‘The honeymoon we never had’

Erik says: ‘I was terrified of Lily leaving and going off to college, and being alone with Tess. In 20 years, we’d only spent a handful of days just the two of us.

We’ve had the buffer of children for our entire marriage, and much as I love her, I honestly didn’t know if we’d have anything to say to each other without them.

Tess has worked from home for 25 years, which means she needs me to be her husband, friend, colleague and lover all rolled into one. Sometimes it’s just exhausting and I need time to myself.

But then COVID-19 and lockdown happened, and I was working from home, too, and suddenly I saw things from her point of view.

The kettle in the kitchen became our “water cooler” — we’d meet up and chat as we made tea, sharing moments of our days with each other or discussing the new must-see box set we wanted to watch that night.

The closeness between us made us more affectionate, which spilled over into the bedroom, too. It was almost like the honeymoon we never had.

Frankly, I couldn’t wait for the kids to leave home again so Tess and I could start our real lives together as a couple.

I was exaggerating when I said we’d have got divorced if the pandemic hadn’t happened — I love Tess and nothing will change that.

But being forced into close quarters with each other reminded me why I fell in love with her in the first place.

Eventually I’ll go back to working in the office at least part-time, but I’m going to miss having Tess right next door.

I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t wait for our retirement!’