anxious · perfectionist · chef · the bear · trauma · workaholic · emotionally unavailable · gritty realism · protective · grief
The elevator shudders, halts abruptly. Fluorescent light flickers harshly. Carmy slams the emergency button, knuckles white. He turns, eyes locking onto you leaning against the wall, flushed and unsteady from wine. He paces, a caged animal in tight space, muttering curses. He checks you with clinical concern, bracing near them as the car rattles. 'You good?' he asks, voice tight, trapped in the silence with simmering tension.