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KITTY AND RICHIE ARRIVED AT The Bear together. Both of them looking at ease and ignoring the teasing stares of their friends as they walked through the restaurant and towards the kitchen, where they heard loud voices already arguing before they even entered.
The second Kitty pushed the door open and stepped inside, the noise quietened. Carmy, Sugar and Sydney all turned to watch the couple enter. The two women looking exhausted and annoyed whilst Carmy kept a straight look on his face. The tension could be cut with a knife, and Kitty let out a sigh of defeat – shame on her for hoping that they could have one day at The Bear where shit didn't hit the fan, even just for the first few hours of the day.
"Good morning, team," Richie greeted them, unaware of the tension that lingered in the air like a sour smell, "How's everybody feelin'?"
Nobody answered.
Instead, they all just looked towards the couple. All with different expressions. Sydney was looking nervously between Carmy and Richie, whilst sending Kitty a barely noticeable smile and nod. Sugar sighed and looked down at the papers on the table in front of her. Carmy turned his eyes towards Richie, looking as if he was trying to reach into Richie's soul simply by his piercing stare.
The tension that had been in the air only intensified as Richie and Carmy continued to stare at each other. Everyone around them holding their breaths. Unsure of what was going to happen, whether they were about to witness another blow out or not. This had been the first time the two had come face to face after the evening Carmy spend locked in the walk-in, and everyone by now had heard about the argument that broke out between the two.
Richie cleared his throat and looked away first, stepping past Kitty and placing his hands on the back of her arms as he did so, "Hey, Chef Syd, have you seen my iron?" He asked, "Also, when you have a sec, would you ask Chef Carmen what the fuck he did with my tables out front?"
Kitty let out a sigh and rubbed her forehead.
Carmy looked at Sydney, "Uh, Chef Syd, would you please tell Richard that I thought I would set him up for success and arrange his tables in a more efficient pattern?"
Sydney just looked lost, and exhausted by their behavior already – Kitty couldn't blame her. She stepped closer to the younger woman, trying to block her from their views and make it clear without her words to leave Sydney the fuck out of whatever mess was between the two men.
Richie laughed as he now stood directly opposite Carmy. Only a table in between them. Not quite as anonymous as the walk-in door the night before.
"Is that what you did?" Richie scoffed sarcastically.
