The competition was fierce but friendly. In the end, Lena's secret sauce won over the judges (a panel of their amused neighbors), and Alex became her enthusiastic plus-one.
One day, Lena approached Alex as they were both grilling. "You know, I think we've been doing this for a while now," she said, eyeing him playfully.
Alex chuckled. "Game on. But if I win, you have to draw my comic strip for a month."
