Loveboat, Taipei Quotes

“Maybe part of fighting the unhappiness in this world is to seize happiness when we can.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“And news flash- not speaking your language- in their own country- doesn't make anyone less intelligent than you”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“understand now that rejecting their wishes is not the same as rejecting them.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“Why give me honey when you knew my future was diabetic?”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“I don't care what baggage they dragged over the ocean. They have no right to make me carry it the rest of my life.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“Traffic here is a human rights violation.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“Maybe I'm always obsessed with the guy who isn't available, so I don't ever put myself on the line.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“We're breaking another taboo, talking about racism, but I've just broken a bigger one confronting that guy before the entire restaurant, instead of sticking to that Asian nonconfrontational thing. But these are rules meant to be broken. Something happens to a kid when they see their parent treated like that. Something happens to the parent.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“1+1 is always 2. With her, 1+1 is exponential.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“I would die for my family if it came to it. I would emigrate to a foreign country and give up dancing to unwrap blood-soaked bandages every hour of every day if it meant food and shelter for my family. But because of them, I don’t have to.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“I have a confession," he murmurs between kisses. "That first day, sitting beside you in the van, I wanted to kiss you then."
"Was that why you were such a jerk?"
"Was I?"
"Definitely. Where?"
"Where what?"
"Where did you want to kiss me?"
His voice is husky. "Everywhere.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“I tilt my head, reading without words. Us cutting our own path through the rock, until we merge with the larger river of life. The flow of water breaks my heart, but it also mends it again--everything art is supposed to do.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“I snatch my body as well as my bad from Rick. My heart pounds in my throat. His hand and arm have branded themselves through the fabric of my clothes into my skin.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“The signs, newspapers, magazines are no longer random symbols. They're full of significance: doors, eyes, hands, men, meat, water, hearts, dagger-axes, earth, rain, trees, suns and moons, wood, fire, power, gold, and short-tail birds.”
― Abigail Hing Wen , Loveboat, Taipei

“All's fair in love and war.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“Ever the Brave Boar. I like it,”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“Nobody’s told me anything about anything,”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“I saw them, and I thought, maybe when you get that old, that’s when you find peace. Maybe the secret’s just living a fucking long time with the right people.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“He takes his time. A slow burn that builds and builds, until I am clawing at the stones and my back arches, and my toes splash and my body ripens under his grip.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“--and at every turn, he finds excuses to touch me, pushing money into my hand, running his palm down my back, around the curve of my waist.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“I stir under Zavier's arm, which shifts to my hip. Heavy and intimate and possessive. The subtle scent of him, cologne, sweat, male, reaches my nose. His body is imprinted all over mine--and what does this mean? I'd never been the focus of such ravenous want. Never imagined how irresistible its pull. Sex isn't the barely tolerable duty of procreation like Mom always insinuated. It's two human beings fitting seamlessly together. Maybe it was the dancer in me, but I'd known instinctively how to move--”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“And I understand now that rejecting their wishes is not the same as rejecting them.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“Messages to call home pile up on my desk, but now that Pearl’s WeChat account has been commandeered, I only email her—she’s lonely, her friends are away for the summer, she’s trying to make progress on her Mozart Sonata in C, forcing herself to read all those notes through her dyslexia.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“Calm down.” Sophie twists her hair into a knot and secures it with a clip. She frowns, impatient. “Not like anyone’s going to see your photos. Unless you were planning to hand them out.” “If my parents find out, they’ll disown me.” “Well, they won’t find out. You’re so paranoid about them. Honestly, Ever. All this insecurity is getting annoying.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“This is art, not porn. And as girly as it is, I want to see my body as I’ve never seen it before. As beautiful and free and daring as my roommate—no, even more daring than Sophie, who, after calling me a little girl all morning isn’t saying a word now.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“Stiff with terror, I hold the pose as Yannie’s flashes radiate off the backdrop. I open my arms to present in second position. I throw back my head, letting my hair cascade to the small of my back. I curve sideways like the marble statue of a water nymph—Dress like a Nun—that rule has most definitely gone down. At last, the rapid-fire clicking stops. Yannie speaks in Mandarin. Sophie’s no longer smiling. “We’re done.” “Already?” “I told you. She’s got another customer in a few minutes.” I don’t budge.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“Sophie kicks her heels over the couch arm, translating. “Tuck your chin in—perfect! Now toss your hair—makes you freer. Yes—gorgeous! Not bad for my baby roommate!” I grit my teeth—Sophie can be so patronizing.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“Sophie, long-limbed in a white Italian bikini, walks to the back of the studio, dialing her aunt. She makes a skeptical noise. “Wait until my next shots—then you’ll see a real rebel, baby girl.” I lower my leg, fighting annoyance. I am rebellious.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“Oh, great idea! I’ll call her and ask—I’m sure she’ll say okay. She’s the one who told me about his family.” She starts for the dressing room, then turns back. “Oh, and Ever? Please don’t take this the wrong way. But we only get three outfits so maybe go more . . . sexy? Not like that little-girl dress last night—and definitely not that preschooler jumpsuit. I mean—have fun, okay?”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei

“I’m most surprised by the competitive streak she’s revealed. Xavier means more to her than she’s let on. “But what about Mindy? Doesn’t it bother you—?” Sophie rolls her head along with her eyes. “Look, all guys play the field—at least the non-nerds. She’s the girl who slept with him once. I’m the girl he found afterward. And all those codes about dating—honestly, the only one that makes sense is ‘All’s fair in love and war.’ Even if they were betrothed from the cradle, it’s not over until they tie the knot.”
― Abigail Hing Wen, Loveboat, Taipei