Claire Friel grew up next to Christian Hurley on New York’s Long Island. They claim that they met as babies, but it took them decades and thousands miles to finally get together.
Friel and Hurley met in Los Angeles via the dating app Hinge. Their childhood was filled with near-misses.
Friel described a series of small, almost kismetlike situations. We were probably passing each other constantly and never noticing.
They briefly attended the church. They both played in the Little League together and went to the grocery store with their mothers.
Friel revealed that as a teenager, she used to make jokes about her cute neighbour.
She said, “He attended a private school and had to wear his suit every day.” “I would always think, ‘Oh who is that boy?’ “He looks great, he has a suit on.”
Friel, a student at a public high school, did not date during his time in high school. Hurley, an older girl, then left the suburbs for college on West Coast.
Friel babysat Hurley’s neighbor who told Hurley’s mother about Friel’s crush. Hurley found out about it while he was home for a summer. His reaction?
He said “That’s great, but …,”” knowing that he would be returning across the country.
Years passed.
Hurley had been living in Los Angeles for years before Friel moved to the city. The two didn’t live in the same neighborhood, but were only about 10 minutes apart when they met up again in 2023.
It was the weekend, and I was at a cafe. Friel said that because I didn’t have many friends in California I began to feel lonely. “I opened Hinge, and the first like I saw was Christian. I recognized him immediately.”
She had re-found her hometown crush.
They ended up talking about being from the same Long Island city.
Friel stated, “I think it’s almost like he’s saying, ‘Oh it’s coming back to me’.”
They set up a date in a bar nearby.
“I was nervous because I hadn’t been out on a date for a long time. I remember seeing you and thinking, ‘Oh my god, she’s beautiful.’ Hurley said, “You looked so sweet.”
Both of them ordered cider.
Hurley said, “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, cool, we are in the same boat’.”
The conversation flowed easily that evening — about families, backgrounds and shared experiences. They stayed till closing time.
Friel said, “We both instantly thought ‘This will work’.”
Friel is a teacher and was planning to move back to New York for a new job in a few short months.
She said, “Neither of us knew what would happen when I returned.”
Hurley was Friel’s travel companion when she moved to New York in August of that year. Her cousin had been supposed to accompany her on the trip.
Long-distance didn’t last long. Hurley, a film director and shooter, followed Friel to New York after a few month.
He said: “I felt like I didn’t want to miss out on this.
Both Friel and Hurley are divorced. Hurley says Friel’s close relationship with her parents inspired him to be more open to his family. Friel, he says, is funny and brings the best out of him. Friel praises Hurley’s creativeness, but Hurley quickly shows off one of Friel’s paintings.
She said, “I think Christian pushes me a little to see these things in myself.” “It’s almost contagious to be around him, because if he talks to anyone, then I can speak to anyone.”
This first trip across the country set the standard for all future travel. They camp a lot and try to visit all the 63 National Parks. They have visited several parks so far including Joshua Tree, , the Grand Canyon, Shenandoah, and Acadia.
A ski trip in Vermont is one of their most memorable trips. Hurley was a seasoned skier, while Friel had not. Hurley taught Friel how to ski on a bunny slope before going up the mountain.
We chose the easiest way, but it didn’t work immediately. Friel said that he was “falling flat on my back every 30 seconds”.
The bottom took hours to reach.
Friel stated, “It was the ultimate test for our relationship.” They both thought the other was crazy, but neither of them were, they said.
The team has also achieved at least one milestone that was missed.
Friel said, “We always make fun of the fact that we missed out on going to prom together when we were in high school.”
A few weeks back, a friend’s friend hosted a prom.
Friel said, “He asked me to attend prom with him by holding up a large sign outside my apartment.”
They are currently looking for an apartment to live in.
Hurley stated, “There is a connection – it took some time to finally meet.”
