A woman has shared her whirlwind romance after falling in love with the “most annoying” person on her flight.
When Krystina Burton ended up sitting next to a “messy” passenger on the plane, she thought the next few hours would be tedious – but instead, she found the love of her life.
The 35-year-old recalls Gabriel, 39, being a “problem” prior to the flight, but as they took off and started talking, the pair felt an intense connection which was hard to fight.
Now, five years later, the couple are completely loved up and tied the knot last year, with plans to start a family on the cards.
“It’s not anything I ever expected, as I never thought that I’d meet someone so different from me, but also so much the same, and fall in love,” Krystina, a professional dancer, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“I think our story is a true testament to ‘opposites attract.’
“I was so drawn to him and instantly, as he spoke to me, I felt an intense connection – like he was the person I was meant to be with.”
Their love affair began in July 2018, when she was heading home to Los Angeles, US, from an audition, with Gabriel on his way to his cousin’s wedding.
She claims all seats in the terminal were empty, but he decided to sit next to her and as he leaned over, she noticed that he was seated with her on the plane as well.
Krystina, from New York, US, said: “He was so messy and his bag kept spilling over onto my side of the chair.
“I had a major eye roll moment when I noticed that he was sitting next to me on the plane too, as he was already a problem outside of a confined space.
“On board, I sat down and tried to put my headphones in as fast as possible, but before I could he asked me: ‘Weren’t you sitting next to me in the terminal?’
“I replied: ‘Actually, you were sitting next to me – with all your stuff everywhere.’
“I found it kind of cheeky, but as he started laughing, my opinion of him instantly changed – he wasn’t annoying at all.
“We didn’t stop talking the entire flight and exchanged numbers right away.
“I felt such an intense spark of attraction – we just clicked.”
Gabriel, a digital marketing specialist, recalls not looking for a relationship at the time, but knew there was something special about Krystina.
He said: “She had such a beautiful smile and made me feel so calm.
“As we got off the plane, I told her that I was going to come back and find her in a week as something happened that I couldn’t describe.
“I wanted to find out more about her and where our relationship would go.”
Over the next week, they kept in touch via text messages and hours long FaceTimes, before meeting up for their first date – where they ended up spending three days together.
As she wasn’t ready to leave him again, Krystina made the bold decision to move into his apartment after spending a few more weeks with Gabriel.
In October 2019, he popped the question while on holiday in Italy, before the pair eloped last year in Paris.
Now, while their whirlwind romance is still in the honeymoon phase, they’re focusing on travelling the world – but hope to start a family soon.
Krystina added: “We’re so nomadic now, as travelling has become a huge part of our lives – especially as it’s what brought us together.
“There is still so much to explore within our relationship, even after all this time.
“Five years in, we’re still learning each other and while our surroundings continually change, we are the constant; we wake up and choose each other every day.
“I really like my life and there’s so much I still want to do, but I’d like to start a family soon.
“I’d love to have a little Gabe running around.
“I’m a firm believer that the future isn’t our business – as long as we show up, it’ll happen and sometimes that means expecting the unexpected.”
