It took a pandemic for many middle‑aged couples to truly see, and sometimes be startled by each other. The lockdowns turned bedrooms into offices, sofas into desks, and kitchens into conference rooms. What was once politely hidden behind office hours and separate commutes spilled into shared air: the restless pacing during a call, the sighs at a laptop, the midnight scrolling that never really stops. In that long season indoors, couples met not only each other again, but also the messy, human truth of living so closely, for so long.And something subtle shifted. Nights that once ended with a brief quarrel over the quilt or the TV remote now gave way to quieter solutions: two duvets instead of one, wireless earbuds to hush late‑night videos, an eye mask to block the glow of a phone screen.
.png)
