Work Text:
The unforgiving late-morning sun forced Sydney to finally get out of bed during her day off. She groaned as the bright rays peeked through the curtains, flashing its light straight to her eyes. She groaned tiredly, reaching to the space next to her for a usual warmth that seemed to be absent that morning. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching before reaching for her phone.
Carmy:
License renewed. Want me to pick something up for breakfast?
Sydney:
i want to get out of the house, let’s meet at the farmers market by division street.
She waits a beat before typing out one more message
buttttt, if you want to stop by the cafe i like on the way to the market and get me a matcha latte, i won't complain ;)
Carmy:
Way ahead of you [one attachment]
She smiles at the screen when she sees that he had already bought the drink she was asking for and her stomach does a little swoop up-and-down, whatever. She reacts to the picture with a heart before getting up and dressed for the day.
A few months ago, her day off probably consisted of stressing over the unopened DocuSign agreement lingering in her inbox. Maybe she would impulsively order furniture and decorations for her apartment instead of confronting her emotions. Most likely, she would've experimented with a dish or two for the next day’s menu, unconsciously knowing that her ideas would probably end up being dismissed by Carmy. She dreaded Mondays.
Nowadays, even after all the insults thrown and the near-sent resignation letter, she’s learned to approach her days off with calm anticipation. She finds herself relishing lazy mornings in bed, where she and Carmy discuss flavor profiles and plating options as the early morning sun rises. His face pressed against her sternum, her fingers gently raking through his curls. She cherishes the warm afternoons spent at the park, enveloped in the sweet sound of her niece’s giggles as Natalie tries to helplessly braid her daughter's hair before letting her run off to the swing set. She enjoys Mondays now, but these days, she finds joy in many things.
Chicago thrives under the warm summer light. Once snow-sprinkled streets now suffocate in the intense heat of the sun. Flowers bloom in the planters adorning the windowsills of downtown brownstones. Kids race each other, competing with each other to see who reaches the ice cream parlor near Washington Square Park* first before the line grows too long. Dogs roll on the grass or stretch their necks to catch enticing scents carried by the breeze from the nearby market, their owners laughing and chatting with friends, thoroughly distracted. Sydney observed these small, everyday actions of strangers around her, finding solace in their mundanity and realizing how they occurred regularly, even though she had previously overlooked them during her daily commutes to The Bear.
She gets distracted from her people-watching when she realizes that the music booming softly from her headphones was replaced by the ringing of her phone, alerting her that someone was calling her. She reaches for her phone that sat in her tote bag and presses the green call button.
"Hey, what's up?" she asks, holding the phone between her ear and shoulder while she stores her headphones in their beat-up case and gingerly adjusts the straps of her bag on her shoulder.
“You nearby? I’m already at the market and there’s something I wanna check out with you, a potential new vendor. Also, the ice in your drink is starting to melt so I suggest you hurry.” Carmy's voice came through the phone, crackling a bit as the microphone struggled to pick his comment up against the background noise of people passing by.
“I’m a few blocks away.” Sydney answered, checking which street she was on as she crossed. "I've been thinking, maybe we should switch our greens vendor. I'm tired of fighting with the delivery guys every week because something's always wrong with our orders. There's gotta be another vendor who won't mess us around and can get our orders right, so we're not constantly running to the farmers' market before prep every other day.”
"That's what I want to show you when you get here — I think I found a new vendor who won't rip us off and they're not assholes, which is a plus.”
"That's great. Okay, I'm here. See ya," she said, ending the call and scanning the crowd for Carm among the people inspecting the displays.
She takes her time searching for Carmy, choosing to check out the different stands as she walks around the market. Her face shaded by a baseball cap, the sun kissing her skin as she wandered around the area, her tote bag slowly filling up with produce for their apartment.
She now found comfort in the act of completing tasks instead of dreading them, especially when it was for both of them. Even with her mind racing a mile a minute, the knowledge that whatever she was doing would be shared strangely soothed her. She figures it's her brain still adjusting to being so closely connected with someone else. Who would have thought she'd find comfort in watching her partner wash dishes while she sat on the counter beside the sink, dishtowel in hand, ready to dry and put away the freshly rinsed bowls? Her legs tangled between his as they laughed over nothing in particular, just drunk and drowsy with love.
She smiles at the thought of the newfound comfort in her life. She figures it must be fate, or maybe just some good karma, that brought them together and gave them the strength to fight for something that, after all the blood, sweat and tears, turned out to be so right for both of them. Perhaps it's not just fate or karma, but love itself. That's what she likes to believe in — a warm feeling that's more than just luck bringing them together.
She finds him by a fruit stand, wearing sunglasses and dark grey-washed jeans, digging for cash in his wallet while the young woman on the other side stored a variety of berries into a big plastic bag.
“Hey,” Sydney said as he paid the vendor. He grabbed the bag and turned around to greet her by pressing a sweet kiss on her cheek.
“Hi,” he pulled away and looked at her. “Those mine?” He asked, gesturing towards the dark blue shorts that were slightly too long on her while handing her the matcha that she had asked for.
“Thank you, and yep,” she grinned. Reaching into his bag and plucking a strawberry off the mountain of berries. “You know you aren’t getting these back, right?”
“We’ll see about that,” he scoffed fondly, readjusting his grip on the bag before wrapping his free arm around her waist.
As noon settled upon the Chicago sky, the sun beaming stronger than ever, Syd and Carmy walked around the market, brainstorming ideas for the fall menu, closing the deal with a new greens vendor and buying copious amounts of cheeses for themselves.
“Are we really gonna eat all of this?” she asked, struggling to cram the way-too-many fresh wedges of Pecorino and Gorgonzola they had bought into her tote bag.
"We can take some of them back to the restaurant. Maybe use them for a pasta dish on the next menu?" he suggested, holding the bag open as Syd carefully arranged their purchases so nothing would get ruined or smushed on the way home.
"What about..." she started, her train of thought interrupted when she saw Carmy hoist her bag onto his shoulder as soon as she finished arranging all their produce. She rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. "At least let me take the other bag," she said, reaching for the bag of berries that he was carrying too. He shook his head, and as she tried to reach towards his side to grab the plastic bag, he met her with a small peck and gently pulled her away from the bag with his free hand.
“You were saying?” He murmured against her lips before pulling away, taking her hand as they walked out of the market.
"I was saying," she repeated, swinging their hands back and forth playfully, "that I've been thinking of something citrusy, like lemon and pecorino-filled cappelletti. Oh, and to keep the fruit vibe going, maybe an apricot-pistachio butter sauce on top? It'll enhance the citrus in the cappelletti but be a bit more chill. That could be something, right?"
“That’s something,” he agreed, before adding. “Yo, before I forget, Nat called and asked us to babysit later today. Pete surprised her with tickets for a show she’s been dying to see. You don’t mind, right?”
"Of course I don't," Syd said, a moment of comfortable slience passed between them before she asks, "Do you think Annabelle will be too tired? I know she enjoys baking, so I was thinking of making some blueberry rolls, maybe with a raspberry cream cheese frosting?"
“If you suggest it, she’ll be stoked. She loves you.” Carmy answered, making a left for the park instead of continuing the usual direction back home.
“Is that jealousy I’m sensing?” She teases, letting him take the lead. “Baby, you know she adores you too.”
"She may love me, but she looks up to you. It's kind of adorable, actually," he smiled, spotting an empty bench and placing the bags of produce down before sitting himself.
She sat down next to him, reaching over his lap to grab a handful of berries from the bag beside him. She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder, and looked ahead at the small playground nearby, where kids were climbing trees, swinging on swing sets, or playing with their dogs.
“This is nice,” Syd thought out loud. “We should do this more.”
Carmy took a swig from the bottled water they had bought earlier and looked at her skeptically. "Go to the farmers market? We come here every week, Syd," he said, not unkindly, as he plucked a raspberry from the bunch in her hand before resting his arm on the backrest of the bench close behind her.
"No, not that. I mean, I love going to the market with you, but I meant just letting our days off be more spontaneous, I guess. Both our minds are constantly running a mile a minute, so naturally, we plan our off days down to a T," she muses. "But this is nice. You know, like, actually taking our day off and not just treating it as an extension of our regular, work-until-we-drop days."
“Are you implying that you like spending time with me?” Carmy poked at her, a fond smirk lining his lips as he turned his head to look at her better.
Sydney rolled her eyes, gently flicking his temple with her thumb and index finger. "If you haven't noticed in the past year we've been dating, yes, I enjoy spending time with you doing non-restaurant-related activities. Even if it means spending a concerning amount of money on sourdough bread or freezing our asses off in the park while we babysit Annabelle."
He chuckled, tucking a loose braid behind her ear before cupping the side of her face and pulling her in for a sweet kiss. She tasted of vanilla chapstick, stolen berries, nearly-forgotten matcha, and love — a lingering flavor he couldn't get enough of every time they kissed.
She smiled into the kiss, her hands finding his neck and pulling him closer for a final peck before pulling away. She laughed, wiping off the bit of her chapstick that had transferred to his lips. "God, we're like those weird PDA couples from the L."
He shrugged, checking the time on his phone before kissing her temple. "I don't mind being a cliché. I mean, we already succumbed to it when we decided to shit where we eat."
She stood up, dusting off her shorts before offering her hand to help him up. He took it, and as he regained his balance, she pressed one more peck to his lips, taking the opportunity to grab the bag of berries.
He shook his head in fond exasperation as he adjusted the straps of the tote bag on his shoulder, his free hand going. “You really offered me help just to get the bag?”
She nodded, grinning as his free arm looped around her waist, his fingers hooked into the belt loop of her shorts.
For the rest of the commute back to their apartment, they discussed all kinds of shop: how Emmanuel was enjoying his much-needed beach vacation, Sydney's latest music discoveries, and plans for Annabelle's upcoming birthday. Nat had requested their help with the food for the toddler's party, so they brainstormed potential easy dishes for their niece’s celebration.
As they paused at a streetlight, she took a moment to drink him in: sunglasses perched on his nose, a small smile on his face, and his hand still gently resting against her waist. He seemed relaxed, a change from his usual tense vibe at the restaurant.
Carmy caught her eye and his smile widened slightly. "What 's up?"
Sydney returned the grin. "Nothing. I just really enjoy spending time with you."