"YAM-YUET! DO you want the salt-cooked chicken or the hand-teared chicken?"

"Oh, Auntie Ip, either works! I love both."

"Yam-yuet, put on a jacket, the air conditioner is so cold here—"

"Yam-yuet, what vegetables do you want, hmm?"

"Yam-yuet! Tell uncle what it has been like in university—"

"This is almost enough to make me wonder," Orion whispered in my ear, "whether I'm their son or you're the daughter."

I shot him a glare. He chuckled.

"Tsun-kit!" Auntie Ip scolded, "what are you whispering about? Don't make Yam-yuet angry."

"I was just," he replied smoothly, "complaining about you neglecting me for her."

"Well, of course. She is a girl and she is younger and she is far more obedient and nice and sweet and—"

"Ah, all those things I am not."

"None of those things you are. That's right," Auntie Ip said matter-of-factly. "Oh, I am always so jealous you had a daughter rather than a son," she said to my parents, releasing a loud sigh.

Orion blinked. "Was I that bad?"

I sent him an amused look. It didn't matter at all what he was like as a kid right now. Auntie Ip was intent on praising me, and she'd do anything to do that. Even if it meant completely destroying Orion for things he had never quite done.

My mum let out a hearty laugh. "You won't say that if you actually had a daughter, you know."

Auntie shrugged. "Still be better than this boy. Never calls us. Even when he comes home he just stays in his room or goes out all day. And not even with a girlfriend. I would be okay if he spent all day outside with a girlfriend." I was drinking a sip of tea when I heard that, and I almost choked. Letting out a few coughs, Orion gave me a few smacks on the back before I swatted his hand away. And then, as if reminded of something, Auntie Ip turned her eyes to me. "Does Yam-yuet have a boyfriend?"

"No," my dad answered for me, shooting me a glare. "If she had she'd tell us."

"Well, it's okay. Yam-yuet is only eighteen. But Orion! Twenty! Turning twenty-one so soon! Still single! And the last girl he dated—and the only one he ever told us was almost two years ago!"

This time around, it was Orion's turn to choke. I turned curious eyes upon him. I wasn't precisely jealous—I wasn't stupid enough to think he'd have spent two years at university without dating. I didn't think he'd dated anyone at Arrington, because surely I'd have noticed something? Or Dean would probably have spilt it by now. But he'd never mentioned a girlfriend at uni.

He glared at me. "Michaelmas term of my first year. You won't know her. She's a Chem major."

I leaned in, perching my chin on my hands. "How long?"

"Eight months."

Eight months. Jesus Christ. Now I felt a bit jealous. It had been somewhat serious, then. Auntie Ip made a disapproving sound. "And you break up over what, huh?"

"She didn't communicate with me like, at all. Regularly ghosted me, left me on read, all that type of crap. Wasn't worth it."

"You could have tried, Tsun-kit," Auntie Ip scolded.

My father spoke up. "Ai, you know kids these days. They don't just marry the first people they date, you know. They date many people. Not necessarily a bad thing, less chance of bad choices."

"Ma, it was two years ago. Let it go. I'll find someone eventually."

"What about you, Yam-yuet? Even if you don't date—you're a very pretty girl, surely someone has been chasing you?" That was Uncle Ip, glancing up from the menu he'd been inspecting with care for most of the past few minutes of the conversation. I wasn't even aware he'd been listening.

"Umm, there's this one boy—"

"—a Korean—" Orion interjected with a roll of his eyes.

"—and he's really nice and quite handsome—"

"—and Salome is not interested in him."

I glared at him. "Dude, you just basically stole all my lines."

"Yam-yuet!" My mother shook her head. "I cannot believe you have not told me this. Show me a picture of him."

Under Orion's narrowed gaze, I took out my phone and found a picture of me with Danielle, Mun-hee and Jeremiah under the sun, taken by Eileen. Zooming in on Jeremiah, I handed my phone to my mother, who passed it around the table.

"Very handsome," my mother said approvingly. "He looks like a good person."

Orion sounded exasperated. "You don't even know him, Auntie Lam."

"Oh, is he not a good person?"

Orion stopped for a long moment. "Well, no."

"See?" my mother beamed. "I am good at reading faces."

"Very cute boy," Auntie Ip gushed as she handed the phone back to me. Both fathers declined to comment. My father's eyes were narrowed. It was probably the Korean bit. I'd realised my father was quite against me dating people who weren't Chinese a while ago. He was scared I'd move away from him forever, probably. Fathers. "But no? You're not interested in him?"

"I just like him as a friend," I told her with a small shrug.

"Anyone you like?"

"Umm..."

"Aha! So there is."

"Well, not really. Like there's someone I kind of like but he doesn't know it, you know? And I don't think it'll ever happen because we're too different..." It was fucking weird admitting this out loud when Orion was sat right next to me, but I couldn't stop myself from saying those things out loud either. I just hoped to god no one tried to ask for any more in depth information.

And now Uncle Ip piped up again. "You know, if you like them, just go for it? You're still so young, the consequences won't be that severe. And I think you're smarter than to become so heartbroken over a boy."

I grinned. "I know. But since I know it's literally just impossible, why bother in the first place if I know it's destined for failure."

"This daughter of yours," Uncle Ip huffed to my parents, "too rational."

"Good thing," my father replied with a soft smile in my direction. "Girls need to keep themselves safe, and I cannot protect her when she's away from me. A rational brain will help protect her."

"Tsun-kit can protect her," Auntie Ip announced. "Can't you, Tsun-kit?"

Orion raised one brow. "It mostly depends on whether or not Salome here is willing to accept my help, ma. I'm always willing to lend a helping hand, you know what I'm like." Yeah. He'd do it to anyone who asked. Which was why I didn't want it at all. Because every time he helped me out it raised the false hopes I'd furiously spent the last few years trying to shut down. Every time I was around him all my progress dropped right back down to zero.

It was painful. Exhausting. Tiring. But was there really a way to explain it all without revealing the fact that I liked him? I didn't think so.

The conversation had moved onto something else. The restaurant was busy at this hour, and it was fortunate Auntie Ip had booked a table beforehand, or we'd have been left outside waiting. Our estate was built atop of a mall, so we'd frequented this mall since we were little kids. And this restaurant was one of our favourites in the entire area. It was hardly surprising our parents had decided to host this little reunion here instead of elsewhere.

The food began to arrive—salt-cooked chicken, we'd finally decided on—and we all began to dig in. Orion glanced at me, one brow raised. "You want rice?"

He remembers. I used to be unwilling to eat any Chinese food without rice (or noodles, I supposed). I gave a little nod, and he immediately called for a waiter to get a bowl of rice for me.

"You two have been getting along well," my mum mused. "You're even closer than before."

"Well," Orion explained, "we've grown up."

My mum nodded approvingly. "About time. It seems like you two are just destined to be together all the time. Primary school, secondary school, boarding school and now university." She let out a sigh. "Fate, you know."

I didn't say anything, picking up a large piece of chicken with my chopsticks and putting it on my rice, quietly eating, not wanting to look up. Not all of it had been fate. Primary school, secondary school and boarding school were definitely not wholly coincidental. But I didn't need anyone to know that.

I wasn't sure about what Orion thought about me nowadays. The hoodie incident had laid all but unmentioned between us after that initial night, and despite what Eileen Zhou might insist on, I still wasn't completely sure he had any feelings or just pure interest in me at all. The way we acted right now was perfectly and normally friendly. Platonic.

It felt safe.

My phone chimed and I glanced down at the notification. Jeremiah. Have you landed yet???

Glancing around to make sure all the parents were busy talking to each other, I quickly typed back, Yeah!!! Having dinner rn.

I felt a shadow loom over me, and I glanced up to meet Orion's unamused glance. "Seriously?"

"What? We're friends."

"If you don't want to break the poor boy's heart, just reject him already."

"Just because I might not have feelings now does not mean I might not develop them for him eventually."

"So you are interested in him."

"No, not right now."

"Give an easier answer, Salome. Are you into him or not?"

"Again, not right now. But he's a nice guy and I might eventually have feelings for him."

"Who's the other guy?"

Blinking, I asked, "What?"

"The guy you have a crush on. I wasn't aware of anyone like that."

"You don't know him," I lied. "He's in my year."

"Give me a name, show me a picture."

"No," I shot back. "I'm not planning on doing anything about it anyways, it's just a stupid little crush. I'll get over it eventually."

"How long have you liked this guy?"

Thirteen years. "Just a couple weeks."

His eyes narrowed. "That recent?"

"Which is why I said it's a stupid little crush. Shoo, personal space."

He still looked suspicious, but what could he do? Suspect every guy who I was friends with? He won't figure it out because it was him. The last person he'd ever think about.

When the dinner was finished, I told my parents I wanted to head to the supermarket to grab some drinks and ice cream.

And because it was my parents, they turned to Orion. "Aiya, Tsun-kit, can you go with Yam-yuet? Just in case, it is kind of late."

"We literally live right upstairs," I deadpanned.

Orion grinned. "Of course, Auntie Lam. I will go and protect Salome from the evil villains who infest this mall. Don't worry, I'll get her back to your apartment safe and sound."

Between my howls of protest and whispered insults, Orion pushed me away from my parents and in the direction of the supermarket. I glared at him and he shrugged. "So... this crush..."

"Fuck off."

"That is no way to talk to your elder."

"Are you calling yourself old?"

"Stop deflecting the topic. Tell me about this crush."

"No."

"What, are you embarrassed? You don't need to be embarrassed."

"I am not embarrassed, and you are annoying me." I pushed him further away, turning to the ice cream aisle. "There are no villains—"

"Salome Lam?"

I turned to the source of the voice and instantly froze. Okay. Fine. Maybe there were a couple villains lying around, though it seemed a bit mean to group Frances Choi as a villain when he hadn't really done anything wrong. I'd played with him like a toy and wounded his pride. Any teenage boy would have reacted the same way, if I had to be honest.

I straightened. "Oh, umm, hey Frances. Long time no see."

This was also probably the first time we'd talked since our breakup. There were some awkward hellos, but I wasn't counting them.

Besides me, Orion took a step forward. "This is?"

Frances' eyes jumped to him, studying him from head to toe, before he glanced back at me again. As if wondering how I'd introduce him. Shutting my eyes for a moment, I forced a smile onto my face before my eyes opened again. "Orion, this is Frances Choi. He was in my year back at Arrington. Frances, this is Orion. He graduated from Arrington the year before you came. He's also my neighbour."

"Pleasure." Frances tilted his head. "Heard you went to Redchester, Salome."

"Uh, yeah. You went to...?"

"Eastfold."

"I have a couple friends at Eastfold," Orion murmured. "I heard it's a nice place."

"Uh, yeah. It is."

Orion knew about Frances. Camille had mentioned him our first night in Redchester. And if he didn't remember, surely he'd have sense the awkwardness of the situation. But instead of helping me get away, he said, "Well, you two have a nice chat! I'll be right around the corner, I need to grab some stuff too."

And then he was gone, leaving me flabberghasted, staring at where he stood a moment ago.

"Well."

I turned back to Frances. He'd grown up. Dark brown hair, sharp features, a bit of anger flickering in his eyes. He'd grown taller too. I didn't remember him being this tall when we dated.

"Can I help you, Frances?"

"Was it him?"

"What?"

But I knew exactly what he was talking about. The words I'd said to him the day I broke things off still rang clear in my mind all these years later. One of the cruellest and meanest things I'd ever done.

It's over, Frances. Just give it up. I'm in love with someone else. I'm sorry, but like, this just won't work anymore. Don't look at me like that. What, did you want me to lie? Did you want me to continue pretending like I care about you when I really don't anymore? I'm trying to put you out of your misery, you have to have noticed that I just am not into it. It was all a mistake and we can put a plug into it right now.

"Don't act dumb," he laughed. "You know, I thought a long time about what you said. I thought it was someone else in our year but then you never dated again until graduation."

"He's just my neighbour."

"I might have never met him at Arrington, Salome, but some of my friends did. When you first broke up with me I asked all my friends about any boy who'd ever been close to you and some of them mentioned this guy who'd graduated the year before. Who you seemed to have known for a long time. Orion. Don't lie to me."

"This is ridiculous," I told him. "It's been two years. I'm sorry for what I did, it was really fucking shitty, but get over it."

"Salome Lam—"

"Goodbye, Frances. I hope I never see you again. Have a good life." And then I turned to the alley Orion had disappeared down. He was at the very end of it, raising a brow as I neared him.

"What, done reuniting with your ex?"

I was silent as I grabbed the drinks I wanted off the shelf. He glanced at me, brows creased. "What, did he piss you off?"

"Like you said, he's my ex. And we didn't break up on good terms. Of course I'm pissed."

"You feeling alright? Need me to talk to him?"

"No," I shot out. "Just leave it be, Orion."

"Fine." And then, after a long moment, as if he had contemplated it for a long time, he told me, "If it makes you feel any better, the first time I bumped into my ex after we broke up wasn't very nice either."

"Was she your first?"

"Yeah," he let out a half-hearted laugh. "I fell hard, you know. Right into love. I thought she was going to be the one."

"Oh."

"Was that what you felt for him? Frances?"

"No." I swallowed. "I was just curious. What it felt like. Which was why I broke up with him, because it felt fucking horrible to just use someone like that."

"Oh." He was silent as we dropped our things at the self-service counter. "Well then."

"Yeah."