Love, Resilience and Building a Life Together: Alexa & Zara’s Story
Photographer’s statement of what I observed in their home and relationship:
“I was immediately welcomed into Alexa and Zara's loving home; they were both incredibly kind and generous with their time. There was a real sense of warmths and ease between them, and it was clear how comfortable they are in each other’s company. Throughout the interview, they listened to each other with respect, laughed often, and spoke openly and honestly about both the challenges they’ve faced and the life they’re building together. It was heartwarming to witness the love, support, and genuine friendship they share – and it’s the kind of relationship I hope to continue to capture through my work with many other couples in the LGBTQIA+ community."
Some relationships begin quietly, almost by accident - a door answered during an exam, a piece of furniture dropped off, a message sent on instinct. For Alexa and Zara, that moment marked the start of a six‑year journey filled with love, growth, challenges, and a partnership that feels both grounding and expansive.
Today, they’re navigating careers in social work and youth support, building a home, planning a wedding, and dreaming of a future family. In this Q&A, they share their story with honesty, humour and the kind of vulnerability that makes you fall in love with them a little too.
Photos by Maya Sugiharto, Agent Morphe
Q&A With Alexa & Zara
What do you both do for work?
Alexa: I work with young adults who are at risk of going to prison. It’s an early‑intervention role where we support them and try to prevent that from happening. It’s a mix of youth work, counselling and case management rolled into one. I work three days a week.
Zara: I’m currently working in the mental health and alcohol and other drugs sector as a support worker. I’m about to complete my Master of Social Work, so I’ll be transitioning into a clinician role soon. I work full time.
How long have you been together, and how did you meet?
Alexa: We’ve been together for six years and engaged for three. Our parents had known each other since we were young, so we’d heard of each other but never really met. We officially met when my family was moving house. I went with my uncle to drop off some furniture at Zara’s place. She answered the door, and I messaged her on Instagram straight afterwards. We went for coffee, and it all started from there.
Zara: Yes, that’s accurate. I was studying for an exam, so I wasn’t thrilled about answering the door. Laughs. But it worked out pretty well.
What were your first impressions of each other?
Zara: That she’s very hot. Not gonna lie. Laughs.
Alexa: I feel like I’m demisexual - I don’t usually feel attraction straight away. I normally need to get to know someone first. But with Zara, when I saw her, I definitely felt an instant attraction. I’d never experienced that before. It felt different from the start.
What does your perfect Sunday together look like?
Zara: Lex usually has the most energy in the morning, so we’ll do some activity - the golf driving range, walking the dogs along the beach. Then we relax in the afternoon: gaming, a movie night, or just taking it easy. Lex loves shopping, so sometimes we’ll spend the day shopping in Melbourne.
Alexa: We also love trying new food places. If we see something on Instagram or hear about a pop‑up event, we’ll check it out. And we love markets, especially in summer.
I never understood the saying ‘marry your best friend’ until Zara. Now it makes perfect sense
What strengths do you each bring into the relationship?
Alexa: It’s a hard question. Laughs. I think I’m loyal, and I always try to be supportive. Around the house, I do a lot of the life admin and look after the gardens.
Zara: I’m definitely the organiser and planner. I like to get things done, which helps because Lex can be a bit chaotic at times. Laughs. We balance each other out. I do the lawns; she does more of the cleaning. It feels pretty equal.
What strengths do you see in each other?
Alexa: Zara is amazing when I’m having anxiety or panic attacks. I instantly feel better when she’s around or even if I just talk to her. She’s really good in those situations.
Zara: I hope so - that’s my paid employment. Laughs.
Alexa: You know what I mean. Laughs.
Alexa (follow‑up): If she’s not home, I’ll call her at work, and she’ll talk to me. She distracts me. A few weeks ago, I had a panic attack at night, and she came into the lounge room with me and got me to do a word search. She’s just really good at helping me through it.
Zara: Lex is amazing at decorating the house and making it feel homely. She knows when I’m not feeling 100%, and she’ll pick up the extra load. She also does more cleaning than I do, which I appreciate. Laughs.
Can you tell me about a challenging time you faced together? How did you support each other through it?
Zara: Definitely when we moved to Gippsland. It was really tough - we were isolated, it was during COVID, and everyone was feeling low. So… we got a dog. A very overpriced dog. Laughs. We gave it a good shot, but ultimately moving back to Melbourne was best for our mental health. It made us stronger because we were both struggling.
Alexa: Yeah. When we moved, it was because Zara got a job there, and I went with her — it was either that or break up. Zara didn’t enjoy the job, and the town was quite cliquey. But she still showed up every day, even though it was hard. In the end, I pushed for us to move back, and Zara came with me. That was huge. We were there for six months.
Zara: It felt so much longer. Laughs.
Do you think the way you resolved it made you stronger as a couple?
Alexa: Yeah, I think so.
Zara: If we survived that, we can survive anything. We’d only been dating a year, and we probably wouldn’t have moved in together so early if it wasn’t for that move. It fast‑tracked things.
Zara: Then Alexa got to choose where we lived next, and we went in the complete opposite direction. Laughs.
What do you think has helped your relationship grow and last?
Zara: Now that we’re settling into our careers, we can make bigger life plans. We built a house, and now we’re looking at wedding options. Lex wants to start a family in the next few years. It finally feels like we’re becoming adults.
Alexa: Our communication is really good. We talk easily and tell each other everything. I never understood the saying “marry your best friend” until Zara. She’s definitely my best friend. Having the right connection makes everything easier.
What’s the foundation of your relationship?
Zara: Communication and honesty - maybe a little too much sometimes. Laughs. We understand each other because we come from similar upbringings, but also different enough that we bring new values into the relationship. We have similar ideas about how we want our lives to go, which helps.
Alexa: Our morals and values are really aligned. When it comes to anything serious, we usually agree. That makes everything easier.
