"We're going to have to map it soon; I have no fucking idea where we are right now, Soph." Leah laughed.
"No maps; that's the point of the game."
"The families of Leah and Sophie are becoming increasingly worried after they failed to return home from a relaxing drive." Leah giggled as she put on a television presenter's voice.
"You are so dramatic, Le."
"Sensible. I am sensible."
"You're the one driving without a map."
"I seem to lose all sense around you."
"I like it." I smiled, gripping her hand tightly.

Leah and I were currently in the middle of somewhere, but also in the middle of nowhere. A news article about a full moon led us to jump into the car and attempt to find the perfect view to witness it. We, well, I, had decided it would be more like an adventure if we skipped the satnav and instead opted to take it in turns to say left or right when we got to the end of the road. Moments like this, laughing with Leah, even if we were lost, made my heart feel more full of love for her than ever.

"Soph, look." Leah pulled into a small car park.
"Oh my god." I gasped.

The view from the front windscreen of the car showed that we had stumbled upon a tiny car park at the side of the road, one that sat beside a lake and was positioned perfectly between the trees to witness the moon that provided any light we needed. We didn't hesitate to exit the car, with Leah making her way to my side to pull me into her as we admired the night sky as we walked to the edge of the water. Leah's arm wrapped protectively around my shoulder as we sat on the grass bank.

"Soph, can I tell you something?"
"Anything." I rested my head on her shoulder.
"When we broke up, before you moved here, I used to take so much comfort from the moon, you know."
"How come?"
"I'd look out at it before I went to sleep at night. I used to feel so comforted by the fact that we were both sleeping under the same sky."
"I'm glad we're together under the same sky now, Le." I smiled at her.

I felt Leah's hand rise to my face, gently cupping my cheek as she slowly leaned towards me. With my eyes closed and the only noise coming from the trees rustling in the wind, my heart began to beat faster. Her cold nose brushed against mine softly as her lips connected to mine, her mouth struggling to fight the smile that was desperate to appear on her face.

"I love you, Soph." Leah whispered.
"I love you too, Le. To the moon and back." I smiled.

Ever since Leah had submitted her application for university, she had completely changed. Despite her injury keeping her out for longer than she had anticipated, she remained positive. We openly discussed anything that was on her mind, no matter how big or small it may have seemed. It was almost as if someone had changed something inside of her. I suppose that someone was me. As we drove back that night, finally agreeing to use the wonders of technology to guide us home, those harsh words that we had exchanged during that time were so far removed from both of our memories. Well, so I thought.

We collapsed into bed, neither of us being used to the late nights. As always, our bodies found one another and entangled themselves together as we drifted off to the sound of our heartbeats.

— — — —

Two days later.

Fuck. What is that beeping?

"We've slept in." I jumped.
"Fuck. What time is it?"
"10 a.m." I said as I scrambled to the shower.

After much panicking, and several swear words, Leah and I were finally on the plane. We were making the journey to Ireland to watch Olivia perform at a local theatre show. The flight was just 45 minutes; it always seemed like there was no time at all between the initial takeoff and the landing. I laughed as Leah tried to adjust to the cold temperatures that Ireland had to offer. As we exited the automatic doors towards the entrance of the airport, a familiar voice bellowed out in our direction.

"Leaaaaaaaaah!"

I watched as Olivia leaped into Leah's arms, causing her bag to drop onto the pavement. Rhys took this as an opportunity to be the first of the family to hug me, his arms wrapping tightly around me as he whispered how glad he was to see me. My heart grew again as I witnessed Leah spinning Olivia in circles, my niece's infectious chuckle echoing through the air.

"Auntie Sophie!" Olivia beamed, holding her arms out towards me.
"Liv, I missed my favourite girl." I smiled as I took her into my arms.
"I missed you more." She giggled before planting a sticky kiss on my cheek.
"Dad buy you sweets to keep you quiet while you were waiting?" I joked.
"Yeah. I saved you some, but then I ate them." She said proudly.
"Thought is what counts, isn't it?"
"Mhmm. Let's go!" She demanded.

The four of us walked the short distance to Rhys' car, Leah and Rhys deep in conversation about the football. I had often worried, after the texts that Rhys sent to Leah, that they would never get along in the way I would've liked. If anything, Leah and Rhys spoke more often than Rhys and I did, and that was a lot. They would text each other about any matches that were on, concerts that were coming up, and thousands of pictures of Olivia. Leah's effort with my family and my effort with hers made our relationship stronger. We created the perfect balance between our own bubble and the outside world.

Olivia fell asleep as we drove home, with Rhys taking this as the perfect opportunity to broach the subject that I had been avoiding.

"You worried about her being there?" He spoke.
"Who?" I asked as if I was clueless.
"You know who - mum." He rolled his eyes.

I immediately noticed Leah's hand appear through the gap between the two front seats that my brother and her occupied, her way of saying, I'm right here.

"A little." I sighed.
"We know what to expect." Leah said confidently.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't even really want her there. Dad said I had to invite her." Rhys sighed.
"She's still our mum, who knows, maybe she's a friend of the community now." I giggled, feeling Leah's thumb stroke across my knuckles.
"Together, Soph. Okay?" Leah smiled.
"Together." I breathed deeply.
"You both have my full support, always." Rhys joined the conversation again.
"I know, I just don't want you to do the same thing as last time. You need her too."

Rhys had always been my protector, even when he was hurting himself by doing so. When Mum refused to accept my sexuality, Rhys banished her from his life to his own detriment. It came at a time in his life when he so desperately needed our family to stick together, but he chose to protect me instead, just as he always has. Mum was around a lot more now, helping out with Olivia and providing Rhys with a filler for the void my move to London had left. I worried that he would react badly if she were to minimise my relationship with Leah, I didn't want him to protect me at his own risk again.

Flashback

"I just think it's better we stay away from that. I can FaceTime Olivia before and after, Le."
"Stay away for you, or for me?"
"You. I don't want you to have to witness the way she might be."
"And what way is that?"
"Ignore you, make you feel like you don't belong in our family, or call you my wee friend. God. I hate that. Hannah was always Sophie's wee mate." I cringed at the thought.
"We can't hide from her forever, though, Soph."
"I just don't want to cause a drama at Olivia's play." I sighed.
"Do you think she would cause one?" Leah questioned.
"No, she's not like that. She's not aggressive or anything, but I'm not going to sit there and allow her to mistreat you. I won't be able to do it, Le. I will have to say something."

Leah grabbed my waist as I walked by the sofa, pulling me onto her lap. She rested her head on my shoulder, gently placing kisses from my cheek to my neck.

"Or you could be the bigger person. Go to the play; if she refuses to accept us, then we sit politely until the end. We congratulate Liv, then we go find a hotel and do all the things Sophie's wee mate and her do best." Leah whispered into my ear.
"Ugh, that's an offer I'm finding extremely difficult to refuse." I laughed back.
"Sorted, then, I'll let Rhys know we'll be there."

Leah jokingly dumped me off her lap, pulling out her phone to text Rhys. She giggled as she watched my disbelief at her quickness to end the conversation and ability to persuade me with just one sentence.

— — — —

"Soph, we're here, babe." I woke to see Leah's smiling face.
"Did I fall asleep? Sorry." I rubbed my eyes.
"No need to be sorry, let's go, you. She's already here." Leah referenced my mum.

Leah began to walk towards the front door before I gently pulled her back towards me. Startled, her face grew a worried expression.

"I love you; I'm marrying you because I love you. Regardless of what she thinks. Remember that, okay?"
"Me and you against the world, Soph. Always." Leah placed a quick kiss on my lips before I led the way through the front door, taking a deep breath before I opened the living room door to see my mum's face looking back at me. Her eyes immediately moved to Leah.

Me and you against the world, Soph. I repeated that line over and over in my head, awaiting my mum's reaction to the woman I was engaged to.