Grayson's question is swirling through my mind. He can't actually believe that Brian and I have something going on. At least, I hope he doesn't. There is absolutely nothing going on between us. When I check the time, it's nearly 2PM. I've already missed the regular time that I would go to lunch, but my entire schedule has already been pretty messed up today. As I leave my office and walk towards the elevator, Shane sees me and waves me down.

"Hey, Natalia." He says, jogging up to me. "Going down?" He asks.

"Yeah, I'm just going to get some lunch." I say, holding the elevator door open for him.

"Oh?" He questions with a slightly amused yet confused look on his face.

"Yeah. My entire day is running pretty late today." I tell him."I just thought you had already gone to lunch. Grayson said he was going to see if you wanted to go and get something with him." He says with a shrug.

"Wait, what?" I ask, turning to him."I asked him if he wanted to get lunch with me earlier and he told me that he was going to see if you wanted to go with him to get something. He probably just got busy." He says, only halfway paying attention to our conversation.

I watch as he becomes completely engrossed by whatever is on his phone when the elevator doors open. He looks up and gestures for me to exit first."Ladies first." He says with a polite smile.

"Actually, I think I left my wallet upstairs in my office. I'm going to run back up and grab it." I say, quickly pushing our floor's number. He shrugs and waves a small goodbye as I watch him walk away before the elevator door closes once more.I'm probably losing my mind, but I'm definitely not going to let this opportunity pass.

I wait patiently for the elevator to climb back up to our floor and exit quickly. As I approach Grayson's office, I feel myself grow more and more nervous. What if he rejects me? Given, it's not like I'm asking him out on a date or anything. No way would I do that. But, the thought of me asking him if he wants to go with me is intimidating. He could think that I'm weird or obsessed with him. Or, he could think that I'm trying to hit on him and think he's way out of my league. Although he technically is out of my league, I can't help but wonder if he thinks of me the same way I'm beginning to think of him.

I knock on his door lightly before entering. He doesn't so much as glance up from his cellphone.

"Grayson?" I ask lightly from the doorway. His eyes quickly dart up to meet mine as he sits up in his chair.

"Natalia." He says, gesturing for me to come in.

"What are you doing?" I ask casually as I approach his desk.

"Uhm, nothing." He says, looking up at me with unsure eyes. "Can I help you with anything?" He asks, clearing his throat lightly.

"I was just wanting to see if maybe you were hungry?" I ask gently. He stares at me with an almost confused face. "I was about to go and get some lunch." I clarify. "And maybe wanted to see if you wanted to go with me?" I ask nervously.

"Oh." He says quickly.

"I mean, you don't have to! I just thought I would offer." I spit out in return, completely embarrassed by the rejection I'm about to receive.

"I actually haven't eaten today." He tells me. "I would love to go." He says with a quick nod.

"Okay, yeah. Great." I say with a smile.

"Where did you want to go?" He asks.

"We can go wherever you want. I'm not picky." I lie. Really, I'm the most picky eater in the world. He doesn't have to know this, though.

He nods in reply and thinks for a moment before answering. "There's a little Mexican restaurant a few miles away if you want to go there." He suggests. "It's a little hole in the wall place, but they have great food." He adds.

It's almost although he were reading my mind, because that's exactly where I was wanting to go. I already know that he's talking about my family's restaurant, because it's the only hole in the wall Mexican restaurant in this area. All of the other restaurants are chain restaurants, and they serve mainly Tex-Mex, which is absolutely nothing like authentic Mexican food.

"Maria del Carmen's?" I ask, wanting to make sure we're talking about the same place before getting too excited.

"That's it." He confirms.

"Yeah, I would love to go there. Actually...that's kind of my parent's restaurant." I tell him.

"Your parent's restaurant? As in, they own it?" He asks me.

"Yeah. They've had that restaurant since me and Nathanial were kids. Nearly twenty two years now." I say proudly.

"That's amazing. I had no idea." He says with a genuine smile. "The food is amazing. Some of my favorite." He adds.

"Thank you. They make some of the best food." I agree.

"I can call us an Uber if you'd like. LA traffic right now is horrendous." He says. "You know, with the lunch rush and all." He adds hesitantly.

"No, no. It's fine, I don't mind driving." I assure him. "You ready to go now?" I ask.

"Yeah, sure." He says, getting up from his chair and walking with me out of the office.

As we head towards the restaurant, the car is silent for the most part. It's not the same tense silence as before, though. This silence is calming and almost comforting.

"So where did the name for your parent's restaurant come from?" He asks, breaking our silence.

"It's my mother's name." I tell him. "My father gifted the restaurant to her after they had been in America for awhile. He wanted to name is after her because he said she had inspired him to work as hard as he did." I add.

"That's so...nice." He says, looking for the right words.

"Yeah. The rest of the family back home claimed that it was the most romantic thing that could have been done." I smile.

"Home?" He asks.

"Oh! Zacatecas. It's in Mexico." I tell him. "Just north of Mexico City."

"I didn't know you were from Mexico." He says.

"Well, technically I'm not. My parents are. Oh, and Nathaniel. But, he was really young when he moved to the states and got his citizenship early." I tell him. "We still go and visit the rest of our family often, though. At least once a year."

"That's so interesting." He says quietly. "I've never been out of LA before."

"Really? You've never traveled anywhere else?"

"Only here in California. I've seen almost every beach that's here. But, I've never left." He tells me.

"Why?"

"I'm not sure." He shrugs. "I don't know where I'd go."

"Well, you can go anywhere. There's a whole world out there." I tell him. "My brother lives in Miami now. He moved about two years ago. He said it's much better than California." I tell him.

"Is it?" He asks.

"I don't think so. I don't ever want to leave California." I sigh. "I love it here."

"I do, too." He replies. "But then again, it's all I really know."

We begin to approach the restaurant and I see my dad's car immediately. I go and park next to it, remembering when I would come here every single day for work. Thank God I don't have to do that anymore.

"So...I'm sorry in advance. My parent's are probably going to try and speak to you in Spanish. Just ignore them, okay? It's just a thing that they do." I sigh.

"It's okay." He says with a nod. When I look at him, he seems slightly nervous. I can see his hands fidgeting with those magnets once more.

"It's totally okay, though. They're honestly really nice." I say.

He nods in reply and we get out of my car and walk towards the front. The second I walk in, I smell carne asada and tortilla chips. I absolutely love the way this place smells every time I walk in. The authentic feel of it all makes me feel right at home. Hell, this technically is a home to me.

As we approach the host stand, I see Jose look up and smile brightly.

"Natalia! Hola, Hermosa!" He exclaims, coming around to give me a hug. Grayson stares at our exchange and doesn't speak. He only stands there and waits for us to finish our hello.

"Hola, Jose. Where are my parents?" I ask him as I pull away from his hug.

"I believe they're in the back. Let me get you seated and I'll run and grab them for you. Are there only two of you?" He asks, eyes shifting to Grayson and I.

"Si." I reply with a smile. He begins to grab a menu and I stop him quickly. "You know I don't need one." I laugh. I look over to Grayson and see him looking off nervously.

"Would you like a menu, sir?" Jose asks Grayson.

Grayson looks at him and then to me. Almost as if he were looking for permission.

"Let's go ahead and get one." I answer for him with a small smile. I see Grayson relax slightly as I touch his arm with my hand. "Ready?" I ask lightly. He nods as we walk towards a large booth closest to the kitchen.

"Go ahead and take a seat. I'll run and let your parents know that you're here." He says.

"Gracias, Jose." I say as he walks back to the kitchen quickly. "That's Jose. He's one of my dad's favorites." I laugh.

Grayson nods and grabs the menu slowly.

"Honestly, they'll make you whatever you want." I tell him as he skims over the pages. "Even if it's not on the menu." I laugh.

"I would hate to be that difficult." He replies, still reading the page over.

"What do you usually get when you come here?" I ask.

"Cheese enchiladas." He replies quickly.

"Really?" I ask with a laugh.

"Every time." He replies with a small smile.

"Well, that is the most basic thing on our menu." I laugh. He doesn't laugh in reply, so I quickly add, "But, still one of the most delicious." I assure him quickly.

"What do you get?" He asks.

"I usually let my parents make something for me if they're here. They never really go wrong." I reply.

"Will you...order for me?" He asks me nervously.

"Yeah, of course!" I say quickly. "What kind of food do you like?"

"Nothing with steak." He says quickly. "I've never been a fan of steak." He says.

"Do you like chicken?" I ask.

He nods in reply, and I'm briefly reminded of how a child looks when nervous to ask for something.

"They'll make you something amazing, don't worry." I assure him. Jose comes back to our table with chips, two different kinds of salsa, guacamole, and queso. "Gracias!" I say with a bright smile. Grayson stares at all of the food in front of us with a small smile.

"De nada." He replies with a nod. "Your parents are on their way up." He says before checking in on his other tables.

Just as he walks away, I hear my mom's voice exclaim, "Natalia!"

As I turn around, I see her and my father walking towards our table with bright smiles on their face. I almost forgot that I haven't seen them since our dinner fiasco the other night.

"Mama, Papa!" I say, standing up from the booth to greet them with a hug. "I'm with my boss right now, so please speak in English and please be nice." I whisper to them during our hug.

"What are you doing here, amor?" My dad asks, holding on to me a few seconds longer than my mom does.

"I'm here with my boss during our lunch break." I say with a bright smile. "This is Grayson Parker, my boss. Grayson, these are my parents." I introduce.

Grayson stands up from his seat in the booth and greets my dad with a handshake, and then does the same to my mom.

"It's nice to meet you both." He says confidently. I've almost never heard his voice sound so confident before, but it sounds good on him.

"Sit, sit! We'll make you two something special." My mom says, flapping her hands towards the booth in exasperation. "What are you two hungry for?" She asks.

"Uhm...well, I was hoping that maybe you could surprise us." I reply with a shrug.

She looks at me and then over at Grayson, thinking about what he might like, I'm sure.

"Do you like chicken?" She asks Grayson. He nods in reply, offering her a small smile.

"Si! I know just what I'll make you." She smiles.

She turns back to me and says, "crees que quiere picante?"

Do you think he wants spicy?

"Si." He replies, clearing his throat.

My mom gasps at his reply and claps her hands together happily.

"Tu hablas Español?!" She explains with a bright smile and small laugh.

He nods in reply, "Si."

"You speak Spanish?" I ask him with wide eyes.

"Yeah. I learned in high school and then continued in college." He tells us.

"That's amazing! Buen trabajo!" She exclaims, praising him. "I'll get your meals started for you." She tells us as she walks away.

"Okay, I had no idea that you spoke Spanish? Are you fluent?" I ask.

"Probably not as good as you, but yes." He replies.

"I think you just made my mom's day." I laugh. "She kind of has this thing where she thinks everyone should speak Spanish. Although I tell her that it's kind of a ridiculous thought, she disagrees. I really don't think you know how much you just surprised her." I tell him.

"Why?" He asks.

"Why what?"

"Why is it surprising?" He asks.

"Well...because you're white." I shrug. "And that's just not the most common thing. Sure, there are other people who speak Spanish, but we don't see them often."

"It's a beautiful language. That's why I wanted to learn." He tells me.

"Thank you." I reply.

"For what?"

"For saying that our language is beautiful. You know, we don't hear that too often anymore. Not with the way America is right now. Hispanics and America are practically at war, it seems." I sigh. With the way that our current president has been running America, our once known melting pot now feels like quite the opposite.

"I know." He says quietly. "I wish it were different." He says sympathetically.

I remember when Donald Trump was running for president back in 2016. His racist and sexist remarks were almost embarrassing to listen to. It was only when half of America started agreeing with him that my family became worried. I remember my dad staying up for hours and hours after his shift was over at work studying for his citizenship test.

"When I'm a citizen, i'll finally have a say. He won't become president." I remember him telling our family. When my dad did pass, voting day had already passed. When Trump was elected, my family cried. I think all immigrants in our nation cried.

"When 2020 election is here, I'll vote him out of the office. We won't stand another four years with him." My dad assures us constantly. Although his one vote may not kick Trump out of the office, I'm hoping with enough people it will. It has to.

I look over at Grayson and see him grab a chip from the basket and look at the guacamole warily.

"It's really good. The guac, I mean." I say, taking my own chip and dipping it into the bowl.

"I've never had guacamole." He tells me.

"What?" I exclaim loudly. A few other people look at me and I let out a little laugh. "You've never had guacamole?" I ask again, lowering my voice.

"Nope." He shrugs. "Is it good?" He asks.

"Try it." I say.

He gives me an unsure and nervous look after eyeballing the dip.

"It's green." He points out.

"Avocados are green, yes." I reply with a small laugh. "It's good, I promise."

He nods in reply and takes the smallest dip into the guacamole in front of him. I watch as he chews carefully and see his face relax at the taste.

"It is good." He replies, taking another chip and dipping it back into the bowl.

"See. I told you." I reply with a bright smile.

He smiles back at me as he eats his chip.

"Alright, lunch is served!" I hear my dad call as he carries a steaming tray towards our table. "For the lovely couple." He adds, setting the tray down on a stand in front of our table.

My eyes go wide and he says 'lovely couple'. When I look over to Grayson, I see him giving me the exact same embarrassed look.

Great.