Easy on the flour, doughboy,” I say playfully as Bennett rolls rice flour dough into little balls on a wooden cutting board.
“Hey! I have feelings,” he says with a mock-serious tone. “I want these rice dumplings to be perfect. Auntie Lydia will never approve of me if I can’t get tāngyuán right.”
I nod in agreement. “They are her specialty. Better to be safe than sorry.” I scoop another spoonful of flour onto the board.
“Okay, you go get the other desserts ready,” Bennett instructs, gently nudging me out of the kitchen with his elbows. “Clearly, I’m the expert here.”
“You don’t need my help? I know you like following the steps together.”
“I’m cool with doing these on my own. I got this.”
“Okay,” I say uncertainly. “If you’re sure?”
Bennett flashes me a crooked smile meant only for me to see. “I’ll meet up with you outside once I’m done filling these.”
I smile back, a feeling of freedom and deep connection swelling into me at once. I hold my floured hands up in surrender. “Fine! You’re on your own!”
Mom walks into the kitchen with a tablecloth. “Olivia! Take these out, will you?” she says. “For the dessert table.”
Dad lugs in a box filled with Extra Serving Plates written on the side. “I don’t know what we have up in that attic, but this is the last time I’ll ever go up there. I swear I heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet.”
“Damn Rats,” Bennett says with dramatic mock irritation, his eyes sparkling at the irony.
Mom lifts the lid open and takes a peek in. “At least they’re not broken.”
Dad sighs. “Guess I’ll have the honor of cleaning these later,” he says.
Mom slaps a pair of purple rubber gloves against his chest. “You’ll need these.”
“Bennett, those are looking lovely!” Auntie says as she breezes through the kitchen. She gives the dough a soft squeeze. “Very nice.”
Bennett stands up straighter with pride as he folds the dough around black sesame seed filling.
“Lydia, are you wearing perfume?” Mom asks teasingly.
Auntie blots her matte red lips with a tissue. “Walt will be here soon. How do I look? Oh, never mind. I know I look fabulous,” she says, sauntering out of the room.
Once Auntie didn’t have my match to worry about, she quickly resumed her own search for a man worthy of her love. Alisha found Walt in the Lunar Love database. Turns out, he had been there all along, too.
The doorbell rings, and Mom slips off her apron to answer the door.
“Xīnnián kuàilè!” two voices boom from the front entryway. Randall and his husband, Jonathan, pass through the living room carrying trays of sweets and Randall’s special peanut snack.
“Happy Lunar New Year!” I repeat back to them.
“Olivia! It’s been forever,” Jonathan calls out. He sets his tray down and greets me with a big hug.
Seconds later, I spot Mae Yí-Pó and Dale Yí-Gong slipping their shoes off at the front door.
I grab the tablecloth, Randall’s bowls of peanuts, and my latest baking creation, a Year of the Ox–shaped Incompatibility Cake, and head outside to the backyard.
Paper lanterns in the shapes of accordions, horses, and fish dangle between the trees. The moon balloons from Nina’s Cookie Day are surprisingly still floating, so we placed them by the back door to give them a second life.
I fling the tablecloth over the dessert table and arrange the bowls of melons and pears, plates of sweets, and pots of tea so everything looks presentable.
“I just had a little chat with Bennett,” Nina says, sidling up beside me. She places a tray of two chicken dishes, hot and sour soup, and homemade dumplings onto the table.
“And?”
“He’s great. Listening to me paid off, huh?” she says with an all-knowing look on her face. She lays out the spoons and forks and examines my food arrangement. She pushes a teapot one inch back and looks satisfied.
“Don’t get used to it,” I say playfully.
Asher calls out, and we see him struggling to start a fire in the fire pit.
“Not again,” Nina says, running over to help.
“Let me know if you need help finding the spark!” I call out after her. “It’s how I make the big bucks!”
Through the glass windows, I see Bennett and Dad laughing about something. I spot ZodiaCupid team members chatting with the Lunar Love team on the back patio.
Auntie makes her way over to me with a bowl of green beans. “Are you ready?” she asks.
“More than ready,” I say, taking the dish from her and placing it next to the rest of the food.
“I’m proud of you, Liv. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the changes. And learning how to let go. Whatever you choose to do long-term, you will always have my full support,” Auntie says emotionally.
“Thank you.”
She picks up a tangerine from a pyramid of fruit, tosses it back and forth between her hands, and looks around at the guests. “It was a good idea only limiting this year’s festivities to close family and friends. We’ve had enough big events for the year.”
“It’s been nonstop, hasn’t it?” I reflect. “The LA Times and El Lay Daily articles were the cherries on top.”
“The LA Times profile was beautiful. Pó Po would’ve been shocked by how much attention it received,” Auntie reflects.
“It meant Lunar Love and her legacy will live on.”
Auntie places the tangerine back on top of the pile and winks. “Would you have thought four months ago we’d both have boyfriends?” she asks.
“Never in my wildest dreams,” I say with a laugh.
“One way or another, we had to get you matched!” Auntie says mischievously.
“And you, apparently!” I say.
Auntie throws her head back in laughter before heading back to the house to greet Walt. She waves to Colette, who has arrived bearing a box of what must be more baked goods. Over the last few months, we reconnected, catching up on the past three years. I didn’t fully realize how much I missed her until she was back in my life.
“I’ve missed your family’s Lunar New Year parties,” she says. “My mom can’t be bothered to throw one together.”
I take the pastry box from her and slide it between two other plates of food. “Where is she now?”
“Who knows? Probably off on a yacht somewhere in the French Riviera,” she sighs. “Bennett said he’ll be out soon. I’m glad you found a good one. He’s nothing like the last ones we dated.” Colette nudges me, and we laugh.
“No. Definitely not,” I agree with a shake of my head.
Once the food and decorations are set up and all the guests have arrived, I tap my teacup to get everyone’s attention. I stand to the side of the fire pit and feel the warmth from the flames. Bennett joins me as we face our group of friends and family.
“Thank you, everyone, for joining us tonight. It means a lot that we can celebrate together. It’s fitting, considering this holiday celebrates new beginnings and intentions, both of which we have a lot of.” A few people in the group chuckle. “This year’s Lunar New Year looks a bit…smaller…than other years, but even after everything, we wanted to make sure we celebrated. Many of you didn’t have the chance to meet Pó Po, but I know she would’ve loved all of you.” I look up at the night sky and raise my teacup. “Tonight, we celebrate her and the start of new traditions.”
Everyone lifts their teacup in unison, and we all take sips of our tea.
“There’s also something we wanted to share with you first, though most of you already know. It’s not public yet so don’t tweet about it or anything,” Bennett jokes. “We were ecstatic to receive funding from a couple of investors, but we were even more floored when they got on board with our second pitch for a Lunar Love and ZodiaCupid merger.”
I look into the group to find Alisha and Randall’s faces. They give me thumbs-up signs. Bennett’s team cheers and whoops. Even Elmer, who actually is a nice guy once I got to know him, looks excited.
“We’re over the moon that, starting Monday, Lunar Love and ZodiaCupid will be sharing the same orbit,” I announce.
“Hopefully, together we can see a boost across both platforms,” Bennett adds. “Especially since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.”
“It’s a merging of tradition and modernity. It’s not all or nothing,” I say, thinking of Pó Po. “There’s room for both of us. And there’s room for adapting.”
In the group, I locate Harper and Parker, the original Lunar Love and ZodiaCupid collaboration before it was official. Their signs and ascendants weren’t compatible according to the Chinese zodiac, but based on my evaluation of their traits, we paired them up to see what would happen. Three months later and they’re still going strong.
“Sometimes traditions can be reinterpreted, but that doesn’t mean they go away completely,” I say. “We think this route could help us bring something we’re passionate about into the modern day. Lunar Love will have a more updated database, in a sense, while being able to use data to assist with our in-person matchmaking.”
Our friends and family excitedly clap and raise their drinks.
I hold my teacup up. “Thanks for coming along with us on this journey. It’s been a wild ride so far.”
After our announcement, Bennett finds me standing alone by the dessert table. He comes bearing a bowl of rice dumplings in warm water.
“I made these especially for you,” he says, handing me the bowl.
“What’d you put in it?” I ask suspiciously. I lift a rice ball to my nose with the spoon and sniff it.
He laughs. “Just my love.”
I take a bite, the warm black sesame seed filling running into my mouth. “This is good.”
“Excellent. I have a one hundred percent success rate so far then,” he gloats, kissing the top of my head as I lean into him. “What’s that supposed to be?” He nods toward the cake on the table.
“It’s an Incompatibility Cake. The Ox’s horns got a bit tricky,” I explain.
“I hope it’s not red velvet,” he jokes.
“It’s made with Earl Grey and beet. Flavors you wouldn’t typically expect to work well together but actually do.” I use a knife to cut into the middle of the cake and add slices to our plates. “I made it for you.”
At the same time, we dig into the cake. I scrape the frosting off, careful not to disrupt the cake beneath it. Meanwhile, Bennett cuts in vertically, scooping up an even ratio of the cake and frosting.
Bennett gives me an odd look. “Frosting first?” he asks.
“This is me trying to see things from your perspective,” I say.
“Likewise,” he says.
We take our bites. Bennett shakes his head. “This is strangely delicious. These flavors…”
“They’re a perfect match,” I say, finishing his sentence.
Bennett smiles, and my heart tumbles and turns, even after all these months.
“I think that went well?” I ask.
“Very. This’ll be fun.”
“Or a complete disaster.”
“Maybe this is my way of infiltrating your business now,” Bennett says with a conspiratorial tone. “Or at least to stop you from poaching people off my platform.”
“We may be partnering, but the magic of Lunar Love can’t be replicated,” I inform him.
Bennett squeezes me tighter. “I think we have what it takes to make this work.”
“Just keep your hands off my buns, and we won’t have a problem.” I eat another spoonful of frosting. “So, do you happen to know what time you were born?” I ask casually.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to ask me that. Do you even know yours?” Bennett asks, polishing off the last of his cake slice.
“Of course I do. Year of the Horse, birth hour of the Horse.”
Bennett laughs. “I should’ve known. You’re a Horse through and through.”
I look up at him and wait. “So? What about you?”
“You want the truth? I don’t know what time I was born.”
“Can’t you find your birth record or something? There are ways to find out,” I say.
“Isn’t it kind of romantic not knowing?” Bennett asks, wrapping his arms around me.
I lean my head into his shoulder. “That’s one word for it.”
Bennett wiggles his fingers playfully. “Secretive. Mysterious. Ooh.”
“You joke, but this is our livelihood and culture and relationship,” I say teasingly, turning to face him.
Bennett shakes his head. “I’m just leaving room for magic!” he says playfully.
“Okay, okay!” I laugh. “Just kiss me.” I tug Bennett’s hair tenderly to bring him closer to me and give him a deep, hard kiss.
Maybe there is beauty in opening yourself up to the love you don’t expect and the traits that will keep you guessing. Because compatible or incompatible, we’re all just trying to love and be loved, however that might look.
We look up into the dark February sky, our attentions pulled toward the glow of the jade-white moon. The moon is practically invisible in its waxing crescent phase, its outer edge a thin pearly glimmer shining against the stars. New love a barely there whisper in the night sky.
As a matchmaker, I’m constantly learning. My most recent lesson: love is mostly like the moon. Whereas the moon and all its phases are predictable, love is not. Where I once thought I could predict how my relationships would turn out, I now realize that was as foolish as trying to keep the tides from rising and falling.
In the end, gravity always finds us, bringing us right back where we belong.