As romantic as it may first sound, moving in with your significant other is probably one of those decisions that will make or break your relationship.

In the first of a series chronicling the experiences of couples living together, we peek into the journey of Aadil Baggia and Natasha Zainal. Introduced by chance through friends, then brought together by yet another chance encounter on a dating app, the couple decided to move in together about a year into their relationship. We caught up with them at their home to find out more about what they’ve learnt so far — from the good to the bad and the surprising.

Natasha: Privacy was the most important factor. We had both lived on our own before and we appreciated being independent from our families. Living apart from our families improved our relationship with them and brought us closer.

Natasha: Aadil is a great cook. He’s always testing new recipes and I happily volunteer to try everything. We have a running joke about him being pest control too because he gets rid of all the bugs that come in since we’re on the first floor.

Aadil: Being able to share a space that’s just for us is also lovely. Waking up and coming home together always brings a nice warm feeling. Plus, Tash is also a great planner. Groceries, restaurant reservations, or running out of toothpaste is something I never have to worry about.

Natasha: I didn’t know how easily Aadil’s insomnia could be triggered. So now I don’t allow any screens in bed and it’s worked wonders!

Aadil: I was surprised at how much Tash believes in Chinese remedies. I’m now a convert. Yu Yee Oil is our go-to for tummy aches.

Natasha: Aadil is a neat freak — he doesn’t like to see things lying around where they don’t belong. I’m more of an organised mess kind of person, so it was hard to adjust at the beginning. But travelling together before moving in helped. Our trips were quite long, so we were already familiar with each other's standard of neatness. After all, you can pretend to be neat for just two weeks, but you can't pretend to be neat for four years!

This illustration was based off a photo they took on that vacation, which remains one of their favourite trips together.

Natasha: It took some time, but thoughtfully communicating our feelings helped both of us understand our frustrations.

Aadil: Dividing up the household chores is one example. I did the laundry at first, but that was a bad idea because I hated it so it wouldn’t have worked in the long run. After some trial and error, we decided to split the work based on our strengths instead. I never have to do any laundry now and Tash doesn’t have to do the dishes. But if we didn't communicate on that level, we wouldn't have figured out how to divide our chores this way.

Natasha: Communication alone isn’t enough — you also need to make a conscious effort not to do something that would upset the other by being aware of circumstances and the person’s state of mind. For example, if I'm really hungry, I would just be in the worst mood. So Aadil’s not going to be asking me at that moment about some mess that’s lying around. Similarly, if I know he's super busy at work, I'm not going to be questioning him about a chore he hasn’t done. You should know the right time to bring things up.

Aadil: Sometimes it’s also easier to do things separately. For us, we rarely cook at the same time because I'm not a recipe-following kind of guy, but Tash likes to follow the recipe to the tee.

Natasha: We do cook together occasionally though, like on weekends or when the pressure is not so high to deliver. But if he wants to make something very specific, he can't have me around saying, “oh, maybe you could add salt or maybe you could do this.” It’s not nice. We all have our own methods and want to do it our way at times, so we try to give each other space.

Natasha with our Sunday Duvet Insert.

Aadil: I’d say our music tastes have converged since we moved in together, especially since listening to music together is one way we relax. Tash also has great music taste because she works at a music streaming service, so she’s actually made quite a few playlists for me. I learnt about one of my current favourite bands, Foals, from her.

Moving into a larger house right before Circuit Breaker made the lockdown period much more bearable for Aadil and Natasha. Their previous house was so compact that the pair preferred spending less time at home.

Having more personal space has also been plus. That being said, the couple have also established some shared rituals, including weekly boxing sessions and spa nights.

Aadil and Natasha in their breezy living room. A larger house also meant they had more opportunities to play around with furniture and décor.