Disclaimer: I do not own VA and thank Richelle Mead for writing such an awesome series.
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/suggested stuff for this story so far – really appreciate your love, support and encouraging words!
Here it is people – Rose and Dimitri finally get some alone time!
AND it's a long chapter (even after multiple edits)…
Please read AN at the end…
Dhanyavaad (Hindi– thank you)
PS. I would like to dedicate this chapter to Llaria6 – she knows why
_
Two rival restaurants and chefs – what happens when love joins the menu?
Restaurant Wars
CHAPTER 17
Dimitri POV
I had finally made my decision.
This was the week I would tell Roza how I felt about her.
The frustrating thing was that I had to wait until Friday, since our fathers insisted on leading the planning process. We decided to meet up for lunch mid-week in neutral territory – a small restaurant down the street that specialised in finger food from various countries called Tastes of the World. Father was surprised when the restaurant was suggested because outside of our own that was the only other place he had eaten at more than once. Turns out it was one of Abe's favourites too.
Wednesday had finally arrived and with an hour to go before our meeting, father and I were busy in the kitchen. No matter how much I tried to focus on the task at hand, I kept making little mistakes. I was a bundle of nerves and anxiety, and it didn't take long for father to pick up on my 'distracted' mood.
"You are of no use to me in your current state of mind. Why don't you clean up and head over to the restaurant now so you can pick us a good table. I will see you there in an hour".
Normally I would have felt rebuked by such a comment, but today I practically ran out of the kitchen, barely hiding my wide grin at the thought that I might be able to see Roza before our fathers arrived. As I quickly changed into my street clothes for lunch, a small plan hatched in my head. It was risky but hopefully it would pan out.
I made my way to the Mazur restaurant, but instead of going through the front I walked around the back knowing it would have a door that lead straight to the kitchen. My plan was to rock up, ask for Rose and see if she was able to take off early. Hopefully we wouldn't be interrogated for leaving early, but if Abe was to ask why, I was going to suggest it was so we could commandeer a table and that with Rose by my side, the two of us could order the food so it would be ready and waiting by the time he and father arrived.
Pleased with myself and my little scheming I almost jogged to the back entrance only to be halted mid-step.
There, in front of me, was Rose kissing someone.
My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach while I felt bile creep up. My body suddenly forgot how to function and I struggled to breathe. I wanted to punch something, scream and cry all at the same time.
How could she? I thought… she had feelings for me…
Yeh right! Who could ever love you? All you've ever been good for is a quick fuck!
When was the last time you had a long, meaningful relationship?
Maybe your middle name isn't the only thing you inherited from your ded. He was incapable of maintaining a monogamous relationship… maybe that's meant to be your fate too…
No…you're wrong…I'm nothing like him…I love her…she is my first and she will be my last…
Yeh…well, she clearly doesn't love you…
I wanted to smash my head against something to stop the stupid argument my inner voice was having. Taking a step back, I leant against the wall trying to remember how to breathe again. My heart had resumed pumping but I still felt a sharp pain in my chest. A few tears stained my cheeks and I wanted nothing more than to kick myself for having such a pussy reaction. If my father saw me like this he would disown me!
Glad I had an hour before our meeting to compose myself, I took off towards the restaurant in hopes of finding a good table and maybe ordering a shot or two before everyone turned up.
Forty five minutes later I watched as my father, Abe and Rose walked through the door. Forty five minutes was a long time to wait and instead of 2 I had 4 shots. My head was buzzing but thankfully my Russian genes kept me from becoming an embarrassing drunk. I had pre-paid for my shots and made sure the waiter had removed all evidence of my 'pity-party'. I'd also gone ahead and ordered a few dishes to start us off, figuring that if Abe and Rose wanted something else they were welcome to order whilst we ran the meeting.
Unfortunately, having the competition televised this year meant that people started recognising us and much to my annoyance I had to sign a few autographs while I was busy wallowing. Thankfully people took the hint and left me alone.
I watched the other patrons in the restaurant fall silent as they noticed my party make their way towards our corner table. I guess for now we were mini-celebrities and would have to get used to the attention. It was great for business but a nuisance in our personal lives.
Keeping my face emotionless, I watched the approaching people. My eyes barely registered my father and Abe before zoning in on Rose.
God, she was beautiful…
I felt the usual ache I always experienced whenever I saw her, as I took in her perfect figure – her dark hair, luscious lips, curvy body and soul-searing eyes.
She graced me with a shy smile and her eyes shone with some deep emotion that I would have once considered to be a mix of desire and love.
But that can't be right…if it was why the hell was she kissing that guy?
The image of her kissing the mystery man flashed before my eyes, causing the anger and betrayal to return with a vengeance. My eyes turned cold and I broke our gaze to look at the menu before me.
Once all three reached the table, I stood up and politely extended my hand to shake Abe's.
"Mr. Mazur, thank you for making the time to attend this meeting. I hope you don't mind, but I ordered a few dishes for us to nibble on while we strategized".
Instead of shaking Rose's hand I just gave her a curt nod and sat back down. I watched her stumble at my cold behaviour before composing herself and sitting down next to her father. I knew my father and Abe would take charge of the discussion (even if they were allowing us to manage and run the food truck) so I sat back and let them lead the meeting.
Fuck! How am I going to manage 2 nights and 3 days with just me and Rose?
I had to get out of this if I could…
As I watched our father's talk, they became more animated & excited about the challenge. I decided to take advantage of my father's strangely positive mood.
"Father, you sound like you're really into this food truck challenge. I'm fine for you to take my place and I can look after the restaurant".
Rose had been dropping covert glances my way ever since she had sat down. Meanwhile I had been avoiding her because every time I looked at Rose all I saw was her kissing someone else and it tore my heart open over & over again. Even without looking I could sense her eyes narrow as I made my suggestion.
Why should she care who she cooks with? It's not like she was looking forward to cooking and spending time with me…
The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that it would be for the best if we weren't working together.
This has to be the right course of action… after all neither one of our families would accept our relationship…not with the feud…this food truck challenge was a momentary truce but it wouldn't last…and let's not forget we were still in the middle of a competition…No…this was a good thing…Rose finding someone else…
Once I had stopped with my inner monologue I noticed father hadn't acknowledged my suggestion, still chatting away excitedly with Abe. Trying to not be thrown off by his strange behaviour, I reached out and tapped my father's arm, repeating my earlier suggestion. Both men stopped talking and looked at me.
"Don't be silly Dimitri. You are participating in the food truck challenge, representing our restaurant. You have been begging me to give you a chance to lead a project – well this is your chance. I'm sure the both of you can manage the challenge without our guidance. We have decided on the menu, supply/demand strategy and the food truck name – all you two have to do is prep, cook and distribute the food while maintaining the truck and inventory over the 3 days".
I opened my mouth to protest, but saw the warning in his eyes and I knew no argument would change his mind.
Unless you tell him the truth – that you have fallen in love with his rival's daughter and don't want to spend the 3 days in close quarters with her…
I would have laughed at the thought if I wasn't feeling so depressed. Nodding my head in silent assent, I kept avoiding Rose's searching gaze. Thankfully the meeting wrapped up and we all headed out, our fathers satisfied with the outcome of our little get together.
With the briefest of handshake and nod I bid the Mazurs a farewell.
I was no longer looking forward to Friday...
WEEK 6 CHALLENGE – AT THE STUDIO, FRIDAY MORNING
I arrived at the studio with mixed feelings.
Part of me was still the love-struck fool who was eagerly waiting to spend some un-interrupted time with Rose. But there was also a bitter part that was dreading the close confines in which we would have to work, not to mention sharing a hotel room together!
But I was a professional and would handle this in a cordial manner, even if it meant treating Rose as a colleague. I took a deep breath, put on my expressionless mask and walked into the studio. As always my eyes found Rose just as she sensed me. Her smile was hesitant, as she took in my cool demeanour.
Keep things professional….keep things professional…
I chanted over and over in my head as I walked over to where she was standing. With a curt nod of greeting, I focused my attention on the production manager who was moving around the group getting the final details from the chefs.
Once they had collected everyone's information on their food trucks, they set Galina up in front of a camera to tape the intro.
"Welcome back everyone to Restaurant Wars! Today we start our Food Truck challenge! Our chefs have decided on the menu and names for the trucks. They will be spending the remainder of the morning outfitting them and prepping the food for the lunch rush at Manly beach. The lovely folks at The Sebel Sydney Manly Beach hotel will be accommodating them for Friday & Saturday night. And the food trucks will re-open for lunch on Saturday and Sunday in the same location. Alright people…Let's get this party started! Here are the names and menus for the three food trucks…Gosh, I can't wait to try these delicious dishes!"
The large screen lit up with three food truck images. Truck 1 was Italian and Indian.
Name: Sugar & Spice
Menu:
Pepperoni calzone
Banana and custard calzone
Vanilla cannoli
Nutella cannoli
Spinach and ricotta fried ravioli
Strawberry and cream fried ravioli
Vegetarian samosas
Lamb samosas
Potato pakoras
Jelebi
Truck 2 was Japanese and Thai.
Name: MeFoGie
Menu:
Enoki beef rolls
Prawn tempura
Vegetable tempura
Chicken Karaage
Beef satay
Chicken satay
Fish cakes
Vegetarian spring roll
And Truck 3 was us.
Name: The Tsar & the Sultan
Menu:
Chicken pide
Mushroom pide
Doner beef roll
Falafel roll
Turkish delight
Chicken & cheese piroshky
Mushroom piroshky
Lamb shashlik
Beef shashlik
Ponchiki
The production manager yelled 'Cut!' and everyone dispersed to their food trucks to get things set-up and ready. I worked quietly next to Rose and even though I kept my emotions hidden, I could feel her confusion, anxiety and anger.
Why would she be angry with me? I had been nothing but professional.
On the outside I seemed detached and arrogant, but inside I was a mess. I couldn't seem to make up my mind on what I wanted – to shake her in anger or ravish her against the nearest wall?
The next 72 hours were going to be both painful and enjoyable – a symphony of bittersweet emotions and moments!
I could sense she was only moments away from confronting me on my strange behaviour, so I excused myself under the pretence of needing to use the restroom.
I took the opportunity to compose myself and couldn't help but stare at my reflection warily. I looked like hell (even with all the stupid make-up for TV). I hadn't slept properly since Wednesday – my mind in complete chaos and my heart burdened with emotion. I had desperately wanted to speak to Vika hoping for some advice and comfort, but unfortunately she was away on some course excursion and this wasn't something I wanted to discuss over the phone. So I had no choice but to stew in my own self-loathing and bitterness for the remainder of the week. Taking a few deep breaths to centre myself I got ready to leave the restroom, knowing if I took too long Rose would come looking for me. I was about to walk out when I heard voices on the other side of the door. Peeking out, I watched Rose having a heated conversation with someone. I knew it was wrong to listen but my curiosity was too strong so I stayed in my spot and placed my ear against the door.
"How many times do I have to tell you Jesse – I. AM. NOT. INTERESTED!"
I took a step back in surprise – her mystery companion was Jesse!
What the hell was he doing here?!
I knew that Adrian was participating in the challenge, so he wouldn't have needed Avery or Jesse's help this week. I resumed my eavesdropping.
"Rosie…oh my sweet Rosie…you don't have to play games with me...I want you in every sense of the word and I know you want me too…don't act like that kiss meant nothing to you…I know it affected you just as much as it affected me…"
I felt my jaw tighten in rage – Jesse was the asshole I had seen her kissing on Wednesday!
At least I hope it was…I'd hate to think she was going around kissing guys at random…
CRAP!
Maybe it had been Adrian…
I stopped my chaotic thoughts and focused on the conversation happening outside, hoping to get some answers.
"God Jesse! That stupid kiss outside my restaurant was a one-time deal and only because I wanted to prove to you there is nothing between us… I told you then and I'm telling you now – I. DON'T. HAVE. ANY. FEELINGS. FOR. YOU…What more do I need to say or do to convince you?!"
I almost collapsed in relief – it was a meaningless kiss! A kiss to show an idiot he had no chance with her! I would have preferred he'd been 'convinced' in another manner – but whatever, it didn't matter now. I felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from my shoulders and I wanted to jump around & do a happy dance. I was pulled out of my impromptu celebration when I heard a startled shriek.
"Let go of me Jesse! You are hurting my arm!"
And that was my cue to enter.
Standing tall, I channelled my anger to shape the hard expression on my face and tighten my chest muscles, as I walked out to join them.
"The lady asked you to un-hand her".
Jesse and Rose turned towards me simultaneously – Rose with an expression full of embarrassment and relief, Jesse's was shock and slight fear. He dropped her arm like it had burned him and took a step back, raising his hands in mock surrender.
"It's all cool dude. Just having a conversation with my girl".
"I'm not your girl!"
"She's not your girl!"
Rose and I hissed at Jesse simultaneously. Before he could say anything more, Adrian came around the corner. He took in the scene for the briefest of seconds before walking over to Jesse and taking his arm in a tight hold.
"I was wondering where you disappeared to. I asked you here to help me set-up not to fraternise with the competition. Come on, I still have a million things to do before we leave".
He didn't wait for Jesse's response and dragged his garde manger away from us. Before he left our sight, Adrian gave us both apologetic looks – I had a feeling Jesse was about to enjoy a nice, long lecture…
Suddenly things became awkward. I could tell she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how – I knew the feeling because I was the same. Just as we both opened our mouths, Galina popped her head around the corner, startling us.
"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you. Need to film a couple of shots showing you setting up your food truck – will you be ready in 5 mins?"
We nodded together, still rattled by the interruption.
With a mega-watt smile, Galina gave us a thumbs up and disappeared. We looked at each other and felt the tension dissipate. Now wasn't the time to have our much needed chat, but it was definitely on the cards for this weekend.
Our 'behind the scene' segment didn't take too long but it was annoying to act chirpy and excited, especially when it went against our nature. So far in the competition, most of the interaction with Galina had been handled by our fathers – so we were both way out of our comfort zone!
As we worked together, I was pleasantly surprised to discover how in sync we were – she knew what I needed before I reached for it, while I knew when to move before she asked – we were like two dancers, moving in perfect harmony.
How was this even possible when this was the first time we were working together?
I tried not to dwell too much on the how or why, instead enjoying her company and the surreal peace it bought me. We worked so efficiently that we were the first ones to be done. Thankfully we didn't have to wait for the others and with a few last minute instructions (like which part of the beach we were to park at) we were on our way. Added bonus to finish first – we could decide which spot we wanted!
I drove the truck since I had a truck licence. At first, I was worried the silence in the truck would be awkward, but it wasn't. If anything it was comfortable, like being next to your best friend. I wasn't a big fan of radio so I tethered my music to the console and turned it on shuffle. Not many people knew (apart from Vika) that I loved a variety of music – my favourite era was the 80s and favourite style was Country. But like I said, I enjoyed a diverse style of music and so a Taylor Swift song happened to come on. As 'Bad Blood' vibrated through the truck, I held my head high while I waited for Roza's reaction. Roza had been occupied with her phone but the moment the song came on she stopped her fiddling and looked at the media console. When she saw that it wasn't the radio but my personal playlist, her mouth fell open and she stared at me and then at the console. Back and forth her eyes darted – she was clearly shocked I had the song in my music library.
Looking at her briefly with a straight face I eased her rattled mind.
"My sister Vika got me into Taylor Swift. I'm not ashamed to admit I like some of her songs…"
Roza's mouth fell open wider and I was worried her jaw was going to detach. The image was too comical to maintain my straight face and I started laughing. Roza got caught up in my laughter and it wasn't long before we were belting out the chorus together.
Once the song had finished, she gave a little giggle before looking at me shyly from under her lashes.
"I love Taylor Swift too, it's my guilty secret. I love singing her songs in the shower".
A beautiful blush painted her cheeks while she nervously nibbled on her lower lip. My mind raced through the countless fantasies I had of Roza where her cheeks had flushed in a similar manner (albeit for a different reason) and it had been me nibbling those lips instead. My fingers twitched on the steering wheel, desperate to reach out and stroke her cheeks. I needed to remind myself how soft they were and… Damn, where her lips always that perfect?
Before I could make a move, Roza sat up straight.
"We are here!"
She squealed in excitement, pointing frantically like a 5 year old towards the signs that directed us to the Manly Life Saving Club. An area near the club had been set aside for the food trucks. It was also close to the hotel we were staying at.
Roza practically flew out of the truck before it even stopped. A small camera crew were already there with one of the assistant production managers. Acting like a Hollywood director, Roza walked around, her hands framed as she observed the beach in different angles trying to find the 'spot'. I chuckled at her antics – we were looking for a place to park not shoot the perfect scene.
Satisfied with some unknown observation, she jogged back and pointed at where she wanted me to park. Still laughing at her behaviour, I obeyed and with her guidance parked in the 'perfect spot'.
We still had some time before we needed to 'open shop' so I jumped out and joined Roza as she stood before the truck taking in the view.
"This is perfect! You can see the whole beach and get an amazing view of the ocean…Being on this angle should give our customers more room to line up and hopefully shelter us from the worst of the sun…Its so beautiful isn't it?"
I had stopped looking at the world around me – my eyes focusing instead on the exotic goddess that had occupied my dreams and thoughts for the last 2 months. She was breathtaking and I tried not to think about how we were to share a room for the next 2 nights. My mind and mouth finally connected when I realised she was waiting for my response. But my observation had nothing to do with the sandy views before me.
"Yes…beautiful…"
Today had been a roaring success!
I'm still shocked at how well we work together. It helped that we had prepped most of the dishes beforehand so all we had to do was cook and assemble on the spot as the customers ordered the food. After the first hour we fell into a rhythm and forgot this was part of the competition.
I was blown away by Roza's dedication – she seemed to match my passion and intensity when it came to cooking. Working together bought out a hidden side of our personalities that neither was aware of. Initially, Roza had come across as conservative and shy, while I was outgoing and adventurous. But the more we worked together the more she seemed to emerge from her shell while I was happy to step back and let her shine. This was evident today, as Roza smooth talked every customer – flirting and being super friendly regardless of whether it was a guy or girl. She had put together a playlist for the food truck that was a mix of Turkish & Russian music and had it playing in the background. And every so often she would sway or shake her butt, giving a mini performance for our customers – who loved every minute of it!
I, on the other hand, was in pure hell!
Working in close quarters while she moved her exquisite body in time to the music was too much and it took every ounce of control to stop by body from betraying me and letting her (and the customers) know how much she was affecting me. It was hard (no pun intended) to focus on the cooking.
We were told we could charge for the food – like a proper food truck – except the money we made was going towards the charity(s) of our choice. They also advised us that we could approach our truck's supply and demand in one of two ways: (1) Serving dishes until they ran out or (2) Keep topping up ingredients so we could cook until a specific time…
Today we tried the 2nd approach and it had been a logistical nightmare!
We had to keep a constant eye on the 'supply and demand' and the first time we ordered we didn't know it would take an hour to get our ingredients, so some of the dishes had to be noted as 'temporarily sold out' until we had replenished our stock. The other issue was deciding when we would wrap up for the day. We had been working non-stop since 12pm – with minor breaks and the occasional snack. Our energy levels lasted till the dinner rush and we knew that if we pushed ourselves anymore we would crash and burn so 'closed up shop' around 9pm.
By the time we had checked in and got to our room, we were ready to collapse unto our beds. But we had a few things to do before we could sleep. We each had to 'journal' our experience for the day and plan for tomorrow. But most importantly, we desperately needed a proper meal and a hot shower. I played the gentlemen card and insisted Roza take her shower first. I asked her dinner preference before she disappeared and chuckled at her response of 'biggest steak they've got'.
I asked for 2 orders of the steak, which came with a large side of mash and steamed vegetables, and a banana sundae to share. I even ordered a bottle of red wine, feeling we both deserved something nice after the day we had. I'd just finished ordering and was busy grabbing my clothes for the night when I heard the bathroom door open. Out of reflex I turned and felt my mouth drop along with the clothes in my hand.
Roza walked out in nothing but a towel wrapped around her body. She was busy using another to roughly dry her hair all the while humming 'Bad Blood'. I felt like a perv staring at her half naked form but couldn't look away. Realising things were happening down south that I didn't want to get caught with, I quickly bent down to grab my fallen clothes. In my haste I didn't realise Roza had walked closer and when I stood up, my large arms got in the way and I almost knocked her off her feet. She caught my biceps to steady herself but in doing so her towel unravelled and suddenly she was naked before me!
"Oh crap!" she hissed as her cheeks coloured instantly while she struggled to let go of me and cover herself up at the same time.
"FUCK!" was all I could iterate at the sight before me.
I knew I should look away – it was the proper thing to do – but the primitive male in me gazed at her hungrily from head to toe. My mind had not done her body any justice – she was far more sexy & gorgeous than I'd imagined and I wanted to throw her on the bed & make her mine!
Using the clothes in my hand to cover up my straining cock, I regained my ability to talk & walk and with a mumbled apology I quickly rushed towards the bathroom, praying I didn't have to jerk off to get mini-Dimitri down. Last thing I saw before I closed the bathroom door was Roza's perfect ass – she had dropped her towel completely and was looking through her bag for clothes. Stifling the moan that wanted to escape my trembling lips, I quietly closed the door and stood there trying to stop myself from hyperventilating.
The sexual tension had been there all day, rolling in waves and even humour at my expense couldn't diminish her allure and I found everything she did endearing and captivating.
God, I had it bad…How the hell was I going to keep my hands off her for the next two days?
I must have taken a longer shower than I realised, having had to think about babushka in a swimsuit to force my friend into a more relaxed position. No way was I jerking off in the shower when the object of my fantasies was just on the other side of the wall. Glad I had bought my clothes with me, I dried and dressed into some loose sweatpants and an undershirt.
The sight that greeted when I re-entered the room me made me smile. Room service had arrived sometime while I'd been in the shower and Roza had demolished her meal, half the sundae and a third of the wine. The video recorder was on my bed, while Roza was curled up in hers, sleeping deeply with a small smile on her face. We had to discuss our plans for tomorrow, but I couldn't bring myself to wake her.
Deciding we would chat at breakfast, I pulled the duvet over her shoulders and gently tucked her in. A small sigh left her lips as she snuggled deeper in the blankets.
"Sladkikh snov moya lyubov'" I whispered before I kissed her forehead and crawled into my own bed.
WEEK 6 CHALLENGE – AT THE HOTEL, SATURDAY MORNING
The heavy curtains were still in place so I wasn't sure if the sun had come up or not. But there was a reason I was awake. I could hear the sound of running water and a soft melody floating through the half open bathroom door.
Oh Fuck!
My mind became instantly sharp and my 'morning wood' as hard as granite. The right thing to do would be to turn away and calm my hard-on. Instead, I laid there on my side facing the bathroom while pretending to be asleep – all so I could catch a glimpse of my temptress. It wasn't long before the water turned off and I heard the shower door open and close.
I tried to regulate my breathing and kept my eyes semi-closed. There was a possibility she had taken her clothes with her this time, but a quick glance at her bag showed me her clothes for the day were draped over it.
Please be naked…please be naked…please be…
My heartfelt wishing was interrupted by my phone. Annoyed, I turned to see who could have called me at this hour. The name on the screen almost made me curse out loud.
It was father, probably wanting an update on us and the truck, and I knew if I didn't answer the phone he would keep ringing. Sighing in frustration, I sat up and faced away from the bathroom. I had just pressed the 'call' button when I heard Roza enter the room – it took all of my strength NOT to turn and see what she was wearing.
"Why are you still asleep? You have a million things to do before lunch…"
'Good morning to you too, father' I thought, rolling my eyes. I wasn't surprised by his phone call what with his need to maintain control. I plastered a tight smile and answered back.
"We planned out a bit last night and since we had stayed up late, decided to sleep in a little…I've been up for a while, just waiting for my turn to use the bathroom…"
I tried to focus on my father, but my mind kept bringing me back to Roza. I felt like a horny teenager with deviant thoughts…
Is she still naked?
What kind of lingerie is she wearing?
Did she moisturise? God I would love to lotion her up…caress and massage her exquisite body…
"Dimitri?! DIMITRI!"
I almost dropped the phone at my father's bellowing. My thoughts had taken over my ability to maintain the boring conversation. Clearing my throat, I pretended I had bad reception.
"Sorry father, something must have happened to my phone. Look, I need to go. Like you said, we have lots to do. I will talk to you later".
I hung up before he could say anything, not wanting to waste any more time when I needed to get ready myself.
"Morning..."
Her soft voice held a hint of mischief but it still touched my soul and I felt my cock hardening again. Trying to hide my embarrassing situation I got up and made my way to the bathroom. I guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought, as I heard her giggle just before I closed the door.
Even though I wanted to linger in the shower and relieve some tension, I had seen the time and knew we needed to get going. In my haste to avoid Roza's gaze I had forgotten to grab my clothes, but thankfully I found a large towel. Taking a deep breath to keep things under control, I walked out into…an empty room. I noticed the note on the TV stand.
I will meet you at the breakfast buffet.
Figured you would prefer if I wasn't in the room – considering you forgot to take some clothes with you :D
R
I shook my head with an indulgent smile – of course she had noticed me rushing in without any clothes. Thankful for some alone time, I dressed quickly and headed to the hotel restaurant.
It wasn't hard to find her – breakfast had just commenced and it was too early for a Saturday morning for people to be awake. She was eating a bowl of fruit salad and had filled the table with every food option available! I wasn't sure if it was all for her or if she had set the table with me in mind. Not wanting to make a bigger ass of myself, I walked over to her first, figuring I would ask her opinion on the breakfast options and in turn find out whether I was getting my own breakfast or not.
"Morning…"
A beautiful smile greeted me in response while her eyes shined with humour. I returned a sheepish smile.
"So what are the breakfast options around here?"
Her smile widened and she presented the table before her with a flourish.
"Take your pick…I wasn't sure what you would feel like so got a bit of everything – except for cereal. So if you want that, it's over by the coffee machine. I also didn't get you a hot drink as I wasn't sure what kind you liked first thing in the morning..."
My heart skipped a beat, overwhelmed with emotion – her gesture was probably an act to utilise our time efficiently, but to me it felt like something a wife would do for her husband.
Shaking myself out of such thoughts, I gave a small nod of appreciation and headed to the hot beverage machine. Looking at my options and knowing how much of a coffee snob I was, I opted for hot chocolate. I also skipped the cereal station, wanting instead to savour the options back at the table.
Yep, definitely want to eat what's back at the table…
Argh! This was going to be a long day!
We used our breakfast time resourcefully by planning out the day and decided this time we would opt for option 1 (sell until 'sold out'). It didn't take us long to get things prepped and by 11.30 we were ready to open.
We fell into our roles from yesterday – Roza the outgoing, friendly chef while I was the quiet, reserved behind-the-scenes guy. She was playing the same playlist but this time kept trying to get me to dance with her (which was sweet but annoying).
Today's line was double the size of yesterdays and because we had quadrupled the amount of food upfront, we were able to maintain our momentum for a few hours. It wasn't long before we started ticking things off as 'sold-out' and by 3pm we were done for the day.
Suddenly with so much time on our hands, we questioned if we had selected the right strategy, especially since the other food trucks were still in business.
Then Roza had a brilliant idea…
"Let's have a 3 hour break and I can order more ingredients so we can resume the food truck for dinner at 6pm. They never said that once we stopped we were done for the day. If I order now, the ingredients should arrive by 4 and we can spend the rest of the time prepping enough food to take us through the dinner rush – what do you think?"
I could have kissed her! What was I saying, I DID want to kiss her! It was a brilliant strategy that allowed us to recharge and not waste the day.
We headed back to the room to have some food and rest. She took charge in putting through the necessary order and it dawned on me just how much she was doing. I felt guilty – worried I wasn't pulling my weight.
"Do you need me to do anything? I feel like I'm making you do all the work".
She finished making some notes in a little notebook, which I think she was using to keep track of orders and other aspects of the 'business', before answering. Her warm smile put me at ease.
"It's ok, Dimitri – I don't mind. This is what I'm good at – managing the details and keeping on top of things".
I couldn't help but frown at her words – I wasn't insulted per say, but it made me question where I fit in the process, what was my contribution?
Worried she had offended me, she quickly got up from her bed and came over to mine. She hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to me, wrapping her hands around mine own.
"Please don't think you don't contribute because you do. You're just the big picture kind of person while I focus on the little things. That's why we are perfect for each other…"
Her eyes widened as the double meaning filtered through her mind and she turned away, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. Pulling my hands free from hers, I used both to frame her soft face and gently pulled her towards me. It wasn't only to look at her – no, I wanted that damn kiss I had been craving for so long!
Moving slowly, to allow her time to stop the kiss, I let me lips brush lightly against hers before letting them finally come together.
Every single cell flared to life and I couldn't help but pull her close. She in turn wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and pushed her delicious body against mine. A soft moan escaped her lips, as I pulled us to my bed and rolled her so she was below me while I hovered over her. She pulled me close and rubbed against me, making my hardened cock throb in my pants. I growled in need as I felt one of her hands grasp my hair, while the other scraped my scalp before trailing down my neck, shoulders, chest and….
"Room service!"
"Oh for fucks sake!" I half hissed/half growled.
In my lust filled state I had forgotten we had ordered room service. Roza gently pushed me back on to the bed, a sly grin on her face as her eyes noted my tented situation.
"I think its best if I deal with them…hmm?"
Giving me a quick peck she headed to the door, opening it enough to acknowledge the staff and taking the tray from them. She placed the food on the side table before making her way back to me. I knew we should get up (there was still so much to do) but I just wanted to forget about the world and focus solely on the beautiful goddess who was currently crawling her way back to me on the bed. My erection had deflated momentarily when we had been interrupted, but the view of a gorgeous woman hovering over me was all it needed to stand back in attention.
Our lips had just brushed against one another when we were interrupted yet again – this time by her phone.
"Leave it…let it go to voicemail" I whispered huskily, desperately wanting to kiss her…hold her…ravish her!
I knew I wouldn't take things too far – I assumed her virginity was still intact and the last thing I wanted was to be callous about our first time together and her first time overall. She nodded in agreement, ensnared by my lust and her desire. We resumed our kissing, forgetting about the interruption. Our hands started to roam and explore. She was quick at taking my shirt off and I was happy to oblige. Feeling her soft, gentle hands move over my muscles was too much – I surprised myself by moaning from the sensations I was drowning in. I don't think I have ever moaned – growled, grunted, hissed but moaning was new and made me feel vulnerable and exposed. I opened my eyes to gaze into her deep brown ones.
"What are you doing to me? You have had me under a spell since the first day I met you. All I can think about is you. You haunt my dreams and dominate my thoughts. Why do I feel incomplete when I'm not with you? When did you go from Rose to my Roza?"
I couldn't stop the words (even if I was saying them in Russian) and boy did it feel good!
I hadn't exactly said I loved her, but it was implied. Not that I didn't want to – God I wanted to! But I wasn't sure if I was ready to say it out loud, even in a different language. As it was, I could see a storm of emotions whirling through her eyes, her face barely a few inches above my own. Her eyes took in the emotions that burned in my own, which could be understood in any language. I saw the unshed tears and wondered what was going through her mind. She opened her mouth and I braced myself for her heartfelt confession.
The thundering knock on our door put a stop to whatever it was she was about to say. I wanted to pick up the hotel phone and throw it at the offending disruption. We took a few moments to gather ourselves before Roza answered the door. Meanwhile, I gave up and went to the bathroom, convinced the universe was being a bitch and wouldn't let us go any further today.
I could hear voices but couldn't pick out who was saying what. Putting my shirt back on, I took the time to use the toilet and splashed some cold water to reign in my raging hormones. Feeling more in control I walked out to find a frowning Rose sitting on her bed, her phone against her ear. Seeing the confused look on my face she put her hand up, indicating for me to wait.
The one sided conversation I listened to had me even more confused but as I listened I found myself frowning as well. It sounded like someone had stuffed up our order at the suppliers and they had doubled certain ingredients and forgot others. I could see Rose was trying hard not to snap at the person she was speaking to, but the hard expression on her face told me if she had been talking to them face to face things would have turned violent. Throwing her phone down in anger on the bed, she flopped down in frustration next to it.
"What's wrong?" I asked hesitantly, worried she might transfer her anger onto me.
She didn't move from her spot, but released a large sigh and patted the bed next to her lying form. I came and sat down beside her, my hand stroking her loose hair in an attempt to comfort.
"The idiots stuffed up big time! They've sent through two doner kebab spits and forgot our order of chicken. Plus they tripled our feta order and are sending half an order of mozzarella and no cheddar! And, if that wasn't enough, they've sent through a commercial size bag of potatoes. What the fuck are we going to do with that much potato!? So glad we aren't paying for this, otherwise I would be ripping them a new one! Seriously, monkeys could do a better job!"
She slammed her fist on the bed while I kept massaging her scalp, hoping to ease her rage. The motion was soothing for me as well, as it allowed my mind to work on the problem. I was so lost in my own head, I hadn't noticed Roza had gone quiet and was studying me intently. I blushed at being caught deep in thought and gave her a small smile.
"I think I know how we can work this to our advantage…"
It wasn't long before we were back in the van, working with the new shipment of ingredients and getting ready for the dinner rush. We made new signs to place over existing ones, as we tweaked some of our dishes to accommodate the mix-up.
Chicken pide changed to lamb shashlik and feta pide
Chicken & cheese piroshky changed to doner beef & potato piroshky
I was nervous about fusing our ingredients together though my gut told me we should have done this from the start.
There was no reason to worry – those two dishes were a hit!
In fact they were the first ones to finish and everyone kept asking us to make more tomorrow. We were just blown away by the interest those two dishes received. Even Galina stopped by with Alberta and Hans to sample the new creations once word got back to them.
All three praised our ingeniousness for turning a mix up into something amazing. The way Alberta and Hans kept whispering and throwing looks at each other whenever the mix up was bought up made me question if the mix up was an accident or something done on purpose to see how we handled ourselves under pressure.
As it was our last night at the hotel, we all decided to grab a drink at the hotel bar once everyone had 'closed up' for the night. After the first round and some general discussion, Roza broached the topic about the mix up.
"Ok, I just wanna ask you all something...cause it's been bugging us…did your orders get 'mixed up' today?"
The others looked at her in surprise, like she had uncovered some secret.
Adrian spoke up, acting like a spokesman of sorts.
"How did you know?"
Rose huffed in annoyance and folded her arms, physically trying to restrain her anger. I spoke in her stead.
"We had the same experience and had to adjust a few of our dishes. Luckily it worked out in our favour. We thought it was a genuine mistake until we saw Alberta and Hans exchanging a hushed conversation when we mentioned the mix up. Guess they did it to make the episode more interesting for TV…"
I could understand their reasoning behind the stunt, but I was just as angry as the others. If we hadn't been able to handle the 'mix up' it could have ruined our reputations. This was the first time I was helping my father in this competition but I don't remember him ever mentioning such unscrupulous behaviour being part of it in the past.
Knowing we had all been tricked helped us bond and before we knew it, we had spent longer than we'd intended indulging in drinks and snacks.
It was almost midnight by the time Roza and I had gotten ready for bed. We looked at each other timidly, remembering our interrupted moments from the day. I wanted her to sleep in the same bed with me, but was nervous to ask her. She looked like she wanted something as well, but faltered at the last moment. Sighing in exasperation, she wished me a goodnight and curled up in bed. It didn't take me long to join her in the land of slumber.
I awoke to whimpering sounds. Waiting for my sleep altered mind to register my surroundings I was able to place the noise coming from the bed next to me. Suddenly wide awake, I commanded my body to move and check on Roza.
"Rose…Roza…wake-up…"
I sat next to her sleeping form – she clearly looked like she was in the middle of a bad dream. She must have heard my request or felt my gentle caress on her arm because next minute she woke up with a start. Looking around like a frightened animal, her mind finally registered my presence and instead of shying away from me (which I was expecting) she threw her arms around me and started to cry.
"Hey…hey…its ok…it was all a dream. I'm her moya lyubov'"
I climbed into bed with her, adjusting my hold so we were hugging and laying side by side. One arm held her, while the other stroked her hair, neck and back in a soothing manner. I eventually stopped my ministrations but held her in my arms.
"What was the dream about Roza?"
I heard her whimper something, giving me the impression she wanted to either forget or make it seem like nothing. I wasn't easily deterred and tightened my arms around her, pleading for her to open up.
"Please tell me…you will feel better… Mama always said it was best to talk about bad dreams so you could figure out why you had them in the first place – solving the why helps ease the mind enough to let you go back to sleep…so please tell me…"
I felt her tense at my words, but it wasn't long before she relaxed and started to tell me about her dream.
"I don't normally have this nightmare. In fact it's been a while. I think I only have it when I feel like I don't have control in my life. With the stress we experienced today, I'm not surprised I had the dream. Actually it's not a dream, more like a bad memory. I was 10 and my family and I had gone to Bondi beach. I knew how to swim but it had been a while since I had swam at the beach and I was super excited. The moment I stepped in the water, I forgot all my lessons and just wanted to have fun. Because my mind was someplace else I didn't notice the massive wave that came out of nowhere and next minute I was pulled in and got caught in the under current. Thankfully Christian had been keeping an eye on me and raised the alarm. It didn't take them long to find me but I had some water in my lungs and needed CPR. Suffice to say the experience scarred me for life and I guess whenever things fall apart I remember that feeling of helplessness as I was dragged down".
As I listened, I found myself pulling her closer to me – worried that someone or something was going to take her away.
If she had died that day…she wouldn't be in my arms right now…she wouldn't be in my life…
I didn't even want to dwell on that. Shifting a bit, I pulled the duvet over us and cradled her against my chest. I opened up my soul and let the words I'd been carrying around flow through. I opted to reveal my inner thoughts in Russian, worried they would be too intense for her (especially after having experienced the nightmare).
"Nothing will ever happen to you Roza – you are my life, my soul and I promise to look after you for the rest of our lives. Listen to the beat of my heart – it's no longer mine, I'm only looking after it for you. My mind, my heart, my soul, my body – everything belongs to you. I really don't know how you did it, but I can't imagine my life with anyone else. I never thought it was possible to love someone as much as I love you. I really hope you feel the same way, otherwise I'm screwed. When I saw you that day kissing the asshole my whole world shattered. I always want you to be happy so if I'm not the one for you I will understand...it will crush me but I will not come in the way of your happiness. I hate how other men stare at you. I hate when Jesse and Adrian flirt with you. I want the world to know you are mine. If I knew for certain you wouldn't run away, I would propose to you – right here, right now. I love you so much my exotic princess".
By the time I had confessed my feelings, she was already asleep. Kissing her temple lightly, I got comfortable and fell asleep myself, praying that one day this would become our reality.
WEEK 6 CHALLENGE – AT THE HOTEL, SUNDAY MORNING
I awoke to gentle kisses on my neck, jaw and cheeks. I surrendered to the moment, letting the world fade away. I couldn't help but moan when I felt her soft lips nibbling on a sensitive part behind my ear. I knew she knew I was awake so I was about to forgo my fake sleep to have my turn at devouring her when a phone buzzed nearby.
It was Roza who swore at our interruption and pulled away to check whose phone had gone off. I opened my eyes reluctantly when I realised she hadn't returned to my arms. I gave her my best sad puppy look, but all she did was giggle and walk away, her phone against her ear as she listened to the voicemail. Few seconds later I heard her talking in Turkish.
Yup, the universe sucked!
It was our last day of the challenge and we were up to date with our video journals, had a hearty breakfast, checked out of the hotel and… Decided to shake up the menu!
Inspired by what had happened yesterday, I suggested we take a risk on the last day and change the menu. We looked at our dishes and identified which ones would work as hybrid Turkish/Russian dishes. It was a gutsy move on our end and would definitely piss off our fathers since we were doing this behind their backs.
The menu for the last day was…
Lamb shashlik & feta pide
Mushroom & Russian potato pide
Lamb shashlik roll
Doner beef roll
Doner kebab, potato & cheese piroshky
Mushroom & feta piroshky
Beef shashlik
Ponchiki with rose water
We just hoped this decision wasn't going to bite us on the ass later.
The judges were informed of our menu change. Technically it wasn't a big change – we just took out two dishes and fused different ones together. They hadn't said we couldn't do this. Tatianna and Robert were the only ones who looked at us with disapproval – guess they didn't like us changing the menu on the last day. But everyone else were receptive and wished us the best of luck.
Since they were going to announce the winners of the challenge at the end of the day, we had all been advised to run the food trucks on the basis of 'sell until sold out'.
We had another massive line (even with the altered menu) and we were ecstatic! Rose was her vibrant self and even I couldn't help but showcase some of my moves and partake in some friendly banter. She gave me the safe space to be myself or at least figure out who 'the real Dimitri Belikov' was and she encouraged my idea to infuse our ingredients/dishes together – something that would have never happened had I been working alongside father.
Our fathers turned up around 3pm to see how things were going and to be present for the final judging/announcement. The look on their faces, when the saw the line and then the new menu was priceless.
"Wish we had a camera to capture this moment…" Roza whispered conspiratorially.
I chuckled at her comment and was about to suggest she use one of our phones when our eyes made contact with our fathers.
"Busted!" she hissed.
I knew Abe wouldn't cause a scene, not with so many customers outside our truck and cameras rolling everywhere, but my father, on the other hand, was a wild card. We locked gazes and it felt like a battle of wits, and for the first time I refused to back down and look away. They had said this was our challenge and we could run the show. We had done things their way for 2 of the 3 days – this was our last day and I had no regrets ending the challenge on our terms.
I felt Roza's hand on my lower back, strategically positioned so anyone looking in couldn't see what she was doing – reminding me of her unconditional support.
"No backing down now Dimitri – we started this and we will see it through. Whatever happens today, know that I loved every minute of this weekend with you…"
Ever since our numerous make-outs and sharing the same bed last night, we were braver with our flirting and teasing in public – a brush of the hand over an ass, a tug of a hair strand there. We tried to keep things professional whilst in the food truck and definitely didn't do anything overtly obvious like kiss or hug. And now that our fathers were here, we had to be even more careful with our body language.
Damn it! We should have talked about what we were going to do moving forward. We may not have confessed our feelings to each other openly but we clearly wanted something to develop – only problem were our families.
By 5pm all the trucks were sold out, cleaned and packed. They had set-up a spot in the centre of the three trucks to film the wrap-up and winner announcement. The cameras focused on Galina as she took us through the final parts of the segment.
"Welcome back to Restaurant Wars! It's the end of the food truck challenge and boy was it a big one! Big thank you to the production team for doing a stellar job outside the studio! Now our trucks did a great job and you all wowed your customers with your culinary skills. We have tallied the votes from the judges and customers and have our final winner but before we announce them, let's review how things went with the challenge from day 1…"
The had a brief pause in filming before resuming, as the cameras followed her to each of the food trucks for our one-on-one interviews – asking us how we coped and how we found the whole experience. Naturally when she came to us, she was interested in discussing our 'last day menu change'.
I let Rose field the questions – she was a natural. Her inner charisma came out and she was cool under the stressful lights and necessary interrogation. If we owned a restaurant/business together she would be in charge of PR, the face of it all. I don't think she realised just how easy going she could be.
Once the interviews were done Galina went back to the 'centre stage' and did some more announcements and acknowledgements.
"Now before I announce the winner for this week's challenge, I wanted to let you know how much money you raised for your charity of choice. MeFoGie, you guys made $4000 over the three days! Great job guys! Your money will be donated to the Red Cross. Sugar & Spice, you guys achieved $6000 and this money will go to the Salvation Army. And finally The Tsar and The Sultan, you guys made $10,000! And your money will be split between Starship Hospital and the Cancer Council".
Roza and I looked at each other in surprise. We had made $10K in three days! That was crazy and yet I imagined how amazing it would be to go into business with Roza.
"Ok time to put you out of your misery. So the team that came in third place was MeFoGie – the most popular dish on your menu, with the highest score, was the chicken satay. Before I announce the winner, let me tell you what came through as your 'most popular dish'. Sugar & Spice, your dish was the banana and custard calzone. The Tsar and The Sultan you had two most popular dishes on the menu, receiving equal high scores. They were the lamb shashlik & feta pide and mushroom & feta piroshky! People loved your infused cuisines – shame you went with this approach on the last day, but it doesn't matter….because you guys won the food truck challenge!"
There was a brief pause as we let the announcement sink in and then suddenly, Roza was squealing in delight before jumping into my arms, forgetting that our fathers were in the 'audience' watching us with shocked expressions. Luckily we didn't go beyond the hug, though I did take the opportunity to hold her tight before letting her go. Galina continued, having allowed Roza to have her moment.
"Congratulations you guys! And the prize for winning the food truck challenge is….you get to keep your state-of-the-art food truck!"
Roza screamed in glee and this time, when she jumped into my arms, she pushed me over causing both of us to fall on to the ground. Everyone chuckled at her antics, including our fathers.
"Roza…as much as I love you throwing yourself at me...you need to remember our fathers are here…"
I really didn't want to burst her happy bubble but the last thing we needed was to be caught and interrogated by our fathers, at least not until we had figured out what we wanted. Realising how compromising our position looked (her laying on top of me), she quickly scrambled up and apologised for her reaction. Luckily neither of our fathers questioned the situation and attributed Roza's strange behaviour to her overall excitement. Galina smiled at us, enjoying our antics.
"Well guys, next week's challenge is Farmer's Market. We want you to cook a dish whose main ingredient is a major export for your cuisines country. So for example, the French may have made a dish with cheese or frog legs or snails. You get the idea. So rest up and I will see you all next week at the studio for another exciting episode of Restaurant Wars!"
Once the filming concluded, the other chefs came over to congratulate us – until it was our father's turn. We watched them nervously, wondering how they would respond to our win. Abe took Rose into this arms and spun her around, laughing with joy. My father, on the other hand, came over and took my hand in a firm shake.
"You took a gamble Dimitri and it paid off – you got lucky in my opinion. But a win is a win, so congratulations son".
For the first time in a long while, I gave him a genuine smile as I felt a surge of pride swell through me – this was probably the first time I'd received any kind of compliment from my father and I savoured the rare moment. We decided to celebrate our victory with the other chefs at the hotel bar.
As our large group took over a few booths in the corner, Roza and I took everyone's orders for first round of drinks. Galina had decided to join us as well as Hans, Tatianna and Alberta. Having given the drink order to the barman and knowing it would take some time to get ready, I pulled Roza to a dark corner of the bar for some 'private' time.
First thing I did was to push her against the wall and kiss her until we were both breathless.
"You have no idea how much I wanted to do that when they announced we won and it didn't help when you kept throwing yourself at me…"
Roza giggled and smiled shyly, looking at me through her lashes.
"I didn't mean to tease you…I never meant to be a …bad girl…"
She whispered the last part seductively, as she leant in and nuzzled her nose along my jaw before brushing her lips teasingly against my own. I in turn gripped her hips and bought them against my own, letting her know just how much she affected me.
"You better behave yourself – we can't afford to be caught by our fathers…"
It was like pouring a bucket of ice water. Roza's posture and expression changed. Sadness was the dominant emotion on her face as she stepped out of my embrace and hugged herself instead. She was biting her lips, clearly trying to hold back the tears. I hadn't meant to push her away and it hurt me deeply to know I had caused her current anguish. Without a second thought I pulled her back into my arms.
"What are we Dimitri? How are we going to handle our families? Do we….do we even have a future?"
Her voice was muffled since her head was buried in my chest but I heard every one of her questions. Tilting her head up to gaze into her beautiful eyes I answered each – without reservation.
"I don't know what I'm to you...but you are my life Roza".
"We will find a way to let our families know so till then we just need to keep things quiet… This feud has gone on long enough and I won't let it keep me away from you…"
"As for the future… you, Roza, are my future. I can't imagine my life without you… so I have no future without you….If I have to leave my family to be with you…give up being a Belikov and all it entails…then I will…I love you…"
There…I said it. I laid it out there and held my breath as I waited for her response. She moved her arms so her hands could cup my face. I noticed a few tears running down her cheek and I gently kissed them away. Once her sobbing was under control, she spoke up, trying to keep her voice steady.
"You have no idea how much you mean to me Dimitri. I thought I didn't need anything more in my life – I have a loving family and a career I am passionate about. But then you came and made it complete. You bought colour, life, spice…I don't know how else to describe the impact your presence has made. All I know is that I too can't live without you and if I have to leave behind my life…my family…then I will. I can't lose you...I love you Dimitri Belikov".
And then it was her turn to wipe away the tears that were trailing down my cheeks, before her lips landed possessively against mine.
There are a handful of moments in my life I can remember perfectly because they bought joy to my heart and soul – when my little sister Vika was born, when I was there to witness the birth of my nephew Paul and graduating from culinary school. But none of those compared to this moment, right here, as I held my soulmate in my arms.
Who knew, that I, Dimitri Alexander Belikov, was destined to find his soulmate and that she had been across the street all along!
Google Translate
Ded = Grandfather (Russian)
Sladkikh snov moya lyubov' = Sweet dreams my love (Russian)
Oh and in case you were wondering about the strange name for the Jap/Thai truck…
MeFoGie = Meat, Seafood and Vegies
Like I said, I spent a LOT of time editing this chapter and am hoping there aren't any mistakes/issues…if you find any…please PM me
Week 7 = Farmer's market so…
LITTLE HELP
What do you think would be considered as 'major food exports' for the following countries?
Turkey
Russia
Japan
Thailand
Italy
India
Answer via review or PM me…