Living alone vs living with others

Tonight my new flatmate moves in and I am feeling somewhat apprehensive about the prospect of living with someone new. My old flatmate has moved in with his girlfriend and I was a little annoyed about the change given how well my current living arrangement suited me. By this I mean that he wasn't home very much but he still paid half the bills so it was pretty much like living alone only much much cheaper.

I have lived by myself before and I will admit that I quite liked the experience. The apartment itself was not great in that it was too dark and damp and absolutely freezing in the winter but all of that I aside I enjoyed it thoroughly. I liked leaving my cup by the sink and coming home to find only that. I liked shutting myself in there after work and not having to see other people again until I chose to do so, allowing me to read or blog or just relax in peace and quiet. I enjoyed mornings just pottering about, not having to worry about making small talk with anyone. If I had my way I  would be still be living by myself and I would be happy out in my arrangement. With my boyfriend calling over often, I am hardly likely to disappear and abandon myself to being a hermit outside the 9-5. Sadly living alone is incredibly expensive, rent is much much higher even if the apartment they are showing you is so small that you could reasonably cook breakfast from the couch and all you have is storage heating to warm you ( without a doubt the most useless form of heating there is) and then you have to pay for internet and electricity all by yourself which is a bummer as it turns out that you use just the same amount of internet and electricity for one person as for two.

So this is how I found myself sharing an apartment with a stranger. I have cheaper bills and a better heating system and the place gets good light but just as I had gotten used to Paul occasionally appearing and sometimes studying in the kitchen for hours on end, I have to learn to live with a new girl, a complete stranger. I am hoping we keep slightly different schedules so I am not forced to make conversation in the mornings (it is best to not approach me at all in the morning if you can help it) and wait for my turn in the kitchen in the evenings. So far its going okay in that she arrived with a giant mountain of bags full of possessions and has disappeared into her room to unpack them. I  am still filled with many worries like what if she is messy or has lots of friends over all the time, or what if she stays in and I lose my space on the couch and I am forced to cower in my bedroom resentfully. I could go all night but I  won't. I can only wait and see and dream of richer times ahead where getting my own place becomes a reality instead of a wistful recollection.