In most relationships, you tend to date a person before you live with them. But if you happen to date one of your roommates, that "traditional" order totally gets flipped on its head.
Beloved TV shows like New Girl paint roommate-to-romantic relationships as tumultuous, but ultimately a fun, quirky way to live and date. But just because Jess and Nick were soulmates doesn't mean you and your roommate are.
Perhaps you moved to a large loft in a big city, not unlike New Girl, and started hooking up with one of your roommates in secret. It was all fun and games until they got back with their ex, who also decided to move in shortly thereafter. You then had to hear their late-night rendezvous and watch them canoodle in the living room every single day. You had to stay for the entire duration of your lease, so you and that roommate basically avoided eye contact for the next six months until you moved out.
Or maybe you shared a house with a group of friends in college, including your best guy friend. After a few months of living together, it became clear you both had feelings for each other and wanted more. You told the other housemates you two wanted to share a room and split that room's rent, which sent everyone into a tizzy. They finally agreed if you two could find someone to take over the now-vacant room, so you did. Three months later, you and your live-in boyfriend had a massive fight and decided you needed to break up. You couldn't decide who would stay and keep the room and who would leave, so you both stubbornly stayed for another two months until you gave up and moved in with strangers.
Or perhaps after one steamy drunken night with one of your roommates, you caught them going through your stuff and hanging out in your room without permission. When you asked them what was going on, they told you they were under the impression you two were dating now and figured all your stuff/space could be shared.
