I think it’s kinda like the old dating age formula; you can date people (your age) / 2 + 7 years old, and you feel like that’s the age of an adult.
When I was 15 I felt like ann adult, but people younger than me were teens. When I was 25 I felt like an adult but people under the age of like 20 were just kids. Now I feel like people in their early/mid-20s are just about adults. I’m sure when I’m 50 I’ll think back to myself now and consider myself barely an adult.
In 2017 I was coming out as transgender and looking for a job. Got an interview as head evening manager at a grocery store. Go in for the interview and am not sure if I’m out yet, but the store manager figured it out and was really open and said they had 2 trans people working there already, so I’m like fuck it, get the job and am out.
One of the other trans people is my right hand person like 2-3 days/week, store manager tries to enthusiastically but awkwardly introduce us.
Over the next couple of weeks everything goes to shit in the store; manager is fired, lot’s of employees leave, severely understaffed, etc. I’m working like 80 hour weeks and every evening is a battle, and through commiseration and tough days a bond forms between me and the other person. Start meeting every time I have a day off and start dating like 6 weeks after we first meet, and 6 weeks after that we move in together.
Been together almost 7 years, now. Worked together for the first 3ish.