Note: Thanks to all for your reviews, it has given me more ideas for reela's day off.
Hope u were also inspired to eat ice-cream, on a quick recipe note, try making quick lemon meringue ice cream – ready made custard, mix with double cream, zest and juice of 1 lemon, lemon curd and broken-up meringue. Churn in machine or put in freezer tub and whisk to break up ice crystals after about 40 mins. Repeat another 2 or 3 times then finish freezing and dig in!
"Aaargh…I think I'm gonna vom…"
4 hours of celebrity poker, the rest of the tubs of Haagen-Dazs, a 6-pack of beer and the family size bag of crisps later and Neela was now found to be hanging halfway off the sofa, head to the floor and legs propped on the sofa back. Ray wasn't in a much better condition as he adopted the pose favoured by everyone who has taken stuffing their faces as a personal challenge - their own junk food Everest, he had just gotten comfy in the sitting-on-the-floor-leaning-against-the sofa position with his head back on the seat.
Neela fixed him with eyes that were bright from too much sugar.
"I blame you for this, that's one 'Bhudda Belly' competition too far!" Despite her accusing tone, they both chuckled at the events of the last few hours where merry banter over the state of the poker playing had steadily degenerated in direct proportion to the amount of food and drink consumed. All of this had culminated in Ray's declaration, "Bhudda Belly!"
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He grinned mischieviously at her while she narrowed her eyes at him.
"You what?"
"Bhudda Belly, " he repeated. "My college buddies and I used to play this all the time, everyone munches away on the communal snack collection and when either everything's been eaten or everyone has admitted defeat, we compare stomachs to see whose is the biggest."
She raised one perfectly arched eyebrow and enquired fruitily,
"And I take it that size did matter, then?"
Ray replied with a bemused look as Neela continued, "and what does the winner get? Gout?"
"Oh ha ha, suddenly everyone's a comedian " he dead-panned. "It was just an idea."
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Neela felt bad about teasing Ray, he had been very sweet since the initial hiccup that morning and it had been so lovely to be in his company where they hadn't needed to talk all the time, that just being in each other's company was enough. So different from Michael where they had had comparatively little time with each other and so she had thought it so important that they talked about everything and still there had never been the sense of a complete conversation.
She gave Ray a sidelong glance, gave her currently-flat stomach an experimental prod and sighed dramatically, "OK. Hit me with the munchies then and I'll wager you one chick-flick against one horror-flick that I'll win."
Dark brown eyes were met by gold-flecked green ones that lit up as he realised that the game was on!
"I'll see your flick and raise you a bottle of tequila." And so the competitiveness continued until they finally settled on the winner choosing the movies for the rest of the month and the loser supplying the booze. Let the eating begin!
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Ray felt the sharp stab of disappointment when Neela had joked about that much-loved college game that usually took place when everyone was already a bit worse for wear. He didn't think the suggestion had been that bad but then he heard her assent and the disappoint was replaced by delight. Talk about having it bad. For a fleeting moment, he wondered how he had ended up in this position, going from rebel-rocker doctor to responsible R3 with a hint of rocker in just a few short years. The answer, he knew, was sitting beside him pouring the rest of the snacks into bowls and dishes, wavy black hair tucked behind her ears as she concentrated on the gastronomic challenge ahead of them. Ray was sure that she would freak out if she had the slightest hint of how he felt about her, then there was Micha…
"Right, it's done, beer and junk food are good to go. So what's the rules? Is it a free-for-all or is it a steady chomping motion? Do we take the same amount…"
"Whoa, there," Ray cut her off. Some things still stayed the same. She had been such a brainiac when they first met but they had helped to change each other, he passed on his more relaxed attitude and she reciprocated by affording him greater professionalism. "Just start eating, ok, and stop when you cant eat anymore. Simple."
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As with most competitions, there was much enthusiasm to begin with, junk food by its very nature was tasty and beer was good for washing anything down but a couple of hours of steady crunching and gulping had definitely taken its toll. Couple of hours. What had she been thinking? Neela could have kicked herself for buying so much at the store last night, this could have been finished ages ago and her stomach walls wouldn't be screaming for mercy! They eyed each other with gimlet determination, daring the other to quit first, which of course neither of them did until at last, all the bowls, tubs and cans were empty.
"Oh God, lets just do this before my tummy explodes," said Neela plaintively.
They sat side by side and pulled their sweatshirts up to expose uncomfortably bloated bellies with skin stretched taut.
"Hmmm…" mused Ray, "I'm not sure. Quit pushing your stomach out, that's cheating."
"Ray, " Neela's eyes took on a familiar deadly look, "I can barely breathe let alone push my stomach out. Anyhow, I think I've won, there's definitely more roundness." She continued to study their respective bellies and let her eyes travel over her room-mate's bare skin. "Shame, there's no more tattoos. He suits them." Yikes! Now why was she thinking like that? She prayed that the redness she was feeling spread up her neck wouldn't reach her face.
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"Ray." The sound of his name pulled him out of his reverie. Was it wrong to wish her top had ridden up just a little higher to reveal a shade more of her smooth, soft skin? "Yes, of course it is." He answered himself out loud before he realised what he had done. Luckily for him, it seemed to have been the answer Neela was wanting and in any case, Ray really didn't mind her winning the bet, it was worth it just for the big smile she was wearing as she looked at him. He thought she was looking a bit flushed, but well, extreme over-eating could do that to a person.
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Ray reached over to the table, lifted an empty bowl and passed it to Neela.
"Here, use this, don't wanting to be cleaning your chunks off the carpet, ha ha."
Neela deemed his words unfit for a reply but she took the bowl anyway, she didn't want to take any chances as she let herself float with the light headed-ness that began to take over. She closed her eyes and started to drift before being roused by the feeling of her roomie's hands manoeuvring her back to a sitting position. Her roomie, her colleague, her best friend, her...
"C'mon tough guy, let's get you upright, it's not good for all that blood to rush to your head. Ah, these amateurs."
Ray couldn't help but laugh as Neela blinked hazily at him while he tucked her blanket around her. He made to get up and start tidying while he left her to sleep it off but was surprised to find he couldn't move. Neela's hand held onto his arm and tugged him back onto the sofa next to her.
"I may be an amateur but I know when I've won a bet. Anyway, this is our joint lazy day so we can tidy later. Besides, "she smiled sleepily, "you make a good pillow." Ray smiled softly as she lay her head against him and even more so when he moved his arm around to get more comfortable and he felt her snuggle into his shoulder.
