Strange but beautiful

We met during that weird period of lockdown where our liberties had been somewhat returned but the virus was evidently still very real. We happened to be on the same Postgraduate course in London, with me commuting in from Brighton and he living in the city. We tentatively crossed the line from course mates, to dating, to being official. It felt so Victorian, walking in parks at a distance and eating outside during the pouring rain just to follow the rules. And yet, even though now we can only see each other over Zoom, it feels more real than any relationship I have been in before Covid.