Looking around me, I could see the light bouncing off the tables as the hanging lights stayed perfectly still. I would come here every day and have the same meal every day. Nothing would change. Sitting in the same seat as yesterday and eating the same meal as yesterday became a habit and one I couldn’t break. The large chocolate cake looked more delicious everyday, but I wasn’t always like this.

A few weeks ago, I had broken up with my boyfriend after 2 years and it was the worst pain I had ever felt. Seeing him with that other woman broke my heart and the pieces couldn’t be put back together. Since then, I had always done the same thing over and over again. I would wake up, go to work, come to the restaurant and eat the same meal and then go to sleep. It was like clockwork and I couldn’t break out of this cycle I was in. As the door to the restaurant opened, I saw a couple walk in together and sit at a table.

Watching their every move, I saw the smiles on their faces get wider and wider and their laughs was so loud people across the room would look and stare at them. People could tell they were in love and that only made me miss that feeling even more. I wondered why I couldn’t have something like that and someone in my life like that. My heart began to break even more and I could feel the tears beginning to weld up in my eyes.

Quickly looking away, I turned my attention back to the cake in front of me. The melted chocolate dripped off the sides of the cake and onto the shiny plate. The smell was delicious and made me want to eat it slowly, savouring every moment. The two layers of cake was joined together with a milk chocolate icing in the middle and as I heard another laugh come from the couple, I placed a piece of cake into my mouth. I hope one day that this cycle would be broken and that one day I would be the one laughing like that.