I'm feeling and thinking a lot of things right now, so I'm going to try to make this sound articulate, but I'm sorry if I get ramble-y.
So I (21F) have been with my partner Alex (25F) officially for about two months now, but unofficially we've been "seeing each other" for the past eight months or so. It took us a while to make things official because neither of us were keen on being in a long distance relationship. Alex has never been in one before me, and had no desire to do so, and I just got out of four-years-long LDR a year ago and it's still a bit of tender spot for me. Nevertheless, we found that we couldn't deny how we felt about each other and how it was impacting our lives, so we decided to stick a label on it. We already had plans for a visit coming up anyway, so we thought "why not, let's call it what it is". Around the beginning of August, I flew out to meet Alex in person for the first time and we spent over a week together. I ended up getting sick the second day of my trip with COVID, so we spent most of the trip confined to Alex's bedroom, watching shows/movies together, playing games, and cooking together when her roommates were out of the house. We had an amazing time together, and to be honest, I have never felt like this about anyone else. I love Alex. I know we're young and the relationship is new, but I love my partner.
Anyway, two weeks ago Alex asked if I was too busy to take a call. I said no and answered my phone when it rung. Alex told me that her lease is running out at the end of January and she found out yesterday that she won't be able to renew as one of the roommates (Max, 25M) pushing her out. He's apparently been harboring negative feelings about the living situation for months and told Alex he doesn't want to live with her anymore, but he's not willing to be the one who leaves and is happy to continue living with the other two roommates who also occupy the unit. Alex doesn't want to fight Max on it, as she already feels bad enough about being practically kicked out by her best friend of over a decade, and she feels like trying to hash things out is just going to hurt her further. She then told me she knows I've talked about wanting to leave my home state/town for years (I live in an incredibly red, conservative area that's also high in crime), and while she knows our relationship is pretty new, we've been friends for a couple years now, and we spent an entire week holed up in her room without wanting to kill each other, and the only way living in an apartment is going to be affordable for her is if she splits rent with someone.
I know it's a HUGE step to move in together, and it's even bigger because I'd be moving far away from my home, my friends, my family, basically everything I've ever known. Even now in my current apartment I'm only living a 45-minute drive from my parents and I have close family in town. The furthest I've been from home all by myself before I flew out of state is maybe 60-ish miles. And when I flew out of state it was my first time flying. What I'm trying to say is that I was decently sheltered growing up and I have done very little traveling away from home, especially by myself, so this is an entirely new horizon I'm looking at, and it's just as exciting as it is intimidating. I told Alex I would have to think about it, as I actually just signed to renew my lease at my current apartment complex and would have to find someone to sublease my room if I moved out. I would also have to notify my job, find a new job, and figure out how I'm going to fit my entire life into my car and truck it up the coast. On top of that, I have no idea how I'd break the news to my family.
Alex said she understands that it's a big ask and that I need time to think. She said she's going to start apartment hunting now, but that if it comes down to it (i.e., she can't find some place affordable, or she can't find a roommate/I won't make the move) she'd be willing to move back in with her parents for a bit since she still has a room in their house. It's not ideal, as she'd prefer to keep living independently, but sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do. I told her I'd think it over and try to have an answer for her in the next few weeks so that if I decide no, she has a decent amount of time to try and find a different roommate.
I have been thinking a lot. On one hand, I want to say yes, and take a chance on exploring this new life for myself. I want to see new places, experience new things, and see if this relationship can work. I want to be with Alex in person. On the other hand, the first time I ever moved was when I got this apartment two years ago, and I had help from my parents and other family members, physically and financially. I'm worried that this time I will be pretty much on my own. I also don't know much about moving, especially cross-country moving. I don't know how to decide what the right choice is for me. How do I decide if I should move and take this chance or not?
TL;DR – My girlfriend of two months asked if I want to move in with her since she's being kicked out and will probably only be able to afford rent is she splits with someone. I want to give this a shot, but it means moving far away from my family, possibly without their help/support, and starting my life over in a new place where I know almost nobody. How do I decide if I should make the move?