September 1 pa lang ay maganda na ang mood ni Niki. It's Christmas Season in the Philippines. The malls have already set up their Christmas trees and various decorations. Christmas season also means one thing: money. People are generally more generous kapag malapit na ang pasko.

But Christmas season also reminds her that she will be spending another one alone. Will Andy go home on Christmas?

Napatingin siya sa phone nang bigla iyong tumunog. She removed her hand from the electronic mouse to pick it up. Andy was calling.

"What?"

"Were you about to call me?"

"No?" May plano ba siyang tumawag? She didn't even get to that thought when he called.

"Were you thinking about me? I just... had a sense that you were."

"You know this is getting kinda creepy."

Tumawa ito. "Maybe we're twins in our previous lives." Niki smiled at the notion. Probably. Kaya siguro pareho sila ng likaw ng bituka. Or at least they complement each other. Maybe it was the reason why she feels like Andy is her other half... in a familial way. "So what's up? You sound like you feel no joy at the moment."

"That's because I'm talking to you. You suck the joy out of anyone." He didn't retort but she knew he was grinning on the other line. "Sa'n ka magpapasko?"

"Sa 'min."

"Ah..."

"Di ka na naman uuwi?" She shook her head. "So wala kang plano sa pasko?"

"I'll stay at the condo all day and order something in. Watch Home Alone... cry myself to sleep..."

She heard him groan. He was probably rolling his eyes. "You are so dramatic."

"Hey, at least I won't spend so much money on gifts. Ikaw ewan ko kung paano ka makaka-survive with your 20 godchildren."

"Binigyan ko ng 5K si mama para bumili ng laruan sa Divi. I'm sure may sukli pa 'yon."

"Ano'ng gift mo sa 'kin?"

There was a long pause. "Friendship," Andy answered in all seriousness, which made her burst out laughing.

"You are so cheap!"

"Cheap?! Need I remind you na ako ang madalas gumastos sa mga gala natin? Remember the plane ticket you forgot to pay? Yung souvenirs mo sa Bangkok, sino ang bumili?"

Tumikhim siya. "I uh... actually need to get back to work. Bye."

"Nik–"

Nakangisi niyang ibinalik ang phone sa holder. She put the phone on DND mode because she knew Andy would call her back just to nag. But talking to him made her feel a little better.

–

To: Andy

I sent you something. It's 5 minutes out.

From: Andy

Bayad na?

To: Andy

Yuh

From: Andy

Okiee 😚

From: Andy

Anong meron?

To: Andy

Payment for all the inconvenience I've caused you. 🙂

He didn't reply after that, but the rider already reached his place so she figured that he got a call from the driver regarding the delivery Maya-maya ay nag-text uli ito.

From: Andy

Thanks but the plane ticket alone cost thousands of pesos. One cup of coffee isn't enough to cover that.

To: Andy

The rest... binawas ko sa subscription mo.

From: Andy

???

To: Andy

To my friendship. Akala mo libre 'to?

From: Andy

Wow.

To: Andy

😌

–

Niki got the remainder of her 13th month bonus in November. She spent a portion of it on Andy's gift. It was a lego set, something useless to her and even Andy, but she knew he likes to collect useless things.

At 27 years old, she was already close to paying off her condo unit. May savings siya sa bangko. May insurance... even death insurance. She started saving in high school. This was part of the reason why kapag lumalabas sila ni Andy, ito ang madalas gumastos. He didn't mind dahil gastador talaga ito.

At 27, Andy was still renting a room. He had no savings in his account because his family was well off. He didn't feel the need to save. Kung siya ay hindi gumagastos sa maliliit na bagay dahil may pinag-iipunan siya, ito naman ay bili nang bili ng kung anu-anong magustuhan nito.

His only investment was his car. He wanted to have a car because he likes to travel. Para raw mas convenient. Niki knew he also took her into account. Kaya hindi na rin siya bumili ng kotse. Pwede naman niyang gawing driver si Andy.

Andy is a live in the moment kind of guy. He loves spontaneity. Niki, on the other hand, likes to know what she is dealing with before she makes a decision. That makes her an excellent planner. She often envied her friend because he could make decisions in a snap, even though he was not sure of the outcome. Si Andy yung bumabalanse sa kanya at siya ang bumabalanse kay Andy. She controls his spending and he helps her loosen up.

That makes them great friends.

She used to be a busybody during Christmas. August pa lang, nila-line up na niya ang lahat ng sasahurin niya mula September at lahat ng babayaran from September to December para alam nya kung kailan siya may sobrang pera para bumili ng regalo o magplano ng bakasyon.

Five years ago, Niki stopped doing that. She stopped anticipating Christmas. She dreaded going home and seeing her parents.

It was around this time when she discovered that her father was cheating on her mother. She told her mother, of course, but it didn't turn out the way she was expecting.

Her mother took her father's side. Nasisi pa siya nito. Her mother accused her of trying to tear their family apart. Her two siblings confirmed her allegations but they didn't say anything. And when she did, they also took her father's side. Niki felt so isolated in her own home that she decided to stop spending time with them. She stopped calling and checking up on them. Hindi na rin siya umuwi tuwing may okasyon. She took all the stuff she needed from their house and she had been living by herself ever since then.

Andy didn't approve of her decision, but he couldn't say anything because he knew it was hard on her too.

Andy helped her with the move. He helped her find a rent-to-own place. He was listed as her emergency contact. He became her only family.

Andy has a great relationship with his family. His parents are still very much in love with each other and they value honesty and loyalty in their household. She spent her first Christmas away from her family with his family. Hindi naman na siya iba sa mga ito. Pero iba pa rin ang pakiramdam na ang mga ito ang kasama niya sa pasko.

They knew about her situation and they tried their best to make her feel welcomed, but she decided she would just spend the next Christmases alone.

And this one would be no different.

–

A week before Christmas, nagpaalam si Myles na uuwi ng probinsya. She would spend a few weeks with her family. Second week na ng January ang uwi nito.

Niki had the unit to herself for almost a month. She had already planned to rearrange the furniture and deep clean the entire unit for the week. Wala naman siyang ibang gagawin. Of course, she called to help. It was always nice and handy to have a guy you can boss around whenever you need him.

"Saan ko ilalagay 'to?" tanong ni Andy. Buhat-buhat nito ang one-seater na upuan.

"Uhm..." She looked around to see where it would fit best. Near the couch? Across the couch? Sa sulok ng living room? Sa tabi ng potted plant?

"Nik!"

"Wait! I'm thinking!"

"Ibabagsak ko 'to," pananakot ni Andy. He had been carrying that one-seater for about a minute already.

She shushed him. "Just let me think for a sec."

Andy groaned. "Can't you think while this thing is on the ground?"

"Mas madali kasi kapag buhat-buhat na. And keep quiet. You're interrupting my thought process."

Andy pressed his lips into a thin line and waited. Mga ilang segundo pa lamang ang nakakalipas nang magsimula na naman itong maubusan ng pasensya. He began tapping the floor with his foot. Itinuro niya ang area katabi ng potted plant na malapit din sa malaking bintana. Andy put the chair down with a grunt. Saka ito umupo doon para magpahinga.

"Tinatanong pala nina mama kung sa amin ka uli magpapasko."

Niki scrunched her nose and shook her head.

"So you're really spending Christmas alone?"

"Yeah," she answered with a shrug. Andy looked concerned. "It's just Christmas, Andy."

"Okay. Whatever you say." Andy took something from his pocket and handed it to her. "Regalo ko pala."

Nakangiti niya iyong tinanggap. Andy gave her two gifts. Isang envelope na may lamang gift certificates worth three thousand pesos in total and a sticker card of a famous coffee shop chain, already filled with stickers.

"Sa company namin galing yung GC. I know you'll have more use of it than I would so..."

She walked to the back of the chair he was sitting on and wrapped her arms around his neck before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you!"

Andy wiped his cheek with the sleeve of his shirt right after. He looked grossed out by the kiss. Typical Andy.

–

Christmas day.

Niki woke up at around 11:30AM. She slept in because she knew she had nothing to do that day. Uminom rin siya ng ilang bote ng alcohol kagabi, which helped knock her out. Ka-video call niya si Andy habang nakikipag-inuman ito sa mga pinsan nito. Isinali siya sa ikot ng tagay. Ayun, hanggang alas dos sila magkakainuman.

She immediately checked her phone as soon as she could properly open her eyes. There were several missed calls from Andy. A few greetings from her other classmates. Several online notifications. Karamihan Christmas greetings.

She responded to some of them before giving Andy a call.

"Daming missed calls ah," panimula niya.

"Soju lang ang ininom mo, knocked out ka na agad."

"It was four bottles, okay?!"

Andy laughed. "Hey... Merry Christmas."

"Hm."

"At least greet me back."

"Same to you," sabi niya rito. "Bakit ka tumawag?"

"Tinatanong ni mama kung anong gusto mong magkain. May cordon bleu, lasagna, lumpiang shanghai, chocolate cake, brazo de mercedes, fruit cake, uh... carbonara, fried chicken, lechong manok... ano 'to, Ma?"

"Morcon. Saka may chicken salad and fruit salad," said his mom. Narinig niyang mas lumakas ang boses nito. "Merry Christmas, hija! Wish you were here."

"Merry Christmas po, Tita Andrea," pabalik niyang bati.

"So, what do you want me to bring?" tanong ni Andy maya-maya.

"Pwedeng paulit ng menu?"

Andy groaned. "I'll just bring a little of everything."

She smiled at that. "Pero damihan mo yung cake, ha."

–

Andy arrived at around 5PM that day. He had with him a backpack and a large eco bag from a very famous mall chain. Puno ng pagkain ang ecobag. Nakalagay sa disposable tupperwares.

"May natira pa bang pagkain sa inyo?" natatawa niyang tanong nang iabot nito sa kanya ang ecobag.

Andy rolled his eyes and put his backpack down. "Ewan ko ba kay mama. Sabi ko nga hindi mo mauubos lahat. E mapilit sya. You know how she is."

"It just goes to show that I'm her favorite child."

Andy just shook his head and helped her unload everything on the table. May kalahating keso de bola ding dala si Andy, saka several slices ng cured ham.

"I told her you already have ham. Kaso iba raw ang lasa nyan kasi homemade." Niki nodded and started arranging the food. She separated her favorites. She would eat those first. Gutom na gutom na siya. "Hindi ka pa kumakain, 'no?"

"Hinihintay ko yung mga padala ni Tita."

Andrew clicked his tongue. "Nalipasan ka na naman ng gutom."

"I'm okay. I'm used to it."

"Yeah, I know," he said dismissively. "But you will complain about it at aabalahin mo na naman ako kapag magpapa-check up ka."

She gave him a closed-mouthed smile before putting the spaghetti and morcon in the microwave to heat them up. Inilagay naman ni Andy ang mga salad at cake sa ref.

"What's your plan for today?"

"Wala. Manunuod lang ng movies."

He shook his head in disapproval.

"Anong oras ka uuwi?" tanong niya rito.

"I brought clothes. Overnight ako," sagot nito.

"Aww, how sweet of you," she teased.

"I know. You're so lucky," pabalik nitong biro.