Some people like space, even when you've been in a relationship for a while. It can be scary to think that you'll be living with someone and there's no way out - in the sense that you might be compromising your time and need for space and being alone (while also being in a relationship). Tricky! I guess I'm speaking in my own experience, from a not-new relationship, where we both loved space and being alone while also loving each other. For me, I loved spending time, making dinner, sleeping watching things together, but also sometimes wanted some time to decompress from a day at work, or call my sister or mum, or listen to music, or sleep and we lived in a one bedroom apartment (it was actually a bedsit). So, that was impossible. It was stressful, and looking at it now, I think I could be OK with living in an apartment on the same street, or even above the one we were in and we'd be happy shuffling between when we wanted time together (I would even be OK with having two places and being married, and having keys to each place). Or in the interest of saving money just a bigger place - with two rooms (in addition to a common room area). I remember feeling very cross or sad (I was in a special circumstance where I moved overseas for my partner) that I didn't have any space to call my "own" to decorate or put my things up, which was also a good reason to have separate places (or a bigger place).

You need to do what you feel ready for. Perhaps make it clear to your bf that while you love having him there, and spending time together, you still like having your own space, so you'd like to go slow regarding moving in together. It's really important to have lived on your own, and experience some time figuring out what you need and like to have around you before sharing it with a partner. You can have him as partner and figure that out, but for him as well, being young, it's really important to be able to feel like you have a place that you've created, that is safe for you, which will prevent you both from feeling squashed or smothered when (or if) you do share a place down the road. Good luck OP.