Thanks to social distancing rules, many couples have been forced to choose between moving in together or staying apart for an indefinite amount of time.
If you’ve recently decided to bite the bullet and haul your belongings to your significant other’s place, you’re probably realising that moving in during a pandemic is very different to swapping keys at any other time.
Here are a few things that newly co-habiting couples can probably relate to…
1. It all feels a bit… rushed
You’d be lying if you said your relationship timeline wasn’t sped up by the past few months, but you honestly couldn’t stand the thought of having any more tinny Zoom dates with patchy internet reception, and flatmates walking in and disturbing your privacy.
Your patience has been seriously tested by the need to stay apart, but you reckon that if your lockdown love can survive long-distance, then living together will be a breeze.
2. You’re spending a lot of quality time together
It’s quickly dawning on both of you that moving in during a pandemic is very intense. While normally, you could make plans with family and friends to take the edge of sharing your space with someone, now you have no choice but to be together, at home, all the time.
Weirdly enough, you’re actually enjoying being in your cosy bubble of two. You’re even relishing the unglamorous parts, like doing your washing together or working out how you’ll split the bills.
3. You’ve already survived your first fight
Remember the fight you thought was going to end your relationship? It was over something ridiculous like splitting your closet space, or finding their beard hairs in the sink, but tensions were running higher than usual and you both lost your temper.
Thankfully, you managed to resolve the issue without anyone getting relegated to sleeping on the sofa. In fact, you’re kind of proud at how maturely you both managed to communicate.
4. It’s great having the company
You can’t lie, you’re over the moon to have a partner to binge watch The Crown with and obsess over Princess Diana trivia.
You’re pretty sure they’re sick of hearing your mundane chit chat all the time, but the novelty of having someone indulge your meaningless convo hasn’t worn off just yet.
5. You have different ideas of what ‘clean’ means
You’re a Mrs Hinch fan that likes everything in your home to be a certain way, while they’re a secret slob that thinks its OK to let the bin overflow onto the floor. You’ve already drawn up a cleaning rota, so they won’t just leave all the icky domestic tasks to you.
6. You’re discovering pet peeves you didn’t know they had
Eating their food loudly. Chewing the end of their pen. You’re mentally making a list of annoying stuff they do so you can throw it back in their face during your next argument.
It’s not a very mature thing to do, but you’re sick of passive aggressively slamming the toilet seat down after they use it.
7. Working and living together is a major test of your relationship
If living together while most things are closed wasn’t weird enough, you and your partner are also elbow-to-elbow, working from home at the moment too.
If there was a national award for ‘most booming voice on a conference call’, you’re sure they’d win it, but it’s pretty sweet to have someone around to do the tea run.
8. You both love calling your new place home
Moving in together quickly has sent the two of you into a frenzied nesting mode and you’ve spent a ridiculous amount of money on DIY projects around your new place.
Browsing the IKEA website while snuggling up on the sofa is your new thing and you’re not really sure why you didn’t move in sooner.
Your friends are sick of you sharing your smug renovation updates on your Instagram Stories but you know that deep down, they’re just jealous you’ve found love during a rubbish year.
And the best thing of all? You don’t even have FOMO for your single life, because pretty much everything is closed.
