--------------------- Mauritius, Waldorf Astoria ---------------------

- 09.30 AM -

~ Aliyah's POV ~

I yawned as I stood in the commercial kitchen, the cool air from the AC not helping with how tired I felt. We had been told to be up early because of our supposedly "packed" schedule, but so far, I wasn't interested.

The hotel's executive chef stood in front of us, explaining the basics of the cooking class. His white uniform looked completely spotless unlike our aprons would be by the time this was over. The whole place smelled of herbs, garlic, spices, and just food.

I looked around, glancing at how most of the students were still groggy, leaning against the counters, whispering to each other, and giggling. Meanwhile, the chef's assistant started handing out aprons and chef hats. I took mine, tying the apron around my waist and adjusting the hat so it didn't look ridiculous on my head.

"As you all know, today's class is about learning to prepare a classic dish from this region," the chef announced, clapping his hands together. "You'll be working in pairs, and by the end of the session, you should have a delicious meal ready to enjoy."

I groaned. Pairs. That meant I was about to get stuck with someone who either had no clue what they were doing or would boss me around.

The chef's assistant pulled out a list. "Alright, listen up! We've already assigned partners based on your group numbers."

One by one, names were called, and people shuffled toward their cooking stations. I half-listened, waiting to hear mine.

And then—

"Aliyah and Cris."

I blinked. Excuse me?

I turned my head, locking eyes with Cris across the room. He was already smirking like he found this whole situation amusing. Of course.

"Ohhh, this is about to be interesting," Chloé whispered from the station beside me, raising her eyebrows and folding her lips.

I ignored her and crossed my arms as Cris walked over, hands in his pockets. "Guess we're stuck together," he said, stopping beside me at our station.

"Unfortunately," I muttered under my breath, louder than I expected.

He grinned nudging me on my shoulder. "Come on, it won't be that bad. Unless you're a terrible cook."

I scoffed. "I'm a great cook, actually."

"Yeah? Prove it."

Before I could respond, the chef clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone, we'll be making seafood paella today! It's a traditional dish, and you'll need teamwork to make it just right."

Cris and I exchanged glances. Teamwork. Great.

We were handed a recipe sheet and a tray of ingredients: shrimp, mussels, rice, saffron, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and a variety of spices.

"Okay, let's get this over with," I said, tying my apron tighter. "You chop the onions. I'll handle the bell peppers."

"Bossy already," Cris teased, grabbing a knife. "I like it." He teased.

I rolled my eyes and focused on dicing my peppers. Cris, meanwhile, struggled. He held the onion like he had no idea what to do with it.

I sighed. "Oh my God, do you not know how to chop an onion?"

"I know how to chop an onion," he shot back defensively. "I just—" He made a clumsy cut, and the onion slice was thick and wonky.

I burst out laughing. "Wow. Amazing technique."

He glared at me but couldn't help laughing, too. "Shut up."

Across the kitchen, our classmates were already causing chaos. People were switching ingredients, messing with each other's food, and one group even "accidentally" knocked over another group's bowl of seasoning.

Nadia and Nawaf were arguing over how to devein shrimp. Chloé was busy sabotaging someone's rice by adding way too much salt. Mekky was sneaking extra saffron into his dish, hoping to impress the chef. I promise you Chloé and Mekky had no idea what they were doing.

Cris nudged me. "We should mess with someone's dish."

I smirked. "Hmm...tempting. Who's our target?"

He glanced around before nodding toward the pick-me girl's station. "Her. Brielle."

I grinned. "Perfect." I clapped my hands together.

While she was busy complaining about her station being too messy, Cris casually walked over, pretending to grab more ingredients. I watched as he swiftly switched her sugar with salt.

When he came back, he whispered, "Let's see how that turns out."

I shook my head, laughing. "You're terrible."

"But you love it." He teased me again.

I didn't respond to that, but I was definitely having more fun than I expected. Maybe cooking with Cris wasn't so bad after all.

I was too busy dicing the bell peppers to notice that my apron had come loose. It wasn't until I reached for the olive oil that I felt it slipping off my shoulders.

"Ugh, hold on," I muttered frustrated, trying to fix it myself. But before I could, Cris's hands were suddenly on my shoulders, tugging on the apron straps and tying them back together. 

I froze.

"Stay still," he murmured. His voice was lower than usual, and I hated that it sent a tiny shiver down my spine.

He moved behind me, grabbing the loose strings and pulling them tight. I felt the slight tug as he tied them together, his fingers brushing against my back for just a second too long. He then moved his hands to my waist softly and adjusted the straps on my waist making the knot firmer.

"There," he said, stepping back like it was nothing.

I turned my head to look at him, and he just smirked.

"You're welcome."

I made a bitter comment to cover up the way my heart suddenly felt weird in my chest. "I didn't ask for help."

He leaned on the counter turning his head to watch me. "Yeah, but you needed it."

I sighed and turned back to the stove, pretending I wasn't flustered.

Cris chuckled under his breath and grabbed the onions again. "Alright, boss, what's next?"

Before I could respond, a voice spoke through the noise of the kitchen.

"Wow, Aliyah, getting Cris to do all the work for you?" Brielle said, arms crossed as she leaned against our station. "Smart move. Saves you from embarrassing yourself."

I rolled my eyes. "Jealous? I can ask him to help you too if you're struggling."

Brielle scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Please, I don't need help. Unlike some people, I can handle things on my own."

"Uh-huh," I said as I sprinkled some salt into the pan, refusing to give her more attention.

Cris, who had been silent this whole time, finally spoke up. "Brielle, don't you have your own food to ruin?"

I chuckled, holding back a laugh.

Brielle glared at him before arguing back. "Whatever. Just don't come crying when you lose."

She turned to walk away, after knocking over our container of salt.

I sighed, picking it up. "She is so—"

"Not worth it," Cris continued. "Let her be."

I nodded, exhaling slowly. Just as I turned back to my cooking, there was weird smell in the air, almost like that stench from the ocean.

I wrinkled my nose. "What is that?"

Cris raised an eyebrow. "What?"

I glanced toward Brielle, who was standing at her station. I didn't even think before saying, "Brielle, do us all a favour and close your legs. The smell is getting unbearable."

Cris choked on the water he was sipping and started laughing, quickly turning away.

The people at the nearest station burst into laughter, including Nadia and Nawaf, and Brielle's face folded as she became pissed.

Brielle turned her head around, raising an eyebrow angry. "Excuse me?"

I shrugged. "Just a suggestion."

She cursed under her breath while Cris was still silently laughing beside me.

"You're gonna get yourself in trouble," he spoke. He was biting his lip, trying so hard not to laugh. "That was so unnecessary."

I giggled, tossing some chopped veggies into the pan. "Nuh-uh, that was so worth it."

------------------------------------------

- 02.30 PM -

The warmth of the hot tub immediately relaxed me as I sunk deeper into the bubbling water. Chloé let out a satisfied sigh beside me, stretching her arms along the edges of the tub.

"This is exactly what we needed," she hummed, tilting her head back.

"I know, right?" Nadia agreed, running her fingers through the water. "I swear, all that cooking and running around this morning was exhausting."

"OMG! You were sabotaging people's dishes too!?" I said excitedly.

"Yess!" They both sat up replying In unison delivering back the same energy.

I sat back, and closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth, but of course, that peace didn't last.

"So, Aliyah," Chloé suddenly said, a teasing tone creeping into her voice. "We haven't had a proper update. What's the deal with you and Cris?"

I opened my eyes and glared at her. "There is no deal."

Nadia spoke. "Yeah, okay. That's why you guys were practically all over each other in the cooking class."

I splashed some water at her. "We were not all over each other."

Chloé raised an eyebrow. "Mmm, so him adjusting your apron, whispering in your ear, and making sure you didn't burn the food was just... what? Friendly behavior?"

"Oh, he did not whisper in my ear!" I defended immediately sitting upright.

"Hmm... Okay, if you say so." Nadia replied.

I huffed, sinking lower into the water. "He was just being helpful."

Nadia and Chloé exchanged looks before bursting into laughter.

"You're in denial," Nadia said, shaking her head. "Just admit you're starting to like him."

I hesitated, chewing on the inside of my cheek. "I don't know... It's confusing. One moment he's annoying, the next he's actually—"

"Sweet? Nice?" Chloé finished for me.

I sighed. "Maybe a little."

Nadia smirked. "A little, hm?"

Before I could respond, one of the spa attendants entered, letting us know the sauna was ready.

"Thank God," I muttered to myself as we climbed out of the hot tub and headed to the sauna.

~ Cris' POV ~

The second I stepped into the men's spa area, I was hit with the scent of eucalyptus and other relaxing scents. Mekky was already making himself comfortable in the hot tub, arms stretched behind his head like he owned the place.

"Took you long enough," he said as I sat down beside him.

Nawaf followed, slipping into the water with a sigh. "Man, this trip is something else. I don't know whether to feel relaxed or stressed."

Mekky laughed. "Why? Too much Nadia?"

Nawaf rolled his eyes, but there was a small grin on his face. "Not even. She's perfect. Just... unpredictable."

I smirked. "You're actually fucking whipped, bro."

"Whatever," Nawaf muttered. 

Mekky spoke, "Anyway, what about you? You and Aliyah seem... different."

I tensed slightly, but I kept my facial expression casual. "What do you mean?"

Nawaf scoffed. "Don't play dumb, man. You two have been acting all close lately."

I ran a hand through my damp hair. "I don't know. She's just—she gets under my skin, but at the same time, I can't stop thinking about her."

Nawaf grinned. "Oh, you've got it bad."

I groaned. "Shut up."

Mekky chuckled. "Nah, he's right. You like her."

Did I? The thought had crossed my mind, but it felt different from the other girls I'd been interested in before. Aliyah wasn't easy to impress, and she definitely wasn't falling head over heels for me like most people expected her to.

"I don't know," I admitted. "She's just different."

"Different how?" Nawaf pressed.

I thought about it for a second. "She's not afraid to call me out. She doesn't take my crap. And even when she's annoyed with me, she still—"

"Still lets you play with her hair while she sleeps on you?" Mekky finished, smirking. Nawaf tried to hide his laugh.

I rolled my eyes. "It's not like that."

"Sure," he drawled. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, bro."

Before I could argue, a masseuse stepped in, letting us know we were up next for massages.

"Guess we'll continue this later," Nawaf said, getting up.

"Yeah," Mekky added, throwing me a knowing look. "But just so you know, you're already too deep in, man."

I didn't respond, but as I followed them toward the massage room, I realised that he might be right.

↜-------------------------------------↝

A/N

Hi guys,

I know you all missed me 😼, Anyways, here's another chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. I just thought I'd treat you to another chapter after the stunt I just pulled 

Love you all! Thanks for the love and support!

Bye!,

Words - 1,976