Love Distance Love

Making love last when you’re living in different time zones is way easier said than done. Two readers share their stories.

- Lucy Bode

Angus and I had been together for two years when I found out he was moving overseas. We were out for dinner when he got up to goto the bathroom. He’d left his phone on the table and a message flashed on the screen. It was from his dad, congratulating him on landing a job in the UK. A wave of dread flooded me and my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I felt betrayed and hurt that other people knew before I did, as it was the first time I’d even heard he was thinking about moving away.

When I confronted him back home, he told me there was a 90 percent chance he would take the role, but it wasn’t until weeks later that I would find out he actually already had. We entertained the thought of me joining him, but considering I had a stable job, the idea never came to pass.

The time difference meant it was tough to [keep in touch]. We’d try to check in with each other every morning and night,but it didn’t always work out the way we planned. It was hard, and we both felt the pressure of it weighing heavily on our relationship. We began to snap at each other about things that usually didn’t matter, like a missed Skype date. Not being able to communicate whenever we wanted also made it really difficult to trust each other. I’d see him tagged in photos with other girls on social media and I’d convince myself that he was cheating on me.

After a while, it got so bad that I began obsessing over his Instagram profile.