Love In Lockdown

With billions across the globe forced to stay home, COVID-19 is changing every aspect of our relationships, from courtship to cohabitation to coitus. Here, we share three very different quarantine romances

- Emma Leonard

“We went on two dates … and then moved in together”

Strict social distancing measures and a fear of the unknown led Carrie, a professional ballerina, to fast-track her relationship.

I met Mike on Bumble in mid-February. We were supposed to have our first date on February 23, but that never happened. He put it in his calendar incorrectly. I thought he was going to come to Manhattan, where I live, from Connecticut, where he lives, and we were going to have a beautiful dinner. Instead, he was in Arizona.

I was disappointed; I was really looking forward to seeing him. He sent flowers immediately and apologised. We finally got together in person on Saturday, March 7. We had lunch, walked around, and then had dinner at Eleven Madison Park.

Dating in New York City is complicated because there’s always somebody better. There’s so much swiping and people don’t put in the effort. I was tired of repeating my story over and over: “I grew up in Upstate New York, I went to the Professional Children’s School and danced with the New York City Ballet. I was in the movie Black Swan.”

But I really liked Mike. He talked to me, he listened to me and he treated me super well. He’s just very chill.

A few days later, I visited him at his apartment in Connecticut only to find out that, coincidentally, one of my closest friends lives two doors down from him. We spent a fun day together, and then I went back to Manhattan.