AR FF ~Undercover Honeymoon~ Updt part10 - pg40 - Page 24

Part 10

A couple of hours had passed and it was afternoon. Both Armaan and Riddhima were on their way for a food tasting session. They stepped into a spacious restaurant which was at this time completely empty except for 4 couples already sitting side by side at a long table facing the live kitchen. Armaan and Riddhima had a clear view over the two chefs who were busy preparing delicious food. Steam was coming from the pans, the fire was flaring high and noticeably sounds of chopping could be heard. A woman in a white knee-length summer dress with green pattern was standing close to the table with folded hands and a big smile.

The woman: 'Ah, you must be Mr & Mrs Mehta' she said with a pleasant voice.

A: 'Yes we are' he said kindly

R: 'Excuse me but are we late?' she asked worriedly.

The woman: 'No you are just in time. Please take a seat' she said and motioned her hand towards the empty chairs.

Armaan and Riddhima went over to sit in the high stools next to the only elderly couple in the small group. They exchanged pleasantries with them and afterwards moved their heads toward the host.

The woman: 'Hello and welcome! I'm Fleur and I'm your host today. We have a lovely few couples of hours ahead of us in which we will indulge in simple yet delicious food. The theme is of course 'love and romance' and therefore today we will be serving aphrodisiac food that will help you to really get in mood...if you know what I mean' she said and winked.

Sniggers and people clearing their throats could be clearly heard. Armaan and Riddhima on the other hand had to stop themselves from for groaning out loud.

Fleur: 'Scientifically aphrodisiac food has never been exactly proven however people in all ages all over the world have used different kinds of vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices to increase their passion and desire. Based on that knowledge we have come up with a simple yet very exciting menu. So shall we begin?' she said looking politely at everyone.

The chefs started to quickly plate up 5 big rectangular plates with 3 small bowls. In each and every bowl there were different kinds of soups; one with Broccoli & Fennel, one with Creamed Basil & Pine nut soup and one with Sweet Potato & Chilli. The deliciously smelling plate arrived and both Armaan and Riddhima stared at it. The soups came in 3 different colours; green, yellow and red just like a traffic light and each and every bowl had two spoons. There was also some bread to cleanse the taste palates between two soups.

A: 'Itni kanjoosi! Hum sab ko ek ek plate di hai' (Such misers! We only received one plate each) he whispered to Riddhima.

R: 'Arre! Yeh kanjoosi nahi hai...hume sirf ek ek plate isliye mile take hum milke milke khana khayen' (They are not being misers...we received only one plate so that we should eat together) she whispered back.

A: 'Oh!

R: 'Bilkul!' (Exactly!)

A: 'Toh kya main apne pyare haathon se tumhe soup pilaon?' (So should I feed you the soup with my loving hands?) he asked leaning closer to Riddhima.

R: 'Hanh bilkul! Phir main apne pyare haathon se ek garam garam soup ka bowl aap ke bahut hi sensitive jagah pe "ghalati" se gira dongi' (Yes of course! Then I should with my loving hands "accidentally" drop a bowl of boiling hot soup in your most sensitive area) she said with a sly smile.

Armaan quickly dropped both hands in his lap to protect himself. Riddhima silently laughed. Happy that her threat had worked she picked up the spoon and began to taste the different soups; each more delicious then the other. Armaan soon joined in too. Both were enjoying the food and they were about to finish when someone started to cough loudly. It was the elderly lady next to them. He quickly got up to help her.

A: 'Sir is she ok?' he asked worried giving the elderly lady a glass of water.

The elderly man: 'Yes son she's fine. My wife ate the chilli soup which I had forbidden however she's stubborn. My wife keeps forgetting that she's not as young as before' he said a bit tensed.

The elderly lady: 'Me? Old? Never! I'm still young at heart and if you feel young then you are it too' she said after drinking up the water.

The elderly man: 'See?! Stubborn!' he said rolling his eyes.

The elderly lady: 'But you love me just as I am and you have done it for the past 35 years' she said with eyes sparkling.

The elderly man: 'That I have my darling' he said with love pouring out of every word.

A: 'If you don't mind me asking...why are you here?' he asked curiously.

The elderly lady: 'We were supposed to come 10 years ago on our silver anniversary to relive our honeymoon but for some unfortunate reasons we couldn't. Instead we came at our 35^th wedding anniversary.

A: 'Wow, you have been blessed with a long marriage. What's the secret?' he asked intrigued.

The elderly couple: 'Fights!' both said in unison and laughed. 'Believe us we have fought a lot but also loved a lot. Where there is love there is also fights and vice versa. In the beginning we used to fight a lot...actually it was hate at first sight. Then somehow that hate turned into love. We could never figure out how or when it happened but it did and now we are here' they said both continued looking at each other with utmost love.

Armaan almost felt like he was intruding a private moment so he kindly excused himself and turned around to sit in his chair again. Riddhima had heard the whole conversation...especially the love and fight part. Could that ever happen between her and Armaan? But before she could dwell on it the next plate of food arrived which had Avocado & Prawn salad, Artichoke with butter and...oysters!!! Riddhima made a face and shuddered. Armaan saw her grimacing so he quickly took one oyster and swallowed it. Riddhima almost gagged.

A: 'Toh tumhe oysters nahi pasand?' (So you don't like oysters?) he said teasing her.

R: 'Bilkul nahi!!! Mujhe slimy cheezein zara nahi pasand. Yuck! (Absolutely not!!! I don't like slimy things at all. Yuck!) she said sticking out her tongue in disgust. 'Isliye mujhe tum bhi nahi pasand'(That's why I don't like you either).

But before Armaan could say anything at all she forced a piece of salad in his mouth to shut him off. They enjoyed their salad and then came to the artichoke which Riddhima had no idea how to eat it. Armaan knew so he pulled off one of the leaves, dipped into the butter and scraped of the bottom part with his teeth and discarded the rest of it. Riddhima did the same. Silently they ate, with fingers slightly brushing each other while breaking of the leaves, until they reached to the fuzzy bit which was removed and so only the artichoke heart was left to eat. Cutting it into two halves Armaan and Riddhima shared one piece each. The next dishes were the main courses: Lobster Risotto, Asparagus Pasta and Garlic & Parmesan Chicken with Ginger Carrots served in 3 different plates yet they had to share. The risotto was perfectly creamy, the pasta al dente and the chicken moist. Armaan and Riddhima loved every bit of it and completely polished off the plates.

Fleur: 'I hope you have enjoyed our food so far (*everyone nodded*). Hopefully you still have room for some dessert though I have a question does anyone want to try out the kitchen? We are giving you the opportunity to help the chefs preparing the dessert. Don't worry it's only fruit that needs to be cut' she said looking with great expect at everyone.

A: 'I will' he said and motioned with his hand.

R: 'Tum?! Tum karoge?!' (You?! You will help?!) she whispered to Armaan.

A: 'Kyon nahi? Mein kyon nahi karsakta? Mere mein koi kharabhi hai?' (Why not? Why can't I do it? What...is there something wrong with me?) he whispered back.

R: 'Lo...yeh bhi puchne wali baat hai' (Well...do you even need to ask?) she said rolling her eyes.

A: 'Tum joh marzi kaho main toh jaa raha hon' (You can say whatever you want but I'm going) he said and got up from his chair.

Boastful he went over to the kitchen, washed his hands and then received a chopping board and a knife. Firing off a cheeky smile to Riddhima he picked out a pineapple and cut of the top and bottom, peeled off the hard skin, cut it in half, took away the hard centre and then skilfully cut it into small pieces. Next were some other fruits which he also cut into different shapes. Riddhima gaped at Armaan with her mouth wide open. She was stunned to see his technique...from where had he gotten those skills? Meanwhile Armaan continued with his task and once done he thanked the chefs and Fleur. He went back to sit next to Riddhima again while everyone clapped and cheered.

A: 'Riddhima...ab tum apna moun band karsakti ho' (Riddhima...you can close your mouth now) he said smugly.

R: *closes her mouth*

A: 'Ab yeh mat kehna ke tum impress nahi hui ho kyonke tumhari chehre pe saaf saaf dikhaiy de raha hai' (Now don't tell me you weren't impressed because I can clearly see it on your face that you were) he said feeling very satisfied with himself.

Riddhima had no reply because she really was impressed with him. It felt like every day she saw a new side of him. A while ago the concern Armaan showed for the elderly was so unexpected. He was the first one to approach her and offer his help. Now his skills in kitchen had surfaced from nowhere. She was confused and didn't know what to think anymore as she had been so sure of Armaan's character. Riddhima was thinking deeply when a plate of beautifully assembled fruits was put in front of her with a small bowl of honey in which they could dip in.

A: 'Riddhima?' he said snapping his fingers in front of her face.

R: 'Hunh?'

A: 'Tum itni impress ho gayi ho ke tumse bola nahi jaa raha?' (Are you so impressed that you are unable to utter any word?) he said looking at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

R: 'Such bataon? Hanh, main impress hui hon' (Honestly? Yes, I'm very much impressed) she said deciding to finally give him some credit.

A: 'Sachi?!' (Really?!) he said shell-shocked.

R: 'Hanh, sachi' (Yes, really) she said and really meant it but at the same time almost burst into laughter seeing Armaan's shocked face.

Lately she had noticed that whenever she did something unexpected and very un-Riddhima like it always threw Armaan off which she found highly amusing. She could in fact use this piece of information for future references...or use it now. She got an idea. Riddhima picked up the small fork and tried to choose between melon balls, bananas, figs, pomegranates, cherries, peaches, raspberries, apples and pineapple. There were some chocolate dipped strawberries which she wanted to save for last unless Armaan ate them...except he might not touch them being such a fitness freak. Finally deciding Riddhima pierced a piece of fig with her fork and dipped it into honey but instead of putting in her own mouth she moved the fork to Armaan's mouth. He looked at RIddhima as if she had gone completely bonkers. First Armaan didn't dare to accept the fruit with the risk of something awful might occur but when nothing happened he carefully opened his mouth. The sweet taste of figs and honey tantalized every taste bud and he couldn't help closing his eyes. When opening his eyes he saw Riddhima take another piece of fruit, dip into honey and eat it. They way she ate, her mouth and tongue slowly enfolding the fruit, made him shift uncomfortably in his chair. The next bit she fed him and Armaan couldn't understand what was going on! The different expressions appearing on Armaan's face made Riddhima want to laugh out loud. This was too much fun! When feeding another piece of fruit to Armaan some honey accidentally ended up on his cheek. Armaan didn't seem to have noticed however it was bothering Riddhima to no end. She handed him a wet tissue to wipe away the honey but he kept missing the spot. Annoyed Riddhima took the tissue from him. As she leaned forward this certain urge to lick off the honey from Armaan's dimpled cheek came over her from nowhere. Riddhima stopped herself from giving into her urges and with gentle movements removed any honey that was left. Armaan closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment.

R: 'Umm...Armaan? Tum yeh chocolate strawberries khana chaho ge?' (Umm...Armaan? Do you want to eat the chocolate strawberries?) she asked trying to get control over her voice.

A: 'Err...nahi tum khalo. Maine apne sexy figure ke bare me bhi sochna hota hai na?' (Err...you can eat them. I have to think of my sexy figure, you know?) he said bouncing back to his usual style.

R: 'Jeez, you are such a girl' she said rolling her eyes.

A: 'Am not!' he said felling offended.

R: 'Toh phir yeh ek chocolate strawberry kha ke dikhao' (Then eat one chocolate strawberry) she challenged him.

A: 'Ok, itna main khaa hi sakta hon. Ek se toh kuch nahi hoga. Zara se push-up karlonga...aur kya' (Ok, I can eat one. That won't hurt. I'll just do some extra push-ups...won't I?) he said feeling tad bit unsure.

R: 'Armaan! Tum toh aise baat kar rahe ho jaise ke yeh zehar hai. Please life ko thoda se enjoy kya karo' (Armaan! You are talking about it like it is poison. Please do enjoy your life every now and then) she said trying to convince Armaan.

A: 'Enjoy toh main bahut kart hon' (Well I do enjoy a lot) he said wiggling his eyebrows.

R: 'Gaah! Tum bhi na! Bilkul impossible ho! Chalo mujhe de do...tumhe yeh khane ki bilkul zarurat nahi' (Gaah! You are just...! You're impossible! Hand me over the strawberry...you don't need to eat it) she said trying to reach for the strawberries.

A: 'Oh yes I will!' he said and quickly popped in one in his mouth.

Riddhima grabbed the rest of the chocolate strawberries before he could eat them just to wind her up. She ate them slowly and meticulously and Armaan couldn't help being hypnotised by Riddhima's mouth. Then the host began to talk interrupting his moment.

Fleur: 'I hope you had a wonderful afternoon with us and I hope you enjoyed the food. If you by any chance have any complains do let us know; we are all ears. Other than that enjoy your evening and have a wonderful night. Let's see if the food had any effect on you. *she winked*. However before you leave we all are giving you small box of luxurious chocolate truffles as thanks for coming here' she said handing out the boxes.

All the couples received their chocolates, shook their hands with the host and chefs and thanked them, and afterwards rose to leave the restaurant except for Armaan and Riddhima who stayed behind to do some talking. Riddhima kind of hinted her profession and suddenly the host and the chefs became very co-operative. She could easily ask questions and Armaan could take pictures. They stayed there for another 45 min before leaving.

On their way back to the room Armaan said he wanted to take the stairs to burn off the calories but Riddhima said that there was no need for it as a couple of hours later they would participate in a very energy consuming activity. Armaan had completely forgotten about it and the thought of the activity made him feel happy and excited. It's going to be an interesting evening he thought.

To be continued...