Seven weeks out. Seven. DBA got rejected, fire suppression hasn't shown up, theres another deep clean that they need to schedule. When opening for the restaurant with Tony back in France, she didn't remember anything like this happening.

"Marcus! Fak!" Claudia yells as she struggles to move one of the tables. The two came in and helped her move it out. They took everything out to the back alley, now only a few counter tops left.

"Hey, Claudia." Marcus tells her as they took the last table out. "Guess what." He says all smiley.

"What is it?" She smiles back.

"Guess whos going to stage at a really great place." She stops and hugs him.

"Oh my god! Thats amazing! Where?" She steps back and crosses her arms.

"Copenhagen." her smile twitches. Her stomach actually feels like it just did some cartwheels. Copenhagen. Where? Whos he going to be staging with?"

"Wow!" She pulls a quick reaction. "Copenhagen! Wow!"

"Yeah, cool right? Carmy is sending me there."

"Do-do you know with who?" She was trying to get some more information out of him.

"Uh not yet. I just know he's been there for a while. Carmy knows him." Carmy doesn't know anyone who lives there besides Luca. Luca. Luca. Luc... His name sang in her head. Luca.

"Hey?" He snaps her out of her head. "You okay?" He has never seen her this way. She wasn't scared or worried. He couldn't put his finger on it. What was in Copenhagen that made her feel like that?

"Yeah! Oh yeah. When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow."

"Wow, thats..." She takes a deep breath. "Thats amazing Marcus. When you go, you're gonna love it there. Its so calm, the people are nice."

"You been there before?" Then it clicked. He remembered that Claudia said that her ex boyfriend is a pastry chef in Copenhagen. No wonder she tensed up. "Your ex." Claudia's lips parted, trying to figure out what to say. "Oh shit. Imma meet your ex!"

"You might." She nods, now blushing. "Hes great."

"I bet he is." He jokes around. She punches his arm.

"You have fun now."

"Ill make sure to bring you up." He laughs. Oh he will definitely will now.

"Do not. I highly doubt he would love to have that conversation." She hops down the table. "Just, have a great time yeah?"

—

Marcus enjoys his time in Copenhagen, trying the foods and the scenery. He wakes up at 4am to start his stage. He's excited, honestly. Hes in a whole new place, doing what he loves. Claudia was right.

Once he gets in, he sees a tall guy stacking flour. He didn't care about his introduction, all he said that his name is Luca, and they start at 5am. Hes a bit stubborn, he is very persistent about his work.

He did this dessert. Then they finally put it together. The three-layer cake, on top, a layer of coconut cream set with gelatin, a middle layer of mint shiso, and, on the bottom, a chocolate sauce with a bit of caramel. A cracker on top. Luca gave Marcus a taste and all he could do was a hum and a nod.

"It kinda tastes like a,um..."

"Minty Snickers bar?" Luca finishes it for him. "My ex girlfriend, she loved when i made them for her." Marcus remembers Claudia. Thats the guy. Thats the ex.

"Claudia." Luca's face softens as he hears her name.

"Dia." He whispers. "You know Dia?"

"Yeah, she works with me. Amazing chef." Luca's heart skips a beat. "She told me that you made this for her all the time."

"She said that?"

"And she said that she misses the pastries you made for her." he slid some lies to make him like him, and to have Claudia and him rekindle again. Spark that old flame again.

"She does?" Luca smirks to himself. "How, how is she doing? I didn't know she was still in Chicago."

"Shes good. Yeah, Carmy hired her a year ago. Shes just amazing."

"Yeah, she is. Quite talented." Luca looks away for a second. Claudia, his Claudia. His Dia. Marcus smiles.

—

Claudia steps out to go home, waiting for the bus to come by. Richie follows to have a smoke. He sees a man coming up to her.

"Kent?" She frowns as she sees him with a box.

"Here." He hands her the box of her belongings that she left at his place and gifts that she had given him during their time together. She looks in disbelief as he did this here. "All of your stuff, including things that you given me that i do not want."

"What the fuck? Here?" She looks around and she sees Richie. Great.

"I tried your place but nobody's ever home and so the best thing was to come here."

"Seriously?" Richie watches from afar as she struggles with the box and them arguing.

"Yeah, seriously."

"How about a call? A heads up? Im taking the bus home to fucks sake."

"Well, i deleted your number-"

"Over something that was stupid and not even true?"

"Its done. Just take your stuff, and don't-"

"You are so childish! Honestly everyone at the bar was right, you are a piece of shit."

"Maybe i am, but i dont go seeing other people when He sees Richie heading over, rolling his eyes. "Fuck." Kent says.

"Is there a problem here?" Richie says with his chest out and a cigarette in his mouth.

"Richie-" Claudia looks at him.

"Bringing the womens stuff here is a dick move brother." Richie flicks his half smoked cigarette to the ground.

"I didn't know your address so i came here." Claudia drops her stuff, separating the two.

"Give her some respect yeah?" Richie continues.

"Whatever." Kent spits on the ground and heads to his car. Richie takes a deep breath and charges at him, pushing Kent against his car.

"Richie! Dont!"

"Apologize." Richie tells him.

"And she says that you are together. I bet you two are fucking-" Richie slams him again.

"Stop!" Claudia pulls Richie off of him. Kent pushes Richie off and gets inside his car and leaves.

"Claudia-" Claudia takes her box and heads inside to Sage to pick her up. Richie stands there like what the fuck did he do.