"Remind me again why we're doing this." Erin said sharply. She was exhausted, her hands clenched on a mug of coffee.
"Because you've never done it before. Everyone has to go Black Friday shopping at some point in their lives! It is so much fun!"
She rolled her eyes and leaned back against Derek's strong chest. "And how many years has she dragged you out with her?"
"This is our fifth year in a row. Believe me, you get used to it, and the free coffee helps immensely." She sighed and nodded, sipping from her cup before resting her head on Derek. The line they were in had not moved in over an hour, and she was getting both antsy and exhausted. "The doors will open soon, pretty lady, and then we can go in and find that perfect gift."
"I am not looking at anything on sale. I already know what I want to get my honey blossom, and I've got a few things on order for the children and Emily. I've really only got you to buy for. You are spending Christmas with us, right?"
"I wish that I could. I'm actually going home to visit my mom this Christmas. I'll be back by Epiphany, though, if you want to celebrate Christmas with me then."
"I suppose that will have to do, Der." She felt oddly sad that he wouldn't be there with them, but it made sense that he would want to spend such a precious time with his own family. "I'll hold your present until then, and hope that it's the perfect thing for you."
He laughed lightly, rubbing her arm gently. "Anything that you get me will be perfect." He pressed his lips against her temple, and she smiled at Penelope, watching her shake her head. "What is it, Baby Girl?"
"She has got you wrapped around her little finger, I swear. Just because we invite you into our bed two times does not mean you get to trail after her like a little puppy." There was a sweet teasing tone in her voice, and Erin blushed as she pulled away from Derek a little. "Oh, don't do that, you two are adorable."
Erin shrugged, looking up into Derek's eyes. "I hardly think he's a puppy, Penelope. Maybe our sweet guard dog, but hardly a young pup."
He winked at her before tugging her forward as the line moved a little. "Looks like someone got tired of waiting for the doors to open." Erin looked down at her watch and shook her head. "Oh, is it that time already?"
"Looks that way. All right, we're meeting at this entrance in two hours' time with whatever packages we have." Penelope smiled brightly at them as she leaned in to kiss Erin sweetly. "Try not to get lost in the crowd," she whispered against her lips.
"I'll try not to. Stay safe in the crowd, I don't want to lose you. I've heard about how crazy some people can get."
Her fiancé nodded and then pressed another kiss to her lips. "I will. Love you, princess."
"Love you, too." They turned to focus on moving forward in the line and Erin drew in a deep breath. Her phone, credit card, and license, were in her pocket, and she made sure it was zipped as they went inside the doors.
The vast majority of the crowd went to the popular stores, with a huge line forming for the Apple store. Bypassing that store, she headed directly to the Swarovski store, knowing exactly what she had in mind for Penelope. A friendly clerk came up to her side, and she smiled at her. "Good morning, what can I get for you today?"
"I'm going to need a few pieces today, actually. I know that I need a pair of Tiana earrings, but I want to look at a few other things I saw online."
"All right, take your time, and I'll go grab those for you."
Erin nodded and began to browse the store, looking at the figurines. She didn't want anything too ostentatious, and then her eyes fell on the small cat figurine. Looking up, she found the clerk standing in front of her, and she pointed to the one she wanted. "The luck cat figure, too, please."
A wide smile crossed her face as she breathed a sigh of relief. Penelope was done now, what with the few things she had ordered online for her lover and these two pieces. After she had paid, she walked out into the halls of the mall and milled around, looking in the windows of stores and trying to think of the perfect gift for Derek. Despite how close they were, she still didn't really have an idea of what he would like.
Finally, she stepped into the Mont Blanc store, and began to peruse their offerings. Erin knew a pen wouldn't really be up Derek's alley, but then she saw a series of leather belts, the silver buckles gleaming softly in the light of the case. Drawing in a short breath, she made her way over to it. "Can I help you, Ma'am?" an impossibly young man asked her and she nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes, I would like to purchase one of these belts. I think the medium width one would work perfectly." He nodded and boxed up the belt before leading her over to the cash register. Erin didn't balk at the price, knowing that Derek was worth it.
As soon as she had paid, she stepped back out into the hallway and made her way to the Starbucks kiosk, ordering a venti white mocha before sitting on a bench and watching the people pass her by. "Done shopping already, pretty lady?"
Looking up, she saw Derek standing there, his arms filled with bags. "Yes, I really did only need to pick up a few things. Are you finished as well?"
"Uh huh. Thankfully, the stores I needed to stop at weren't as busy as some of the others." He sat next to her and she scooted close, resting her head on his arm as her eyes closed heavily. "None of that now, princess. You need to stay awake until we get back to the car. Then, and only then, can you fall asleep."
She nodded a little as she tried to force her eyes open. "All right, I suppose." Digging out her phone, she texted Penelope, hoping she'd get a quick reply. And then, she heard the familiar sound of her notification nearby, and looked around, finding her lover in the crowd and waving her over. "Are you all finished, honey blossom?"
"I think so. You look exhausted, we should probably head home now. Derek, will you drive?"
"That'll be fine," he replied, helping Erin to her feet. As a trio, they made their way back out to the parking lot. Thankfully, Derek kept his arm around her waist as they made their way to the car, as she found herself stumbling just the tiniest bit as they walked along. "You really are tired, princess."
"I know. Someone kept me up late last night," she replied tartly, only to hear Penelope giggle sweetly. "Hush, you know that I like my sleep."
"I know, beloved." Coming up to her side, she kissed her sweetly before resting her free hand in the crook of her arm, sighing with pleasure. "This has been the best morning, even if it is too early for you." Erin just nodded and kept moving, knowing that her salvation that morning would be the soft seat of the car where she could sleep until they got home.
