Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day.

7:30 p.m. — the fuzzy edge between the evening and the night. 

A car pulls into a parking lot, and after several minutes of attempting to find a spot, a solitary person steps out. A long gray scarf and a thick black coat obscures most of their features, but there’s an unmistakable sadness behind their not-quite-visible eyes.

With their head facing the pavement, the individual walks toward their restaurant of choice for the night: The Cheesecake Factory. The floor is aflutter with the chatter of lovebirds, all too involved in their own conversations and their desserts to notice one more person coming in to make any difference. 

The individual steps towards the host. Their voice is hushed, but their words are unmistakable. 

“Table for one, please.” 

After a brief wait, a server leads the individual to their table. They place their order: one slice of plain cheesecake. As they wait for their food, they scan the room, taking in all the couples enjoying each other’s company. A profound sadness overwhelms them — one that no number of desserts could fix.  

Maybe you can relate, literally or spiritually, to this tale of cheesecakes and heartbreak. If that’s the case, then you can take consolation from this playlist we at E-Team have made. We can’t help find someone to go to Cheesecake Factory with you, but at least we can give you good music to listen to while you eat by yourself.