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Early in the morning in Las Vegas. Just another Friday.
The glitter of the showgirls who danced the night into oblivion was still floating around in the air and landing on the walls of the modern buildings, the distinctive neon lighting was off, replaced by the searing August sun. At that time, Sin City could only be described as a bunch of glass boxes that encapsulated worlds within worlds in the middle of the Mojave desert—a city where the virtual became real and the real became virtual, surrounded by a vast space of aridity, harsh conditions, and haunting landscapes.
That's where Syd and Carmy were getting ready to attend the Haute Cuisine International Michelin Convention, where Michelin-starred first-timers and the top ten star retainers, from all around the globe, like them, gathered for 3 consecutive days, for an elite, white-listed, VIP-only event at the Bellagio that was about to start in less than two hours.
Syd was nervous. Carmy was happy for her because he knew how excited she was to be there, but deep down, he just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible and get out of that fancy mountain of concrete and greed where apparently all the dancing water fountains went to die.
This luxurious spot on Las Vegas Blvd., where the dreams of those who gambled their luck away were shattered all the time behind smoke and mirrors, was not where Sydney and Carmy's love story would take a turn for the better, though. But it certainly was the perfect location for Carmy to run into an old friend who would bring nothing but good fortune to their lives.
"Is that you, Berzatto?"
Carmy turned around to find Costas Spiliadis, the extraordinary Chef and acclaimed restaurateur who had single-handedly brought Greek cuisine and culture to America for the past forty years.
"Costas!"
Syd was witnessing the reunion of the best Mediterranean Chefs in the world, front and center. Gushing on the inside, and trying to keep it professional and demure on the outside.
Once the mandatory pleasantries were exchanged and the manly patting hug was crossed off the list, Carmy was quick to introduce her as his partner and CDC.
Costas was delighted to meet her, and Syd couldn't stop smiling and mentally kicking her feet. She was stunned, and the fangirl inside her was having the time of her life.
Shortly after, Costas invited both of them to Milos, his restaurant at The Venetian Resort, for his famous three-course dinner menu.
Syd barely let him finish the sentence before accepting the invitation and starting to worry about what she was going to wear that evening because she hadn’t packed anything remotely appropriate for such a fancy occasion.
Carmy had no choice but to accept, for her enthusiasm was something he could never resist. She swept him off his feet with the same infectious and invisible might that had pushed him beyond his own limits and made him chase a star all over again, just for her, a little over a year ago.
They had reservations at 7:00 PM, but Carmy was knocking on Syd's door wearing his best Thom Browne suit at 6:17 PM, even though The Venetian was literally only 3 minutes away. He decided to lose the tie for this occasion and let the first 3 buttons of his white shirt undone. Las Vegas weather got along great with his distinguished yet casual beige and white cotton seersucker suit featuring classic lapels, a front button fastening that highlighted his strong torso, front flap pockets, button cuffs, and a double vent to the rear. He hadn't dressed up like that since the Michelin Star award ceremony, last year, where he wore his custom jacket and a pair of black Calvin Klein pants because Syd wanted to wear her Thom Browne jacket, not a dress, and he thought that they should wear matching outfits because: ‘Why not?’.
Syd and her shaky and sweaty hands opened the door for him and what followed was an instant of mutual awe. They both looked great and none of them hid how pĺeased they were with what they were seeing.
‘Eyes up here’ Syd thought, but said nothing as she watched Carmy's azure blue gaze quickly burn a hole in her cleavage right at the lowest central point of the V-neck of her asymmetrical ruffled dress that matched his eyes. When she got that blue Bottega Veneta dress a few hours ago at one of the exclusive hotel boutiques, she couldn’t help but wonder if Carmy would like it, which didn’t particularly amuse her. Sydney reprimanded herself, on her way back to her room, for letting her mind wander in that direction, but truth be told, when his eyes undressed her for a fleeting moment, setting her cheeks ablaze, she low-key loved it. Syd was flushed, and Carmy was speechless.
After that brief and slightly uncomfortable interaction, all seemed to go back to normal between them.
When they got to The Venetian, Syd simply lost it. She was like a 5-year-old at Disneyland; she literally hopped a few times, and that smile of hers, that he could draw in his sleep, was the guest of honor of the night. Never left her face nor her eyes.
Carmy was trying really hard not to stare. Mission not accomplished.
The first thing Syd told him as soon as she stepped into The Palazzo, where Costas' restaurant, Estiatorio Milos, was located, was "Oh my fucking God, I always wanted to go to Venice! This is like a dream come true, Carmy. It's amazing!"
Carmy had never been to Vegas before either, and neither had he ever been to Venice, actually, but he was sure that The Palazzo effortlessly blended the sophistication and excess of the Veneto region; he could feel it in every line and in every lavish detail. It was a place where time seemed to slow down, where every desire and whim seemed to be within reach. He remembered the words of this German author he used to read a lot in Danemark on his days off, after feeding the invisible cat and as the waters of the Nyhavn swung him gently from side to side, ‘This is Venice, the flattering and suspect beauty of this city, it’s half fairy tale and half tourist trap.’ That description did total justice to what he was seeing, without a doubt. He made a mental note to take Syd to the real floating city someday. Hopefully soon. He wanted to bring her that joy and be there with her when she discovered Venice for the first time, again. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t a mental note; it was a promise he made to himself right there and then.
Syd made her way to their table with his hand on her back, casually glued to her silky blue dress, right above her waist, guiding her. She was growing fond of his hands on her back. Maybe too fond.
They sat down and ceremoniously placed their napkins in their laps. Carmy looked pleased yet unimpressed, meanwhile, Sydney was still over-effusive about everything that surrounded her.
"Oh my God, I feel like I’m in Italy, I swear, Carmy, I feel like I'm there! This is unbelievable! I hope you don't mind but I'm taking pictures of absolutely everything, I'm gonna be obnoxious all night long, sorry not sorry. Y.O.L.O."
Carmy laughed as only she could make him laugh, ran a hand through his hair in that nervous way that made his dirty blond curls look strategically messy and sexy as hell, and told her that he didn't mind at all, in fact, he offered to be her personal photographer later that night when they completed the tour around the hotel, an offer Syd promptly accepted, of course.
Mediterranean seafood impeccable dishes kept coming, and their glasses kept being refilled with refreshing zingy, tangy, and sweet ginger lemonade on the rocks.
Everything was perfect. Dreamy. Almost too good to be true.
In between the vibrant courses of Greek cuisine, Syd and Carmy were discussing the possibility of crossing over from The Palazzo to The Venitian Resort, after dinner, so Syd could get the full Venitian experience at the bustling Italian piazza and explore the stunning frescos and sculptures, perhaps even take a gondola ride in the Grand Canal underneath those beautiful little bridges, admiring the Italian architectural replicas... Her mind was going at 2000 m/h. She wanted to wrap up dinner and get out of there as soon as possible to discover the sprawling realm of Italian luxury in all its forms, right there in Las Vegas Valley, in the gigantic building next door.
That's when Chef Costas Spiliadis made an appearance. He personally waited at their table and was in charge of serving them his famous Milos dessert from Athens, 'Chocolate Sin'.
They fell into easy conversation and Carmy asked him to join them for drinks after dinner but Costas respectfully declined because he said that he had to prep for the weekend Anniversary, which he already anticipated was going to be extremely brutal seeing as there was this all-inclusive limited offer for the newlywed members of the Venetian Rewards program that was surely going to be the death of him.
"Sounds scary! But, I mean, good scary," Sydney quipped.
"It is, and this year is gonna be scarier than usual, because the resort is celebrating its 25th Silver anniversary and they are going all out. There are spa freebies for Diamond members, live concerts pretty much around the clock, and 50% off in the gift shop; it's insane, really. I wish I could enjoy my own Diamond membership with my wife, I mean we are not newlyweds by any means, we've been together forever, but I guess that's one of the perks of being Milos' EC...To be able to use my Diamond membership how I see fit, although I'm afraid that's not going to be possible this year, unfortunately."
Carmy, who was more interested in the Chocolate Sin, made a passing comment about Costas' spouse, "Corinne, right? You two have been together for a lifetime. Wow, Costas! That's great. Tell her I say hi."
"Will do, yeah, we've been together for almost 40 years now, she's a saint. What about you two? For how long have you been together? Wait! Don't tell me, let me guess, not long, right? I can definitely tell you two are still very much in the honeymoon phase, am I right, chefs?"
They couldn't have corrected him, even if they wanted to, because both Syd and Carmy were choking on the ginger lemonade and the Chocolate Sin, respectively.
Syd took a deep breath after clearing her throat and clarified that they were not an item.
Costas looked positively flabbergasted. "Oh! I'm sorry... I-I- I'm so sorry! I just thought that-that you two were, because, well... so... I'm- I'm sorry, I must have misunderstood when you said you were... partners. Sorry. Please accept my apologies."
Carmy clarified "Business partners, Costas, she's my business partner."
"Right," Syd added.
"Well... too bad. Because you know what? I was just about to offer you my Diamond gift card so you could enjoy my reward package. It's a shame that it's gonna go to waste this year. Last year my daughter got to use it, but this year she's abroad, so I guess there goes my Diamond membership Anniversary package."
Syd looked at Carmy, who was still trying to process what had just transpired and her Espresso eyes sparkled differently for a second when his gaze met hers across the table.
They had this unspoken dialogue for an instant and then Carmy cautiously asked, "Hmmm...How would that work?"
When Costas briefly explained how they could redeem the benefits he was allowing them to use on his behalf by getting them a Diamond Membership Gift Card and transferring his rewards just for that weekend so they could take advantage of the limited offer for newlyweds, Carmy and Syd nodded along, signaling they were following, but the elephant in the room begged the question Syd dared to ask, "But how would the whole marriage certificate thing work?"
"Oh, darling, don't you worry. If I pick up the phone and tell them you two are just married, they will buy it, no questions asked. Just say the words and I'll make the call. But it has to be today because starting tomorrow this is gonna be total mayhem and we may not have a vacancy, as a matter of fact, even if I make the call right now, it's still too last minute, but if you two want to I can give it shot, maybe we're lucky."
Syd and Carmy exchanged a look that could only be described as the perfect mix of cryptic and complicit.
Carmy really wanted to see Syd enjoying herself in this little Venice surrounded by desert Saguaros and sodium lamps; he didn't want to miss a bit of that. She looked so sparkling and excited as soon as she set foot on the resort that giving her more of that seemed just like the best thing to do. He had never had the chance to see her like that before, so now that he had the opportunity to soak up this more joyful side of her, Carmy was sure as hell going to seize it.
And Costas had Syd at "no questions asked." So... it all worked out in the end. Syd and Carmy decided to pretend to be husband and wife for just one weekend to get the Newlywed treatment and then return to Chicago as if nothing happened because nothing was going to happen between them; this was basically just another business agreement for them. That was plan A.
An hour later, they were pretending to be on honeymoon duty in this little Venice copycat, floating down the Grand Canal underneath bridges and past cafes while a singing gondolier piloted their journey and demonstrated that his baritone voice could sound very romantic in the right context. Syd was impressed.
Carmy was feeling incredibly self-conscious at first, but after the second round of drinks, he loosened up.
By the time they strolled down St. Mark’s Square, where they could appreciate the meticulous details of the Renaissance-era Venetian's handiwork and the awe-striking scale of undeniable architectural artistry, Carmy felt comfortable enough to put his arm around her, enveloping her shoulders as her hand wrapped around his waist in an effortless sequence, as if they had done that a thousand times before.
They had a blast. The stars in the sky were jealous of them. How dare they be so carelessly happy in a world that kept telling them they were just business partners and that being anything else was far too complicated to even attempt?!
Around 2:00 AM, they agreed to go to their nuptial suite and call it a day.
They decided on the elevator that Syd was taking the bed, and Carmy was going to crash on the sofa. Since they hadn’t checked out of The Bellagio yet, all their luggage was still there, so they were going to have to improvise their sleepwear. Nothing they couldn’t handle.
Syd opted for sleeping in the robe that felt like being inside a cotton cloud, and Carmy went for the fully clothed option.
She felt terrible because ultimately he was the reason why she was spending this weekend in this magical imitation of Venice and having such a wonderful time, so she pretty much dragged him to the bedroom, assigned him the right side of the bed, and explained “Carmy, this is an Alaskan King sized bed, for fuck’s sake! If you sleep over there and I sleep over here, and we both stick to our respective sides, we will basically be in two different time zones! Not to mention, we are adults, not teenagers. Just get over there and go to sleep already! Would ya?”
“OK, OK! I’m just gonna lie here, so you just shut up, Syd. See? Done. Happy now?”
“Not really.”
Carmy looked so puzzled that she had a hard time keeping a straight face, which was a crucial part of her whole strategy to pull his chain.
“I forgot to ask you if you snored. ‘Cos if you do, you should go back to the couch, sorry I didn’t think this through.”
Carmy sensed she was fucking with him so he felt cheeky, “It’s your lucky night, Syd. I don’t.”
Syd didn’t miss the cheekiness, saw it, and raised it, “Well, I do… D’you still wanna sleep with me? I mean… share the bed?”
“Sure, as long as you stick to your time zone, I think I’ll be fine.”
It felt so easy and comfortable to go to bed with him by her side, even as far as he was, that she started having this need to cuddle with him, maybe just for a little while. But she fought it and fell asleep in no time thinking about what a great time they had earlier in that little Venitian Fantasyland.
Carmy didn't, he had trouble sleeping in general, but having Sydney at arm's length was a whole other level of insomnia. He pretended to sleep on his side, fixating on the wall to avoid looking at her. When dawn broke in Las Vegas, he actually fell asleep, dreaming of his muse.
By the time the sun was shining bright up there, Syd started to wake up in slow motion and the first thing she felt was this coziness that warmed her up inside and made her feel at home like she hadn’t felt in ages. Her eyes were still closed, her breathing was even and calm, and she could smell his cologne, hear him breathe in the back of her neck, and then she realized she was in his arms, they were spooning, and she could feel all of him. All of it. He was definitely in her time zone and it felt all kinds of perfect. She was born to be his little spoon and his strong arms were meant to be her cocoon, there was no other explanation. She didn’t need more than that.
Syd didn't want to move so as not to wake him, she wanted to stay there until all the desert sand turned to glass.
She was starting to fall asleep again when his humming and groaning brought her back to consciousness.
Carmy was waking up from one of the best dreams he had ever had where Syd and he were sitting on a table in an unknown location that felt very familiar anyway. He was sketching something that looked like an orange or a grapefruit, she was diligently taking notes, and Michael passed them by, winked at him, and said “You two look great together, you should open a restaurant together. Ya know?.”
Syd and Carmy laughed wholeheartedly, and all of a sudden Michael disappeared and Syd was cooking in a very beautiful garden surrounded by flowers, the same edible flowers Carmy used to collect to sprinkle in his dishes at Noma. Then Carmy, who was right behind her, put his arms around her ever so gently as she continued to stir a steamy pot full of a blood-red dense liquid in an improvised fireplace build on top of a pile of rocks, he kissed her shoulder and with each kiss, he climbed up her neck until she turned around, that was when he captured her lips that received him with so much love and passion that at that point the dream turned into this carousel of images of ardent lovemaking in different places that would run through his mind at the speed of light, it was exhilarating, hot didn’t begin to cover it, and it was more arousing than any wet dream he had ever had before.
What Carmy didn’t know was that the woman of his dreams was right in his arms but it didn’t take long for him to find out and all that arousal rapidly turned into sheer mortification.
He was ejected from the bed as if Syd was radioactive, couldn’t get away from her fast enough and when he tried to cover his erection with a pillow he tripped and almost fell right back on the bed.
Syd was astonished, but also found it funny and she tried to cover her face not show how much she was enjoying this Benny Hill episode but her laughter and snorting gave her away.
Carmy locked himself in the bathroom and prayed his blood to flow north but there was no use and he was going to be damned if he relived himself with Syd on the other side of the door.
Syd said she was leaving and that was going to wait for him in the lobby. She also made a point of clarifying that that he should relax because she hadn’t seen anything, everything was cool and all that jazz. Carmy jumped in the shower and felt cursed because even the cold stream was actually warm in that more expensive part of the desert. He just wanted to crawl under a rock and die.
When a few minutes later he walked out of the bathroom wearing just a robe and with dripping curls that framed his now refreshed features, he saw her back, her braids cascading over her robe. She looked like she was still sleeping on her side, facing the window.
“I-I-thought you were in-in the lobby.”
“I lied.”
She turned around to face him. He panicked.
He certainly wasn’t ready to face her yet, after the “hard on-cident,” and she was without question not ready to see him right out of the shower, soaking wet and wearing just a cotton robe.
But there they were, zeroing in on each other, unable to move or say a word to save their lives.
When this silent game became too awkward and the tension in the room was off the charts, she patted the bed in that now empty space where his warm body had rested next to hers not so long ago and looked at him with all the sweetness her eyes could convey and he felt this pull, this gravitational force that made it impossible for him not to do as she pleased.
Once he was lying next to her and still utterly embarrassed, Carmy second-guessed his every move, he was so high-strung that he was actually holding his breath. She kept quiet and carefully shifted her position to be the little spoon again. He followed her lead. Carmy rested his head on the pillow and enveloped her in his arms again, just like before. She made sure not even a needle could fit between them. He let her do it.
They slept some more. Their encompassing breaths were all they heard before slipping back into that stage of sleep where most dreams occur.
When she woke up, still spooning, she turned to face him once more, and he woke up. He never knew that seeing her face as soon as he woke up was going to have the effect it had on him. It was like watching the river flow, like being down by the water contemplating life and feeling that no matter what, everything was going to be alright. Come what may, as long as he woke up like this every morning.
She looked deep into his soul, studying all the different shades of blue his eyes displayed just for her. She sank into his blue eyes and stayed there.
Then she softly stroked his cheek all the way down to his jawline. He closed his eyes to her touch, breathing her in was next, and then he let himself feel that wave of restfulness and true serenity she made in him. He relished in it.
When he opened his eyes again and her disarming and gentle smile was the first thing he saw, he was ready to put it all on the line.
“Sydney, can I kiss you?”
“Please do, Carmy.”