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The sound of the front door shutting pulls Robin out of her book, “The old neighbor lady called us sinners.” Steve says lackadaisically as he places the bag of groceries on the table.
Robin closes her book and places it on the wooden coffee table in front of their couch, she turns and leans over the back of the sofa to look at Steve while he puts away the groceries. “What?” she asks, there’s no way Ms. Collins knows that she is a lesbian and Steve is bisexual why would she call them sinners?
“Well not exactly sinners, but she said we were living “without God” because we live together without being married.” Steve looks up to see Robin slump back into the couch, “I don’t think she knows our apartment is a two/two.”
“That annoying guy I work with interrogated me yesterday about you after he saw you pick me up.” Robin closes her eyes, her head rests on the arm of the couch and her legs hang off the other edge. It’s not a particularly comfortable couch, nor is it really big enough for the two of them to sit on without being pushed up against each other, but it was cheap and light enough for them to carry up the four flights of stairs to their apartment so she can’t complain.
Steve mutters a curse as the cabinet he pulls open comes off the hinge slightly, “Did you tell him I’m your big strong boyfriend who will kill him if he doesn't stop hitting on you.”
Robin groans through a stifled laugh, “No I didn’t, but I’ll remember too next time.” Steve grabs the screwdriver from the junk drawer and quickly screws back in the loose screw on the cabinet door. “Ms. Collin’s is so nosey why can’t we live here in peace,” she adds.
“At least she doesn’t seem like the type that will complain to the landlord,” Steve replies, remembering the reason they had to move into this crappy apartment in the first place.
After finally finding an apartment that would accept an unmarried “couple” a few neighbors got together and complained to the landlord and got them evicted, and with only a week to find a new place they had to settle for a less than suitable living arrangement. Steve still thinks one of the neighbors must have seen Robin with her girlfriend at the time because too many people went along with getting them evicted for it to have not been homophobic in nature. But he can’t tell Robin that she would panic and feel way more guilty than she needs to. Besides that relationship already had enough problems, he doesn’t need to add to it.
Steve finishes putting away the food, grabs a bag of chips, and joins Robin on the couch. She lifts her legs for him to sit then lays them across his lap, “It would be so much easier if we could get married, we would still be at the beautiful apartment on Filmore, Todd would leave me alone, and Ms. Collins and everyone like her would mind their own business.”
“Hmm,” Steve replies only half listening as he shoves a handful of chips in his mouth and reaches for the remote.
The room starts to feel like it spinning Robin is having what she will, in 6 months' time, describe as “Her Greatest Idea Ever”. She jumps up from the couch and runs into the kitchen, she pulls open the junk drawer and pushes the screwdriver out of the way rummaging around until she finds it. Robin jumps up in excitement as she bends the twist tie into a ring shape. She runs back to the couch and sits down next to (almost on top of) Steve. Robin grabs him by his chip-greased hands, “Steve “The Hair” Harrington, would you make me, Robin Buckley, the happiest lesbian alive—” she starts.
“What is happening?” Steve mutters.
Robin continues, ignoring and speaking over him “—by agreeing to marry me?” Robin is looking into his eyes excitedly, Steve stares back with a confused expression, the television plays an episode of Tom and Jerry in the background.
“What?” Steve says, as Tom steps on a rake, the tv sounds off with a loud “boy-oy-oy-oying”. It's the only sound that fills the air Steve isn't saying anything Robin starts to panic.
“I'm asking if you would like to get gay married to me, but—”
“The wrong way,” Steve says, cutting her off and finishing her sentence.
Robin drops his hands, she can sense his hesitation, she didn't think about this idea all that much just kind of ran with the thought as it came to her. “Yes?” She says much less confidently than she was thirty seconds ago.
Steve glances at the tv and then back at her, “Robin, I don't know it's just that…” he says, quietly trailing off.
“You’re worried you will want to get real married to some woman in the future.” She says, squeezing the makeshift ring in her hand. This isn't a rejection, Steve isn’t a woman she is interested in, so why does his hesitation hurt like it is?
Tom and Jerry’s hijinks fill the room with noise, Steve looks at Robin as she stares down at her hands. If they were married Robin would be safer, he knows that ever since her ex revealed she had a secret boyfriend and he threatened Robin, she’s been terrified of someone finding out she’s a lesbian. It would also make their living arrangement easier, if they were a married couple they wouldn't have been denied by so many apartment landlords. Steve thinks for a minute, “Well, I wouldn’t want to marry anyone who wouldn’t be okay with the fact that we got married.” he says, slowly. “And divorces aren’t that hard if both parties are cooperative.”
Robin lifts her head to meet his gaze, “We wouldn’t even have to tell your parents,” she says with a smirk.
“Now that’s a good selling point, Buckley.” He says through a laugh, “Okay.”
“Okay?” she replies, holding the “ring” out between them once again.
Steve looks at the twist tie and laughs again, “Yes, Robin, I will get lavender married to you.” She slips the makeshift twist tie ring onto his finger. “But we will have to get better rings than this.”
“Oh definitely.” She says as he holds his hand up to look at the ring sitting on his finger.