“Maybe you need new parents.”

She snorted at his suggestion.

“I don’t need new parents. I don’t need any parent.” she said. “I’m already 21, Josh.” Stroking the back of her hair, she looked up at the canopy of the trees. Reclining on the grass, she placed a palm across her eyes and took a deep breath.

He sat cross-legged next to her, still holding his unfinished croissant.

“Sorry about your mom cutting you off. Maybe there’s still a chance to patch things up with your dad? I know he’s always busy at work but maybe…”
This inquiry would probably shut him down by her oozing sarcasm, but surprisingly, her answer was a nonchalant one:

She breathed again and said, “Acceptance. It’s what I’ve always had. It’s what I shall embrace.”

Licking her lips, she had the sudden craving for ice-cream. “Let’s grab some gelato.”

They stood up from the grass and were silent for a couple of minutes.
She broke the silence and said, “For what it’s worth, just because I don’t need parents, doesn’t mean I don’t need family.”

“Family matters to me,” she added.

He blinked at her, eying the brown shimmer of her hair as the sun made her head glow as if she were an angel. Her eyelashes were long as she squinted at the brightness of the day. Her cheeks blushed. The Halo Effect. It worked on her very well.
She’s beautiful, he thought, when was she ever not?

Without thinking twice, he slowly slipped his fingers between the spaces of hers.
Tightening her grip, she smiled without looking at him. Life was already better.