As Daniella's back story unfolds, her future begins to crumble. Friends will be lost and hearts will be broken. Will things ever be the same? Will she finally find out where she belongs?
My heart was pounding in my chest faster and faster with each step I took downstairs. Today is Christmas day, and this is the first time I've been excited for it since my mother passed away.
The whole house smelled of hot apple cider, and the crackling of the fireplace added to the festive aesthetic. Strands of Garland lined the staircase railing while snow gently fell outside the windows.
I rushed to the living room to see Parker in his pajamas already messing with some presents under the tree. I've never felt more at peace to have him here with me again.
"Merry Christmas, Parker," I stated rather loudly. The tone of my voice spooked him as he jolted.
He turned to face me. His curly hair is full and stands of curls were hanging down in his face. A huge teeth showing smile crept across lips. His Dr. Pepper shirt had a huge tear in it, and it revealed some skin. Electricity shot through my body at the sight of his abdomen. "Marry Christmas, Dani," his voice interrupted my thought.
I walked over to where he was sat by the tree then knelt down beside him. "So, I see Santa ate three cookies out of the five we left out for him. I guess we're pretty good bakers." Crumbs coated a festive reindeer cookie plate sat on a small wooden table by the fireplace. The only cookies remained were the ones Parker decorated. Don't get me wrong, they're awesome, but I don't think Santa was a CupHead fan.
Parker reached over and grabbed the two remaining cookies and handed me one of them. "More for us then!" He took a huge bite of his cookie and laughed as it all nearly crumbled in his hands. "Dang it," he cried out while shoving the crumbled bits into his mouth swiftly.
I slowly ate mine to avoid any disasters and to also get all of mine in my mouth and not on my fuzzy pajamas.
"I really want you to open this one first. Wait, or should I have you open it last?" Parker grabbed a small wrapped box and held onto it tightly. It was small enough to fit into his hands.
"Oh, that's not fair! Now that you mentioned it, I have to open it first!" Parker held onto it for a minute longer then slowly handed over toward me.
"Just know. . .it will mean a lot to me to see your face with this. I'll say more after you open it, but it took a long time finding the perfect one for you." An honest tone coated his humble words.
Maybe he's faking this. Maybe it's a dildo? Maybe it's something that'll make me cry? I'm slightly anxious now.
My thin fingers started tearing away at the corners of the red polka dot wrapping. The sound of it tearing made me feel like a little kid again.
Once all of the wrapping was off, it revealed a small cardboard box with no writing except "Merry Christmas ♡". Parker scooted closer to me and peaked inside when it was slightly opened. Did he forget what he got me? Is he excited about this, too?
I reached in without looking in the box first and grabbed a lot of tissue paper with something that reminded me of jewelry inside. When I started opening the paper, a long silver chain slid out into my left hand. I began shaking the rest of the gift out until it finally plopped into my hand.
A locket.
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Before I opened the angel wings, I flipped it over to see my mom's full name, birthdate, and date of death. Around the writing were engravements of her favorite flowers, buttercups and lillys. Tears unknowingly began falling from my eyes and onto my cheeks. "Parker, you pulled a heart string." I flipped the locket back over and started opening the angel wings. Underneath revealed a picture of my mother. . .and she was gorgeous. Just like I remembered her.
"I knew you'd like it. . .or. . .uh. . .at least I think you do. The tears are really confusing." Without speaking I embraced Parker in a hug. With one hand I embraced my new locket, and with the other hand I grabbed onto his shirt while I tried to stop sobbing.
"Parker, this means so so much to me. You don't even know how much it means to me." I turned around and handed him my locket whilst grabbing my hair and moving it out of the way. "Thank you. Thank you so much." When the locket hit my chest, I felt calm. Something came over me and cloaked me with warmth. Mom is right here with me, and I know it. Only Mom would make me feel this way.
Once the locket was securely around my neck, my fingers kept rubbing the back of it to soothe me. "I mean, your present isn't that good now. I cried and everything." A laughed filled the quiet living room.
A big green wrapped present sat beside the tree labeled "Parker" is big bubbly letters. "Oh, I can open that one first? You sure?? It's pretty big!" He kept mumbling while walking over to lay it flat on the ground.
He began tearing into this present like a mad man. Wrapping paper and cardboard was flying in the air. "NO! NO WAY!" He started screaming. He lifted up a ghast pushing I bought him and squeezing it tight. "WAIT, THERE'S MORE!?" He dropped the ghast on the ground and picked up the big present.
A lifesize metal keyblade that's custom made just for him. It's the same color as the kingdom key Sora always starts out with in games, but the Mickey keychain that hangs down is in block form just like a Minecraft design. And, the best part, his name is engraved on it long ways with the quote "follow the path to dawn".
Needless to say, Parker was one happy fanboy.
He began spinning around while pretending to slash heartless. All the sound effects were flying out of his mouth just as quickly as he was moving. All I could do was enjoy his reaction and giggle at how excited is being.
"THANK YOU," he yelled as he was running over to me.
He cupped my face in his hands and placed a gentle slow kiss on my lips. A slight hint of sugar cookie met my tastebuds and sent my body into a whirlwind of happy emotions. When he pulled away, his eyes remained locked onto mine. "Merry Christmas. I'm glad I'm here with you, Dani. I just enjoy you being near." A pink color stained his cheeks. "I gotta go. It's time to save the world." His hands shot up in the air, and he grabbed his keyblade and ran outside.
I have never been this happy before.
***
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