My partner and I have been together for nearly a decade, but we still live apart. It's been great for our relationship.

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Maya Kokerov

• I've been with my boyfriend for nine years, but we've never lived together.
• This set-up keeps our relationship exciting, and it's helped me prioritize time with family.
• We hope to live together one day, but we're not rushing through this chapter.

My partner was my first relationship and first love. I thought he would remain simply "first," but we're happily in love nine years later.

Yet, there's one big milestone that we haven't reached: our first time living together.