A month had passed since my little, awkward interaction with my next-door neighbour. Ever since that day, we’d barely saw each other, and the few times we did stumble across one another, it would end with a simple cordial greeting.

At least, that was from my side... Every time we crossed paths, I would attempt to say hello, while she would drop her head down to mumble a reply before running in the opposite direction. I know that she had some kind of androphobia, but this was the first time that a girl had vehemently denied my existence. It did sting quite a bit.

Either way, the times that I’d encountered her were few and far between, so her weird antics were at the corner of my mind. At the moment, there was a more worrisome issue to handle.

“The Republic of Ulfyae has now identified the cause of the mysterious pneumonia outbreak. A variant form of the virus had crossed the species barrier and is now capable of infecting humans. Ulfyae isn’t the only country that has reported cases of the novel virus. Thirteen other countries have reported cases, including ours. And while their numbers remain low, experts believe that this is the calm before the storm.”

“Health authorities in our government have been keeping an eye out on the situation in Ulfyae. Citizens should remain calm but be mindful of their hygiene. Wash your hands as frequently as you can and limit the number of situations where you would come into contact with the sick. Maintaining a healthy diet and frequent exercise is also paramount.”

“In other news, in a few more weeks, Christmas is finally upon us! Snow is expected-...”

The news anchor calmly read the script from the teleprompter and closed her statement with a reminder to stay healthy. Now that the critical part of the daily news was over, I turned the television off.

During this time of year, people would typically talk about their holiday plans or how they would wrap up the year. However, as of late, there was another hot topic that was rolling off people’s tongues. And that was the imminent danger of a viral pandemic.

I’m neither a doctor nor a medical expert, so I can’t fully explain what was going on. But one thing’s for sure. The virus was making everyone nervous.

Everyone at my workplace talked about it, many even protesting to the management that we should work from home. Although I didn’t participate in any of the discussions, I favoured working from home.

As a programmer, I could function anywhere as long as there was an internet connection. In fact, there were many instances in the past where I had to telecommute. And honestly… who wouldn’t rather work from home if they were given a choice? Especially when there was an unknown disease currently being spread.

A few days back, the first case of this mysterious virus was found on our shores. Naturally, everyone fell into panic mode. While the patient was being contained, there was no guarantee that there weren’t others being infected.

Not much is known about the mysterious pneumonia outbreak. Its lethality, how easily it transmits from person to person and even where it was originally from. So it was natural for people to fear this unknown threat, particularly the old and feeble.

Many of my colleagues, especially those more advanced in age, had bargained with management for more work from home days. In the end, the company was no match for the collective voices of its employees, and they’d eventually come to a compromise.

Those who could telecommute, mainly the programmers and other tech-based roles, had to work from home immediately. The others would follow a strict rotation to limit the number of people entering the office. Honestly, I’m not familiar with the measures that they’re taking since I was part of the former group. For me, that was all that mattered.

Starting Monday, I was going to begin my work from home lifestyle!

Although there was an imminent threat of an unknown virus killing off half of the planet’s population… I’m kind of glad that I can finally experience the work from home life.

Given a choice between turtling at home all day or going out to party all night long, I would choose to be a turtle in a heartbeat. Furthermore, I had everything I needed at home.

A high-end computer that could be used for work and gaming. A beautiful new television with game consoles and multiple streaming platforms. A home gym that had everything for my fitness needs.

I have to say… I was truly blessed.

The only thing that was missing was a dog for companionship, but alas… My apartment manager doesn’t allow furry creatures. If not for that, my life would have been perfect.

Oh yeah, I also have an annoying friend that comes over sometimes, but that’s not important. Speaking of that devil…

Bzzzt… Bzzzt… Bzzzt…

My phone buzzed as the familiar tune of Chopin played. I slipped the touch-screen out of my pocket, and sure enough, I saw the name Len Petram shining in bold.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Yo, want to go on a road trip?”

I’d nearly dropped my phone at the sudden request. Trying to hold back my sigh, I replied: “Could you give me some context?”

“Haha, my bad!” I could literally picture Len’s perfect face as he stuck his tongue out teasingly. “Sienna and I are going back to her parent’s home to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. Since you don’t have any other plans for the holidays, I’d thought that you could join us.”

Ah, so that was what it was. Ever since we’d moved to the city, the three of us had always celebrated the Christmas season together. Initially, I was against the idea of barging into their sweet couple time, but Len convinced me otherwise. It just made sense. Len was born on Christmas Eve, and Christmas was a public holiday. Also, since we had no other relatives or close friends here, it quickly became our private tradition to meet and break bread for that one holy night.

“Why the change of plans?”

“Sienna’s parents were worried for us. That mysterious pneumonia outbreak seems to cluster in cities, and their hometown is far from any major city. Also, it has been some time since we’ve been skiing or to the hot springs.”

That reminds me, Sienna’s birthplace was known for being one of the snowiest places in the world. It had plenty of ski resorts and hot springs for tired city dwellers that wanted to kick back and relax in the countryside.

It was a tempting offer, but still...

“Let me get this straight… You want me to join you for a vacation to your girlfriend’s parents' home, play the third fiddle in your romantic ski trip and even enter the hot springs with you?”

“Well, if you put it that way...”

“Thanks for the offer, but no thanks.” Seriously, I wish this guy would use his head a little more. Even if Sienna was the coolest girl on Earth, there was no way that she would be delighted about that arrangement.

“Still, won’t you be lonely? You don’t have any other friends, right?”

“How rude! Even I have one or two pals that you don’t know about!”

“What?! Are you cheating on me?”

“Yes, I am. In fact, I’ve already made plans for them to come over during Christmas Eve.”

“On my birthday even?! Are you that heartless?! Listen here, you brat! I-... Wait, Sienna? What are you doing? You want to talk to him? Sure...”

I heard some minor shuffling on the other side of the phone as Len’s voice slowly got more muffled. Evidently, someone was trying to snatch the phone away from him and soon, a pleasant female voice resonated in my ears.

“Hi Desir, it’s been a while.”

“Ah, Sienna. Yeah, how long has it been?”

“Three months, I think? We’d had dinner at Starby’s.”

“Right… So what’s this business about leaving for your parents?”

“Just a pleasant road trip, just like our university days. Don’t worry, you don’t have to stay at my parent’s home if you don’t want to. You can check into an inn while we settle our business. It won’t take long. After that, we can go skiing or sightseeing all we want. The food from my hometown is amazing as well. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

… This couple. Why do they want me to be their third wheel so badly?

“No, really, I’m fine. It’s not uncommon to spend Christmas alone.”

“Are you sure? If you’re afraid of bothering me, trust me, I don’t mind. I-...”

“Sienna, really… I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“If you say so...”

“Besides, I should be busy that day as well. I’m going to attempt to make seafood Paella with the fresh saffron from my supermarket! I’d always wanted to make it, but I lacked the time.”

“Haha, sounds delicious! You’ll have to let us try it one day.”

“Sure, just come over whenever.”

Sienna chuckled before finally ending the call: “Alright, Desir. Stay safe.”

“Yeah, you too. Make sure that little brother of mine isn’t overeating junk.”

“Haha, that’s a hard promise to make. Okay, see ya.”

The line cut, and silence once again befallen onto my bachelor’s pad. I slid my phone down and leaned back on my beanbag chair. Slumping down my shoulders, I was finally able to compute the weight of that previous conversation.

A Christmas without Len and Sienna, huh?

Sounds lovely.