Not Your Valentine

Epilogue My phone vibrates. I figure I could use a break from chopping vegetables, so I wipe my hands on my apron and pull the phone out of my pocket. Taylor has sent me a picture of bowling shoes. I bark out a laugh. “What’s happening over there?” Mom asks. “Let me see!” She puts down the wooden spoon and comes over to me, but I slide my phone back into my pocket before she can reach it. “What’s your boyfriend sending you?” “None of your business,” I say. She glares at me before we both go back to preparing food for tonight’s big dinner. For the second time, Taylor will join my family for Lunar New Year’s Eve. Except this time, we won’t be pretending, and he’s also bringing his father, who’s never met my family before. I’m just a little nervous. I’ve spent a lot of time arguing with my mother, trying to tell her that she doesn’t need to double the amount of food we made last year, just because another person is joining us for dinner. I finally managed to talk her out of one of the extra dishes, though we probably could have finished making it in the time the argument took. When the doorbell rings shortly after six, I put down my knife and head to the door. It’s Taylor and his father, who has a big fruit basket in his hands. I smile when I see my boyfriend. I last saw him this morning—he stayed over—but I still feel a little tug in my heart at the sight of him. If you count from the day we started our real relationship, it’s been just under a year, and now we’re planning to move in together. Planning out the life we want to have as a couple. It’s been a while since I lived with anyone other than Lucifer, and it’s just a little daunting, but I’m ready for this step. “You get my text?” Taylor whispers after kissing my cheek. I roll my eyes. Fondly, of course. I love him, and I love how we complement each other. I also love that he’s become a part of my family so easily—the sort of family he used to crave. They might get on my nerves, but I’m glad I live near them and see them regularly. After introducing Taylor’s father to all the people who have crowded into the front hall, I return to the kitchen, and Taylor follows me. “Quit trying to distract me,” I say, pretending to be annoyed. He laughs, a laugh that vibrates all through my body. “You know what’s coming up?” he murmurs. “Valentine’s Day.” This year, the Lunar New Year is closer to Valentine’s Day than last year. And unlike last year, I don’t feel any Table of Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Epilogue MORE BY JACKIE LAU Landmarks Table of Contents Cover Not Your Valentine JACKIE LAU Chapter 1 I hesitate for a moment before destroying the roof. It’s almost too pretty to eat. But there’s a piece of salami with my name on it, so I grab a salami “shingle” off the charcuterie chalet, place it on a small cracker from the walkway, and pop it in my mouth. I follow this up with a sip of wine. “Noooo!” Esther Zhang cries with faux outrage. “It had to be done,” I say. “Charcuterie chalets are meant to be eaten. We couldn’t just look at it all night.” Though it was very impressive appearance-wise, and Esther had snapped many pictures of her handiwork. Emboldened by my move, Whitney McPherson grabs a cheese “brick,” and half the roof collapses. Jasmeet Gill reaches for a pretzel stick. This is my kind of New Year’s Eve celebration: a charcuterie chalet and copious amounts of wine with my closest friends. The four of us met in undergrad, where we all studied chemistry. Esther’s roommates—both PhD students, like her—are away for the holidays, so she’s invited us over. We’re sitting on dilapidated couches in the living room. “New Year’s resolutions, anyone?” Esther asks. “Finish planning my wedding,” Jasmeet says without missing a beat. “I don’t have time for anything else.” She’s currently doing her residency in family medicine. “I plan to start going to the gym three times a week,” Whitney says, “and use my meditation app every day.” “Weren’t those your resolutions last year?” Esther asks. “Yeah, but I didn’t do them. And I really want to get in shape. Luca has so many active hobbies, and I’d like to keep up with him.” Luca didn’t factor into Whitney’s resolutions a year ago. She only met him in April, but they’ve since become pretty close. He’s hanging out with some friends now, but he’ll be over before midnight so they can ring in the New Year with a kiss. Jasmeet’s fiancé, on the other hand, is visiting his family in BC, so he won’t be here. Esther and I? Well… “My New Year’s resolution is to start dating again,” Esther says. I almost spit my red wine on the couch. “What?” she says. “Why shouldn’t I date?” I appreciate having another single person in our friend group, that’s all. But if she wants to put herself out there, that’s her choice. “You should join me!” she adds. Now, that’s taking things a little far. First of all, I do not do New Year’s