The Only

Stitches of the Storm

At eleven-years-old, Destiny's moms took her to their small town's local Christmas parade. She'd been every year since she was a little girl, at least that's what she remembered.  No matter how busy they were with M3, the family's successful photography business, they always made themselves available to enjoy this holiday tradition together.

That year, they found a nice spot with a clear view just down from the Main Street bridge where the parade route customarily crossed through downtown at the Broad Street intersection. It was a chilly evening so everyone was bundled up in multiple layers of clothing. It wasn't so cold that it was miserable, but the constant breeze made it feel twice as icy as the temperature indicated.

Once they set up their tailgate chairs and blankets, Destiny plopped down and kicked back, pulling out her phone to play a game.

"You're just gonna hangout here?" her taller mom asked. "Let's go get some hot chocolate at the square." She tilted her neck to point down the hill towards the town center. It would be about a three-block walk, six if you count there and back.

Destiny briefly looked up from her game, over the top of her phone. "Nah, I'm good, Mom."

"Usually you come with us, sweetheart," her freckled mother miffed. "Want us to bring you one back, I guess?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." The middle schooler shifted her gaze back to her phone's screen. She could hear her parents walking away and noticed their silhouettes disappearing as they moved further down the sidewalk. They strolled together, arms around one another, with hardly a gap between their touching hips.

It wasn't like Destiny didn't want to be there this year. She recently began realizing the things that felt new and exciting when she was younger, didn't have the appeal they once had. Plus, she just downloaded the mobile port of a JRPG she loved from Square Enix, and she fully intended to dive into the story.

As the sidewalks continued to fill in with more townspeople, the blonde looked up and noticed a girl she went to school with sitting between her mom and dad directly across the street from where she sat. The brunette raised her hand in the air and marginally swished it back and forth, obviously noticing they were looking in each other's direction. Destiny returned the gesture then rolled her eyes back down towards her game. She looked up again, briefly, and saw her classmate focusing on other things with her family.

They shared several classes together since they were toddlers, yet Destiny didn't know much about her besides the few things she'd observed. Pearl was a more popular kid, and Destiny knew she ran track. They always seemed to be partnered with other kids when they had to be in groups, never really speaking to each other. The blonde was always taller and felt more awkward than those her age, so she never felt like she fit in.

Destiny decided to pay the family no attention and went back to her game. She spent the next half-hour or so leveling up her mage and exploring the new town she came across.

Finally, her parents returned just as they'd left; hand in hand, arm in arm, always touching and never far away from the other.

"Max thought we should buy you a small so you don't get a sugar rush and get all wired, buuuuuuut I fought for you. Here ya go, brat... medium hot chocolate." Chloe handed her daughter the styrofoam cup. "You're welcome. Don't worry, I know I'm awesome. No need to shower me with compliments."

"Yeah, yeah, babe," Max responded. The shorter woman sat in the tailgate chair to Destiny's side. "When she can't sleep tonight, you're on call."

"Fine, Maxter." The women bumped shoulders then turned in and pecked each other on the lips standing directly over Destiny's spot.