Meet Cute at 31,000 ft: The Airplane Romance of Gabriel & Krystina

9:12PM May 27, 2022

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terminal

It's a dream neat cute. You're getting on a plane ready for a long flight walking down the aisle to the seat when you notice your seatmate is very attractive. Today we're going to hear the true aeroplane romance story that will make you smile so much. Your face will be sore. I'm Sarah Wendell.

I'm Alisha Rai. Welcome to lovestruck daily where we bring a love story to your ears every single day. I'm in love with that love with you.

I have a love story for you. We got you and it makes me so happy.

Someone's got a crush on us.

This is from Shannon S Q on Apple podcasts who says I've been bingeing this show as I craft, and it's just the best. I find myself smiling, giggling and tearing up frequently. And I'm just so happy to have this spot of brightness in my day. Thanks Alicia and Sarah for these wonderful stories. Thank you, Shannon. So

nice. I love I have to say like reviews are the most and I say this about writing too. Like if you want to find an easy way to support your favourite author, leave them a review, whether you love the book, or your man the book or whatever, but they help those reviews help people make great decisions about what they buy and what they listen to. So we love your reviews. And if you would like to support us and keep us going for longer, which we would love to do. Please, please, please leave us a review.

Yes. And I also binge listen to podcasts while I craft and it's so nice to know that you're listening while you craft that I'm just so flattered because that's something I do too. Thank you, Shannon, you are lovely.

I mean this, this really it's put a smile on my face. And we have something that I think will put a smile on everyone's faces. Shannon,

loosen up your face muscles. This can make you smile

a lot. Yeah, this is gonna make you this is gonna make you grin a lot. So last week, I read this story on CNN, about two people who met sitting next to each other on the plane. And I just thought it was so cute. I texted you and Abby immediately. You we had to get them on the show. And I'm so glad that they that they agreed to do it. So this couple is just the cutest. And we promise this will give you all the fields. So please welcome Christina Burton, and Gabrielle Solberg. Thank you guys so much for coming on. We really appreciate it. We're so excited to talk to you.

Thanks for having us or inviting us you're like, cool.

Very cool. So let's, for people who don't know who did not read your story, and CNN, can you give us a little synopsis? And we'll get into more detail later. But can you give us a little summary of how you met.

So we were both travelling one work one, just because I wanted to travel and we were sitting next to each other on a plane. That's how we met. She didn't know what was going on. I knew everything that was going on. I had I had my game together

from the truth so basically, he didn't know personal space from the jump. So I noticed. Then we wound up sitting next to each other, which I also realised in the terminal because I saw his ticket. But before I could even get my butt in my seat. He was talking to me so and then we just never stopped talking the whole like eight hours we were in the plane.

So Where Where were you flying from? You're flying from New York. Christina, you said that he didn't understand personal space. What do you mean by

this? Okay, so I was sitting like, you know, they have the chair set up in the terminal and like you just wait to get on so I was sitting in a chair and it's like, kind of like a couch sighs no one there's lots of seats everywhere. And this guy comes and sits like right here I'm like like Good lord. So I'm like wow, this guy's really but like totally oblivious. He's like unpack and stuff do

this now not exactly how it went? It was actually

packed I don't I wish we could get footage of the terminal because he swears it was

there was a lot of people there there was not a lot of seats empty I was actually standing most of the time. I was I was standing most of the time and I was like let me like I just want to sit for a minute before get on a plane I literally sat down for like a few minutes then got back I went to the bathroom we got on the plane

it had to be longer than a few minutes if I saw that you were seated Moses we didn't know the somebody's belongings are on top of you were even know them like well, your tickets in my life.

I have never in my life like actually read somebody else's painting. Like ever, like no interest.

I mean, fair enough. I would agree with them. It's a little odd that you read it's

in your lap. No, like strategically placed like, oh, all my stuff is in your area. So how can I not?

I think what you've described this before, I think something about me

it was weird. Yeah. Because it was like something was intriguing. And I was like, wow, this guy, this guy.

So you just like when to annoyance. Like being like, Oh, he's cute or anything. You're like, Oh, this guy

like this. Later, I was like this much attention to detail. Like, why did I literally

that's something something caught your eye for sure. And then he sat down next to you on the plane as well. And you knew that

I was gonna? Well, he was already on the plane because he didn't follow the board and group.

Yeah, she tried to like she was walking out and tried to get her headphones in. But she has a beautiful smile. And so I'm also a guy. So if a girl smiles at me right away, she must be interested, right? Because men are different, right? So she like had this beautiful smile. And then she put like she was putting a headphones in because she was trying to go to sleep. Yes. And I was like, Oh, why don't you sit next to me out in a terminal? Yes. And that's how the conversation started.

Because I'm pretty sure I respond. I was like, You were sitting next to me because I was there first. But all right.

I was about to ask like, Did you immediately go? No, you were sitting next to me. And so you just you started talking and like, and it like for the full how seven hours. You said the plane rides,

it wound up being eight hours because usually the flight from New York to LA is only six hours. But there was something with the plane that they were checking. So we were on the tarmac for like, an hour and a half, almost two hours. And we like as soon as I got to the seat. And when we had that exchange, we didn't stop talking.

When you got off the plane, like did you think that you were going to meet again or talk to each other again? Or were you just like, Well, this was like a moment in time.

She was paused.

I said something I told us straight up. I literally said something happened here. I don't know what it is. It's different. I've never experienced it. So I'm going to come back in a week. And we'll we'll figure out what this thing is about. That's what I told her. She thought I was. But yeah.

And so when when you did meet up in LA after that, like what what did you guys do? Did you go on like a proper day? Are you just hanging out?

I had to step in. Because first of all, we were messaging and I was like, I was like this is not getting anywhere. Let's get on a call. So I call her and she does a whole pretend my phone is that thing because she's awkward on the phone. And then so it was it was not did you learn and so finally we get finally we get on a call. And I which was also really weird because we like we did barely knew each other but we stayed on the phone call for like two or three hours FaceTiming by all kinds of things that was that was like I was I got I remember getting off that call. I was like wow, this is like this is wild. But she was like, Oh yeah, because you just show up in LA and like Papa, we catch a movie and dinner and I was like hell no, like, I'm not flying back to LA. Like I just got my ticket back to New York. She just lose that ticket. I couldn't get a refund. I bought a separate ticket back to LA I'm not going to just like pop up and watch a movie. Like we don't live in the same city. Like it's not.

I had I was like this is a great idea. But I didn't really date anybody. So I was like, This is what people do. This is how it works.

Maybe if you like live around the corner from each other. Yeah.

You seemed like very logical.

It's a complicated situation that probably doesn't have a lot of templates. What you guys had what what did you end up doing then?

So I'm actually Kunal. I thought it was a cute little Airbnb in Topanga Canyon. It was like a little cabin and then okay, well, I didn't know was that rustic? But I thought it was look good. Yeah. So we went yeah, we're gonna keep it simple. And I was gonna stop by for like, an hour and then leave. And then she figured out that I do everything kind of by the, you know, just kind of just winging it. So I hadn't checked in. It wasn't a I was like, whatever, like, the host will be fine. Or if the house is not fine. I just

want somewhere to sleep and sleep in a car or something out Yeah,

like it in the morning like whatever. And she was like, Nah, that's not I do things.

This person could be waiting for you just like no, he's gonna check in and just wasting the night like this guy. Not a care in the world. You're just like, wow, she'll be there she will and I was like a year definitely not sleeping that night played at all worked out.

Shut that down. So we ended up driving all the way to the cabin to so she could fit. I did it for her, so she could do it better. She knew I checked in. Turns out she, she, this girl loves checklists, like, get it done, check, get it done, check it like and do everything in sequence and an order and properly armed with this, which is exactly the opposite of how I operate. So that was like the first experience of those two different personalities, which works out fine. Actually, she she kind of keeps me the inland. That's good. And then we just

hung out. Yeah, it was really easy. Yeah,

it was like natural. So like, the thing that's interesting is that she wasn't looking. And I had just gotten out of a longtime relationship, like in early in the year, and my take on relationships was hasn't worked so far for me, I don't need it. Like, I know where I'm going. 90 is not really my thing. And so if I want to pursue that, and like five years, that's fine. But right now, I'm focused on kind of like, finding my direction and following following my direction, right. And in the past, I've always had relationships where like, question mine with an individual and I did make a list of like this idea person pull away, didn't think about it. Three months into our relationship, I pull it up, it's like her to the tee. That was a like,

I feel like we both had lists like that. It's just like, not like a list. Like they have to have this colour hair or whatever. It's just like being cognizant of qualities. Yeah, you want in a partner? Basically, it's like, I'm not looking for this. But if I find a partner, I want them to have these characteristics. Yeah.

I mean, I wish you would have had more money, but

I was doing real well, sir.

Yeah, we were just in a very, like, not looking space and, and when we met it wasn't infatuation like that you meet people you're really attracted to. And there's like, a lot of infatuation. And then you know, a lot of that's just a lot of times, it's like sexual chemistry only. And then that kind of wears off and you're like, okay, but like, it wasn't like that. It was very, like calm. It was very calm and quiet. And like, it just kind of clicked. Yeah,

it was kind of it felt like, I don't know if this is the right way to describe like, out of body. Like it was very like, yeah, I don't know, you're kind of

watching it happen. Yeah, it was

real. Yeah, you can feel like something shift or something change, like some kind of a sync or connection. It was strange, because I was like, What am I feeling like? What is this? Like, you just automatically feel like you knew that person.

And so you have that time together in LA? At what point did you decide like, Okay, we're gonna give this a try, because you were both living in very different places, right? You're in LA.

I didn't think that far. So we were having a good time. Once. That's all we're thinking about. Then we went to get lunch, it was time to leave and both also kind of data about that. And then when I say let's look at this is kind of funny. Like, let's look at if there's a seat available in the flight back that I'm on, and there was a seat empty next to me, so we just booked it. Wow, she came back to New York. Yeah.

We'll be back after this short break.

It stayed for I was gonna stay for a week. But I got a call

before men thing came up.

So you went back to LA a little bit early? Is that

Yeah. And I was sad. I was hoping that he would be like, no, no go or something like that. But

you can't you can't hold people back. i There's something I had to learn. She's a performing artist. So she'll go on tour, she'll be away. It's something I had to get used to. But the way I see it is i It makes me happy to see her do be an element. And that's kind of what I want her to do. And like the trust and like the security we have in each other is like so strong. It doesn't even signify even if maybe kind of sort of like it's annoying to be a part. I mean, I get a little bit of breathing room. But

wow. But yeah,

it's like it's fine. Like I was like if she had a contract where she had to go somewhere for 12 months, like, then go do it like that's that's your zone that's you element.

And then so you dated for how long long distance like that? Not really, oh, a

month we met then he came back the next week. And then I flew to New York with him. I came back before I left New York. He said I'm gonna come back in a month. Yeah, that was the end of August. And then when he came back that time, it was like, Okay, now I'm moving back to New York with you. Oh, wow. But then you went to? Yes, yes. Yeah. But I did move back. I packed up in LA and went back.

Oh, wow. That is so cool. So then you were together. You got engaged. But how long before you got engaged? Are you together?

A year? Yeah. A year? Yeah. Because we got together in July 2018. And then we got engaged in October 2019. But we already before we even got engaged. We had already picked a wedding venue. Over

there you have all your list. Like, where are you? Like, this is my element. I got all my list ready to go.

Like immediately, like, my best friend, she was like, you know, your wedding theme has to be about like planes and stuff. And so yeah. Yes, it is travel theme all the way we did a passports, passport and a boarding pass. That's

really cute.

First Flight was hashtag.

My Ben COVID happened.

Oh, we did you. It was during COVID. Er it was

we didn't have it. It was supposed to be July 25. The day we met in 2020.

We postponed it twice. Oh, she's still here. So I guess there's hope.

What? Can you tell me just like, what do you love most about each other?

I can go first. It's easy for me. Like there's no ghosts. Like, it's like she is very real. And like, I feel lucky because she like, the love is like pure and real. Like, if I tell her I need to do XYZ because that's my patch. Like she will support it 100%

What I love is that I feel like Gabe sees me in a way that nobody else sees me. I feel like in just I guess in my whole life, I have to be so many things for so many people, and I don't really get a chance to think about me. And he like, forces me to think about me by thinking about me, like, kind of like what you said, but I can be my own person. Like I don't have to act any certain way. I can just be 100%

Do you have any advice for either singles or couples who are earlier in their journey?

I think communication is key. And I think also because I hadn't been in a relationship before. It wasn't like there were off limits subjects. If this is going to be your person. I don't think anything is off limits. Like there was nothing that I was like, Oh, I feel weird saying this, because I didn't have any prerequisite to be like, Oh, maybe that's weird. I was just like, You know what I'm feeling this. So we're going to talk about it. There's really no

off topic. It's like you Oh, you Oh, you talk about what you want to talk about. It's like,

your partner will accept that about you. If you feel like you have to hide it. I don't think that's your person. Like why make yourself miserable just to have a partner. I think that's also the thing is that none of neither of us was like, I need to have a partner. I need to be in a relationship to be happy.

Which is cliche, right, stop looking and you'll find it.

obnoxious to hear. I feel like terrible when I say it.

Sometimes Sometimes it's true. I know. I know. I do too. But but it's kind of true. Like in a way. Where can people find you on the internet? If they're looking for you? Oh, we're on YouTube, Instagram, and

we have a blog. And all the handles

swirl through the world. Well,

it's very cute. Okay, awesome. And you have travel adventures on there.

Yes, we have like every place that we go. We have like different highlights of every place that we've been because it's funny. We met on a plane because we both love to travel.

That's adorable. I love it. Well, thank you so much for coming on. This has been so cute. And I love I've loved every minute of this. So thank you for coming on. I'm so glad I saw this story. And we can't make this workout. Because what a delight and we wish you all the best. Thank you.

Thank you. Thanks for having us.

I grinned the whole time. Yeah, my face hurts. My face hurts. That was so nice. So wonderful. My I am just I am blissed out right now. Alicia, what is your love to go?

I love what Gabriel said about how you can't hold people back. I think that that is the mark of like a really solid mature relationship where he's so happy to see her in her element. Like I am so happy when Kai is happy doing something that he loves. I think that is just the most wonderful thing and you can't hold someone back from doing what they love. So I you know, within reason, but I'm so glad that he said that and I hope that everyone kind of internalises that because I think it's a lovely sentiment.

I agree. And we would never hold you back from emailing us. In fact, we encourage you to email us with Your love stories. Do you have a story that makes people smile so much their cheeks are sore please please email us at lovestruck daily at frolic dot media. You can find us on Instagram and Twitter at lovestruck daily. And if you're crafting like Shannon, you want to leave a review please do it makes our day so much brighter. Our researcher is Jesse Epstein. Our editor is Jen Jacobs. We are produced by Abigail steckler and little Scorpion studios with executive producer frolic media. This is an I Heart Radio Podcast. We wish you a beautiful well travelled happily ever after. I'm in love with the sea I'm in love with you I'm in love with you