The chefs and stars stepped away from their dishes, covered in sweat and breathing hard. Ashna’s heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest. It took her a moment to realize that she had stepped back and into Rico. Her back pressed flat against his chest as she sagged into him.

His hands stroked up and down her arms.

He seemed to realize that he was holding her just as she realized it. It took him a moment to let her go and for her to step away. Every part of her buzzed with life.

When she finally gathered the courage to look at him, she found him watching her, the intensity in his eyes far too familiar. Dragging her gaze away from him, she took in their plates. Hope rose from the very depths of her. All she wanted was for the judges to not hate their dish.

“You did it,” Rico said close to her ear, and goose bumps danced up the back of her neck where his breath fell against her skin.

She had. She’d done it.

When she meditated, there was this moment that her body fell away, when the weightless essence of her started to spin. Coming out of it was always disorienting, like pulling on clothes but being at a loss for what they were. This felt exactly like that.

For the first time, she wanted to be here doing this one more time, then one more until the end. She had cooked.

She

Had

Cooked.

A whoop escaped her, and she pressed a hand to her mouth, laughing.

“This is actually really good,” the director judge said when Rico and Ashna stood before the judges for their comments. “It’s hard to make tapioca pancakes that aren’t chewy or tough, but these are soft and light. The coconut mixed with the cashew gives a lovely depth of flavor.”

“This doce de leite is perfect.” The food editor judge said. “That saffron you added at the last minute is exactly what we’re looking for in this competition. You’re the mentor and we want you to teach your mentee how to elevate their flavors. This saffron does that.”

Ashna felt her smile all the way in her heart. “My grandmother makes a rice kheer with coconut milk and saffron and she garnishes it with mango. Tapioca has that same starchy blandness as rice, so I thought it would be perfect.”

The judges all nodded, thrilled with her answer.