Demi Opened Up To Kristian About Her Struggles With PDA On 'Paradise'

Demi Burnett and Kristian Haggerty have made Bachelor Nation history as the first same-sex couple in the Bachelor franchise. They provide a positive example of queer relationship, but that doesn't mean their love story doesn't have its own struggles. During Week 6, Demi opened up to Kristian about the parts of their relationship that are difficult for her, and Demi's quotes about PDA on Bachelor in Paradise gave way to a super-meaningful conversation between the two of them.

Ever since Kristian arrived in Mexico to join Demi, the two of them have been pretty inseparable. But even though they've been spending a lot of time together, their Paradise experience hasn't been entirely perfect. On the Sept. 9 episode, Demi explained that she has trouble being affectionate with Kristian in public because she was uncomfortable with it. She said:

I hate that my brain works that way, but I'm scared. It has everything to do with me being comfortable being gay in front of people. It's scary... I wish that I could just tell myself, 'It doesn't matter what they think.' I just feel all this pressure.

Demi made some really pertinent points about what it means to be in a queer relationship in public. If you're in a same-sex relationship, in a way, you have to come out to the world each time you show any public displays of affection. A lot of fans on Twitter expressed their support of Demi and said that they could relate to her experience.

Demi expressed worry that Kristian was flirting with other women in Paradise because she wasn't receiving enough physical affection from Demi. Concerned she wouldn't be able to get over her anxiety before it was too late for their relationship, Demi said, "I feel like I'm going to take so long, and she's going to be over it."

Luckily, instead of holding in her worries, Demi had an open and honest conversation about them with Kristian. Demi explained that she's not a very physical person to start with, and that it was hard for her to see Kristian be touchy-feely with their friends at the resort. Kristian assured her she has no romantic or sexual feelings for anyone but Demi, but the latter was still upset. Demi explained, "I'm scared of all of this, obviously. I see you getting more physical touch from someone else, innocently, playfully. I feel like I'm not enough."

Kristian assured Demi that she's not going to lose her, no matter what her anxieties are. "I'm totally OK with working towards whatever speed you're at," she said. "That doesn't change how I feel."

Kristian went on to comfort Demi more, saying, "You make me so happy and I'm going to make efforts to make you more comfortable in all scenarios. You are my priority."

Demi and Kristian ended the conversation by embracing and saying "I love you" to each other, giving Bachelor Nation a beautiful showing of a supportive and communicative relationship. Since Demi's struggles are actually pretty common for many people, it's really inspiring to see her and Kristian provide an example of how to work through them.

Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise continues Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.