Monogamy

“Would you want to know if they were cheating?” asked Simon.

"Yes, of course I'd want to know," said Adrian. "Because that would be the life that he is leading."

"I don't know. I think it's all over by that stage," said Veronica. 

“So, you wouldn’t want to know?”

“Yes, I’d want to know.” Veronica shrugged. "But, it would mean that I wasn't special enough to have kept his interest."

“So?”

“So, what would really be the point,” said V. “Just the information to finish it off, I guess.”

"You don’t think you could save it, get it back?”

"Something is always broken, afterwards," said V. "That can't be gotten back."

"Too hard. It's human nature," said Adrian. "Why set yourself up to fail? Why deny yourself?"

“What?” asked Simon.

“Monogamy,” said Adrian. “Maybe it’s something you do when you are older.

"So many to choose from?" asked Simon.

"I always wanted to meet my soul mate," said Adrian. "Everything else is negotiable, when you've got forever covered."

“So, you’d be comfortable with an open relationship if you knew you were with the forever person.”

“Yeah, I guess that is what I am saying,” said Adrian.

"You haven't had a partner for years, Adrian," said V. "Who was the last?"

"I don't remember," said Adrian. "It just got easier to work instead."

"I'm tired of waiting," said V.

"Internet, Saturday night 'That's Adrian'." Adrian made jazz hands. "It's not me."

"Is that the name you use?" asked V.

“What?

“Internet Saturday night?”

“That’s kind of redundant, if you are online on Saturday night, don’t you think?”

Simon laughed.

“You think people would judge you…”

“For being so unimaginative, yes,” said Adrian.

“You might as well just call yourself WannaFuck,” said Simon.

They all laughed.

"I never liked saying, somehow it was mine. It meant that I still had it. The trouble was, I never really knew what it was."

“What was it?” asked V.

“What do you mean?” asked Simon.

Adrian shrugged. “Oh, um, just being together, without saying what it was, you know actions, not words.”

“Clear as mud.”

“Monogamy is just naturally being together, because you don’t want to be anywhere else,” said Adrian. “Calling it something doesn’t make it any stronger.”

“The two of you against the world?” said Simon.

“Yes, just naturally.”

“But you have to say it to each other,” said Veronica.

“I think a soulmate means you never have to,” said Adrian.

“I want rules,” said Veronica. “Agreements, because guys cheat.”

“Girls cheat too,” said Simon.

“Not as goddam regularly and with such monotonous prediction,” said Veronica.

“I can’t tell you how many girlfriends I have known about fucking the boyfriend’s best mate, brother, even father.”

“Bullshit,” said Veronica. “Guys with secretaries, waitresses and girls off the fucking tram are much more likely,” said Veronica,

“It is both, don’t be naïve,” said Simon.

“It’s human nature,” said Adrian. “But, if you want to fuck around be single. I never really understand.

“I actually, don’t know how you can cheat when you are in a relationship,” said Simon. “Without your partner knowing.”

“She knows, Simon,” said V. “She knows.”