People are questioning whether or not a couple is actually still together after a woman shared on TikTok the reasons her boyfriend was moving out of their apartment after living together for more than a year.
Maiah Police, who goes by the username @missmaiah on the platform, explained in the TikTok that she and her boyfriend had been dating for three and a half years and living together for one and a half years before he decided to move out.
“He’s moving in with his brother, and he’s always dreamed of living with his little brother. So who am I to get in the way of that?” she said. Police said that once couples agree to live together there is no “traditional contract stating you must live together until marriage and then you have kids”.
She also said their age was a factor as she is 26 and her boyfriend is 24, while noting that now would be the best time for her brother to fulfill his dream of living with his younger brother.
However, according to Police, the decision for her partner to move out didn’t come without some doubts. “Don’t get me wrong, when he first told me the idea, I was like: ‘Hmmm, what the f**k?’” she admitted. “As I thought more about it, I was like: ‘Wait, this is a great idea.’”
Police explained that she can be very “particular” and she thinks living apart from each other means they can have more “intentional time”.
“Sometimes when you live with your partner, it’s easy to exist around each other. It’s a fun chapter that I’m ready for. And he’s only living like a mile away from me so he’s not going too far,” she explained to viewers.
Since the video was posted on 1 September, it has been viewed mroe than six million times and received over 13,000 comments. Many people alleged that altering their living situation was step one in her boyfriend’s breakup plan and that Police’s logic didn’t make sense.
“He’s putting in the two-week notice girl,” one commenter wrote. Another agreed, writing, “Cute, he made it your idea!!”
“Did…did they not grow up living together?” a commenter questioned, in reference to the idea that Police’s boyfriend wanted to fulfill his dream of living with his brother.
One person pointed out: “Three post-breakup needs he has strategically sorted out for himself: 1) a roof over his head 2) safety 3) companionship.”
After being inundated with negative comments, Police decided to make a follow-up video one day later, on Saturday (2 September). In the video, she showed herself sarcastically throwing a tantrum as text across the screen read: “POV: thousands of people are saying your boyfriend is gonna break up with you.”
Speaking with Insider about the viral response to her relationship, she explained that, although she was expecting “intrigue” in the situation, she wasn’t expecting people to “root against” her relationship.
“My boyfriend wanted me, him, and his little brother to live in a house together. However, I ultimately chose to live by myself because I have some intense sleeping issues that I need to take care of and, right now, our apartment is my living, social, and working space,” Police told Insider.
She continued, “Relationships can thrive and evolve in various ways, and ours is no exception. We now have thousands of people doubting our relationship and rooting against us, which is not what we expected, but we’re just going to continue doing what works best for us.”
The Independent has contacted Police for comment.
