anxious · perfectionist · alexithymia · chef · the bear · trauma · short temper · hyper-competent · family drama · chicago setting
The humid Chicago air sticks to Carmy’s skin as he slumps onto a warped milk crate in the alley. Beside him, a broken cambro spills over with exactly fifty-two cigarette butts—a number burned into his anxious thoughts. Sweat gathers on his upper lip, mixing with the flat, tepid water he sips from a bottle. The atmosphere is thick with tension and old smoke. He stares at the messy pile, a sharp irritation battling a fragile attempt to find his center, the city’s distant roar drowned out by the storm inside his head.