“It’s Not Easy Being Apart”: Love Is Blind’s Milton and Lydia Open Up About Their 1,500-Mile Marriage and the Pain of Missing Each Other

Lydia Velez Gonzalez and Milton Johnson are facing a new relationship challenge now that they’ve made it out of the pods and down the aisle. 

The geologist, 32, gave Entertainment Weekly an update about their marriage after Love Is Blind and shared that the two are now navigating a long-distance relationship as they focus on growing their respective careers. 

"Right now we're really focused on our careers — I got a new job, it just started a month ago, he has a new job, has been there for a year but he just got relocated to Long Beach actually," Lydia explained, adding. "We are trying to get used to this new schedule and he's also doing his MBA. He loves to go to school, apparently, this is his second master's. We are just trying to really thrive in our careers."

While Lydia lives in Houston, Milton, a 25-year-old petroleum engineer, is based in Long Beach, Calif. and the couple travel back and forth to make their marriage work. 

"We just miss each other so much, so every second that we have together, we try to really cherish it and try to be there as much as we can for each other when we are actually in the same place," the Love Is Blind alum said. "Right now we're limited. The challenge is just traveling in airports, I hate airports so much, but besides that, it's been amazing.”

Lydia added, “We really miss each other and it just makes you even love each other more. It's so good to have him here when you come from work instead of being alone. It is your best friend so obviously you want to see them all the time."

Lydia and Milton left season 5 of Love Is Blind as a married couple after dating and getting engaged in the pods. Despite their trials and tribulations on the reality show, they confirmed they were still in the blissful throes of marriage almost a year and a half later on Sunday’s reunion special. 

"I think in the past, before I met Lydia... I would typically stay at work too late. Now, 5:30 hits and I'm like, 'Hey, I gotta get home to my wife,'" Milton told co-hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey. "A few years ago, I could've never imagined feeling this way, being this way. It's beautiful."

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Lydia claimed she had no regrets about her time on the dating experiment. 

“No, I love being married,” she gushed. “I love my marriage. I am so happy today. And if everything that I did and said got me to the same result, I'm going to do it all over again the exact same way.”

"He's amazing," she continued. "He is the perfect guy, but out of most he loves me for who I am, genuinely me. And he has shown throughout time that he will defend me with everything that he [has] got and he will have my back, no questions asked. And he has never doubt[ed] who I am."