A Simple Folded Paper

48

On the next couple of days, Lauren and Camila had been running around separately while shopping. It was almost Christmas and both of them had left the task of buying presents for the last days. Hannah or was with Lauren or with Camila, helping them choose what presents they should buy for who.

Camila was struggling to find a present for Lauren, she just couldn't think of anything that the girl would need or want at the moment and she was getting frustrated. Lauren was always doing things for Camila and Camila couldn't even get her a present. The only idea she had was an album with some of their moments and pictures and blank pages for the ones that would eventually happen, but all the pictures that Camila had were on her phone, the phone that she no longer had thanks to her dad. After entering every shop in the mall and getting out of every one of them empty handed, Camila decided to head to work and talk to Lauren's dad or Hannah later to see if they had any suggestions.

On the other side, Lauren already knew what she was going to offer Camila since several days before. The idea actually came from her dad and Lauren was going to thank him for the rest of her life because she was struggling to find a present for Camila as well. Lauren entered her car pretty content with her final day of shopping, she had all the presents she needed. The only one missing was Camila's but that one was customized so Lauren would pick it up on the next day.

~

Later that night, Lauren was falling asleep on the couch with Hannah on her lap when she heard a knock on her front door which she assumed to be Camila since the girl still didn't have her own keys. Hannah got off her lap and Lauren went to open the door only to find a peeved Camila, who passed through Lauren and plopped down on the couch, growling.

"Hey, what's wrong?", Lauren asked, sitting next to her girlfriend.

"I suck at buying presents."

Lauren chuckled at Camila's dilemma because, honestly, Lauren could relate. Every year, she struggled to find everyone a good present but this year was an exception, she didn't know why but she knew what she wanted to offer to people. "Do you want some help?".

"I do, but you can't help me buy your own present.", Camila said, with a pout.

Lauren pulled Camila closer to her and dropped an arm around the girl's shoulders. "Maybe you should try less, maybe that way the idea would come up. Even if nothing comes up, I don't want any presents. I have everything I want right now.", she said looking straight into Camila's eyes.

"Stop being cute, I'm getting you a present! And maybe I'll try not to think much about it but, if by Monday I don't have a present, I'm going to start freaking out."

~

Monday came.

Camila didn't have a present.

She was freaking out.

It was 23rd December and Camila was, once again, in the mall trying to find something, something, that would pass by as a good present for her girlfriend. She decided to take a break and sat on a bench near the fountain in the middle of the mall. Camila decided to take a moment and watch intently the stores around her and if she saw someone buy something that gave her some kind of idea. Her observation moment was interrupted by a young woman, probably around the same age as Camila, approaching her.

"Excuse me, can you take a photo of us?", the girl said, pointing at the boy standing behind her.

"Yeah sure", Camila agreed, standing up from the bench. The girl passed Camila a Polaroid camera and went to sit on the boy's lap who was already sat at the edge of the fountain. 

Camila took the picture and delivered the candid and the Polaroid back to the girl. "Here you go, is it okay or do you want me to take another one?".