𝑮OLD 𝑹USH ━ Carmen Berzatto

𝒊𝒗. coffee

Jude stuck out his tongue whilst rubbing his cheek. "Oh, yes the 'boring stuff'— I love you sis, but when has developing the beverages on a famous cafe's menu been boring?"

His eyes widened. That is a surprise. He is aware of the reputation of Nectar. It is a well-known cafe in the heart of downtown Chicago. He has seen many articles and food critics praising the cafe's artisan pastries to its beverages.

Carmen has spent most of his nights with her; talking as they go meticulously go through the mess of files. It is only recently that he had a bit of a revelation about her. It is a thought that plagues him— the thought that he doesn't really know a thing about her. Outside of work (Because if anything he knows more about the regulars at Nectar than her) or what Ellie did for the day (He much prefers hearing about to the regulars. Since he may not be around children as much but he knows Ellie is adorable and he likes seeing Delilah light up talking about her). That all he does is fucking yap while Delilah soaks it all in.

You'd think that a guy would know something about a person that he spends the most time with. Well, Carmen doesn't. It's probably why he doesn't have any friends.

This is just another thing that adds to the shit that keeps him all night: his dead brother, paying back the debt and inability to give back in a relationship that he actually wants to maintain (He already hears Nat's 'I told you to work on that!' and the headache those words causes).

Sydney's eyes widened with excitement, "You developed Nectar's beverage menu? Well, uh, I kinda knew that since there isn't a lot of Delilah Dizons but you weren't saying anything and I didn't want to be weird—" Marcus gently nudges the woman's shoulder, "Yo, breathe."

She takes a long breath, "Girl, you don't understand the grip that Leche Flan Latte has on me." She looks over to Marcus and Carmen, "Y'all are missing out. It's this chai latte with a piece of flan at the top, and when you crush it turns into a whole different drink—"

Sydney gives Delilah a chef's kiss, "Heavenly. I should like, worship the ground you are on right now. This is crazy." Delilah blushes furiously under the compliments of Sydney. He remembers how flushed she was after his approval over the first meal she cooked for him. Taking compliments is definitely not her forte.

Still, she eventually finds her composure and smiles, "God, I'm so glad that you like it!
We were scared that the flavors would clash— Believe me, it didn't," Delilah giggles. "It didn't. But yes, depending on what you do with the flan, crush or leave it alone, it has its own unique flavour."

Delilah clears her throat, "I guess I'll be making coffee." Her answer is met with excitement. With eyes twinkling and rolled up sleeve, she asks , "What are your preferences on coffee?"

She points to Carmen, "I'm assuming you drink it just plain black, right?" He nods. Marcus and Sydney gags. "Hey, getting the right ratio of milk and sugar is hard."

Delilah scoffs and looks at the other three, "See the bullshit that I go through every night?" Carmen rolls his eyes, "Fuck off— Yeah, yeah."

From the corner of his eye, he sees Marcus and Sydney sharing a knowing look. Jude flashes him a mischievous grin, he looks away.

"I usually order an iced latte." Sydney says and Marcus hums in agreement, "I do too but fine with whatever, just not so sweet, y'know?" Delilah points at Jude, "Matcha Latte?" The younger man smiles, "You know me so well!"

Delilah nods, "One black coffee, one iced latte, one macchiato and a matcha latte coming right up."

"Uh, do we even have like coffee beans?" Marcus turns to the blonde man, Carmen shakes his head. No, they definitely did not. They don't have even a coffee machine. Nor can they afford one right now. They do have a kettle.