The next step! Big Brother alums Jackson Michie and Holly Allen have moved in together in the Playa Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles.

“We both fell in love with the first apartment we looked at. It is a quieter neighborhood, close to the beach and, most importantly, super dog friendly!” the couple told Us Weekly exclusively on Friday, January 10. “Little Jackson [Holly’s dog] loves it. We have similar sense of style and love interior design, so decorating has been a blast.”

Michie, 24, and Allen, 31, met on season 21 of the CBS reality competition in the summer of 2019, so living under the same roof was not a huge transition for them.

“It just seems natural to live together now,” they told Us. “Being out of the [Big Brother] house, we’ve been basically attached at the hip. We are best friends, communicate well and have so much fun together. Both of our leases were coming to an end and … we both just thought it made sense.”

Since moving into their apartment, which was furnished by Paynes Gray, the reality stars have learned more about their communication styles, passions and everyday routines. They have also started meeting each other’s friends and loved ones.

“We now get to see the things and the people that make us tick,” they said. “It’s all given us a deeper understanding for each other.”

Michie and Allen said their age difference has not come between them — in part because they “respect each other enough to communicate openly” now that they are no longer under 24/7 surveillance.

“In the real world, Holly is a silly kid and Jackson is very mature for his age,” the pair told Us. “We see the world very similarly, our goals align and we tend to forget about the age difference — aside from when it can be used in a joke as a dig to the other person.”

Now that they are settled into their new place, the server and the wine safari guide have invited over their former housemates Kat Dunn and Nick Maccarone, who also fell in love on the show.

“[Kat] and Nick will be the first visitors in our new place!” Michie and Allen revealed. “Kat and Holly’s birthdays are two days apart, so we are celebrating together. We are all very close and really do function like a family. We feel so lucky to have become so close with most of the people from our season.”

Before moving in together, the couple had a chance to meet each other’s families over the holiday season. Michie invited Allen to Nashville and Jackson, Mississippi, for Thanksgiving, and they spent Christmas with her relatives in Wyoming.

Next up, Michie plans to continue working in the fitness industry, while Allen is set to launch a podcast soon. Neither of them are in a rush to get engaged, though.

“One thing at a time! Right now, we are loving where we are in life and enjoying this journey,” they told Us. “We think our relationship will go the distance because we are genuinely best friends. And a friendship came first before we fell in love. Early on, we realized how important we are to each other and made a vow to always be part of each other’s lives — whether it was in a romantic or platonic capacity. Now everything else just comes naturally.”

With reporting by Kayley Stumpe