I can’t resist stories with what I think of as the Harry Potter/Ron Weasley dynamic, where a character with no family or a crappy family goes home with a character with a big, boisterous, happy family and is brought merrily into the fold. Zac wears his standoffishness like armor, never letting anyone get too close and never trusting himself to be in a real relationship. When his coworker Rudy invites him to come home with him for the holidays, Zac’s impulse is to say no, but Rudy’s kindness and openness change his mind. Rudy’s parents, siblings, and extended family welcome Zac with open arms, and when his mother assumes they’re an item, it seems easier to pretend than set the record straight. And it turns out that acting like Rudy’s boyfriend is just as easy as feeling like part of the family.