“Hey, babe?”

“Yeah?” Gretchen asked.

Amanda looked over at her wife who was sitting on their sofa, reading some kind of lawyer document. Maybe it was a brief? It could also be a lawsuit or some other thing Amanda still didn’t quite understand even after being married to her wife for a while now. Amanda’s language was music. Gretchen’s language was a combination of Latin and legalese. Yet, somehow, they worked.

“You know how we were just back in Boston?”

Gretchen looked over at her then.

“Um… Yes. Obviously. We got back like a week ago, and I haven’t gotten hit on the head or anything since, so I remember. Why?” She smiled over at Amanda.

“Smartass.” Amanda chuckled. 

“You love me for it.”

“Yes, I do. But… Babe, I miss it.”

“Boston?”

“Yes.”

Gretchen leaned forward and placed the papers and her red pen down on the table in front of them.

“Okay.”

“You got really serious just then,” Amanda said.

“I could tell.” Gretchen shrugged.

“Could tell what?”

“That you were missing it. You miss our friends, but it’s more than that, isn’t it?”

“I think I’ve established my career here now well enough that if we decided we wanted to move back someday, we could. Technology-wise, I can produce wherever. I don’t have to be in LA anymore.”

“Babe, I have a job, too, you know? It’s not like I can leave whenever.”

“No, I know. I just wanted to get your thoughts.”

“We have a life here, Amanda.” Gretchen turned to face her more fully.

“You really don’t miss Boston?”

“I didn’t grow up there. I moved there after school, so it’s not the same for me, I don’t think. But why don’t you tell me what you’re missing about it first before we do anything else?”

“I miss our friends. We have some here now, too, but they’re, like, our work friends we have drinks with sometimes. I miss our actual friends back in Boston.”

“Okay. Well, they can visit or we can, so…”

“I miss the city, too, Gretch. I never thought I’d miss winter, but I do. I miss having actual seasons change. I even miss walking places in heels with ice on the ground.” Amanda laughed a little. “And I miss the T. Damn, I miss being able to take a train places instead of having to drive and sit in traffic for hours. Plus, I miss my family. It’s getting harder for them to visit us. Plus, you know they can’t really stand LA. We can afford a really nice place now. Yes, I’ve got money from my parents that’ll help, but you and I can afford a good place on our own now. Tons of room. Maybe a little yard. We can look outside the city or inside. I just… I don’t know. That’s how I’ve been feeling.”

Gretchen gave her a little nod.

“Now, you,” Amanda said.

“Now me, what?”

“Tell me how you’re feeling.”

“I miss our friends,” Gretchen said. “Being a lawyer means I have time for you and work, and that’s about it.”

“Being a successful lawyer means that. And my baby is a badass.” Amanda winked at her.

“You can’t wink just because you know it usually means you’ll get your way.” Gretchen smirked at her.

“It does? I had no idea,” she lied.

“This is a big deal, babe,” Gretchen replied.

“I know. That’s why we’re talking about it.”

“I’d have to move my entire practice. I’d lose clients.”

“Outside of that, though, if you don’t want to consider moving back, nothing really matters. So, if you tell me that moving back to Boston full-time, outside of work-related travel, is something you don’t want, we won’t do it, Gretch. I wouldn’t want us to go if you end up unhappy. I’d maybe just try to be there more and go in winter a few times a year or something.”

“I do miss it,” Gretchen admitted.

“You do?” Amanda asked, hopeful. 

“And going back and forth several times a year is a pain in the ass.”

“Babe, seriously?” Amanda gave her a soft smile.

“I’m agreeing to continuing this conversation. That’s it for right now.”

“That’s enough, babe.”

“Okay. Well, maybe we should make a pros-and-cons list.”

“Oh, talk dirty to me, Gretchen,” Amanda teased.