Accepted under the mentorship of your idol and the world's hottest chef Gordon Ramsay, you must prove your skill and determination through competing in Hell's Kitchen- A month long cooking contest versus fifteen other fierce contestants and difficul...
After a good teaching session from Kalyani, all of the women filed into bed refreshed. The morning came early, but thankfully I'd been so exhausted from Gordon's attentions that I slept like a baby.
"Goooood mooooorning sunshineeees!" Christina's sing-song voice filters through the door. I sit up from the bed and stretch my arms out over my head before I amble into the main room.
"Chef Ramsay has a challenge waiting for you all downstairs. Get ready and come on down in the next ten minutes, go go go!" She claps with each 'go' she says before she turns to head back down the stairs.
I rush to the bathroom and try to get ready as fast as I can. When I close the door behind me, I feel an unwelcome, familiar sensation. My inkling is confirmed as my monthly crimson red stain greets me. A twinge of sadness hits me, and for a moment I feel confused as to why. Sure, Aunt Flo's visit is annoying, but it was expected, right?
... Right?
Then, a second thought comes to the forefront of my mind.
Maybe I didn't want to have my period.
I try to push the absurd thought from my head, but it sits there like a two-ton rock, refusing to move.
Gordon said he was basically infertile. I don't know why I'm letting my mind be consumed by the near-impossible potentialities. I felt insane for even thinking it, really. We'd just established a relationship. Imagine what the tabloids would say about Gordon's pregnant girlfriend who obviously must have gotten pregnant on the show. Ohh boy. On second thought, that'd be so big of a story, forget the tabloids. We'd be headline news on all broadcast channels across the US and potentially across the UK as well.
Knock knock.
"Hey, (Y/N), you done in there? We're almost late!" Taylor's worried voice sounds through the door.
"Uh, yeah, you go on down, I'll be down in a second!" I finish up in the restroom and emerge a minute later. I run downstairs and am the last person to line up outside of the kitchens. Gordon is standing at the front as per usual, looking his normal, exuberant self.
"Morning, everyone!" he cheerily greets us.
"Morning, Chef!" we return the greeting.
"I've got a fun challenge for you all today." He grasps his hands together in front of himself. "We'll be headed to the grocery store. Each person will have fifteen dollars to pick out ingredients. Your goal is to make a dish worth far more than you spent on ingredients to make it, yeah? Each team's total value of dishes will be added together and the team with the most value for their money will win! Easy enough? Let's get to our ride, then!" Gordon smiles, waves us to the front door and then holds it open for us.
As I pass by Gordon in the doorway, I feel him watching me. Since I know I can't help but respond to his affectionate look if we were to lock eyes, I try and ignore him as best as I can. But no matter how I try to conceal my affections, my earlier thoughts of carrying his child claw back into my mind and cause me to heat up under my collar as I pass under his gaze.
Each team has one SUV assigned to them. I feel a bit of disappointment as Gordon joins the men, but I suppose it makes sense.
We drive for twenty minutes in relative silence. Bella is a lot more distant than usual and stares out of the window the entire trip.
When we arrive at the grocery store, Gordon hands us each fifteen dollars. When it comes to my turn to take his money, he trails his fingertips across the palm of my hand before pulling away. The small gesture makes a smile tug at the corners of my lips, but I try and remain stoic for the cameras.
"You have ten minutes to gather your ingredients! Aaand..." Chef Ramsay pauses for a moment. "Go!"
We scatter in all directions, taking off to each corner of the store.
I've no idea what I want to make, so I head for the fresh meat and seafood section to see what cheap and delicious protein I want to include in my meal. There are a few other chefs back here with me, but I ignore them and instead focus on prices.
My eyes scan over the fresh seafood section until they lock onto a yellow 'sale' sign.
Fresh clams for only $3 an ounce. A dish begins to form in my mind.
"An ounce and a half of clams, please!" I ask the man behind the counter. He nods before pulling out my clams and putting them on a scale. $4.50, perfect. That leaves about $11 for me to work with.
The hurried form of Kalyani rushes past the seafood counter, clutching her ingredients tight to her chest. She almost runs into Dave, who steps out from a nearby aisle and has to lean back to avoid a collision. I giggle to myself as I look up at the aisles and try to find my next destination.
My eyes lock on to the oils and sauces aisle. I rush to it and scan the shelves for the tiny bottles of Japanese cooking wine, called Mirin. I spy the bottle on the bottom shelf and check the price. $4. I'm down to $7, probably more like $6 with tax.
I need one more bottle from this section, rice vinegar. I hiss through my teeth as I see the price. It's $5 for a small bottle, leaving me with only a dollar and some cents left.
Now I need some soy sauce and green onion. Thinking quickly, I head to the freshly rolled sushi counter and search the shelves of packed sushi rolls for... perfect! Individual packages of soy sauce, free of charge. I smirk as I pocket a few, proud that I've managed to save my dish, so long as green onions are as cheap as they should be.
I head to the vegetable section and pick a single green onion from the batch. Only 35 cents. This should be exactly enough!
With my arms full, I head to the cash register and the older cashier woman greets me. I greet her back and lay out my ingredients on the conveyor belt. She scans them and I watch the price total rise with great anticipation.
The neon green sign flashes a clean $14.95.
I pump my fist gleefully and take my bag and change from the cashier woman. Gordon is standing by the exit to the grocery store and smiles when he sees me approach.
"First done, eh? Excellent." He beams.
"Yeah, I think I've got the perfect ingredients!" I puff up proudly.
"I'm sure you do, (Y/N)." Gordon gives me one last grin before he turns to watch the other chefs scuttle about the store with an amused expression.
At one point, Gordon nudges me to get my attention on Gina as she rings up $16.90 and storms off cursing down the aisles. He chuckles before returning to his normal, arms-crossed stance.
Eventually, the other chefs join us at the exit with bags in hand.
"Happy with your ingredients, Chefs?" Gordon inquires.
"Yes, Chef!" we respond.
"Then let's get back and get to cooking!" He claps, then leads us out of the exit doors.
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