I definitely have time to write, but I wish I still could land a job. It's so hard at the moment! If only I had graduated sooner or later, but not now. Well, at least I can try to finish up Culinary Rivals (and hey! An update 22 days from the last one). And I'm glad you readers out there are still hopping along for the ride.

So here's the meal for you readers out there as you get into this chapter: a serving of Salade Mozheim, Kelpsy quiche, and a glass of W&W. Enjoy! DaX0315, Ou7X (at least you're occupied!), the honoured Guest, and Phsycres Wolf-Brother (how have finals been?)

Chapter eighty-four: Oranges and Apples

By the time dessert was being prepared and the cheeses were rolling out, mostly everyone had had their fill. Steven and Cynthia spent much of their time mingling with other tables, including conversations with Chef Bordeaux, Siebold, and the Kalos Gym Leaders (namely Viola, Grant, and Korrina). Cynthia even took to serving the cheeses personally as an excuse to talk with others, and Steven accompanied her wherever she went.

At some point, they approached Astrid at her table, who was in an enthusiastic conversation with Fantina.

"Salut," Cynthia greeted them.

"Salut," Fantina greeted back.

"Salut, Cynthia!" Astrid said. "Whoa, have you heard of what adventures Fantina went through? She is really skill on the contest stage! I wish I could have that talent, being good at battling and at contests. Plus, she has a good sense of fashion. So she pretty much is a natural in Kalos!"

"Mais elle a raison," Fantina replied, grinning and speaking in her usual accent that was practically native to Kalos. "I have that talent, but I can tell our friend Astrid ici is a very capable fighter. Steven, mon ami, you have been training her well, probably?"

Steven's face started to turn pink. "Fantina… You don't need to say it in front of everyone. Yes, yes, I have been training her well."

"Of course he has been training me well!" Astrid said, then she clung onto Steven's shoulder (even while still sitting down). "He is the best mentor ever and always has time for me. Soon enough, I'll win the Kalos League thanks to him." She flashed a bright smile up to Steven, which made Fantina chuckle. "Plus," Astrid added, "it helps that he was a Champion and Cynthia offered to help too."

And Cynthia could only look the other way.

"And he makes me lunch sometimes! I couldn't have asked for a better mentor either," Astrid went on. "That said, dinner was delicious! I'm really proud of you. And now you got a lovely girlfriend too, right? So when's the wedding?"

Just mentioning that made Steven tense up, whereas Cynthia stayed quiet. Steven then decided to ignore the question and shift the focus on Astrid again. "A-anyway, Astrid is a good student. She's charming, bright, eager to learn, and very competitive. Did I mention that she beat Cynthia in a friendly one-on-one?"

Astrid was flattered and speechless, so the best she could do was keep an open smile. Fantina chuckled.

"At this rate, Cynthia, you should start retraining sometime," she said. "You should take up a student of your own to keep your skills fresh! You know that Champions can retire once every so often, but a Gym Leader like me has a job to do." Fantina started cutting her remaining slice of Accolade en croute. Looking at Cynthia again, she scoffed. "Of course, you have your priorities too, managing your new restaurant. Perhaps you should train with Astrid more."

Astrid giggled. She looked at Cynthia again. "Come now, you're giving me too much credit! Cynthia has more important things to worry about, like Steven. You know, we finally accept that these two are together and she needs to spend time more with him. Besides, Cynthia, what are you plans with Steven after dinner?"

In her view, Cynthia didn't want this kind of attention. This was supposed to be a celebratory dinner, right? However it seemed that the topic of her relationship with Steven would always be brought up no matter where they went. If she didn't know better, she would have thought this was a curse or something. Not that she thought of Steven as a curse, no. But did the topic have to come every time?

And this was all because she set up shop in Cyllage City nearly two months ago! If only she knew what kind of embarrassment she was about to wade into, she would have approached Steven differently. Then again, if it wasn't for that, she wouldn't have revealed her feelings to him, nor would she have gotten to know Steven in the first place. To think they she and Steven were enemies, but then Cindy came along which shattered her world and his.

But now, Steven promised to help her with her debts, and his love came with it.

"There is… some business to do, yes. I can't tell you what reasons I have, but that's about it," Cynthia replied. "No time for battling now, but maybe in time we'll go on vacation or something. I can't tell you for business reasons, but you get the idea. We're going to be busy. And when things have gotten a little quieter, perhaps we might try to get a Richissime star or two. But that can wait, you know? Anyway, I don't want to keep you from eating, Fantina." Her eyes shifted to the servers who were distributing the cheeses.

"Oh, speaking with you is always a pleasure, Cynthia." Fantina waved and then continued eating. Astrid was amused at the pace of the Gym Leader's eating and probably because of the imminent dessert. So Astrid spent some more time discussing battles and contests with Fantina, with Fantina sharing stories from the Hearthome Contest Hall.

Meanwhile, Cynthia and Steven were getting a tired from the constant walking and mingling with the table guests. But as hosts, they had to do it anyway. Unless they were to hold an anniversary or something (which was almost sure to not happen for the foreseeable future), this would be the only celebration commemorating the merger of Vue sur la Lune and the Stone Restaurant and Bistro. Having seen pretty much every guest at this point, they returned to their table for the cheese course.

The cheese course was a small number, given the number of people they had to serve. Each cheese was presented to each table like it was a presentation, with the servers giving a brief explanation of what cheeses were available. As it happened, Martine Grenadine took the liberty of delivering the cheeses to Cynthia and Steven.

"Tonight before the desert course," she began, speaking to Steven and Cynthia like she was a schoolgirl doing an oral exam, "I present to you the cheese course." She directed the chefs' attention to the cheeses. "Fromage Couriway, which hails from the mountains south but has the flavour of the earth. It's excellent. We also have an imported cheese here, called Wedgehurst Jack. It's somewhat spicy, but refreshing too and fresh to our lineup. And of course, here is the pride of Cyllage City with lots of bite to it: De Cyllage."

Martine then beamed at Steven. "So, boss, how did I do? Was that good enough?"

Steven smiled. "You did very well, Martine, as always. You know, I would like a glass of sirop de grenadine please."

"For sure! I'll be back," Martine replied.

Cynthia and Steven began sharing the cheese platter that Martine had presented to them. The flavours were there and tasted just as refreshing given they had a splendid entrée for the night. The two of them didn't say much and instead savoured the flavours of cheese they had been given. Steven cut parts of De Cyllage as Cynthia sliced parts of the Wedgehurst Jack.

"So, uh, what are your plans tomorrow?" Cynthia said, unsure whether to start a conversation. "It's the weekend."

But she wasn't prepared for what Steven said next, and surprised her as much as it humoured her. "Well… I don't know if you're up for it, but want to go out for a bit? I mean, looking at rocks – I mean, ruins! Just wondering if you're up for spending some time in the mountains nearby. It might help to get away for a bit, and there's always business to talk about. There's no escape from that."

And so Cynthia smiled. "I'd like that, and maybe we can take a real vacation later on. I do have a place in Undella Town in Unova, so maybe we can go there after."

"Do you really? We can think about that, then."

That was news to him. So Cynthia had a vacation spot of her own? That sounded exactly like Steven's former villa in Sinnoh's Resort Area. To help take his mind off things for the night, Cynthia offered part of the cheese she was cutting to Steven. There was lots to do from now, but for the time being it was better to enjoy the evening. Steven gratefully accepted the cheese and bit a part of it off.

Martine soon came back with Steven's drink. "You know, that jacket looks really, really, good on you, boss! You really look like a man who belongs at this table. And very handsome, come to that. Aw, boss, are you blushing now? Don't be surprised. Any girl like me knows you're handsome tonight, and you'll steal any girl's heart."

"M-Martine! You're making me blush!" Steven hissed, and quickly added, "Again."

This feeling was horribly too familiar to Steven. When was the last time he felt like this, that his face flush with pink and in the presence of Cynthia and Martine too? The one distinct time was the opening night of Vue sur la Lune, where Cynthia met Steven and Martine at their table, and Martine was making an effort to embarrass her boss. Now, Martine was at it again, and she was making her effort extremely obvious. But there was a difference than that time and this one, because there were no perceived hostilities between them now. Steven had been using that as an excuse to not get into a relationship with her or even consider it.

Now, there were no excuses, which made it very hard for him to talk or even find the words. Without any afterthought, he picked up his sirop de grenadine and sipped it.

With a small blush, Cynthia leaned in and pressed her lips to Steven's cheek briefly to snap him out of his trance.

"There, better?" she said.

Steven nodded silently, his eyes widening.

Martine laughed softly. She would have never guessed Cynthia would kiss Steven so suddenly in front of her. "Oh my gosh, boss! You're the most adorable thing ever. Any girl would admire you at this point. Even me." Afterwards she went to see to desserts.

Eventually, the dessert course was rolling out in the form of large tarts; so large and square that they comparable to the size of school textbooks, and accompanying theme was a slice of Lune Opéra – the de facto shortened name of Cynthia's Crème de Lune Opéra that had earned her acclaim before. The tart itself was a crust base and piled with glazed apples but had the scent of oranges in it. Steven didn't know what to expect from it, but Cynthia knew. After all, she created the recipe.

"After you," she said to Steven, who looked curious. While Steven started cutting a piece of tart out, Cynthia helped herself to the Lune Opéra. Sure, the dessert was absolutely delicious, but she would want some ice cream after this. Maybe later.

Steven then began to eat his tart. At first, it had the feeling of home cooking that seemed to suit Cynthia's style so well. It was sweet, hearty, and had a magnificent aroma to it. The glaze tasted of… oranges.

"You can really taste it, can you? I'm thinking of even putting this out in my café," Cynthia said, smiling at how Steven was enjoying her dessert. "Oh come now, Steven. Don't be afraid to say it! I've seen that look in your eyes before. It's tasty, isn't it? I infused the glaze with orange, so you have that citrusy flavour."

She looked carefully at Steven's eyes just to see what kind of reaction he had. Steven chuckled softly in response and then helped himself to more of the tart. "It's delicious, Cynthia. I can certainly taste it." Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to put this in the Stone Bakery as well? Steven quickly pushed that thought aside. It wasn't necessary. It would seem better if the Stone Bakery could find something better to do instead. So he added, "At this rate, my bakery will fall behind you. We better think of something better to bake."

Cynthia rolled her eyes, and before Steven knew it, she stole a bite from Steven's tart.

"… Really, Cynthia?" Steven muttered.

After dessert had been cleared up, Cynthia and Steven went to personally see off the guests as they began to leave. To do that, they went stood at the foyer together to watch their guests leave through the front doors under the chandelier. Chef Bordeaux left first with Siebold following him, and Cynthia and Steven suspected because they had culinary business to attend to. Well! To be fair, they were going to be just as busy later. Even the food critic Madame Marie LeBlanc was seen congratulating the two before she left.

By the time the Stone Restaurant and Bistro became much quieter than it was earlier, Steven turned to see Astrid talking enthusiastically to Laurent at the front desk. Beside Laurent, Steven and Cynthia could see Sophie wearing a darkened face and on the verge of tears – and Laurent didn't seem to notice! Instead, he seemed to enjoy talking to the platinum blonde who wore mostly purple.

"Astrid!" Steven said, with Cynthia beside him as they approached the desk. "You still haven't left yet?"

"Oh, I was about to, Steven. But I just wanted to talk with Laurent for a little while!" Astrid replied. "He said he might take me to the Battle Château so we can test our skills together! Like wow, you have a lot of people who know how to battle! You should transform your restaurant into a battlefield like other places do."

Steven couldn't help smiling. "Astrid, you know I've retired from that. Besides, have you invited Sophie to come along?"

"Who's Sophie?" Astrid said, oblivious to the black-haired girl beside Laurent who was silently crying. Now that Cynthia saw it, it was actually humorous to watch Sophie burn up inside while Laurent was had Astrid's attention. It sure looked like something familiar. After Laurent explained quietly to Astrid, Astrid nodded. "Salut, Sophie!"

"Salut…" Sophie muttered.

Astrid had more or less turned her attention back to Steven. "So, are you two headed off now?" she asked. "Going to spend some more quality time together?"

Cynthia smiled. "Probably. I'm tired out."

Astrid laughed. "You two have lots to do, as you've said. Pitch me a battle sometime! And maybe with Laurent too. I'm sure all of us want to see you two in action again, when there's time." The fact that she omitted Sophie's name, whether intentionally or not, did cause some annoyance to Sophie herself, but the latter kept quiet. Soon enough, Astrid waved Steven "À bientôt" and then left the restaurant.

Before Cynthia and Steven could leave, though, they were stopped by the voice of Wallace.

"Laurent! You need to do better than that!" Wallace said. "Look, you need to take Steven's example and be bolder! You're Sophie's love, right? You shouldn't put a second girl into the picture!"

Laurent sweatdropped. "But I'm pretty sure there's no one else except me and Sophie…"

A few paces away, Cynthia and Steven watched the scene unfold but chose not to stay any longer. Instead they decided to head off for their respective homes. "That looks familiar, doesn't it?" Steven said. "That's an obvious love triangle if I've ever seen one. One clueless love triangle."

Cynthia rolled her eyes, wrapped her arm with Steven's, and led him out. "As if you were any better. Come on Steven, this isn't the first love triangle you've seen, right? And so I've heard, you even ship these two."

Groaning, Steven followed Cynthia out and into the night. Wallace followed them out shortly after, because Winona and Lisia had dragged him out as well.

The next day, the popular Kalos magazine released a headline titled, 'Oranges and Apples: The Epic Marriage!'

Of all the headlines the magazine could have written, and they picked one that mentioned marriage?! How bad could it get? That was a recipe for disaster, Steven thought. It was bad enough that he wanted to get publicity out of his life for the next while and he thought it had finally ended. The cook-off, the merger of the Stone Bistro and Vue sur la Lune, and the celebratory dinner seemed like a way to end things off, so that the media could finally leave him alone.

Clearly, he was wrong. The media wasn't letting him go at all. In fact, it appeared that the media would never let him go until they found something more interesting to write about. But as far as anything was concerned, and relative to everything else, it was obvious that his relationship with Cynthia was making the media's market right now.

Or perhaps the media (as they always did) needed some kind of attention-grabbing headline that would entice readers to read their articles. Otherwise, how else could they garner interest from the public? Not that Steven had considered proposing to Cynthia yet. That would take time. But either way, it seemed to him that a vacation to Undella Town might actually sound good right now. He wouldn't be surprised if Cynthia thought the same, given she was under the same scrutiny as him too.

And of all the pictures that the magazine could have chosen (though he had a strong suspicion that Viola and Alexa had a part in it), it was the one where Cynthia kissed his cheek last night. Was that even necessary?

So that was the topic of interest that morning, when Steven met up with Cynthia at Le Café Sinnoh for breakfast. As it happened, Le Café Sinnoh was serving some specialties from the Stone Bakery, so Steven could enjoy a Slateport cake or a croissant from his bakery here while having a grapefruit juice, all freshly prepared.

"Merci beaucoup," he thanked Henri.

"De rien, Steven," Henri replied, setting down the glass of juice before Steven and then setting a coffee for Cynthia. Shortly after, Steven was eating a croissant and Cynthia started eating a brioche. Both chefs looked like they were enjoying their breakfast and no magazine article headline should spoil it. However, the amount of scrutiny they were still receiving even now was becoming a burden and might have made breakfast harder to stomach. They ate quietly and read the magazine article together.

"I really don't like it that our relationship seems really, really, forced by others' perceptions," Steven said. "Did they really have to put emphasis on the marriage part? It's really like fanfiction."

Cynthia shivered. "I feel the same, but that's something I think we can worry about later. I mean, you still have feelings for me, right? And didn't you want a vacation? Maybe we can start planning one today, after business has been taken care of."

Steven nodded in agreement and continued eating. His eyes then shifted to the stage where the live band had finished setting up their instruments and started doing sound checks. There was little need for technical support the melodies played were easy to listen to. For now, the music generated a relaxed atmosphere in Le Café Sinnoh and sounded like the sort to help people start their days.

Henri came back shortly. "By the way, Cynthia, I'm glad things worked out between you and Steven. So, does it mean you'll take more time off for dates or taking a vacation? Wait, have you ever been on a date with him at all?"

Cynthia crossed her arms, wondering how to respond, but Steven beat her to it.

"We've been taking our time with Pokémon battles now and then," Steven said. "You'd be amazed at how rusty she is now." And that caused Cynthia to blush out of embarrassment and annoyance. Amazingly, Henri laughed.

"Well, glad she's found someone who's just like her to practice, you two being Champions before," he said. "Well, I'll leave you to your breakfast then. If you'd like, I can get you some fresh oranges and apples too."

Steven shook his head politely. "No, it's okay, Henri. We're fine with this, and I've had my fill of apples and oranges already." He held up the magazine article, which made Henri roll his eyes.

In case you don't know, this is a nod to an earlier chapter. Review, and you can a slice of Wedgehurst Jack and perhaps that orange-glazed apple tart that was served for dessert here!