You Said You'd Wait For Me | ONC 2022

03: Table for Two

I smile pulling into the Olive Garden parking lot. Pasta was my favorite meal, and this place had to be on my list of top 3 restaurants to dine at. "He remembered." My smile widened.

I park, twisting the key to turn off the car, then remove the key from the ignition, taking my foot off the brake. Pulling the sun visor down, I check my appearance one last time before exiting the vehicle. I was so nervous. I open the back door, grabbing my cardigan then shut it, locking the doors with my key fob.

I walked quickly to the front of the building, pulling open the large, double doors. The smell of fresh bread greeting me. "Welcome to Olive Garden." A young woman greeted me, a pleasant smile on her face. "How many in your party?"

I approached, returning her smile. "I'm meeting someone. He should already be here."

"Alright. What's the name of your party?"

"Umm... try Johnson? Malcolm Johnson." I fidget with my fingers.

"One moment." I stand patiently as the woman checks over her book - or whatever it is that she's checking. A moment later, I watch as she grabs a dining menu and a drink menu, then steps from behind the hostess stand. Her smile never once faltered. "Follow me."

I follow the woman towards the back of the restaurant. The music is soft and sweet, the lights dimmer than they were in the main dining area. She stops in front of a booth, placing the menus down. "Here you are." Upon seeing us, Malcolm stands up. He's wearing dark jeans and a white, long sleeved button up shirt. He looks nice. I smiled to myself about how similar our attires were.

"Thank you." I say to the woman.

"Of course." She says then leaves without another word.

"I'm glad you could make it," Malcolm tells me, gesturing for me to sit. I sit across from him in the booth, placing my cardigan on the seat beside me.

"Thanks for inviting me."

"Our waiter has already come by. I ordered us both a water and lemonade. I hope that was alright." He pulls at his ear.

I smile, nodding. "That's just fine, thank you."

Malcolm gives me a moment to look over the menu, though I already know what I want. I ordered the same thing every time - cajun chicken and shrimp fettuccine with a side salad. When I place the menu down I'm surprised to see Malcolm staring at me. He quickly turns the other way, though we both know he's been caught. "Sorry." He apologized. "It's just that... wow, you look exactly the same."

"I do not!" I say in amused protest.

"You do! I mean look at you. You have the same cute, little nose, and those big, brown doe eyes. You even keep your hair in the same style." He laughs. "You don't look any taller either..."

"Hey! I will have you know that I've grown three more inches since high school. And what's the matter with my bun? It's a nice, easy-to-style hairstyle." I cross my arms. "Also, my nose isn't small."

"The smallest." He teased me. I rolled my eyes but couldn't erase the smile from my face. Not long after the waiter returned with our drinks and a basket of breadsticks. We placed our orders, then continued to talk about old times.

Our favorite moments from childhood. Mine had to have been the time I made him laugh so hard at lunch, chocolate milk shot out his nose. That's the moment I told him, and it's a good one but my favorite - and most saddest memory - would be our last shared birthday party together. I felt a pang in my chest, my fingers moving to fiddle with the ring, but it was gone. I look down at my bare hand, saddened to remember I left the ring at home. I didn't want him to see it out of fear he had forgotten he'd ever given it to me. Malcolm's loud laughter snatched me from my thoughts.

"Remember when" - he laughed - "r-remember when you tripped and spilled your lunch all over your crush. Gosh! What was his name?" He stroked his beard, smiling. "Ryan!" He exclaimed a bit too loud, drawing the attention from other patrons. I shushed him, slapping his hand.

"Oh gosh, don't remind me of that." I rolled my eyes, biting my lip to keep from laughing. Malcolm pressed his lips into a tight line to keep from laughing, to no avail. I broke, laughing just as loudly as he was. We must have looked ridiculous, but I couldn't care less. This felt nice. I never realized how much I truly missed him until now, sitting here reminiscing about the good old days.

Malcolm, I missed you so much. Can't we just stay like this forever? Just you and me.

I grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, quickly retracting it after realizing what I'd done. "Sorry," I whispered. "It's just... really nice seeing you again."

"No, i-it's okay! I get that." He reaches out to take my hand, and I gingerly place it back in his. He gives it a squeeze and I try my hardest to ignore the heat I felt in my face and the quickened beating of my heart. "I really missed you."

Heart be still!

The waiter returned with our meals, and we ate in relative silence, though sharing a story here and there. Malcolm had an opportunity to go pro in football, but an injury in his senior year of high school ruined it. It was really bad; he had to get surgery. "I'm so sorry. That must have been hard." I say sincerely.

"Yeah, but it's alright. I still play some pick up games here and there with some buddies." I smiled, relieved that he hadn't lost his love for the sport. He had always been an amazing player. I know nothing about the sport and all its rules, but I did attend almost all of his games back in middle school. He was a crowd favorite. All the guys wanted to be him and envied his talent. And all the girls loved him, including yours truly.

I felt another pang in my chest.

I've missed so much of his life, and he, mine. We were best friends. We were inseparable. We were... I blink back the tears, grabbing my napkin to wipe my mouth. "Ex-excuse me." I stand from the table without another word and rush to the lady's room. I checked all the stalls and turned on the faucet before releasing the floodgates. My heart felt as if it were being clenched by an iron fist.

I stood an awkward distance away from the sink, my outstretched arms supporting my weight on the bowl. "Whew," I breathed out shakily, shutting my eyes momentarily. When I opened them again, I looked up at my reflection and frowned deeply at my bloodshot eyes. Malcolm would be able to tell I was crying.

I stand upright, sniffling and grab a paper towel. I dry my cheeks, wipe the lipgloss from my lips and toss the towel in the trash can. I take a deep breath and wash my hands. I speak encouraging words to my reflection. "You're having a nice night, so try not to dwell so much on what was. He's here now." I smile, nodding.

I grab another paper towel to dry my hands just as another woman enters the bathroom. I offer her a small smile before tossing the towel in the trash can and returning to our table. Malcolm's plate is cleared when I return and he's searching through the dessert menu. "You up for dessert?"

"Sure. Nothing chocolate, though."

"You're still on about that?" He asks incredulously. "Chocolate is the best flavor."

I roll my eyes, remembering why we always had both strawberry and chocolate desserts at our shared parties.

"It's really not. Strawberry is top tier." I skim over the dessert menu as well. "Look, they have a strawberry cheesecake." I point to the image on the laminated menu.

"Notice that that's the only strawberry option." He raises an eyebrow. "The rest are all, let me see, chocolate."

"Oh, whatever." I laugh, and he does too.

Malcolm. My smile widens as I look at him. You're here. You're really, truly here.