we keep this love in a photograph

Chapter 35

"Happy birthday!" Jennie brightly exclaimed as the video connected with Rosie's tanned face filling the screen.

She smiled at the wide grin on Rosie's face as her eyes creased at the corners, propping her chin up in her hand as she hunched forward on her desk.

"Hi! Thanks," Rosie laughed, rubbing at her forehead as she sank down onto the edge of her cot, sunlight seeping in through the open mouth of the tent as the sun still lingered in the sky. "I just finished up for the day so I haven't opened my cards and presents yet. Which is first?"

"Do the card first."

Nodding, Rosie fished it out of the box that Jennie had sent, filled with essentials and a few wrapped luxuries, and slipped her finger beneath the flap to tear it open. Her eyes skimmed the words Jennie had written inside in her blunt, scrawling script and her expression softened as she finished, hugging it to her chest with a look of adoration in her brown eyes.

"Thank you."

"Go on then," Jennie said with a knowing look, "open the presents."

With childlike eagerness, Rosie sifted through the contents of the box, unwrapping two new books, some expensive moisturiser and perfume, a few photos of Jennie that made her flush bright red as she quickly hid them, glancing around sheepishly, and then reached for the small box with a ribbon tying it closed. Popping off the lid, she fished out a small key and frowned as she held it up.

"Is this another key to your apartment?"

"Obviously not," Jennie rolled her eyes with exasperated amusement, "that's your present you're going to have to come home to get. The key's for show, so it's not actually useful , but I wanted you to have something to open. I mean, you can lock it, but I doubt you'd want to- well, anyway, it's the key to a room at the house that I had converted into a photography room for you. You know, space for your cameras and it doubles as a darkroom so you can try your hand at developing them yourself too, if you're interested. I even got you a vintage camera that looked really cool - I'm no expert on photography, but it came highly recommended."

"You researched all of that?" Rosie asked, a yearning look of love blossoming on her face as her brow furrowed together and her shoulders dropped.

Her eyes were bright, as if she was about to cry, and it made Jennie smile slightly as she nodded, her nose wrinkling. "I did. I wanted it to be something you'd actually like, because ... well, you deserve good things. You deserve the world , so ... I'll try and give it to you it, if I can."

"Jennie, this ... thank you," Rosie said, her voice low and slightly hoarse with emotion, "really, I mean it. I don't even know what to say, I just- I love you."

"I love you too. Now, get your cake out."

Perking up, Rosie's eyebrows raised as she nestled the key back into the box and pulled out the white box. Opening it, her face creased with a wide smile at the sight of the brownie, decorated with a message for her on top, and Jennie lurched into an off-key rendition of 'happy birthday' as Rosie covered her mouth with a hand, shaking with silent laughter. Rolling her eyes, Jennie came to an end and let out an embarrassed laugh.

"Sorry, a brownie cake was the best I could do without it getting too stale before it reached you," she said, grimacing slightly, "but ... make a wish."

Humming as she pressed her lips together, eyes sparkling with warm mirth, Rosie squeezed her eyes shut and then nodded, and Jennie wondered if they'd chosen the same wish as she met Rosie's eyes a moment later. Lips twitching with grim resignation, Rosie's cheek dimpled faintly.