Cook, Pray, Love

"I hope everyone is fed, because I'm here with some news!"

At 9 a.m. on the dot, Larry sashayed into the dining room. Today, he was wearing an orange aloha shirt with heart shaped print paired with pink denim shorts. He seemed to be in a good mood, having flashed the peace sign at everyone during his eye catching entrance.

"Gather round, people! Your Cupid's Text results are out!" he hollered, slamming his palms at the head of the table. He clicked a remote, and the TV at the other side of the room turned on, displaying six names and figures on a pink background:

Madeline: 2

Jean: 0

Sara: 1

Sabina: 1

Iris: 1

Kayla: 1

Jean bit her lips and lowered her head; Madeline looked as unaffected as ever.

"And as for the guys..." With another tap, the screen became baby blue and the male contestants' names appeared.

Travis: 1

Andrew: 0

Louis: 1

Christopher: 0

Dante: 1

Skyler: 3

Andrew wore acceptance on his face, Christopher barely masked his disappointment, and Skyler impassively glanced away while Dante bumped his shoulder playfully.

Iris tried to look at Skyler objectively, wondering whose hearts he had snagged on their first day, but no matter how long she contemplated, she could only come up with one conclusion.

'It's that deceiving face of his. I wonder who else fell for it.'

"Alright! For your second assignment, you'll be split into six teams of two based on the Cupid's Text results," Larry announced, setting the remote aside. "Team 1: Iris and Travis. Team 2: Sara and Dante. Team 3: Madeline and Skyler. Team 4: Kayla and Louis."

He paused and looked at the four remaining singles. "Four of you didn't text or receive texts from your blind dates last night, so I'll pair you up randomly. Team 5 is Sabina and Chris—Tops; Team 6 is Jean and Andrew."

Sara raised her hand. "What's our second assignment?"

"It's sent to your phones."

Ding!

Like the others, Iris immediately checked her phone and found a new message under one of the four chat icons. It was the blue one, as opposed to the pink one which she'd used to send and receive texts during Cupid's Text.

[Beloved contestant, ever heard of "Eat, Pray, Love"? Good news: You'll get to experience it today. Except you'll be doing the cooking; not eating. And the globe trotting isn't part of your contract]

[Be prepared to embark on a romantic journey through the aisles (of a supermarket) with your designated partner. Who knows, sparks may even fly in the kitchen!]

[In assignment #2: Cook, Pray, Love, you will compete in a cook-off against five other teams, pray that our special judges vote your dishes for the win, and embrace the spirit of love and competition]

[Each team is expected to serve at least one main dish/appetiser + a beverage/dessert adhering to their respective colour schemes within the deadline. Handicaps will be issued in the last 30 minutes]

[Deadline: 2 hours]

[Reward(s): 1st place +12 pts; 2nd place +6 pts; 3rd place +3pts]

[Penalty: —]

Iris's eye twitched while reading the sassy introduction. It truly felt like something Larry would say, but he hadn't admitted to sending these assignment texts yet...

"What do you mean handicaps?" Skyler asked, frowning over the ominous words.

Larry rubbed his hands together evilly. "You'll see... If you cook slow enough."

"What do the fourth to sixth places win?" Jean asked.

Sabina rolled her eyes and spat, "Duh, they don't 'win' anything. They lose."

"Someone's testy," Dante whistled.

Sabina shot him a glare. "It was a dumb question. Everyone was thinking it."

"But you didn't have to say it."

Iris swivelled her head to watch Jean's expression. Sure enough, she looked ready to blubber.

"Sabina!" Kayla clapped her hands. "Why don't we take a minute and—"

Sabina ignored her and ranted, "Look, I can't cook. I make reservations for dinner because I want to keep my kitchenette—and my sanity—intact. Not to mention, I didn't sign up for a cooking reality show, so I'm not obligated to do this."

"Oh come on... I can't cook either," Tops slung an arm over her shoulder. "But how hard can it be?"

At that moment, Tops didn't fully understand the naivety of his words... But he soon will.

Sabina slapped his arm off. "That's not reassuring. Also, back off—we're not that close."

Tops waggled his eyebrows. "Yet."

"Ugh..." his partner groaned.

"Contestants!" Larry boomed.

Everyone jumped, having forgotten he was still there.

"You see that picker wheel over there?" Larry pointed at a five foot tall, rainbow picker wheel propped up by the dining room's entrance. Iris widened her eyes; she couldn't believe she missed it this whole time. But then she saw the time—09:06—and justified it as her brain starting to undergo awakening.

"Go spin it. It'll determine the colour scheme of your dishes. Also, Sabina—" Larry's stern, blue eyes pierced through her, making her unconsciously gulp. "You signed a contract, so even if I tell you to cook a five-course meal for the president, you. Are. Obligated. To."

"...Whatever."

Larry cupped a hand by his ear. "What was that?"

Sabina sucked in a breath. "I said, yes, I will cook."

"Good. And you better serve."

The redhead threw her hands in the air. "Now you're pushing it!"

With a gentle shove, the rainbow picker wheel started spinning before Kayla.

"Team 4: Green!" Larry announced.

"Nice!"

Louis high-fived Kayla, and they stepped aside for the next pair.

"Team 6: Yellow!"

"Team 2: Orange!"

Iris reached out to spin the wheel, but Travis stopped her. "Allow me," he said confidently.

Remembering her two <The Fool> cards, Iris nodded and stepped back. Each time a colour was picked on the wheel, it was removed. Now, only the red, blue, indigo, and purple sections were left.

Whizz!

Travis spun the wheel.

'Please don't be indigo, please don't be indigo,' Iris clasped her hands together and prayed.

The arrow slowed down at indigo...

Iris groaned.

...But stopped directly on purple!

"Yes!" she cheered.

"Team 1: Purple!"

Iris could think of many purple food options off the top of her head: Ube, grape, blackberries, purple cabbage, beetroot...

This wouldn't have been possible without Travis's luck, so she flashed him a grateful smile. He grinned back while Skyler took his place in front of the picker wheel.

Whizz!

"Team 3: Blue!"

Iris saw Madeline tiptoe to whisper something to Skyler, unease written on her normally expressionless face. Was she worried about their tough colour scheme, or something else?

"Hey, we got this."

Travis's breath ghosted past her ear. Iris flinched, backing away.

"Don't look so apprehensive," Travis said, backing off. "I'm a pretty good cook. Some may even call me a natural."

"Oh, I'm not apprehensive; I know my way around a kitchen too," Iris asserted.

"Gotta like a woman who can cook."

Whizz!

"And lastly... Team 5: Red!"

Sabina tossed her scarlet hair over her shoulder. "Told you red's my lucky colour."

"Take that, indigo!" Tops whooped.

Larry clapped his hands for their attention. "A word of advice: Your dishes will be judged by five people including me, so we expect some variety. Since we're very understanding judges, each team can apply for up to three colours outside of your colour scheme. Penalties will be issued if you exceed your colour quota. Any questions?"

"Are the judges allergic to anything?" Skyler queried.

"Not that I know of. You should list down the ingredients you use just in case, though."

"Do we have to decide our three colours now?"

"You can tell us anytime before you start cooking," Larry answered. "Everybody clear? Okay, get moving."

"Wait!" Sara spoke up. "Don't we get to brainstorm first?"

"You can do that during your drive," Larry said glibly. "Your two hours start... NOW!"