"Becoming single was a revelation; it gave me such a sense of empowerment as I was undergoing a big career change from teaching to social work. It was during my final placement in 2024 that I met Mill and was immediately curious about them. The working environment they created was really beautiful and safe, and they had this unusual balance of reserve and openness."
"We didn't really listen to any of the music that night; we couldn't stop chatting. It was over the course of that evening that I realised Mill wasn't nearly as serious as I'd thought. They have a great sense of humour and we learned we shared more in common than we realised. We'd both lived through our wild ratbag phases and were leading more wholesome lives, and knowing we shared that balance was really attractive."
"Not long after the gig, Mill went out on a limb and sent me a text sharing their feelings for me. A few weeks later we went on our first official date. We went to a soju bar for a nightcap after a comedy gig and took a long walk along the Birrarung before sharing our first kiss in front of an audience of garbage collectors as they emptied bins in the decidedly unromantic setting of a desolate Fed Sq"
Approaching mid 30s, a long relationship that began at 21 ended, prompting newfound independence during a career shift from teaching to social work. During a final placement in 2024 the narrator met Mill, whose workplace created a beautiful, safe environment and who balanced reserve with openness. Professional conversations on Teams often felt like friendship, though Mill was the narrator's manager and both tried to remain professional. After the placement ended the narrator invited Mill to a gig; they connected, discovered shared humour and past 'wild ratbag' phases, and progressed to dating, sharing a first kiss by the Birrarung and at Fed Square.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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