In the wake of the most dramatic Bachelor finale of all time, it appears that the relationship that came from it has been relatively undramatic. As their wedding draws closer, Arie and Lauren are living together post-Bachelor and have purchased a house for themselves, taking another big step in a relationship that had something of a rocky start.
With Season 14 of The Bachelorette airing, reminders of Arie's decision (or indecision) in his Bachelor finale has been well-documented by the show. This season follows Becca's quest for love after her dramatic dumping by Arie even though she'd originally been declared the winner. Arie ultimately had a change of heart and went back to his runner-up Lauren. Becca may be over Arie, but that hasn't stopped the show from reminding her and Bachelor Nation multiple times in the premiere episode that she got dumped on national television.
While it's yet to be seen whether the show will tone down the ghost of Becca's relationship past, Arie seems to be happy with the decision he made on his Bachelor journey, and Arie and Lauren's shared house is a testament to their dedication to each other. Arie told Entertainment Tonight that since Lauren moved to Arizona to live with him, that their relationship has "been really fun," which is a predictably subdued response from Arie "I Love That" Luyendyk Jr. "I think [living together has] strengthened our relationship ... We love hanging out together, and we're very similar. We get along, and it’s just great."
Arie's joy of living together has been shared by Lauren who tells Us Weekly that "Arizona has been a really easy adjustment for me as I’ve moved around my whole life." Lauren has found that "it has been fun exploring the area and Arie is a really good tour guide, so that helps." Thrilling.
As Arie and Lauren's wedding approaches — they confirmed to The View that they would be getting married on Jan. 11, 2019 in Hawaii — buying a house together is just the latest in a list of major decisions that will inform the pair's life together as a couple. Arie and Lauren seem to be happy to be living together, but they've both acknowledged that they're not the only parties affected by their co-habitation. Arie and Lauren also have two dogs to worry about — Arie's Bastian and Lauren's Dallas.
Luckily, it seems that these two dogs are getting along and that the new house will be much to their liking. Arie revealed to Entertainment Tonight that one of the benefits of living together is that "[Lauren's] dog Dallas is so cute, and he gets along with my dog." Lauren echoed these sentiments when talking to Us Weekly about their new house, saying, "Our dogs are very excited. They are each going to have their own room … I mean it does have four bedrooms. And, a big backyard to run around in, too."
Arie may have generated some bad blood between him and Bachelor Nation thanks to everything that happened in his After The Final Rose, and The Bachelorette has been making a meal out of dragging Arie's name —including having someone bring a cardboard cutout of the former Bachelor to Becca on limo night and planning an Arie-themed demolition date for Becca — but it seems that Arie is moving ahead with his life relatively free of drama. They even told People that they'd likely watch Becca's season of The Bachelorette. And, if they do, they'll be doing so from their shared house in Phoenix, Arizona alongside their two dogs and their drama-free relationship. It may have had a bumpy start, but it seems to be smooth vanilla sailing now.
