Make a Circle by Elliot Joyce

Author:Elliot Joyce [Joyce, Elliot]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 9781644050538
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2018-12-16T07:00:00+00:00

IT WAS another hour until dinner, and in that time, Lucas managed to be the subject of several conversations but was part of very few. At best he’d sit down with a younger relative who could translate between him and an older family member, but for the most part Lucas just caught people talking and glancing at him. There was music playing from the television. He didn’t recognize the band, but admittedly his experience with music tended to be more Millennial Los Angeles Punk Scene than traditional Chinese. He also wasn’t brave enough to head back to the mahjong table, instead choosing to sulk inside and pretend it didn’t bother him that he didn’t speak Mandarin.

Oliver hadn’t relaxed the entire time Lucas was there, and it was irresponsible of Lucas to assume he could do any good by being there.

Dinner was buffet-style, the oldest members of the family going first before the younger kids ruined all semblance of order by charging ahead. Some of the family shook their heads, but no one argued. It did mean Oliver and Lucas were among the last to get food, but there was more than enough. Dishes and dishes of chicken, pork, and duck all marinated in rich sauces, vegetables cooked in oils and spices, noodles in broth, and rice—so much rice. Lucas wanted to try a little bit of everything, but Oliver casually pointed out which dishes were spicy or which were made by a family member with questionable cooking ability, so Lucas could avoid them.

“Where’s the tangyuan?” Lucas asked.

“That’s later. We all make it together for dessert,” Oliver explained. Lucas decided he was only a little disappointed.

There weren’t enough seats for everyone at the usual table, so many people were eating outside and others had taken to the living room. Lucas and Oliver managed to snag a seat on the L-shaped couch in the living room, next to Sammy and her husband, Paul. Alice and Jeffrey were also there, as were Kyle—Oliver’s brother—and his boyfriend, Lao. Belatedly, Lucas realized this had unofficially been set aside as the “young couples” section.

“So how did you two meet?” Kyle asked, lounging in his boyfriend’s lap.

“My band has an unofficial mascot, Rex. That’s my friend’s dog. And one day Rex got really sick, throwing up and everything, so we rushed Rex to the emergency vet’s office because his usual one wasn’t available—”

“And I was there on night shift, absolutely miserable because it was 1:00 a.m. and I only had one cup of coffee, when these guys in leather jackets and ripped jeans come in carrying this small little poodle—”

“We’re all freaking out, shouting about how Rex is dying, and this cute vet just looks at us and goes—”

“If you don’t shut up and tell me what’s wrong in an inside voice, Rex won’t be the only thing dying.” Oliver mimicked his voice and expression as best he could—he was a lot less snappy when he’d gotten eight hours of sleep, but it was close enough.

“And he

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