𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯

"This years winner is... Aurora Maxwell of The Sweet Spot!" Aurora put her hand over her heart, euphoria and confusion and surprise swirling through her body. "Me?" She asked. "You! You won! Your vegan truffle recipe was an absolute revelation." Paul said. "You'll be winning £50,000 and a guest baking spot with me at the Bellagio... plus, this is amazing publicity for your bakery."

"How does it feel to be this years winner of the British Bake-Off, Aurora?" The mic enters the frame. Aurora feels thousands of eyes on her. But she only has eyes for one person. Granit Xhaka, whose eyes sparkle with pride. "I feel honored. There are so many great bakers here." She responds. "You deserve the top spot, Aurora. I can't wait to bake with you." Paul said. "Thank you. It's a dream come true." Aurora said.

"Now if you don't mind me, I've got to taste one of these prize-winning truffles." The host said. "Go ahead. We've got two different kinds, chocolate and red velvet." Aurora said. "Oh, I'm a sucker for red velvet." The cameras are still rolling. Aurora gives her best pageant-queen smile and offers up her prettiest truffles on the tray. "For you, Mr Hollywood." She said. "Please. Call me Paul."

He pops the truffle into his mouth. His eyes go comically wide. "These are vegan? No way. No freaking way." He eats the other one and lets out a big moan. The audience laughs. "But they're so decadent! They're delicious!" He said. "And yet, they're actually pretty healthy." Aurora said. "You've got to give me this recipe." Paul said. "Oh, Paul, no can do. It's a secret." Aurora said. "Smart woman. You guard this recipe with your life." Paul said.

"Oh, trust me. I will." Aurora said. Suddenly, still chewing on the truffle, Paul Hollywood pulls away with a gasp and points at the audience. "Oh my God! Is that... is that... the footballer Granit Xhaka?" All cameras swipe to the audience, and Granit's eyes go wide. "Come down here, Granit! Oh my God! This is crazy! I'm a huge fan!" Two bodyguards enter the crowd and begin dragging Granit down to the staging area.

"Now I remember! Granit Xhaka is married to our first-place winner, Aurora Maxwell herself!" Paul said. "Who would of thought we'd ever see this bad boy settle down? And for our very own Aurora!" Cameras flash as Granit enters the stage. Aurora's heart starts to race. She's still on live TV. "Well, Granit Xhaka? What do you have to say to Aurora after her show-stopping performance today?" Paul asked.

"What do I want to say?" Granit's eyes lock on Aurora. Her heart races as he slowly closes the gap between them, taking her face in his hands. "This." The crowd goes wild as Granit dives in for a kiss. Aurora takes Granit by the jaw and captures his mouth in a bone-melting kiss. Suddenly, she feels herself ripped from gravity as Granit lifts her off the ground to return the kiss.

Exhilaration tingles through her entire body as Granit swings her around, laughing into the kiss. "Well, hot damn!" Paul said. "My wife and I certainly don't kiss like that anymore... sorry, is that an overshare?" He said. Granit keeps his arms snug around Aurora's waist as she hides her face in his chest. Her heart rate returns to normal as the crowd erupts in cat-calls and cheers. Granit presses another long, lingering kiss to her cheek, sending her heart racing all over again.

"I'm proud of you, baby. You did it." He said.

*

Aurora and Granit return home, exhausted by the day's events. The next day at work, Aurora arrives to see a line out the door. She finds Kristen behind the counter, looking a little panicked. "Well, the publicity thing definitely worked. This is the most packed we've ever been." Kristen said. Aurora ties on her apron and gets to work.

Customer after customer arrives to place orders for her vegan truffles. At lunch time, she's dying for a break. She packs up some sandwiches to bring to Granit for a quick lunch visit. The first thing she sees when she enters is Vanessa, hanging up a banner that reads "Football Invitational Tournament Hosted by TLP2." "Wait. Granit's hosting a tournament?" Aurora asked.