I packed up a few of my things. Not a ton, since I wouldn't be moving until the end of the spring semester. But I wanted to make a symbolic gesture, something to show that Colin's space was about to become mine, too, and that we were going to build a life together.
Putting some of my stuff on a shelf with some of his stuff was the most "adult" commitment we were ready for.
We weren't talking about moving in together, getting married, or sharing a bank account. That was all way too big and scary.
Instead, our big romantic step was him saying, "Yeah, just throw your extra phone charger up there with my old batteries and that thingamajig I might need someday." And me saying, "Okay, cool."
It was a small, silly, and safe way to start mixing our lives without it being a huge deal. It felt like our level—not too serious, not too grown-up, just right for us.
Anyway, it counted as starting to move in.
