Page 11 of Love in Times of Contempt

Her eyes opened wide, and her lungs appeared to suffer a mild dysfunction. "Wait. I could have rights to your stuff? Is that a thing in California? Even for people who aren't married?"

The car settled into a steady pace among the other traveling vehicles.

He stole a quick glance at her. "I don't know, actually. I never thought about this stuff before."

"Right." She faced forward and stared out the windshield. A chill ran down her back. "I guess we should look into that."

"Okay." He cleared his throat. "Then we should probably talk to a lawyer about it. When do you think is a good time?"

Ana blinked for a long moment, her heart beating faster than she'd thought. For reasons she didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

"Should I ask for a referral for a lawyer now? In another year?"

"Oh." She grabbed her water bottle from the console and gulped some of it. "I don't know. I think it's like asking, when do we know for sure we'll stay together for long enough that it's worth doing all of that? How do we know when we've crossed that milestone? I want to be with you forever, but do Iknowwe will be? Not really. We're still in the honeymoon phase."

"Mmh," Liam said. "To you this is about having concrete proof we'll be permanent, knowing if we'll be together when we're eighty."

"I gather it's not the same to you?"

Ugh. The conversation was going fast, and her attention refused to inspect her discomfort, and instead zeroed in on Liam. Like he had all the answers.

He seemed focused on the road, but his continuing frown told her he was paying close attention to their conversation, too.

He shrugged, his hands still firmly placed on the steering wheel. "No, I see it as a practical step to make sure we're keeping things in order. We agreed we're making choices based on the assumption that we'll stay together. I assume we'll be together when we're eighty."

Crap, her lungs seemed to reject the oxygen in the air. "If we're being practical, then… in that case, we might as well talk to a lawyer sooner rather than later, I think? To see what to expect."

"Okay." He nodded. "I'll ask Carruthers to give us a referral to someone who does family law."

Ana took a deep, calming breath. The whole conversation had her by the throat, and she still wasn't sure why talking about the legalities of their future made her nervous.

"Gah, that sounds big." She gulped. "We've been together for a bit over a year and we're already talking about a family lawyer."

She stared out of the window for a stretch of road, eyes glassy on the passing landscape. Sparse trees among medium-height buildings were barely more than green and light moving spots.

Liam continued to tap his fingers on the wheel. "What do you think about marriage? As an institution, I mean."

Ana closed her eyes again, her stomach rolling into itself.

She pushed her nerves down and shrugged. "I don't see the point of it to be honest. I didn't grow up dreaming about it and I don't think I've spent more than five seconds thinking of a wedding day. What is it for, nowadays? People get married, some stay together forever, some break up. I don't think it means much."

He scoffed but there was humor in it. "I guess I've known for a while that I didn't fall for you because of your romantic nature."

She chuckled. "I know. And I promise you, every time I make a comment like that around my parents, they say I'm causing all their gray hairs. But, remember my documentary,Love in Times of Contempt? I bet you would have thought me a romantic from that film."

"I remember. It was all about how it's worth looking for love because when it works, it's magical, right?"

"Yeah. I think love can be magical, but a wedding isn't necessary for it. If chances are people are going to break up anyway, why spend a year planning an expensive party?"

He laughed. "God, Ana. What about the celebration? Sure, marriage isn't what it used to be— and in many ways that's a good thing. I don't care for it being an economic arrangement— though that's still an aspect of it for many people. For insurance or whatever— or about social standing. I'd like to get married, though. I thought about it, once in a while, over the past few years. You know, in general terms."

"You did?" She tried to hide the fact that her hands shook by putting them under her thighs. She stared out of the windshield once more, gazing at the hills approaching near. She hoped Liam planned to stop for gas soon; she needed a chance to gather her wits and collect herself. Only then she might be able to understand her reaction to the conversation.

"Yeah. I see it as making a commitment that my wife and I are going to work at staying together. I want that kind of relationship in my life, as you know."

"I know."

Hills rose around them as they exited Los Angeles, dirt yellow-brown with trees and bushes giving it life, but she didn't see any details. She was talking about marriage with her boyfriend, an undercurrent of anxiety electrifying the layer right beneath her skin. She couldn't make sense of it, except for the voice in her mind telling her that marriage… that weddings…