“We really miss each other, and it just makes you even love each other more,” she tells EW.
A year and a half after getting married in the Love Is Blind season 5 finale, Lydia Velez Gonzalez and James Milton Johnson IV are still together — but they’re facing a new obstacle as they’re a long-distance couple now.
“Right now, we’re really focused on our careers — I got a new job, it just started a month ago, he has a new job, has been there for a year, but he just got relocated to Long Beach actually,” Lydia tells EW. “We are trying to get used to this new schedule, and he’s also doing his MBA. He loves to go to school. Apparently, this is his second master’s. We are just trying to really thrive in our careers.”
Lydia lives in Houston while Milton is now in Long Beach, Calif., and Lydia says they’ve both been traveling a lot to make their new reality work. “We just miss each other so much, so every second that we have together, we try to really cherish it and try to be there as much as we can for each other when we are actually in the same place,” she says. “Right now, we’re limited. The challenge is just traveling in airports. I hate airports so much, but besides that, it’s been amazing. We really miss each other, and it just makes you love each other even more. It’s so good to have him here when you come from work instead of being alone. It is your best friend, so obviously you want to see them all the time.”
As for any plans to introduce the first-ever Love Is Blind baby, Lydia says it’s too soon to be thinking about that. “We’re not there. We are not at our full potential yet,” she says. “But yes, it is in our plans to form a family and have a baby. That’ll come along the way.”
Lydia gushes that she and Milton are still “so in love” today and wishes that the more fun and positive aspects of their relationship were shown in the episodes rather than all the negatives of their fights or her history with ex-Uche Okorhoa.
“This is not my show, and I appreciate that everybody has their job to put [out] the most entertaining show for the viewers, but one thing that I would love for everybody to see is how much we love each other, how playful we are,” she says. “You just saw a tiny bit of it. We play and prank each other and try to tickle each other or try to spank each other, and it’s just fun.”
As for her relationship with former pod friend Aaliyah Cosby? After the drama unfolds with Uche, Lydia reveals that they never became friends again. “I don’t have any relationship with her,” she says. “I wish her the best. She looks like she’s thriving, and I’m happy for her.”
