Queen Luana: Time to start with Zell's seven-day-plan to cheer up Selphie. Every chapter will start out with a piece of Rinoa's advice. Enjoy.

Haute Cuisine

"First things first: eating helps. Girls like to eat the pain away, so, provide her with a meal loaded with sugar and calories. She needs it."

"I smell hotdogs."

"You might," Zell said as he limped into her room arms loaded with paper bags. He tapped the door with his heel in order to close it and it did with an audible swoosh. "Come on, get up."

Selphie said up straight moaning yet curious to see what it was all about. Zell dropped four paper bags on the desk near the window. He started rummaging in one of them and finally pulled out a bucket of ice cream. "I know it's supposed to be a dessert, but we're turning it into an appetizer because else it'll melt." He tossed it in Selphie's general direction without even looking so she had to dive forward to catch it.

"Triple chocolate," she read from the box and immediately felt the saliva bubbling up in her mouth. Zell handed her a spoon.

"Dig in."

With a feeble smile she forced the lid open then placed the icy goodness on her lap. The brown chocolate ice cream was decorated with swirls of chocolate fudge and little chocolate chips. Hesitantly she took a scoop.

"So, any idea about what I might have to do when I lose the bet?" Zell asked. He had pulled out some vegetables and a chopping board and knife and had begun cutting a cauliflower into little pieces. He had never cooked in his entire life but when at the market had somehow been confident of being able to slice and dice some vegetables and make a dip. He had entrusted Rinoa's overpraised calories to the mayonnaise-loaded dip.

"I'm working on it," Selphie said and licked the spoon. "You don't expect me to be able to eat after this do you?"

"Just some vegetables, some light stuff," Zell said. "Ouch!" He sucked his finger. Not as easy as he'd thought. But it made Selphie giggle. The first giggle in what seemed to be centuries. He searched in another paper bag for a plate and arranged the cauliflower, carrots and cucumbers on it. "Vegetables à la Zell," he said when placing the plate on Selphie's lap and taking the ice cream from her. She had already eaten half of it.

"Thanks," she said and dipped a carrot in the mayonnaise. Zell hurried back to his paper bags and Selphie had indeed been right about the hotdogs. He pulled out three of them, together with another plate. Selphie could already see they were practically drowning in ketchup and mustard and she propped another piece of cauliflower in her mouth.

"Cola or lemonade?"

"Lemonade," she said, used the last piece of carrot to wipe up the remaining dip and gave Zell the paper plate. After tossing it in the trashcan he returned with the hot dogs and a plastic cup.

"Thank you, Zell," Selphie smiled feebly and took the tinniest bite from her hotdog.

"I hope they're still warm." Selphie nodded and wiped a drop of ketchup from the corner of her mouth.

"This is without a doubt the weirdest meal I ever had," Selphie smiled and threw him a smile. "I like it."

"Oh and it's not over yet," Zell said. "I've also got you a… lollipop!" He conjured a bright pink lolly from behind his back and Selphie smiled with glee.

"A pink one!"

"A pink one," Zell smiled and tucked it behind her ear. He leaned back against the wall and watched how Selphie quietly ate her first hotdog and then took the next.

"Is it that interesting to watch me eat?"

"Fascinating," Zell said dreamily. "And what do you think? Feeling better yet?"

"Better, yes," Selphie said. "Cured, no." She cast him a sad smile. "Sorry Zell, but a girl's heart isn't fixed with a few hotdogs."

"I know," he said and patted her leg. "But hey, I'm just getting started. This is just Monday. I still got till Sunday night, twelve o' clock sharp to make you cheerful again."

"Just one sec," she said and swallowed a chunk of hotdog. "What if you win the bet?"

"You'll buy me lunch," Zell said with a smile from one ear to another and Selphie moaned at the thought of how many hotdogs she'd have to pay for. Then again she assumed that if she did feel better at the end of the week, it was worth it.

She rubbed her belly when she had devoured the last hotdog and sank back into her chocobo-pillow. "I'm stuffed. Phew…"

Zell picked the ice cream box off the table. "Guess you don't feel like chocolate milkshake anymore, huh?"

She smiled and waved her lollipop. "I'll keep it with my pink candy."

Zell smiled. He already felt like making progress and he had a few more things up his sleeve. He'd win this bet for sure and was already thinking of going on a diet, just so he'd be able to eat even more hotdogs when Selphie was paying.

"How come you still don't have a girl, Zell?" Selphie asked him as she tore off the plastic foil. "Lemme guess. You're too demanding."

"No I'm not," he said and plumped down in her bed. "They are."

"Oooh, rubbish," Selphie said and licked her lollipop. "You're just lazy."

"What?"

"I bet you haven't got a girl because you don't want to try," she said and rolled the lolly over to one cheek. "Once this bet is over, I'll hook you up with someone. You'll see that with just a little effort, you could meet that special person."

"I'm not going on a blind date," he said. "Please. How knows what kind of freaks you try to match me with?"

"Ah, there! See?" she exclaimed and pulled out the lollipop so she could talk more clearly. "You're already chickening out, Zell Dincht."

He shook his head and gazed out the window. He didn't feel like dating. All that smooching and being full of it just wasn't his thing. It wasn't worth it. If it didn't go naturally then it didn't have to go. He took the spoon and started scooping up the melted chocolate ice cream. "You know, I walked in on Squall and Rinoa yesterday."

Selphie gasped and the lolly almost fell out of her gaping mouth. "You didn't!"

"Well, I didn't see anything if that's what you mean," Zell said. "I knocked and there was a ruckus. Then Rinoa opened up, face all red, wearing a robe. I think I spotted some lace underneath it."

"Oh, you're not making this up are you?" she asked and squealed. "This is almost too good to be true!"

"Why is that so thrilling?"

"She's been teasing me with the exact same thing," Selphie said and pressed a fingertip against Zell's chest. "Every day, ever since she…" She stopped and her mouth closed. Zell could just see her cheeks flush before she lowered her head to stare at her lap. She put the lolly in her mouth again.

Zell placed a hand on her kneecap. "Selphie?" She pulled her leg away and crawled back under the covers.

"Thank you, Zelly."

Dumbstruck he stood up and started cleaning up. He loaded all remains in one paper bag and tossed the rest in the trashcan. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay Selphie?"

She responded with a soft hum and so he left the room. Back in his own room he dropped the paper bag on his table then dropped backwards in his bed. He folded his arms underneath his head. What had just happened? She was doing great just a few minutes ago and now boom bats she was back to zero. Sighing deeply he closed his eyes. Fine then, he'd just have to continue to the next phase in his flawless plan.

He pulled the notes he had made in Rinoa's room from underneath his pillow. "We've had the food, so now it's on to…" He tapped the paper with a smile then went rummaging through his desk drawers. Seconds later he pulled out a large sheet of paper and cracked his knuckles. "Okay, let's get started."

Queen Luana: And now you're all wondering what he'll do next. Don't worry, it's nothing groundbreaking.