The cake turned out incredible. Between the balance of spices, the decadence of the frosting, and the rather impressive flourishes they'd managed on the decorations front, Kaitlyn couldn't help but be a little bit proud of their creation. It was good enough that Esme insisted on taking pictures to share with her soon-to-be-envious friends.

  I definitely still need to work on my piping skills. Some of the frosting detail work is just a little less consistent than I'd like, especially those flowers I added up the side… but still. It's dang good looking. And Esme's little maple leaves actually turned out really well for a beginner.

  After stuffing themselves full of far more dessert than was entirely reasonable, Esme drove Kaitlyn back to campus. The hangout had given her plenty to think about, and she spent the next few days considering everything she'd learned.

  Well, at least I know what NOT to do—or at least, what to do if I want a bad ending.

  Obviously, cozying up to Elliot for selfish reasons—money, status, and so on—had struck her as a terrible idea for a long time. Talking to Esme had only confirmed those suspicions. Doing something like that would make him immediately distant, if not outright distrustful.

  Unfortunately, that also complicated the matter of pursuing a relationship with the guy. The fact was, she did have ulterior motives for wanting to date him. She needed to get his ending. She cared about him too, of course, but would that matter? Would he still be distrusting, even if her reasons were so different from what he was used to? Or would his aversion to letting people in blind him?

  Ok, let's think about this a different way. Let's focus less on how to date him, exactly. If he's worried about people taking advantage of him, then why not think about ways to help? That seems like a better way to show good intentions.

  All of the romance endings so far had involved meaningful improvements in the male leads' lives. What form those improvements took varied quite a bit—something she'd learned the hard way—but the core idea remained the same. Now she just had to figure out what that would look like for Elliot.

  He keeps the parts of his life pretty darn separate—band and lab, specifically. The way he talks, it seems like he doesn't want them to overlap in the slightest. Maybe that's his issue? That, or his passion for music isn't being fulfilled as much as he'd like to admit…

  Kaitlyn shook her head. That last idea felt a little too much like she was projecting Ian's troubles onto the ginger. Still, the situations had pretty obvious differences. Elliot genuinely seemed to enjoy biology, and he clearly wasn't suffocating under the burden of college like the budding game developer had. But that didn't mean his situation couldn't see some improvement.

  The main things I think I can help with are biology, his band, or reconciling the two. Considering that he's super competent in lab and classes, I don't imagine that I'd be too useful there. And I've already gone over why bringing the two together might not be great… so I guess that just leaves the band.

  When everything was taken together, it really did seem like the key element that stood out to her. At the very least, it seemed like a good place to start when trying to help the guy. Keeping herself open to other possibilities would be important, of course, so that she avoided veering too far off track again.

  If nothing else, it's a good place to start. Even if it is some sort of red herring, then at least I'm bound to learn something by chasing it down. I'd rather try something and fail than just twiddle my thumbs and wait for the answer to fall into my lap.

  Maybe it wasn't so much about what she did. Maybe what really mattered was the simple act of helping. Perhaps just reaching out to try and do something selfless for Elliot would be enough, no matter what area it affected. Well, as selfless as she could manage, given her own situation. In that case, then taking action was really all she needed to do.

  Kaitlyn nodded. With that matter settled, there was just one more question to answer—how, exactly, was she going to help with the band? There was no way she'd become some sort of fangirl or groupie. That seemed like exactly the wrong kind of approach to take, nor would it be particularly useful. There had to be more practical and effective ways for her to go about this.

  After a bit of consideration, she realized that there was a pretty straightforward answer. The band had pretty good music that she genuinely enjoyed. But they were also pretty small and unknown. Perhaps all they needed was to get their names out there.

  An idea slowly began to form in her mind. As the days went by, it solidified into something far more specific and actionable.

  Alright. I have no idea if this is a good plan, or if it's going to backfire spectacularly. But… it's a start. It's something that I can work toward.

  And so, she began outlining Operation Dream Lizard.

  ***

  "Omigosh, Kate! This place looks sooo cute!"

  Heather beamed at the entrance of Chella's Italian Bistro, its brick facade cast in a golden glow from the fading sun. The wrought-iron tables arrayed in the restaurant's small front patio were already full, as expected for a Saturday evening. For a moment, Kaitlyn took in the sight alongside her friend. "Yeah? Glad you approve. I wasn't sure if you'd like the aesthetic, but the food…"

  In all her loops, Kaitlyn had somehow never invited Heather to eat at the place. Before her software jobs, eating here had usually been a bit of a strain on her budget, so it certainly wasn't something she expected anyone else to splurge on. Even after that, she'd simply gotten so used to eating alone that it had never crossed her mind. However, with her surplus of funds, why not treat her roommate to something special? Especially after she'd done so much for her this loop.

  Hopefully this makes up for me missing out on so many of her hangout offers. And I gotta admit, I am a bit curious about how she'll react to Scarra's food…

  A wave of warm nostalgia suffused Kaitlyn as they approached the restaurant. She hadn't visited the place in a few loops. Aside from checking on Philip after his bad ending, being here just hadn't felt right. But standing at the door, she realized how much she'd really missed it.

  She led the way inside, a small bell tinkling at their arrival. The savory scents of cooked meat and freshly baked bread met them at the door. The place was absolutely bustling with people enjoying food and conversation both. Luckily, Kaitlyn had long since made it a habit to call ahead whenever she came.

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  Heather continued to gawk at the place as they entered. "Wow, this place feels totally authentic! It seems super popular, too!"

  "Trust me, it is," Kaitlyn waved to Chella as she popped up from behind the deli counter. "On both accounts. It's probably the most authentic Italian food you can get around here. Definitely the best, too."

  "I dunno, Kate. That spaghetti carbonara you made was unbelievable."

  She chuckled. "If you think that was good, just wait. Scarra makes it even better."

  The pair paused as Chella approached, the portly woman taking the girls in with a warm smile. "Welcome! How can I help you ladies?"

  "Hi. We have a reservation for two under Kaitlyn?"

  "Oh, wonderful! You're even a little early! I have your table right over here…"

  They settled in by the window and shed their jackets. Heather took another look around the room. "Geez, Kate. You shoulda told me to wear something nicer! I feel, like, totally underdressed for this!"

  "Ah, whoops." She scratched her cheek apologetically. "Kind of forgot, sorry. There's not actually a dress code, though."

  "Yeah, but still," Heather flapped a hand for emphasis. "Even if there's not, like, an official one, you still gotta know your crowd, y'know? And I love dressing up!"

  Kaitlyn just shrugged. To be perfectly honest, she hadn't dressed up to visit Chella's for a long time now. It just felt a bit unnecessary when she was a regular. But rather than explain that, she simply reassured the blonde. "I don't think they'll really care. Trust me."

  "Fine, fine," Heather leaned forward. "So. You wanted to talk about social media stuff, right?"

  Doing something nice for Heather wasn't the only reason they were here. Kaitlyn's plan for the Elliot route involved helping out the band in the best way she knew how—increasing their popularity and success. The clearest path she saw to accomplishing that was through leveraging social networks and word of mouth. And who better to ask about that than the queen of all things social?

  Of course, there was no way she'd get Heather involved directly. Not when she'd already expressed interest in Elliot before. Besides, Kaitlyn felt like doing this all herself would be way more meaningful, not to mention easier to moderate if something felt like it was going in the wrong direction. But even though she'd learned a lot about marketing and the like from watching Heather, there was still plenty to be gained from sitting down and having a real conversation about it with the girl. Besides, making Heather feel like she was doing her a favor would be great justification when Kaitlyn paid for both of their meals.

  Kaitlyn nodded. "Yup. I think I know the basics, but I just want to pick your brain a bit more. Not just about selling stuff, either. How do you even reach people in the first place? Make sure that a post is set up right? Stuff like that seems to be second nature to you."

  Heather tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Oh, that's easy! I can talk for days about this kinda stuff! It's all about knowing your audience…"

  "Good evening."

  The pair fell silent, their gazes turning toward the newcomer standing at the table. Philip stared down at them with cold gray eyes, a small black apron tied about his waist in addition to his usual vest and dress shirt. He stood ramrod-straight as he uncorked a chilled bottle of water.

  He bent at the waist slightly, reaching out to fill their glasses. "Pardon me for interrupting. My name is Philip, and I will be your server for tonight. Can I interest you in any additional beverages to start off with?"

  "Ooh, what do you have?" Heather immediately latched onto the suggestion. "Is there, like, a list?"

  "Of course. It can be found on the last page of the menu. There are also a few additional specialties that we are able to prepare upon request."

  "Ooh, this lemon one sounds pretty good… What are you getting, Kate?"

  The words snapped her back to the present. Belatedly, she realized she'd been staring at Philip. "W-what? Oh, sorry. The limonata is amazing, you should try it. I'll have one of those."

  "Make it two!" Heather jumped in.

  Philip nodded. "Excellent. I'll give you a moment to look over our menu. However, we do have some specials tonight…"

  After finishing his spiel, Philip left them to put in their drink orders and see to the other partons. As he walked away, Heather gave Kaitlyn a look. "You ok there, Kate?"

  She pulled her eyes away from the retreating figure. "Yeah, just fine. Why?"

  The blonde's smile turned sly. "Oh, you know. I just noticed you checking out the server, so I had to ask…"

  At one point, the suggestion would have reduced her to a flustered, blubbering mess. Now though? She just shook her head and chuckled dryly. "Yeah, not this time. Sorry to disappoint. I was just… thinking about something."

  It all turned out ok in the end. There's no reason I should still feel guilty about what happened to him. I couldn't have known, anyway…

  "Uh-huh. Sure." The blond eyed her skeptically, her grin widening. "Was that something named Philip?"

  Kaitlyn just sighed. "I'm serious, Heather. Besides, he's… not my type."

  Not anymore.

  "Anyway. What were you saying before? About knowing your audience?"

  "Fine, fine," her roommate dropped the subject with obvious reluctance. "Sheesh. You're no fun…"

  They talked for a long while about social media and how to use it. As expected, Heather proved to be an absolute bevy of information on the topic. From building a following to optimizing posts to the pros and cons of each platform, it seemed like there was no end to the variables she'd need to consider. At least, if she wanted to give the Dream Lizards their best shot at becoming a breakout success.

  Occasional interruptions came as Philip returned to take or deliver their orders. Aside from that, though, the guy showed his professionalism by making himself as unobtrusive as he could manage. Eventually, their food arrived, and it was everything that Kaitlyn remembered.

  "Oh. My. Gosh. Kate." Heather practically collapsed back into her chair. "This is amazing. I mean, the appetizers were too, but this?"

  Kaitlyn's grin widened. "Told you. And you thought my food was good."

  "It is! But this?" Heather gestured emphatically to the plate of artfully swirled spaghetti carbonara in front of her. "This is just… unfair! Seriously!"

  Kaitlyn chuckled, taking another bite of her steak. "Well, at least we have them beat on atmosphere. Nothing says classy like styrofoam takeout containers in a college dorm."

  Despite the fact that she hadn't worked here in some time, she couldn't help but feel a bit of pride at Heather's assessment. The restaurant still held a special place in both her heart and her stomach. It was good to see that it wasn't unwarranted.

  Part of me hopes that I never get this good at cooking. Otherwise, I'm worried I won't be able to eat out without being disappointed… Oh, well. At the rate I'm going, I guess it's bound to happen one day.

  The pair continued eating in companionable silence, Heather wiggling with barely restrained enjoyment as Kaitlyn simply laughed. Tomorrow, she'd start working on her plan in earnest. But right now? She'd take the rest of the night off.