Noah BeckandDixie D’Ameliomay flood their social media with love for one another now, but that wasn’t always the case.

Beck opened up to PEOPLE about his relationship with the TikTok star, saying D’Amelio intially preferred to keep their romance under wraps.

“She previously got out of a public relationship, so she didn’t want to be as public in this one, just because of previous experiences,” Beck said, alluding to his girlfriend’s past relationship with his friend and fellow Sway House member Griffin Johnson. “We wanted to keep everything between us and we decided it would be better if we didn’t post as much.”

Beck and D’Amelio first sparked romance rumors in August when they werespotted grabbing dinnertogether at a restaurant in Los Angeles.

The two continuously downplayed the rumors, claiming that they were just close friends. And in September, Beck starred as D’Amelio’s love interest in hermusic videofor “Be Happy,” sharing a kiss with the social media star on screen.

“I don’t take it personally. [Dixie] sometimes does, but she shouldn’t, because these people don’t know us,” said Beck, who stars in his own reality showNoah Beck Tries Things. “At the end of the day, we are the only ones that know how we feel for each other.”

But despite having over 70 million combined TikTok followers, Beck said they are “just like any other normal teenage couple.”

He added, “But other than that, we’re just two teenagers in love with each other and couldn’t be happier.”

And dating one of the most influential faces on TikTok also means spending plenty of quality time with their immediate family. For Beck, that includes Dixie’s younger sister Charli — who is currently the most popular user on TikTok with over 100 million followers — and her parents Heidi and Marc D’Amelio.

But since Beck and D’Amelio have been together, her family has welcomed him with open arms.

“I love Mr. And Mrs. D’Amelio. I mean, in the least weird way possible, they’ve become like my second family here in L.A.,” Beck said. “They’re really cool. Obviously, I have nothing but respect for them, and I hope they have the same respect for me. [It’s] obviously a huge thing — having a good relationship with the girl that your dating’s parents.”

source: people.com