia Reed, a passionate cook with her own story to tell. There was definitely more to her than meets the eye.

She was done with her presentation and was walking back to take her place beside him.

He followed her lead, bringing his scallops forward. "And this is seared scallops served with a spicy mango salsa. It's light, fresh, and combines sweetness and heat."

The judges took their first bites. Leo observed their reactions as they felt the mix of taste and texture in their mouth as they examined and tasted both dishes. Just when it seemed he couldn't take the tension anymore , the lead judge's face broke into a broad smile.

"This is highly remarkable! The flavors in both dishes are outstanding!"

The competition had reached it's peak, and Leo felt his heart racing, not just from the competition but from the chemistry building between him and Mia. His heart had been racing since the last two hours.

But then, as the judges finished their last bites and turned to the competitors, excitement mixed with nerves in the air.

"The winner will be revealed in just a few moments." the lead judge said. Scanning the two competitors faces to read their reaction to his words.

"In the meantime", he continued "my team and I would need few minutes to retreat, deliberate and agree on a decision"

Leo's stomach turned as he caught an unmasked look of determination in Mia's set eyes. Followed by a soft smile.

The judges retreated to deliberate, but all Leo could think about was how the stakes had changed. With every exchange, there was a new kind of tension—to him, now, this was far more beyond winning. Even if he won the competition,he knew without a doubt that Mia had won his heart. In those few moments, deep down, he realized he didn't just want to win the competition. He also wanted to win Mia's heart.

---

As they waited for the Judge's verdict, both competitors thinking about how much was on the line to them, unknown to them that a simple culinary duel was changing into something neither had seen coming—a blend of rivalry and romance, buried below the surface, but threatening to boil over and overpower them both.