"That's what happened to me." Shelby nods knowingly. "I bought my house five years ago expecting that I'd marry and have a family to raise in it. It's sat mostly empty for a long time. Peter only moved in by necessity but I realized very quickly how much I loved having someone else in the place. It feels so much more alive now."

"Don't get me wrong, I love my career and that's my priority," she adds. "But it helps to have somebody there at the end of a long day. Or on the weekend to unwind with. Or just to not be sitting in silence and isolation. I'd have lost my mind if he wasn't around right now. I wanted to get a cat, but I'm never home to take care of one, so a roommate seemed the better option!"