Emma had just moved in with Zoe, her college classmate. At first, everything seemed perfect. But after a week, tensions started bubbling.

“Do you really need to play music at 7 a.m.?” Emma asked, half-asleep.

Zoe shot back, “Do you really need to leave dishes in the sink for days?”

It was clear they needed to clear the air.

That evening, over pizza, Emma sighed, “Okay, maybe we both need to adjust a bit.”

Zoe nodded. “Living together takes give and take, I guess.”

They made some new ground rules. Emma would wash dishes every night, and Zoe would use headphones in the morning.

By the end of the week, they were on the same page.

They even started binge-watching the same crime series every night.

“If we hadn’t talked,” Zoe said, “this could’ve totally blown up in our faces.”

Emma laughed. “True. But hey — we’re learning to meet in the middle.”

Idioms Used in the Story

1. Give and take

Meaning: A willingness to compromise or be flexible in a relationship.
Examples:

• Every relationship needs some give and take.
• There’s a lot of give and take in team projects.

2. Clear the air

Meaning: To talk honestly to resolve tension or misunderstanding.
Examples:

• We had a fight, but talking helped clear the air.
• Let’s clear the air before it gets worse.

3. On the same page

Meaning: To agree or have the same understanding.
Examples:

• Let’s make sure we’re on the same page before starting.
• The team wasn’t on the same page, and the plan failed.

4. Blow up in someone’s face

Meaning: To go wrong or fail unexpectedly, often making things worse.
Examples:

• His lie blew up in his face.
• The prank blew up in her face when the teacher found out.

5. Meet in the middle

Meaning: To compromise between two opposing sides.
Examples:

• We couldn’t agree on a movie, so we met in the middle.
• Let’s meet in the middle on the budget.