We booked a flight back from London to Atlanta, with plans to make a road trip up the eastern coast in a rental car, taking our time and being tourists. 

"There could be others like you⁴,” I suggested, ripping into the bag of salted peanuts, scattering them across both of us and onto the floor.

The flight attendant gave us a disapproving look and I waved to her as I started to pick up the peanuts.

"Your girlfriend's getting mad at you," she replied, nodding towards the attendant.  It was an inside joke that we shared with each other.  We’d refer to third parties as our girlfriends or our boyfriends, kind of making fun of the third party, and kind of taking jabs of ourselves.  It was a way of stating, one to the other, that we knew that we were comfortable with each other, that we weren’t afraid of being silly, and that we weren't particularly worried or jealous of the attention that both of us sometimes got from other people… even if the current attention under discussion was that of the scornful stewardess.

something that makes things visible or affords illumination