yes, chef ~ carmen berzatto

coming soon

the next day.

i wake up in carmen's bed automatically feeling the lack of carmen's warmth. he must have been at work already. i sigh and check my phone to see it was almost 12 in the afternoon "shit" i whisper and quickly get ready.

"who's on family today?" tina asks as soon as i walk in "i am..." i smile awkwardly at everyone given yesterdays chain of events "yes puta! always comin through" i smile at her then to carmen.

i change my shoes and tie my hair up. richie pulls carmen and i to the side and hands us two envelopes.

to: shorty,
from: mikey

is all it said on the front and from what i could gather carmen's was addressed to him too "what is this?" i ask richie "i don't know" he shrugs his shoulders "richie what the fuck is this?" carmen asks "i don't know..." he glances at us again before walking off "let's take a step out" i suggest and carmen agreed.

"syd keep on eye on things?" i ask and she nods. i lean on the wall outside as carmen crouches, letting a deep breath go.

i look at mikey's handwriting "stupid" i mutter under my breath and look to the side. carmen and i don't waste another minute to open the letters. i crouch next to carmen.

i bring the small index card out of mine to see more of mikey's handwriting.

'i love you shorty. let it rip'

i glance at carmen's to see it says the same thing, just with his name instead of mine. i look up to the clear blue sky "fuck you" "fuck you" carmen and i both say towards mikey with tears lacing our voices.

i laugh under my breath as i turn the index card over to see mikey's recipe for braciole. i wipe my eyes and carmen hands me his card to see the spaghetti recipe written down.

towards the bottom of the card it says 'let val make these... she was always the better cook' i sigh "asshole" it goes quiet between us "looks like i have a recipe for family dinner tonight" i smile slightly, so does carmen "come on" we both stand up and walk back into the kitchen.

"family is up in 20!" i shout as i start on the spaghetti "you can get it done in 20 minutes? yeah right-" "didn't ask you richie!" i pour some oil in a pot and let it steep with basil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

i slice a few onions, throwing them in a pan. i grab a few of the 20 ounce cans of tomatoes and open them quickly, getting ready to put them in a pan with the onions.

as i pour one of the cans i go to stir them around but i'm met with a wad of money wrapped in plastic wrap. my face drops as i fish it out the hot pan "carmen..." i mumble "yeah?""carmen..." i turn around while holding up the money. carmen's eyes light up "cousin!" he shouts while walking to me "yeah?" richie asks from the front "help!" carmen shouts once more "what size can was-" i hold it up and show him.

"chefs! everyone go grab all the tomatoes from the pantry!" i nod and get too it along with everyone else. i open a can and pull more money out "everyone get a can opener!" sydney shouts and we all get to work.

a few cans were thrown here and there with laughs followed by it. tomatoes all over the floor, our clothes, even in our hair. richie totals up the money as we keep pulling it out of tomato cans "this is..." i shake my head in disbelief "what was he thinking?" i ask as carmen stands next to me, opening a new can.

"it's mikey... you never knew what that kid was thinking" tina speaks up from behind me. hundreds.... thousands of dollars.... absolutely fucking everywhere.

i nod my head and glance over and carmen's hands that continue working "so you're staying?" he asks nervously "unless you want me to leave" i smile over at him.

"i'm closing this place... i'm gonna turn it into something new and i need to know if you wanna do this with me" i stop and my hands hang, covered in tomatoes.

"you're serious?" i ask "yeah..." his curls shake a bit as he nods "yeah... yeah i wanna do that with you" i tell him. he nods with a small smile "alright- alright guys! i think that's everything let's get this place cleaned up and ready for family!" carmen tells everyone.

some time later i finally get the spaghetti and braciole done. i bring it to the lively table and sit next to carmen.

everyone gets a plate while laughs float around the table from tina's story "the bear..." i smile at carmen "hmm?" he leans in closer, given i said his nickname "no- we call the restaurant 'the bear'" his eyes shortly shoot back and forth between mine.

he smiles and rests his hand on my thigh while nodding his head "yeah?" i ask "yeah" he smiles a bit more "hands on the table" richie tells carmen "oh shut up" carmen tosses his head back with a sigh. his free hand runs over his face trying to hide his shyness.

after a while everyone says their goodbyes for the night. after family sugar had even invited me over for coffee on saturday. i smile as i write on one of the sandwich wrappers and hold it up to carmen "good enough" the sign informs the customers that the beef is closed but the bear is coming soon.

carmen tapes it to the window and locks the door behind us. we stand outside the place and look at the sign.

"i'm sorry for everything. this is a new start... it has to be.." his eyes squint slightly while still staring at the place "hey.." i place my hand on his cheek, which causes him to look down at me "it's okay- it's gonna work... we can do it" i smile.

he plants a kiss on my lips and spins me around by my shoulders, pulling my back into his chest as we admire the restaurant for just a while longer "we'll be back..." carmen says not for himself but for the restaurant... his restaurant.