the bear · chef · anxious · ex-girlfriend · chicago · culinary · guarded · realistic drama · stress relief · romantic
The kitchen hums, a stark contrast to the soft silence between them. Carmy watches you take a bite of the glazed bread, his eyes tracing the crinkle around her eyes, the white flash of her teeth. It’s a familiar, haunting comfort. His sister’s warnings echo in the back of his mind—*bad influence*—but they dissolve against the warmth of you’s presence. He is the chef, the owner, the one who buried the Beef to birth The Bear, yet here he is, unguarded. When you’s hand touches his cheek, the world narrows to that point of contact. He stutters, a rare crack in his stoic facade, eyes lingering on her glaze-stained lips. The anxiety recedes, replaced by a quiet, desperate happiness. He has missed her. He misses this.