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Cohabitation Series

Meet Jurnee and Maurece. They have been living together for one year.


How did you two meet?

Jurnee: We met at work my first day there, no my second day there.

Maurece: Yea your second day. It was just I don't know she just had a vibe so I had to holla at her see what’s up with it [Laughter].

Jurnee: And it was really random cause usually we went to lunch one by one and it was like my second week there and our manager made us go to lunch together. We went to Bar Burritos and he actually hates Bar Burritos but I really wanted it for some reason. We talked for all of lunch and we hung out after work after that.

Maurece: When he told us to go to lunch, he wasn’t saying y’all go together. I saw the opportunity and was like okay let me try and slide [Laughter].


How long have you two been together?

Maurece: A year.

Jurnee: A year.

Me: Awwww!

Jurnee: I know right! Our first year anniversary is in a week from today. September 25th.



What made you guys move in together.

Jurnee: I got a job offer here in Charlotte and we went back and forth on long distance cause Maurece was in Greensboro and technically I was in durham at the time. I was always with him so we were kinda living together but not really. Maurece was going to move in Charlotte anyway when his lease was up and he was just like ----

Maurece: Yea, I was gonna move in the summer and her job came in March so I was like fuck it, break the lease let's go.

Jurnee: And so we went! And when we moved in together we were only together for five months. When we were talking about moving in we had been together ----

Maurece: Like three months if that.

Jurnee: Yea

Me: Crazy!!

[Laughter]


Was there any family or friends who were against it and how did you handle that?

Maurece: Not on my end.

Jurnee: No, not on my end either.

Jurnee: Everyone was just like supportive, but I think we are both pretty independent anyway so my mom wasn't going to say no. She’s just kinda like you thought about it you know your an adult, I trust you. You can come back home if anything. So that was really nice we didn’t have to argue with family in addition to trying to move in together. I think that would’ve been very stressful.


What is the best thing about living with each other?

Maurece: I feel like we've grown closer together.

Jurnee: Yea for sure. I love coming home and getting to spend every night with him. Because If I have a very bad day at work I know that I’m gonna come home to him and I just know my night will be good.



What is the hardest thing?

Maurece: Hmmm.

Jurnee: I don’t know I feel like maybe the hardest thing.. I don't know.

Maurece: I guess just understanding the way certain things go. Everybody’s different so actually living together you with the person all the time so you gotta adjust to things that’s out of your norm.

Jurnee: Yea like we have different quirks to each other so its like I may do something that he normally wouldn’t do. Like I might put my fruit in the fridge and he doesn’t.

Maurece: There hasn’t been nothing crazy or nothing we couldn’t get through.


How do you handle “heated situations” when you disagree with something?

Maurece: Me personally, I leave. I separate myself from the situation for a little bit, gather my thoughts and come back.

Jurnee: This is why I’m glad we have a two bedroom because to be able to have space from one another I think it's how we usually deal with it. Just being able to step out of what we are arguing about and just leave the room/apartment and come back when we are more level headed and not going at each other.

Maurece: Most of the time we realize shit is dumb. Just think and say, “Stop this is stupid. Boom”.

Jurnee: Because usually it’s not me vs him. Its us vs whatever we are disagreeing about. So yea we usually just get it over quickly because its stupid.


What is something you wish people would stop saying towards living with your significant other before marriage?

Jurnee: I really think everything in a relationship is case by case basis. I fell like it's not really optionated besides a personal one anyone should have on it. I haven’t really heard anything negative besides people saying, “I wouldn’t live with someone before marriage” and that’s totally okay and I use to think that. But now I absolutely feel like we’ve grown closer we are in a new city together. I am so happy we moved in together.

Maurece: Yea same.

Jurnee: I think its a special time you have with someone and I think there’s pros and cons to both I guess but I think you should just do what’s best for you with your partner.



We’re there any rules set out before moving in together to make sure everything goes smooth, or you guys went the flow as days went by?

Maurece: We kinda went with the flow, we did say you know "you wash the dishes, I vacuum or sweep" but that didn’t work out so we just kinda did what was best for us. If I felt like washing the dishes one night I will if she feel like she will. We just figured it out as we went.

Jurnee: Yea we're both adults that have lived on our own before so even though and its not like he’s my roommate, he’s my partner so it's definitely easy. I feel like to go with the flow.


What is your fav song you guys enjoy listening to each other?

Jurnee: Favorite song?

Maurece: Favorite song. Thats a good question. We listen to a lot of music. For a long time it was smile by WizKid.

Jurnee: I would say that one but I feel like we have another one I just can’t remember.

Maurece: We have a thousand probably [Laughter]



What does love mean to you?

Jurnee: Hmmmm thats a really good one! Love to me is feeling like completely at home with someone. I feel very at home with Maurece its just ----

Maurece: To me its like I use to think that it’s so different its so like when you watch and movie and people be in love but it’s really a natural feeling. I feel like I’m supposed to be beside her. I feel like i'm supposed to be doing whatever with her. Its just easy. I can’t even explain it.

Jurnee: Definitely feel easy like I don’t believe in that love should be hard and go through so much shit to be in love and go through all this hurt. I don’t think thats what love is. Yea, every relationship goes through ups and downs but not necessarily it should be easy peasy. But it’s so easy to love him. And be with him everyday and chose to wake up next to him. Its comfort and feeling 2000% myself. Just all of the above.


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