His response is a line of wide-eyed emojis.
Ash: Yeah, um…then I’ll just say have whatever flavor you want and just maybe think of me while you eat it.
Liv: I actually prefer their chocolate cake. It’s to die for!
Liv: Cheesecake really isn’t my thing.
Ash: Then why are you even going there? Isn’t that all it is? A dessert place?
Liv: OMG! No! It’s a restaurant with a full menu of all kinds of amazing food AND desserts!
Liv: We are totally going there together when I move back.
Liv: Like…night number one. We’re going there.
Ash: Deal.
Ash: Now go and have fun and if you’re not too full, call me later.
Ash: Love you!
Liv: Love you too!
I know I’m getting ready to go out to eat with the girls—and I’m super excited about it—but I’m already looking forward to taking Ash for his first Cheesecake Factory experience.
It takes at least an hour for Vanessa and me to fully be ready. Roxie texted that she’s meeting us there and will secure a table, and we remind her to ask for an extra-large one so we can spread out.
And order an obscene amount of food.
When Loren arrives, it’s like we haven’t just spent an entire month together. We’re all laughing and talking about what we’ve been doing, and it makes my heart feel happy and full. And it’s the exact last little push I need to tell myself that I’m making the right decision by moving back. If I had a little more time before I was flying back to Seattle, I probably would start doing some apartment hunting.
Of course, I can do all that online, so…
“I love that we’re doing this!” Loren says as we make our way out to her car. “I swear, it’s never the same going to the Cheesecake Factory without you, Liv. We say it all the time!”
“It’s true!” Van agrees. “We tell the same stories every time we go because we just used to have the best time there.”
It was our go-to place to eat from the time we could drive on our own, and I think it’s easily been five years since we’ve all been there together.
Naturally, we tell goofy stories on the way there and I swear I’m laughing so hard my entire body hurts, but it’s worth it. This is the perfect ending to my vacation. Nothing is going to ruin my mood.
Parking is a bit of a nightmare, but we finally find a spot and then pile out and make our way to the entrance. Roxie’s still in line, so she waves us over.
“We’re on the list and should be called any minute,” she assures us before giving us each a hug. “Remember the time they totally forgot us, and we ended up eating at the bar?”
“And drinking!” I add. “The bar tab was astronomical!”
“Martinis and cheesecake,” Loren says with a laugh. “I think that’s all I ate! But mostly it was the martinis!”
“Roxie, party of four! Roxie, party of four!” the hostess calls out and we quickly step up to the podium.
“That’s us!” Roxie responds as we fall in line behind the hostess to our large corner booth.
“Enjoy your meal,” she says before walking away.
Sliding awkwardly into the booth, we’re all laughing for almost no reason, but we don’t care. It’s like we’re already expecting a great night.
Within minutes we’ve got baskets of bread on the table, our drink orders in, as well as our first round of appetizers ordered. We’re discussing what else we’re going to order—should we each get dinner or should we pick stuff to share or…
