Finishing This Meal at Fogo de Chão, Leaving All Regrets in 2025 🍷

The meaning of eating at this overpriced, low-value restaurant is something I wrote about long ago. Back when I was still in Boston, I’d pass by as an outsider, peering through the frosty windows on winter nights, envying those beautifully dressed people laughing, drinking, and dining under warm lights—most importantly, not alone. 💡👥 That’s also why, when saying goodbye to Boston, despite my friends’ confusion, I still chose it as my farewell meal. 🥂 I’ve always been stubborn, unable to let go of the past or forgive myself. I know repeating the same patterns won’t lead to different outcomes, yet I cling to them obsessively—perhaps this is the karma I deserve. 😔🔄 After moving to Seattle, by some beginner’s luck on a dating app, I met someone. Coincidentally, he suggested taking me to Fogo de Chão for my birthday. 🎉 For a moment, I thought fate was finally granting me a wish. But in the end, over what seemed like a trivial reason to me, that birthday dinner never happened. 🎂❌ And then, after meeting every week all summer and even agreeing to meet my friends, he completely disappeared—citing that “the biggest batch of RSUs is vesting soon, can’t afford any disruptions.” 📉👻 As a former MBB consultant, I’ve seen colleagues fly cross-country weekly during their third trimester, colleagues who took red-eyes with extra layovers just to spend more time with their kids, and even consultant-doctor couples who still made time for each other. So “too busy with work” feels like an excuse. 💼✈️ But in relationships, facts don’t always matter—you just have to accept the narrative, the reasons, and whatever lies beneath. Truth, logic, fairness, empathy… none of it really matters. 🤷‍♀️💔 Time passed, winter returned. One day, riding the bus from Bellevue back to Seattle, I passed by Fogo de Chão again. Looking at it, I felt that familiar ache—all those glowing windows, yet not a single light meant for me. 🚌💡 Weakly, I picked up my phone, ignoring every dating rule about double-texting or triple-texting, and sent him a photo. 📱➡️📸 Months after ghosting me, he suddenly replied. No apology, just: “Let me take you there.” 💬🔄 #FogoDeChao #SeattleEats #LifeRegrets #DatingStories #LettingGo #NewYearNewMe #EmotionalJourney #SelfReflection