Okay. I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated! It's been over a month! But hey, here's the story: by Week 5 of a university school term, the work gets extreme until the end of term! The good news is I've just finished a midterm, so I'm free to write all I want! At least until there's more schoolwork. Ugh... Nothing I can do about that.
Basically, I had intended to finish this chapter way earlier, but the one midterm I had this week needed a lot of study time, so...
dawnleaf1234 and QUEENSPELLER67, as you've already had a helping of the Stone Open, have a cup of tea!
Ryuu-kun and Dr Bound, you can have a serving of the Stone Open as well! Enjoy!
Here's to commemorate the 20th chapter of Culinary Rivals!
Chapter twenty: Heart on her Heart?
All but a handful of people stayed on the third floor. At times, the Stone Restaurant and Bistro would provide white tablecloths for dinner guests, but often did they normally provide the cold, polished, tables to guests instead. Under special circumstances, like hosting a wedding or having a special guest, would the Stone Bistro supply tablecloths. It was night, and alongside the restaurant lighting up for the darkness to come, the candle boxes at each table came to life too.
Before long, Diantha was seated at the once-vacant seat at the table, with a glass of wine being poured by the same waitress. However, at this point, the waitress seemed close to laughing; that Diantha remained silent for the whole time. She gazed outside for a moment in the candle's light before being interrupted somewhat rudely by the waitress.
"That's two women you're dining with tonight?" the waitress laughed. "Wow, Mr. Stone. I can't believe you… You're quite the player! So, who will it be?"
"Oh, please," Steven rolled his eyes. "Enough of that!"
But even when the waitress left the table, awkward silence followed. After Diantha took off her sunglasses and had wrapped her coat on her chair, thus revealing the white dress she wore underneath. Yet, she took into account just how sharply dressed Steven and Cynthia were. She was dressed in a black sleeveless maxi dress, and he was dressed in a charcoal gray suit with cuffs and a white tie. Was there something going on between them?
"Did something happen? You're very late," Steven was first to ask questions. "You see –"
"I take it you've eaten already?" Diantha interrupted. She could tell, seeing that there was an empty stone plate in front of Cynthia. "I'm famished."
"I'll see to getting your dinner straight away," Steven said abruptly, suddenly getting up to take Cynthia's plate away. "Oh, and if you ever need to refill your glass, Diantha, just send the waitress the word. She'll understand."
Diantha added, although a little awkwardly, "My Gardevoir would like a share in the meal too."
Steven nodded, but he sensed that Cynthia was annoyed. He didn't blame her, as he had initially told Cynthia that her Garchomp couldn't have a share. Now, he was clearly asserting his own hypocrisy, and that wasn't good.
"My Garchomp would like to try out more of your cheeses," Cynthia said, as if reading Steven's mind. "She'll love it."
He left the table soon after confirming the order, but Diantha's gaze was still fixed on him until he disappeared from sight (that is, into the private elevator that led to the kitchens). Cynthia, though, could clearly notice that.
"Don't tell me that you're attracted to him," Cynthia muttered under her breath. This seemed to have snapped Diantha back to reality.
"Oh, sorry, Cynthia? Did you say something?"
"No! Not at all!" Cynthia quickly said. In an effort to recover her cool, she asked, "How long…? Has it really been three hours already?!"
"That's what the nurse told me," Diantha replied. "However, I'm happy you're able to take my reservation and saved my seat. So for that, thanks, Cynthia! But still, you're looking dashing tonight. It's not like this is a hugely formal dinner."
"To be fair," Cynthia cut in, "you're wearing a dress too."
Between them, there really wasn't much to talk about – seriously. So they kept the conversation casual, from talking about food to the missed sunset. While Diantha admitted she envied Cynthia in that Cynthia got to experience sunset at the right time, she was more interested in talking about Steven.
"I wouldn't have thought he'd look this nice," she said. "Cynthia, what do you think about him?"
Okay, so you definitely are attracted to him! Cynthia thought, with her mind half-amused and half… whatever words could describe it. She managed to not let her emotions show, but she did struggle a bit on how to answer.
"Just answer the question, or… maybe you find him way too handsome for you," Diantha added as if trying to mess around with Cynthia a little. "Oh, don't worry. I've seen that magazine, you know. No one can get enough of that!"
In light of her conversation with Steven, she would have appeared to be speechless. But that wasn't the case with Cynthia, since she appeared perfectly calm. Diantha blinked once a smile curled at the side of her lips.
"Was I… interrupting something?" she covered her mouth as if trying to mock Cynthia. Cynthia still hadn't come up with a response to Diantha's remarks, such that it seemed she was better off not saying anything at all.
Steven wasn't surprised, but he wasn't pleased either when Wallace put a stop in his tracks on the way back to the kitchens again. Disturbingly, Wallace looked unusually happy, because within the happiness Wallace had contained some element of jealously. On the other hand, oddly, Winona followed Wallace as well.
"You're doing a great job at this gentleman thing," Wallace mockingly congratulated him. "You know, Steven, I knew you had it in you! Maybe at this rate you'll win her over for sure! I'm rooting for you, brother."
"Seriously, it's nothing personal! There's nothing going on between us!" Steven denied furiously. "Besides, this was supposed to be dinner with Diantha, not her! Don't forget that!"
"But my mutual friend – Diantha, mind you – invited me to have dinner here, didn't I mention that earlier?" Wallace reminded. "Long story short, you're doing an amazing job so far. You only need to impress Ms. Cynthia there with something drastic."
Steven was about to say something, but he noticed the way Winona was staring at him. Her face was totally relaxed, and if she could sigh, she would. The bottom line was that Steven had seen the expression on Winona's face many times already; be it Martine, Sophie, or the other waitresses. So to him it was no surprise, and he didn't take it personally since he harboured no feelings for Winona much. He would gladly give that privilege to Wallace.
"What would you have in mind…?" Steven muttered.
"Easy, my friend! You love her, right?" Wallace cheered, albeit Steven shook his head. "You only have to wait for right moment to do this…"
Before Steven realised it, Wallace had wrapped his arms around Winona, pulled her close, and kissed her quite… feverishly. Enough to make him and Winona satisfied, and snapping Winona out of her trance, but it was more than enough to make Steven uncomfortable, and even blush a bright pink.
"No! Just no! I won't – You can't suggest – No!" Steven was breathless. Embarrassed as he was.
Quickly as he could, Steven walked hastily away to the elevator to the kitchens. By then, Wallace let go of Winona, and Winona seemed bewildered. Rather than argue with Wallace, Winona marched back to her table, although blushing beet red, and sighed loudly.
Under a certain table on the floor, a duo of girls was busily doing what they came here to do. That is, performing the regular works of the paparazzi. One girl was a photographer, and the other was her sister, a journalist. It just so happened that the photographer was a Gym Leader as well, and while she might consider that sneaking past the crowd and restaurant staff with the use of her Pokémon being unethical, it was only part of her job.
Nevertheless, Viola, the photographer, had never expected to run into a man so handsome on this very floor. Her main reason for being here was to photograph Diantha, but it took a while before she realised she was taking more shots of Steven Stone than anyone else.
"Oh… gosh! He's… so…" Viola just couldn't stop aiming her camera at him.
"Beau?" Alexa, her sister, finished the sentence for her.
"Tu as raison," Viola affirmed.
They managed to sneak as many photo shots and write-ups as they could with Diantha, but they were both highly distracted by the two former Champions who were sharing the same table before Diantha had even arrived. It was no surprise the sisters had seen the 'Apples and Oranges' article, so seeing Steven and Cynthia together like this was a huge bonus.
"I can just imagine what kind of stories I can write up about this…" Alexa grinned, like a mad fangirl. "The man with all the ladies he wants: Steven Stone! Hey, what about getting pics before Diantha got here?"
"Oh, there's plenty of that," Viola grinned like an idiot. "I've got more of Steven, though."
Indeed, the sisters were so bewildered by Steven's appearance that they had mostly forgotten they were supposed to follow Diantha. It didn't matter, either way. They had plenty of time to watch Diantha, but for the time being they just had to stare away at Steven, as he disappeared into the elevators. This left Viola with plenty of opportunity to sneak pictures of Diantha and Cynthia.
They didn't realise until the last moment that Steven's shoes, his fine smoke-white leather shoes, were positioned right beside Viola. If it wasn't for the tablecloth, Steven would surely have noticed them. Viola and Alexa held their breath before relaxing as Steven walked away.
Two plates of Watmel berry salad had been placed before Diantha's eyes; the same salad which Cynthia had eaten earlier with him. At the same time, with his other hand, Steven placed a wooden board between his seat and Cynthia's. In the light of the candle box, he realised that with Garchomp and Gardevoir seated he would require an extra chair. Fortunately, as the floor was booked off, there were plenty to take from.
"Tonight, I've picked out only a certain number of cheeses for your pleasure," Steven said, addressing this directly to Cynthia. "LaBrie, which comes from Lumiose City, having its signature creamy texture. Bleu de Sud-Est, supplied from Santalune City, forming the core of my Accolade dish. Then finally we have a local specialty, a cheese with plenty of bite to it, De Cyllage. It's excellent."
As he said this, Steven questioned why he found it more enjoyable to talk about this to someone whom he regarded as a competitor. His businesslike mind kicked into gear, but he became self-conscious once more that he was treating this woman as he would a guest. An honoured guest, no less.
Cynthia, smiling like the sunset, gestured Steven to join her. However, amusingly, Garchomp showed signs of disapproval of this, as she wasn't willing to share. So before either Cynthia or Steven could make a move, Garchomp cut out a block of the Bleu de Sud-Est to eat it. Unfortunately, Garchomp was repaid by the cheese's intense and sharp flavour, and she had to sit back and slowly eat it.
Diantha seemed to be enjoying herself.
"You know, has it ever occurred to both of you that you two look like… an ideal couple?" she said, hoping to poke some 'fun' into their minds. "You really didn't have to dress up for me – Okay, I'll admit I'm wearing a dress too – but you two… Wow. You've gone above and beyond."
With a small knife in hand, Cynthia delicately cut out a slice of LaBrie. She felt like wanting to deny that, but instead she remained silent, and slowly nibbled at the slice of cheese. Steven had a block of De Cyllage to eat, but like Cynthia he didn't answer Diantha either. In fact, Steven – much to Diantha's amusement – had the block of De Cyllage in his hand but didn't dare eat it. Instead, he sipped his wine.
"It's okay. You don't need to tell me your feelings," Diantha said. "I'm no dating expert, but come on, now. I'm not telling you to bow down to public pressure, but you at least you two have a few things in common. You two know how to dress well, and you're both former Champions."
Neither Steven nor Cynthia dared to look into each other's eyes.
"So between us," Diantha continued, "have you two ever thought about pursuing a relationship?"
Steven hid his hands beneath the table, awkwardly fiddling with his fingers, and kept his head down. Cynthia, though, looked surprisingly neutral – which wasn't a surprise as she was well-known for being cool and collected. Cynthia's eyes darted to Steven, nevertheless.
"To be honest," Steven said softly, almost inaudible, "I've never thought about that. I never have time to pursue a relationship, since I'm always so busy. Besides, even as a Champion, I've had too much work on my hands, and I don't know that many girls."
Cynthia had a gut feeling that Steven was hiding something, but she let it go.
"I would say the same thing too," Cynthia added, though sneaking a glance at Steven before looking at Diantha again.
However, Diantha's response was a giggle, as if she wasn't registering what she was hearing.
"How old are you two?" she asked. "I know you both look at least 24, right?"
"I'm 25," Steven cut in. "But you're close."
"Same here…" Cynthia muttered.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Diantha said almost as if she were close to shouting. "You two are getting to that age, and you won't be 25 forever! I know plenty of friends around your age who would be dating already!"
Before Steven could say another word, Diantha went on. "Besides, I know your good friend Wallace has a girlfriend, yeah? That is someone smart."
Steven had a sudden vivid flashback of Wallace kissing Winona not too long ago. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and tried his best to flush out the flashback, but to no avail. When he looked at Diantha again, she had just started on eating her salad.
"Hey, Diantha, it's not like you're that much older than us," Cynthia objected. "Maybe you're older than us by some few years, or so. Besides, why does it have to be my love life we're talking about? What about you? Seeing you know so much?"
Diantha shrugged. "Well, you know that you and Steven have been in the news a lot, lately. I'm moreover surprised that critics haven't reviewed your food as of late. How many Richissime stars have you acquired, anyway? I know Steven has one."
Initiated by the hotel of the same name, Richissime stars were merits presented to restaurants in Kalos. Professional food critics would review the food for quality, and the restaurant for comfort and service. As such, Richissime stars were awarded based on critic reviews and first-hand experience; and they were highly favourable. A maximum of three could be achieved.
"I… haven't got any yet," Cynthia started. "Wait a second, why are we talking about this?! Oh, I get it, you just don't want to talk about your love life, don't you now?"
Diantha giggled. "If you've ever read the newspapers or magazines," she said. "There's plenty of my life in there where the public doesn't know. Oh, and I would never reveal if I was in a relationship, maybe until I'm married."
With nothing much more to say, but leaving them in awkward silence, Diantha took the opportunity to dig deeper. Gardevoir shook her head thinking Diantha was just wasting her time. Admittedly, Gardevoir could also tell that Diantha must have some degree of affection for Steven tonight, but she reserved her thoughts and quietly ate her salad.
"Still, if you don't have a girlfriend, Steven…" Diantha was all smiles. "I would gladly take that place for tonight. What do you think, Cynthia?" The way Steven saw it, Diantha looked just as eager as a certain redhead he knew – Martine, of course. Wait. Was that flirting he had just heard?
However, Cynthia just wasn't in the mood for replying now. Hoping to change the topic, Cynthia turned to Steven to say something, but she couldn't say anything at first. He was so… handsome. Steven could notice this, and was a little worried for her.
"Something you need, Cynthia?" he asked.
Cynthia swallowed. "Er… If you're not having that slice of LaBrie…"
Steven blinked, and looked down at his plate to see that he had an untouched slice of LaBrie there. Apparently, Garchomp had eaten almost half of the cheese on the board in the time the Champions were conversing. Steven took a good look at Cynthia once more, noting her eyeshadow, before passing his plate to her.
Diantha and Gardevoir looked at each other, and then to Garchomp. The three of them kept smiles to themselves.
"But what about you two? You never answered my question," Diantha asked, still smiling. "Have you ever thought of dating each other? You're the ideal couple, oui?"
"I'll admit Cynthia is looking gorgeous tonight," Steven admitted straight, but quickly followed, "but it never occurred to me."
"Same," Cynthia added. "You don't want to know what's going on between us. We have too many things going on in our lives."
Thinking back to the popular Kalos magazine, Diantha understood well enough.
"Ooh… So you do think she's gorgeous! I'll be off to wash my hands," she said, getting up. "Would you excuse me?"
Steven directed Diantha to where the washrooms were, and after the latter had left, Cynthia took the opportunity to talk.
"Are you sure you didn't stop by my coffee shop?" she whispered, hoping to get something out of Steven. "I had witnesses, you know. The Striaton brothers were there, you know."
He was silent at first, as he contemplated what would be the best response. Well, now that Diantha wasn't here, would it be appropriate to tell her – Cynthia – that he did? Would there be anything harsh that could come out of it?
Reminding himself again that Cynthia was his guest, he supposed it was safe. The shine on her earrings caught his eye before he could speak.
"Yes, I – I wanted to take a break," Steven admitted, somewhat flatly, but still nervous. He didn't know how to put it in front of this woman. "If you didn't know, my staff locked my up in the wine cellar for no reason for at least a whole night. Then, oh gosh, I had a break-in in the wine cellar! I'm certain I just had a robbery from under my nose! At least four bottles of wine! Gone!"
Cynthia raised her eyebrows.
"Sorry to hear that," she muttered.
"Anyway," Steven continued, "I figured I needed a break from work, not to mention my sous forcing me into it. I heard from those in the know that one of your coffees works well with a Slateport cake. So… I went there to see if it was true."
"Are. You. Seeing. This?" Viola giggled.
She was very excited, with her camera shooting at Steven and Cynthia constantly.
"I don't know," Alexa whispered. "I'll have to take a look at the pictures later. What are you seeing, sis?"
"The most amazing sight I have ever seen for a celebrity… What's better than following a celebrity? Seeing two more ex-celebrities who were celebrities in a certain magazine…"
Alexa's jaw dropped.
"You can't be serious. Them?"
"I am," Viola smiled. "Maybe I ought to add some kick to this…"
I'm already trying to develop the next serving of chapters as you read! Four more, to be exact, but it's only a matter of when I can write it.
So! Have a serving of these delicious cheeses when you review! LaBrie, Bleu de Sud-Est, and De Cyllage. They've all got bite in it!