Rylee Arnold is about to be back on the ballroom floor, and that means back to a relationship run mostly on FaceTime.

The Dancing with the Stars pro told PEOPLE that her boyfriend, Walker Lyons, a tight end for the BYU Cougars, is returning to campus just as she gears up for the show's new season. The two will be states apart for months. Arnold says she's fine with that, and more than fine, actually grateful for it.

"Honestly, for us, we just FaceTime every single night. We keep each other updated," she said. "It's also a real good opportunity to see how you can handle long-distance. It's a really hard situation to be put in in a relationship, but it also strengthens it so much."

She's framing the distance as useful rather than just something to survive. Lyons gets to focus on football and school, she gets to focus on the show, and neither person carries the other's schedule as baggage. Whether that holds up over a full season remains to be seen, but Arnold sounds like she's made peace with it already.

"We can still love each other, support each other, and then when we see each other, it's just that much better, so I think it's awesome, but it is really hard at the same time," she added. "You've just got to push through."

Arnold danced Season 35 alongside internet personality Connor Wood. She first signaled the long-distance stretch was coming in a July 29 Instagram post, tagging Lyons with a note about being grateful for what the coming months would look like for both of them.

The backstory of how they met has its own charm. Arnold has said an Uber driver once told her to look up her nephew on Instagram, convinced the two would hit it off. Arnold sat on it for a while, too nervous to act, until her sisters pushed her to reach out. She followed Lyons on Instagram, spotted a surprising number of mutual friends, and eventually met him in person at what she's called the right moment for them both.

They went public in October 2024, and the relationship has stayed visible on social media since, dates in mountain towns included.

For now, the arrangement is simple on paper and harder in practice: Lyons at BYU, Arnold on set, both checking in every night. Whether the new season pulls her into a busy enough schedule to test that routine is the next thing to watch.