Going Back

Going Back
I noticed something as we continued.

Crane hadn't picked anything for me. And I hadn't picked anything for him either.

I smiled to myself.

I knew exactly what he was doing.

He was planning to come back alone.

And I was planning to do the same.

Neither of us said anything.

That was the fun part.

My gift for him would remain a secret.

His gift for me would remain a secret.

We both knew there was a secret.

We just didn't know what it was.

Or at least we pretended not to.

By noon, Colton had started complaining.

"How much longer?"

Crane looked at him.

"We're not done."

"We've been here forever."

"It's been two hours."

"Exactly."

I laughed.

"You've bought nothing."

"I've been supervising."

"Supervising what?"

"Everyone."

Grace shook her head.

"You're useless."

"I'm hungry."

"That's your problem."

Crane stopped in front of another store.

"I need one more thing."

Colton groaned.

"Crane!"

"What?"

"You take forever choosing gifts."

"I'm trying to choose something good."

"Just buy it."

"I don't want to buy something random."

"It's a gift, not a university assignment."

I laughed.

Crane pointed at him.

"You're going to appreciate the effort later."

"I appreciate speed now."

Grace started laughing.

"Let's get food before they start fighting."

"Thank you," Colton said.

We eventually found a café inside the shopping center.

We ordered hot chocolate, coffee, pastries, and a few snacks.

The four of us sat around a small table.

Colton took the first sip of his hot chocolate and sighed.

"Finally."

Grace looked at him.

"You've been complaining for an hour."

"And now I'm happy."

Crane smiled.

I took a sip of my drink.

"This is good."

He nodded.

"Very."

We sat there for a while, watching people pass by with Christmas bags.

Grace talked about her plans for the holidays.

Colton talked about what he wanted to do once he got home.

Crane talked about us decorating the apartment once we returned home.

I listened to all of them, just enjoying the good vibes between us.

We finished our drinks and returned to the stores.

The afternoon disappeared quickly.

We bought gifts for friends.

We found something for a few relatives.

Colton finally found something he wanted for himself, despite claiming he wasn't shopping for himself.

Grace caught him.

"You said you weren't buying anything for yourself."

"I changed my mind."

"Convenient."

He grinned.

We continued until everyone finally agreed that we'd bought enough.

Outside, the air had become cooler.

We carried our bags toward the parking lot.

There were so many that Crane stopped halfway.

"How did we buy all this?"

Colton looked at the bags.

"I told you we'd be here all day."

"We weren't here all day."

"Close enough."

We reached the car.

I opened the trunk.

One by one, we loaded the bags.

The Christmas tree barely fit.

Grace laughed when she saw the pile.

"We bought too much."

Crane shook his head.

"We'll use everything."

Colton climbed into the back seat.

"I'm exhausted."

"You complained from the beginning," Crane said.

"And I'm still right."

Grace got into the car beside him.

"You need to sleep."

"I plan to."

I closed the trunk.

Crane stood beside me.

For a moment, we looked at the packed car.

Gifts for parents.

Grandparents.

Siblings.

Friends.

Decorations for our little apartment.

Christmas had suddenly become real.

I smiled.

"You ready?"

He looked at me.

"Absolutely."

We got into the car.

Behind us, Colton and Grace were already arguing over something neither of us could hear clearly.

I laughed.

Crane started the engine.

As we pulled away from the shopping center, I looked at the bags filling the car and thought about how strange life could be.

A few years ago, I wouldn't have imagined myself becoming part of someone else's family traditions.

Now I was buying Christmas gifts for Crane's grandparents.

I was planning decorations for the apartment I shared with him.

I was sitting in a crowded car with his younger brother and my younger sister, listening to them argue like they were siblings.

I looked at Crane.

He caught me staring.

"What?"

"Nothing."

He smiled.

"You look happy."

"I am."

He reached across the console and briefly squeezed my hand.

Behind us, Colton groaned.

"Can we go, please?"

Grace laughed.

"You're the one who wanted to come."

"I regret everything."

Crane laughed.

I did too.

We drove away with Christmas bags filling the trunk, four tired people complaining about how exhausting the day had been.