《The Holiday Competition ✔️》chapter eleven
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Ten minutes into Kira's and Bain's chat, Helene decides to interrupt them.
Bain doesn't seem to cut up about having to leave Kira. But Kira pouts sullenly as Helene tucks her hand into the crook of Bain's elbow and guides him over to a loveseat at the other end of the room, away from everyone else.
'I can't believe the three of us are still here,' Saffron gushes excitedly.
Winnie, Saff and I are standing to one side, away from the rest of the group.
'Same. I really didn't think I would be voted for,' Winnie comments, shaking her head in disbelief.
I shrug. 'I think Ahmed likes you. Maybe not in a romantic way, and I know you don't like him like that, but he enjoys your company.'
Winnie smiles at that. 'Yeah, he's a sweetie. He's much more suited to Binah or Florie, though.'
At the mention of my friend's name, I look over at Florie. She and Ahmed are reclined on one of the sofas, giggling and flirting like school children. It's adorable.
'Fidel didn't seem upset about Marybeth leaving,' I note to the girls.
Saff raises her eyebrows in question. 'I'd love to have known what was going on between the two of them. Do you think you should ask Fidel about it?'
I bite my lip as I consider it. It's none of my business.
'Who's to say he would tell me the truth? He'd probably lie. It sounds silly, but he might get in trouble. I imagine he broke the rules by going to her bedroom, we're not meant to go to their chambers,' I reply.
Winnie smirks. 'Didn't stop Bain going to your room though, did it?'
My cheeks warm up at her comment and the girls laugh at my blush.
'Maybe they just had a little thing on the side. I don't know. There was definitely something going on though, with the way he wiped his mouth as he left.'
'Maybe they'd been eating something?' Saff suggests.
'Or he'd been eating her,' Winnie adds and we all break out in giggles.
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After Bain and Helene have the world's longest conversation, he comes over to me. We go outside again and Bain wraps a faux-fur blanket around my shoulders.
I snuggle up to his side on the bench when he puts his arm around me.
'I enjoyed today,' he starts.
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'Which part? Having me fall for you or blindfolding me so that I was solely reliant on you?' I ask flirtatiously.
Bain chuckles and kisses the top of my head. 'Okay, I'll admit, those moments were the highlights.'
'I enjoyed it, too. Thank you for voting for me, by the way.'
Bain looks down at me and I turn slightly, so I am facing him.
'Of course, I want you to stay. I want to spend more time with you, Amity.'
My breath catches in my throat. Both from the sweet words he's saying, and how close he is to me.
Bain leans closer and closes the distance between our lips.
The kiss is sweet and affectionate at first. His lips move softly over mine, as if easing me into it. After a few moments, it becomes more heated. He presses his mouth harder to mine. Bain tugs my bottom lip between his teeth and then sucks on it.
My hands instinctively grab the lapels of his blazer. I hold on tightly, bringing my body close to his. I can feel his heart beating fast under my hand. He's enjoying this as much as I am.
He angles his head slightly, allowing him to kiss me more deeply. His tongue nudges my lips and I hurriedly open up to him. His tongue moves with mine and I find myself suddenly getting very hot.
When he finally pulls away, my lips feel swollen. I blink up at him and he smiles down at me.
'I've been wanting to do that all day,' he murmurs.
He brushes my hair from my face and I lean into his touch. He cups my face with his large hand and feelings of comfort and safety wash over me.
We cuddle into each other and talk about random things. Bain asks if I'm excited for the baking competition tomorrow.
'Do you know what you're making me?' He asks with a smirk.
I raise one eyebrow at him. 'Are you so certain that it's you I'm baking for?'
The smile drops from his face and he narrows his eyes at me.
'It better be me that you've chosen,' he warns quietly.
I smirk and lean close to him. 'Or what?'
He pecks my lips, taking me by surprise.
'Or nothing, Amity. But, if I had to bake something for any one of you, I would choose you, pisicuță.'
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His admission makes me smile. That, and the use of his nickname for me. Kitten.
'What would you make me?'
Bain considers it for a moment and I admire his perfect face up close. His complexion is literally flawless and his stubble is neatly maintained.
'I would make you gingerbread. You told me that you've only had gingerbread a couple of times and you wish you could eat more of it,' he says triumphantly with a smile.
My cheeks heat up at his answer. 'I can't believe you remember that.'
On day two, when we went skiing, the dessert menu at the restaurant stated that each dessert dish was served with gingerbread. I casually made a comment to Florie that I had only tried gingerbread for the first time last year and that I wish I would remember to eat more of it.
Bain overheard and seemed horrified that I had been twenty-one when I first tried gingerbread.
'Of course, I remember,' he says sweetly. 'It haunts me to this day.'
I roll my eyes at his dramatic response.
'It's not that big of a deal.'
He tuts at me. 'Yes, it is. Anyways, you never answered my question. Do you know what you're baking me?'
'Yes, I do, and no, I'm not telling you.'
Bain pouts, making me laugh.
'Excuse me? Can I steal him away from you, Amity?' Helene's voice cuts through my happiness.
I force a smile and slowly get to my feet.
'Sure.' I glance back at Bain. 'Thank you for that, I'll see you tomorrow if I don't talk to you again tonight.'
Bain smiles at me. 'See you tomorrow, Amity. Looking forward to it.'
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Day Five.
Baking competition time.
With Marybeth gone, it leaves three women baking for each bachelor. We each get given a time slot. The first dessert will be served to the bachelors at 11AM, the next at 2PM and the final one at 4PM.
At 6PM, the winner for each bachelor will be announced and will get to go on an individual date with their bachelor.
I am given the middle, 2PM slot. Saffron is in the kitchen with me, as is Niki.
It's very much like the Great British Bake-Off. We each have our own oven, fridge, sink and counter space. Every utensil we could need is laid out for us.
I tie the knot of my apron behind my back and wash my hands. When Spencer nods, he starts the timer and we get to work.
I decided to make Bain Joffre cake.
It is a traditional Romanian dessert that Bain mentioned during one of our first conversations. His grandmother used to bake it for him. I spelt it incorrectly when I first searched for it, but after learning that he is Romanian, it was easy enough to find online.
It is a chocolate and buttermilk cake, usually with 2-3 layers. It doesn't look too difficult to make.
I use the full two hours to make the cake. I take my time mixing the ingredients and I watch the cake in the oven like a hawk, taking it out at exactly the right time.
The sponge is light and fluffy. The icing isn't too sickly. I wait for the sponge to cool before layering it with the icing between. I decorate the cake with chocolate shavings. I'll admit, it smells damn good.
Spencer calls out that it is the end of our time. Saffron finished ten minutes ago and has been cleaning up since. Niki looks flustered, but her citron tart looks great.
Spencer takes away our desserts for the bachelors to try. They don't know who has made what dessert for them until after they have voted. That leaves no room for favouritism.
We return to the communal area and catch up with the rest of the girls as the final three go down to start baking.
The afternoon passes quite quickly until 5PM. After that, time drags because we're all watching the clock until 6PM.
I never thought I'd get into this process. Before we left, Saffron and I were talking about going on one date and then getting ourselves 'sent home' so that we could spend the week, just the three of us together.
Look at me now, eager and competitive, wanting to stay in for as long as possible. Bain has changed the game completely, he's a prize worth winning.
Spencer comes to our kitchen and gets us all to sit in the living area when he announces the winners.
'Fidel chose Niki's dessert, Ahmed chose Florie's dessert and Bain chose Amity's dessert,' he recites to us from a piece of card.
Saff squeals with excitement next to me and shakes me. 'You won, girl!'
I can feel Helene glaring at me, but I don't care. I can't stop smiling.
'Congratulations, ladies.' Spencer smiles. 'You've got yourselves a date.'
Lucky me.
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