"Family ties are important to us," Thalia adds. "And we mean extended family, too."

The mention of 'us' sends Miguel an uncomfortable ripple as he realizes that it doesn't include him. He frowns. "Family is important to me. I didn't say otherwise."

But Miguel has already been ignored by Thalia. Her gaze shifts away from him, her initial impression of him persisting. He seemingly considers himself different despite sharing the same ethnic background, or, for lack of a better term, race. In his eyes, Thalia and Joshua have an unreasonable attachment to cultural beliefs.

Not his fault. Nature versus nurture or whatnot. He's incredibly lucky to have been born with a silver spoon in a foreign land, in addition to scoring popularity in the virtual world.

But Miguel's confined worldview seems to isolate him from understanding anything beyond his own bubble. Thalia wishes he'd keep his dismissiveness to himself because she really cannot stand it, especially not right now.

Not right now.

Thalia senses a twinge of discomfort and admonishes herself for speaking up. Being too self-aware has its downsides–she immediately recognizes that she's the one being sensitive and is taking everything personally.

She really needs to stop thinking about the past she's left behind. It's never coming back. Her father is never coming back.

Interrupting the escalating tension, Linda interjects, "Our cultures share similarities in that aspect. In Ghana, we also cherish our extended families, and celebrations are grand..."

Thalia offers a nod in Linda's direction and takes the opportunity, deciding that she better go and return to being invisible. She hastily turns on her heel to walk away.

"Hold on–" Miguel has no intention of letting her leave, but the chiming bell unexpectedly brings him to a halt, and Thalia vanishes into the aisles.

He knows she has something against him, and he'll get to the bottom of it.

******

Miguel cannot get to the bottom of it—Thalia rushes out as soon as her shift ends, and his attempt to offer her a ride is met with a simple: No, thank you. 

Consequently, he is left with no option but to let the matter remain unresolved. Whatever the 'matter' is. He has no idea.

"How was the day? Thanks for helping out," Sheila utters, poking her head out from the kitchen. The Christmas tree is fully decorated in the living room, bathing the house in festive colors.

"It was alright. Got a little busy. Christmas shoppers are beginning to come in," he replies, heading in the direction of his mother to give her a quick hug. "Uh, Ma... After the holidays, I'll move out. I found a place near the store. One bedroom, for now. Then I'll look into buying a condo unit by next year."

"You're still talking about leaving?"

"I'm 27," he states. "It's way overdue."

Sheila takes a deep breath. "Alright. If that's what you want."

Miguel pulls up a chair, watching his mother cooking Kaldereta, a beef stew with tomato sauce, chili, potatoes, and carrots.

"When are you flying back to the Philippines?" he asks.

Sheila turns, eyebrows raised. "Why?"

"Just wondering..."

"Your Papa and I are planning to go this coming year. We're still thinking about it. Your titas and titos want to do a reunion... Wanna come with?"

The silence that follows puzzles Sheila, for the usual response from Miguel is a swift no.

"I dunno."

"You don't know...?"

"We'll see," Miguel mutters dispassionately, unsure why he even asked. "By the way, we are hosting another staff Christmas party, aren't we?"

"Of course," Sheila answers, brows drawn together unbelievingly. "Are you going to join us this year?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. Okay."

There's an air of peculiarity around Miguel. Sheila, who knows her son well, recognizes the subtle shifts, finding these unexpected changes to be pleasant surprises. "Are you sure nothing happened?"

Miguel exhales audibly. "Ma, why do you keep asking if something happened?"

"Nothing. Just curious..."

Questioning might jinx it. Perhaps, she entertains the thought, her prayers are being answered...

******

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Sheila cordially welcomes the staff members and their families to the reserved hall of a buffet restaurant, their annual venue for staff parties. Miguel cranes his neck, observing as Linda's family, with their three kids, enters, followed by Baljit and her husband, and finally, Joshua.

Holiday greetings circulate, and the celebrants begin filling their plates from the spread of festive dishes. However, one staff member is notably absent.

Miguel takes a spoonful of fried rice and ginger beef from the buffet tables, leaning in to casually ask Linda, "Is Thalia coming?"

Linda tends to her youngest before turning to answer, "She is."

"Ah."

"She just came in," Linda points towards the entrance. Miguel's gaze follows, and at the sight of Thalia in a red plaid dress and knee-high boots, he falls silent. It's the first time he's seen her with her hair down and outside of oversized shirts, sweatpants, and the work apron.

And is that make up she's wearing?

His parents guide Thalia into the hall, and Miguel hurries to complete his plate with lemon chicken, tempura, and stir-fried veggies.

Thalia hangs her black coat on a chair beside another one she initially thought was vacant, only for Miguel to plop down next to her.

"Yo," he says, offering a curt nod.

Thalia returns the nod and utters, "Hello. Happy holidays."

"Go get some food," he suggests, grinning modestly.

"I will. Thanks."

Thalia heads to the buffet tables while Miguel slowly savors his meal, and conversations spring to life. At some point, Miguel's parents distribute envelopes, and the staff members reciprocate with presents: a cookbook for Sheila and a customized jacket for Rey.

When the photo ops cease, Miguel initiates a conversation, "Any plans for Christmas? New Year?"

"I'm scheduled to work on the 24th and the 31st. And on the days themselves, I'll just be home," Thalia replies softly, realization dawning on her that she is celebrating alone, much like the past year.

It doesn't get easier, unfortunately. Christmas is her family's favorite. Their cherished tradition involves attending church together and returning home to a table filled with both savory dishes and tempting desserts. Then at midnight, they would eat noche buena and exchange gifts.

But now, all she can do is turn her camera on for a video chat, dining alone amidst the muted glow of her screen.

"Did I do anything to you?" Miguel's unexpected question interrupts her solitary moment, causing Thalia to choke on her water. She hastily wipes her lips with a table napkin, casting a wary glance around to ensure that no one has heard.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Dunno. I'm not an idiot. I know when someone dislikes me."

A surge of panic grips Thalia, her toes curling inside her black boots. In a typical fight-or-flight situation, she'd opt for the latter, but Miguel has skillfully cornered her.

"That's... Not true. What makes you say that?"

"You hide from me. Deliberately avoid me."

"I don't do that–!" She catches herself raising her tone, cautiously glancing around once more. Thank goodness everyone is preoccupied. She murmurs, "I'm busy working. I don't have time for chitchat."

"Sure. When it's with me, you don't," he whispers timidly, toying with the remaining salad on his plate.

Thalia grits her teeth, realizing that she has deluded herself into thinking Miguel wouldn't pay attention to her at all.

"You're the boss' son. You can't expect me to treat you like how I treat others."

Amused by her crafty excuses, Miguel challenges her, "Oh? Then pretend that I'm not the boss' son. Say what you wanna say."

She presses her lips together, caught in a bind. He's successfully pushing her buttons, and the audacity of it all is beginning to wear on her nerves.

"I can't do that."

"You've done it already," Miguel mumbles, a smirk playing on his lips. "...Ta-li-ya."

Thalia's mouth opens, her brain turning woozy and swimming in the sea of familiarity. Where has she heard this before?

"Miguel, Thalia," Sheila interjects, capturing their attention with a wave of her phone. "I'm taking a photo. Smile."

Miguel leans closer to Thalia nonchalantly while she clenches her fists on her lap, struggling to muster a genuine smile. A nagging question echoes in her mind: What had she done on the night she had unwittingly drunk, after 10 PM?

The camera flashes, and Sheila moves on, but Thalia remains ensnared, desperately racking her brain.

"I... I still don't know what you're talking about."

Miguel's grin broadens, and he takes a moment to sip his draught beer.

"That's fine. I can tell you. How about on the ride home?"

"Ride home?"

"Didn't you commute?"

A quizzical look clouds Thalia's features. "Uh, yeah, I did. And I can commute again—"

Miguel abruptly gets up from the table. "I'm getting some desserts," he declares, grinning, and strides purposefully to the table with chocolate fondue.

Thalia swiftly claims the vacant seat, previously occupied by Linda's eldest kid, who is energetically running around the hall. Leaning in, she whispers, "Did you tuck me in at the accounting room?"

"What? Accounting room?" Linda responds, a momentary confusion crosses her face. Then, understanding sinks in. "Oh, after you got drunk? No, not me. I was gone by then."

"So, Joshua then?"

"Nah. Joshua left with me."

Thalia visibly pales. "You mean... You mean..."

"We left you and Miguel."

There it is, the moment of truth. Thalia glares at Linda, a sense of betrayal, at least for her, settles in. "Why? Why did you leave me with him?"

"Why not?" Linda's forehead creases. "Did he do anything wrong?"

"No, I mean, I don't think so. That's not it."

Thalia grapples with the realization; it's her actions that inadvertently broadcasted her unfavorable opinion of Miguel.

"I'm just trying to think. Never mind. Good chat," she says, hastily returning to her seat.

Miguel, who has seldom acknowledged Thalia before, has started conversing with her more often since last week, since that team-building event. It's as if he's attempting to establish, at the very least, an 'acquaintance' status with her. She isn't imagining things.

What is she to do? He remains the employer's son, essentially holding the power of the actual employer. He can jeopardize her job. Thalia berates herself for being careless and petty. She should have endured his company.

Pretended she didn't care when he ignored her when they were first introduced to each other. Pretended she didn't get pissed when he talked shit about Jollibee. Pretended she didn't hear his snarky remarks about placing importance on family ties.

(Note: Jollibee is a popular Filipino fast food chain)

But they'd always felt like it was a direct attack against her. In the midst of her personal battles, it felt as if he were belittling not just her, but her entire background. Her life.

Thalia is fully aware that it's her problem. Miguel is being Miguel. He doesn't even see her. Yet being around someone of privilege who seems clueless is immensely agitating.

Thalia draws in a deep breath, finishing the last drops of her water. She needs to do something—perhaps kiss up to Miguel or become better at faking it.

As the party comes to an end and farewells are exchanged, Thalia surprises everyone, including Miguel's parents, by accepting his offer to give her a ride home. She notices the side-eyes from their colleagues, but her primary concern is getting on his good side.

"What's your address?" Miguel asks.

"I live by Century Park. I can put it in the GPS," she quickly responds. He lends her his phone. As she types nervously, Miguel glances at her face, the apparent stress on her features causing him to conceal a smile.

Miguel looks at the address afterward and notes how close it is to the place he's moving to. Both their apartments are about ten minutes away from the store, if they drive.

As if under the influence of some spell, Thalia undergoes a transformation: from a stoic critic to an enthusiast of small talk. She fires random questions at Miguel, who surprisingly responds to each one with ease. What's his favorite food? Anything his mother cooks, but probably fried chicken. What's his favorite show? Breaking Bad. Where did he go to school? The University of Alberta, for both bachelor's and MA. What are his hobbies? Playing video games and streaming.

"You have a YouTube channel?" Thalia repeats, genuinely surprised.

"Yup, I rarely show my face, but yes." He parks the car and looks at Thalia, who evidently relaxes. Finally home. Mission accomplished.

She unbuckles her seatbelt and offers the best smile she can summon. "Thanks. Good night–"

"Hold on," Miguel says, folding his arms as he eyes her. "I haven't told you what happened. But first, care to tell me why you think I'm a jackass?"

Or not.

******

A/N: Uh-oh. It seems like the mission really wasn't accomplished, lol.

Thanks for reading. Hope you're still enjoying!