After my divorce I moved in with a friend – we were dating

Best friends have moved in together following their divorce and are dating someone new, but insist they remain each other’s “priority”.

Marissa Baker, 32, and her best friend Patty Kulak, 29, moved in together shortly after splitting from her partner in 2021.

Marissa and her boyfriend have been together for about a year, and she says everything they do is managed first by Patty.

Patty—who is currently dating casually—tells potential dates that they will actually date both her and Marissa because they are “a package deal,” but can only benefit from one of them.

The two moved in together in Naples, Florida, in May 2021 because it made financial sense and allowed them to go on friendship dates, exercise, do housework together, and “co-parent” their shared animals – Three dogs, two cats and a 150-pound turtle.

Marissa, local government area manager, said: “We don’t really have that separation or those issues and rows.

“We never get tired of each other.

“My boyfriend and I have been together for just over a year and he lives in Michigan.

“Everything we plan and everything we do goes through Patty’s filter.

“We share groups, calendars and notes to make sure no one is left out.

“I think it’s going very well.”

Patty, the land planner, said: “It’s still the same, in terms of partners we are each other’s priority.

“We are both actively dating but each other comes first.

“It was not a hidden fact and I brought it up very quickly.

“People think of her as my partner and best friend.

“I tell potential partners that not only does Marissa live with me, but her opinion is probably more important than yours.”

The friends met at Marissa’s birthday party on January 1, 2021, and when Patty separated in January 2021, she received support from Marissa, who separated from her husband in May 2021.

In May 2021, the single couple decided to move to Naples, Florida, USA to live together.

They say their current situation allows them to have a support system in place.

“I think it’s important for me to have Marissa as a support system here because I don’t have any family here, so I have her family as well,” Patti said.

Marissa added: “What we have is really good.

“We come from unhealthy relationships, so we’re really good partners in that.

“When you have something that’s really good, you want to keep it.”

When it came to Patty’s dating life, she told her partner they would always be “cooking for three.”

She said: “I want partners to be able to engage with Marissa.

“If we cook, we make three plates.

“I always say ‘you’re dating both of us, but you’re only going to get the best out of me’.

“I also went on a hockey date a few weeks ago and I invited Marissa to come along.

“The last guy I dated was a friend of Marissa’s boyfriend, so he got the idea.

“It’s like meeting family — knowing Marissa can see how I interact with someone, or get a sense of what kind of person they are.”

Both women said they had no intention of having their partners move in with them and planned to live together for the foreseeable future.

Marissa said: “Best case scenario, if I had my way, I would be able to buy the house next door and live in the best of both worlds.

“How do we stay close to each other if we don’t live together?

“I don’t think things will change – if my relationship works out, I think it will, but it will be at least two years before I think about moving out.”

Patti added: “I don’t think we want anyone else to move in.

“We never had a falling out, if we joked about how different we were – that was a dynamic we didn’t want to break.

“But I also don’t think there was any concern about whether Marissa wanted to leave to be with her partner.

“I don’t think our relationship will change because we support each other.”

The pair moved in together just months after meeting and said they didn’t feel any pressure to move in so quickly.

Patti said: “I watched and supported Marisa while she was working with my ex-husband.

“I asked her to be my friend after the divorce and now she is my best friend.”