She was not used to being nervous. In everything she did, Jia tried to exude confidence. And why not? She knew her strengths, knew her weaknesses. So long as she focused on the former and avoided the latter, no reason she should ever have to be nervous. But somehow, after thirty years of life—swiftly approaching thirty-one, something she was trying not to think about—being in a relationship still managed to trip her up.

Flirting was easy—she saw a pretty woman, she chatted her up, and bam, there they were. But she and Ling were way past flirting now. They’d been seeing each other for nearly six months at this point, and were…well, to be honest, she wasn’t sure what they were. But what they had going was good, and it seemed only right that they celebrate. And since Ling had already treated her (to Kwong’s, that crazy woman), she figured it was her turn to plan something. Besides, busy as Ling seemed to be with all her detective work, going on dates was probably not at the forefront of her mind. All the more reason for Jia to step up.

Problem was, she wasn’t exactly the romantic type. The physical stuff she was all about, but all the other, subtler stuff tended to throw her for a loop. It was simple enough to decide on inviting Ling over for dinner, but beyond that she was at a loss. Should she cook? No, that was a bad idea. She’s brought it up to her roommate when asking for advice, and he’d been quick to remind her of her complete lack of skill. Last time she’d tried to make fried rice, she’d somehow managed to start a fire (she maintained that it was the stove’s fault). So she’d order food in, then.
But what? And how did she make take-away food look fancy, appropriate for a six-month anniversary? So many questions, but few answers.

Her roommate, Spirits bless him, had tried to give her some pointers, and had even helped tidy up their living room. But romance came easier to him; he and his boyfriend had been together for years now, and so had the distinct advantage of knowing each other extremely well. She knew a decent amount about Ling, but was it enough to plan a successful date at her place? She wasn’t sure.

Well, nothing for it but to try and see. After all, ultimately it was the thought that counted…right? She wasn’t too sure about that. But her roommate had already left for the day (giving her privacy, he’d said with a wink), and there was no point putting it off any longer. So, her stomach doing flips, she sat on the couch and picked up the phone. She paused. Ling might be at work. Should she try her home, or her office? The mental debate was furious, but over quickly. It made more sense to try the office first. She held her breath as she dialed and the phone began to ring. It rang once, twice, three times…

“Yao Sisters Detective Agency.”

She was so caught up in her nerves, it took her a second to realize there’d been an answer. “Hi!” Her voice was a bit too loud; she winced. “It’s Jia. Um, I was wondering…you busy tonight? ‘Cause if not, I was thinking we could do dinner…maybe at my place…”