Tara Well sometimes the ex-girlfriends that we stay friends with want to be more than just friends with us!

Leah It’s not about Mischa! It’s everything. You hardly ever kiss me in public. It took months for you to even start holding my hand!

Tara What are you talking about? I always hold your hand –

Leah Yeah. You do now –

Tara And we kiss in public –

Leah In bars! In queer bars, maybe – if that –

Tara I can’t help it if I’m not into public displays of affection –

Leah I’m not expecting you to rip my clothes off in the park! I’m just talking about a kiss goodbye! Without checking over your shoulder – without worrying about the people around us.

Tara I don’t do that!

Leah You do, T. You do. I thought after you finally told your parents – after you properly told them . . . I thought we could get past it. Get married! Live loudly, but . . .

Tara We can!

Leah I’m not sure.

Tara You want to kiss me in public? I’ll do it! Kiss you goodbye? Hello? Good afternoon? Good morning? Goodnight? I’ll snog your face off in public if you want me to. All hours of the day if you want me to –

Leah Don’t take the piss Tara –

Tara I’m not. I mean it Lee.

Beat.

I’m sorry if I made you feel . . . small, or like I was hiding our relationship from strangers! I’m sorry.

Leah It’s OK.

Tara When I’m alone with you it feels like that’s all there is. But the outside world still matters. It always will. And I want to live loudly with you.

Leah Really?

Tara Yeah.

Leah Your dad said he thinks we should get married. Promised he’d come back in time for the wedding, if we did. He said he wanted to get to know me. Wanted me to be a part of the family.

Tara I want that too.

Leah I’m not sure about marriage though.

Tara Oh.

Leah I don’t know if we need to! You’re already my family. You’re the first person I want to speak to in the morning. And you’re the only person I enjoy arguing with. Bickering with! I love you even when I fucking hate you. That’s family! I don’t think we need a piece of paper to prove that –

Tara So what are you saying?

Leah Maybe we don’t need to do it! I went a bit mad with all the wedding stuff for all the wrong reasons. Probably some internalised hetero-aspiration shit. But we don’t need that. We can just . . . be together. Stay together. Loudly!