Chris, Carey Anne & James

Chris (39) - Carey Anne’s Boyfriend

Carey Anne (26)

James (45) - Carey Anne’s Ex-Boyfriend

Beachwood, OH

James and Carey Anne are an unexpected and unlikely pair of best-friends who are also ex’s. They met in October of 2017, moved in together in December of 2017 and were engaged in September of 2018. She’s bubbly, spunky, sweet but also straight-forward about what she wants and feels. She is not afraid to tell the truth and won’t sugar coat anything. James (nearly 20 years her senior) is a goofy, friendly, positive, caring and sweet “Teddy Bear.”

James proposed to Carey Anne in Venice, Italy. The couple had been travelling all over Europe together and said, “I do” in the romantic Italian city. Everything pointed to a fairytale love story until their relationship came to a head because of a non-negotiable, deal breaker. James wants children and Carey Anne adamantly does not want to have kids. They called off the engagement in January of 2021. People are shocked to know that they never had sex despite living together and being engaged to one another!

Two years after breaking off their engagement, Carey Anne and James’ lives are completely and entirely enmeshed and interconnected. They share a small apartment together. He is in the bedroom that they used to sleep together in and she’s now in the living room! They’re separated by one wall that they knock on every night as a way of saying “good-night!” to one another! They share a car, he owns it and she pays for gas. They work together at a travel pop up shoe store. They have to be on the road together for work and the share the same hotel room and often the same bed. It’s not weird because they’ve never had sex. Or does that make it weirder?! They grocery shop together. They’re both Christian and they go to church together. She picks out his cloths, they celebrate every holiday together. They even workout together at the same gym! They have dinner together every day. They walk around naked and just say “I’m naked, don’t look” when they’re around the house. They even won a trip to the Bahamas and will be taking that vacation together. You get the picture. For all intents and purposes they appear to be a married couple (who appear to be well into their marriage) but they’re just best-friends who share and have built a life together.

Carey Anne went to an all-girl’s school and was never close with her family. But, James IS very close with her family. They text him daily and call him weekly. They ignore the fact that Carey Anne is broken up from him! Even though they’ve been broken up for over a year, James still hasn’t told his family the truth! They think that Carey Anne and he are still engaged. He hasn’t told them yet because he’s afraid of how they will react. They are very traditional and conservative people who wouldn’t understand or approve of him continuing to live and share a life with his former fiancée.

Today, she has her heart set on a new beau named Chris. Over the past month, Chris and Carey Anne met online and have had a whirlwind of interactions that have swept Carey Anne off her feet. Despite a newer relationship, Chris and Carey Anne are smitten with each other and feel they have a “soul connection.” Chris is also a Christian (which makes Carey Anne happy) and loves his “quiet time with God.” He’s a kind, and relatable All-American guy who loves sports, music and the great outdoors. He’s also a father. He had children very young and has two children age 19 and 17 years old. He has no relationship with his ex. Carey Anne is very excited about her budding romance and in her own words, “Chris is ALL ABOUT me!” She loves that he’s emotionally intelligent and vulnerable. It’s key qualities that James simply doesn’t have. James is not comfortable talking about his thoughts and feelings. When Carey Anne mentions Chris or plays his long, emotional, voicemails, James rolls his eyes and dismisses the idea of this new suitor.

Chris is aware of James and understands that their relationship is a non-negotiable. He hasn’t yet been able to meet him yet though. Chris although understanding doesn’t quite understand the extent to which Carey Anne shares so many aspects of her life with her ex-fiancée. It would be one thing if they were co-parenting, but they don’t have children as their connective tissue. So, exactly why is Carey Anne so close with James?

There are plenty of changes of the horizon for this trio. Carey and James are contemplating moving out of their apartment, but moving also implies a big-change in their relationship dynamic. How will they each feel when they’re not one wall away? How will James react to this budding new beau of Chris? And will Chris be the easy going guy as he learns just how close Carey is with her ex-fiancé? And how will Carey and James’ friends and family react when they move out and start dating outside one another?

Occupations:

Chris: Weather Catastrophe Claims Specialist for State Farm Insurance

Carey Anne: Pop-up Shoe Store Manager/Shoe Warehouse Sales Manager/Personal Assistant for Private Family

James: Pop-up Shoe Store Manager/Shoe Warehouse Sales Manager (Works with Carey Anne) Business Analyst for Findaway