Can I open the Gateway while an instance of PyCharm is already running

Hello,

I'm running into a bit of a workflow issue with PyCharm. I have 2 projects that I am working on simultaniously: a Django project and a testing script for that same project (to send requests and evaluate responses). The Django project exists on a virtual machine while the script is local, so when I get to work in the morning I open Jetbrains, I open the remote project first, then open the script project second. This morning I, for some reason, decided to do it the other way around, and I noticed that once I open my local project the “Welcome to PyCharm” window closes, and there is no way for me to open the other project from there. I also cannot seem to open another instance of PyCharm when a local project is already opened. 

Is this normal?