Man vs. Durian

by Jackie Lau

  “I’m not.” I mean, the greatest woman in the world has come back me. I’m feeling pretty good about myself.

  “What I’m trying to say, Peter.” She twists her hands together. “Is that you’re just right for me. From the very beginning, you’ve been so good to me. I don’t really believe in things like fate, but I’d just made up a boyfriend named Peter to please my mother, and then you showed up and agreed to my ridiculous fake-boyfriend proposal.”

  “I already liked you. I asked you out first.”

  “And I shot you down.”

  “Yeah, and I jumped at the chance to get to know you better. It was only sensible.”

  She puts her hands on my shoulders. “You’ve helped me feel like myself again. You’ve helped me feel again, because when I’m with you, I’m safe; I can handle anything. Every moment we’ve spent together, whether I was chasing you around with a durian bun or dancing with you in a bar...I loved all of it.

  “Although I was scared because of what my other relationship was like, I was also overwhelmed, since this is so different from what I experienced before. A part of me thought I had to be some perfect version of myself before I could tell you how I feel, because you’re so perfect for me. But I already am that person when I’m with you, regardless of whether or not I have my perfect life. From now on, I want us to be together.”

  I clear my throat. “That’s lucky,” I say, my voice a bit rough, “because that’s what I want, too. I want to be with you when it’s good, and when it’s bad. I don’t want you to feel like you have to take a break from me so you can figure things out on your own. I’m with you, every step of the way. I know you’re going to do amazing things in life, but I also know that not everything will go exactly the way you want it—there are always stumbling blocks. Whatever happens, I admire you so much.”

  “I didn’t think I could do this again,” she whispers. “A boyfriend—I didn’t even want to think about it, and I couldn’t imagine trying to go back to software development. But you made it possible. The way you make me feel...” She shakes her head. “I love you, Peter. I realized it the last time I saw you, and it made me want to run, but I can say it now. I love you. It still scares me a little, but I’m getting used to it, and like I said, you make me feel safe. Although that might sound like no big deal, for me, it’s everything. I think I needed the fake relationship to ease myself into the idea, but it’s very real now, and I’m happy.”

  I touch her tear-stained cheeks and her lips, curved up in a tentative smile.

  “I’m glad,” I say. “I love you, too. And I have something for you.”

  I hurry to my bedroom and return with my recent purchase in my fist. I open my hand slowly, revealing the ring. It’s not too fancy—it’s white gold, with a few tiny diamonds.

  “Peter!”

  “It’s a promise ring, something I’ve never given to a woman before. But you and your inexplicable love for durian make me feel something I’ve never felt in a past relationship. It’s like all my previous relationships were practice for this one. I know I want it to last.”

  I hold up the ring, and when she nods, I slide it onto her ring finger.

  “Thank you.” She wipes more tears from her cheeks. “My God, this isn’t like me.”

  “I’m here for every version of you.”

  And then, because I can’t wait any longer, I kiss her.

  We were already standing so close, but now I wrap my arms around her, and she squeaks as I lift her up and kiss her lips. A kiss that I hope says “I love you,” and so many other things I can’t articulate.

  “Alright,” she says, breathless as I set her down, “we should eat some of this food.”

  “I did notice there was an awful lot of food.”

  “I tried to buy everything we’ve eaten together.” She frowns. “Maybe it’s excessive—I don’t know how to do romantic gestures—but we can eat the leftovers for the next week. I’ll stay here with you, if that’s okay. I brought my suitcase.” She gestures to the corner.

  I clasp her hand in mine as we walk to the kitchen. There’s Japanese cheesecake, potato pancake with kimchi jjigae, pupusas, flourless chocolate cake, lamb skewers, noodles ...

  So many memories run through my mind as I look at all the food.

  And then there’s a durian bun.

  “I’ll let you eat that one by yourself,” I say.

  Valerie and I are very different, and not just in our feelings about durian. I’m easygoing; she’s more intense. She’s an introvert; I’m an extrovert. She has a career that means a lot to her; I just want a job with a decent salary that allows me to live my life.

  But we fit together wonderfully. We complement each other.

  “There’s also ice cream in the fridge,” she says. “Just stuff from Ginger Scoops. No Thai rolled ice cream.”

  “I went to that place the other day,” I admit. “Because I missed you so much.”

  “Oh, Peter. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. You told me you’d come back to me, and you did.”

  I fill my plate with noodles and pupusas, and as we eat, we talk about the future.

  “I’m going to move out,” Valerie says. “I’ll start looking for apartments right away and hopefully find something in the next month or two.”

  “You could live with me.”

  “I figured you might say that.” She stuffs some potato pancake in her mouth. “But I’ve never lived alone, and I want to do that for at least a year. Then maybe we can think about getting a place together, something a little bigger than this.”

  “Sure.” I smile at her. “We should probably also think about telling your family that I’m not a doctor.”

  “Oh, my mom already knows. She came home from mahjong at two in the morning, yelling about how you’d been lying to me. You know how her friend’s niece was in your supposed year in med school? Well, she asked around, and nobody knew a Peter So, and she found your profile on Facebook.” She pauses. “For a while, I was convinced there had to be something wrong with you. After everything that happened to me last year, this seemed too amazing to be real. That’s why I wanted to talk to Deepti alone, but she said you were a good guy. When my mom said you were lying...I figured, that was it. But it was just the lie about you being a pediatrician, which I told you to do.”

  “How did she react?”

  “Well, she was glad you hadn’t been lying to me. She’d probably like you a tiny bit more if you were actually a pediatrician, but she’s happy for me.” Valerie squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry I doubted you. It had nothing to do with how you’ve acted with me. I just...”

  “I understand. I admit I was a bit annoyed after you talked to Deepti, but I knew why you were doing it.”

  She squeezes my hand again. “This isn’t too amazing to be real, and I can accept that now, I promise. I trust you. It’s difficult for me, but I do. When I spilled my durian ice cream on you, I never would have imagined this happening.”

  Yes, it turns out that durian—specifically, durian ice cream—can lead to something great. Perhaps it’s not my nemesis after all.

  I agreed to her fake-boyfriend plan partly for the novelty of it, and I got way more than that, though I did get a great story, too. One day I’ll tell it at our wedding, but there’s still some time before we get to that point.

  I look at Valerie, with her glorious smile and her long dark hair framing her face, and I’m blown away by how lucky I am.

  I think it might be time to show her...in bed.

  She squeezes my hand. “By the way, what was in the box you were carrying when you came in?”

  “Ah. Perfect timing, actually.” I grab the box from the hall and open it up. There’s another box inside.

  “The vibrator!” She puts her hands to her mouth. “I’d totally forgotten.”

  “Want to try it out now?”

  She glances at all the food on the table. “Well...”

  “We can have dessert afterward
.”

  “Good idea.

  “We can alternate between sex and dessert all night. One orgasm, then a slice of Japanese cheesecake. Two more orgasms, then a durian bun for you—and flourless chocolate cake for me. Another orgasm...”

  She kisses me on the lips and leads me to the bedroom, where I make quick work of her clothes and give her all the pleasure I can.

  She’s mine, and I’m hers, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

  Epilogue

  Valerie

  The following summer...

  “Where are we going?” I ask as I fasten my seatbelt.

  “You’ll see.” Peter leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

  To be honest, I’m ninety percent sure of the answer to my question. It’s a little shop tucked in a plaza in the suburbs, and I’m super excited.

  It might not be the most romantic place in the world, but I don’t care.

  I’m going to eat durian!

  He places his hand on my thigh as we start driving north. It’s a hot July day, and I’m wearing a pink skirt with a white blouse. I think I look pretty good, and—

  “You look amazing,” he says.

  I smile.

  We lapse into a comfortable silence for several minutes. I open my window and breathe in the warm summer air.

  I met Peter about ten months ago, and those ten months have been amazing. Eight months ago, I started my new job in software development. Although it was a bit of an adjustment at first, I’m happy with how things are going now, and I recently got a promotion. I don’t think I want to work for my friend’s boyfriend’s company forever, but I feel like I have options, and I’m excited about the future.

  I live in my own apartment downtown, within walking distance of Peter’s apartment. We spend a few nights together every week, but I’ve enjoyed living on my own for the first time.

  Soon, however, we’ll start looking for a place to live together. He also said something about taking me shopping for engagement rings, and I think I’m ready.

  I don’t know exactly what the future will bring, but it’s been great to have him by my side this year. This fall, we’re going to Europe for a couple weeks, which will be our first big vacation together. I can’t wait.

  We’ll probably have kids one day, though not for at least a few years. Peter has talked about being a stay-at-home dad until the kids start school, which is cool with me. I think he’ll be a great father, and I have no interest in staying home beyond my maternity leave.

  But for now, it’s just us.

  Every time he looks at me, I can see love in his eyes. A year ago, I would have scoffed at the thought, but it’s true.

  We’re in Richmond Hill now, and sure enough, the plaza where he brought me last fall—and a few times since—comes into view.

  I bounce in my seat. “I knew it.”

  When we get out of the car, he takes my hand and leads me to Doctor Durian. There are a couple new things on the menu, but I stick with my favorite: durian pancakes, plus a small durian shake. Peter orders the mango pancakes.

  “Just like the first time we came here,” I say.

  We sit on the lone rickety table outside, right next to the parking lot.

  “I’m never going to like durian,” he says, “but I’ve developed an odd fondness for its natural gas, rotten onion, and vomit smell.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Whenever I smell it, I know you’re going to smile, and that makes me happy.”

  Peter is the sweetest.

  After we’ve finished our food and I’m sipping the last of my durian shake, he hands me a cream-colored envelope. Inside is a red card with a small cut-out of a durian on the front. When I open it, a durian pops up.

  “I love it!” I can’t believe he managed to find a durian pop-up card.

  “I had this theory, not long after we met,” he says, “that you were like a durian. Because you’re spiky on the outside and mushy on the inside, and utterly delicious.”

  I can’t help rolling my eyes. “But you don’t like durian.”

  “Nah, but you do. I look at you...the way you look at a durian.”

  “You’re much better than durian. And that’s a very big compliment, coming from me.”

  With Peter, I’m living the life I want. So much different from a year ago.

  After I finish my durian shake, we go for a walk in Sherwood Park, and then we meet Chloe, Sarah, Drew, and Josh at the Chinese restaurant we went to last fall, the one with lamb and hand-pulled noodles.

  My friends hug me and wish me happy birthday. Business at Ginger Scoops has picked up, and Chloe’s hired someone to replace me, as well as a high school student to help out during the summer. It’s easier for her to get away from the shop for the occasional evening now.

  Chloe, Sarah, and I are all doing well. A year ago, Chloe had found Drew and Sarah had found Josh, and I was convinced that love could happen for my friends, but it wasn’t something that could happen for me.

  I was wrong.

  I met an incredible guy, and I trust him completely.

  His hand finds mine under the table, and a frisson of heat runs through me at the simple touch. Later, he’ll take me to bed, but for now...

  He pours us all some tea, and I raise my little teacup, as though in a toast. Unfortunately, I can’t think of anything to say. This is embarrassing.

  Peter saves me. He knocks his cup against mine. “To Valerie,” he says simply.

  Everyone joins in, and my cheeks flush, just a little, as they all look at me.

  Did you know there are durian buffets? Yes, such things exist—I recently read about one in Malaysia. But right now, at a restaurant in Toronto with my boyfriend and friends, I’d say I’m luckier than a durian lover at a durian buffet.

  True story.

  * * *

  Thank you for reading Man vs. Durian! This is the end of the Baldwin Village series...I think. My next series is Holidays with the Wongs, and it starts with A Match Made for Thanksgiving.

  To learn about my new releases, sign up for my newsletter here. You will receive a free copy of the novella One Bed for Christmas, a standalone prequel to the Baldwin Village series.

  About the Author

  Jackie Lau decided she wanted to be a writer when she was in grade two, sometime between writing “The Heart That Got Lost” and “The Land of Shapes.” She later studied engineering and worked as a geophysicist before turning to writing romance novels. Jackie lives in Toronto with her husband, and despite living in Canada her whole life, she hates winter. When she’s not writing, she enjoys gelato, gourmet donuts, cooking, hiking, and reading on the balcony when it’s raining.

  Find out more at jackielaubooks.com. You can also follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, or join her Facebook reader group, Northern Heat, with fellow Canadian rom-com authors Jenny Holiday and Farah Heron.

  Also by Jackie Lau

  Kwan Sisters Series

  Grumpy Fake Boyfriend

  Mr. Hotshot CEO

  Chin-Williams Series

  Not Another Family Wedding

  He’s Not My Boyfriend

  Baldwin Village Series

  One Bed for Christmas (prequel novella)

  The Ultimate Pi Day Party

  Ice Cream Lover

  Man vs. Durian

  Holidays with the Wongs Series

  A Match Made for Thanksgiving

  A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas

  A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year

  A Hot Fling for Valentine’s Day

 

 

 
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