Nick Bollinger (23) is a wheelchair user and in the happiest relationship of his life. He wants to be clear about that.
But Bollinger nonetheless feels some amount of shame since his initial attraction to his girlfriend, Laura Stein (21) who has dwarfism, stemmed from the fact that she has a comparable eye level to his most of the time.
“Laura’s short, and I’m low to the ground! I mean, come on! You have to admit, it’s really convenient sometimes!” Bollinger exclaimed defensively.
Slow to confess what might be misinterpreted as a mild form of fetishization, Bollinger says he now realizes how exhausting it was, in retrospect, to keep craning his neck up whenever he wanted to express romantic interest in someone he was dating.
“I was on my first date with Laura, and I just couldn’t help but be aware that we could just look each other right in the face! Seriously, do you know how freeing that is? Do you?!” asked Bollinger, getting unnecessarily belligerent with Squeaky Wheel reporters.
“I don’t love Laura just because she’s little! It’s not like that!” Bollinger added, sputtering.
Stein is noticeably calmer about the origins of Bollinger’s attraction to her than Bollinger himself is. “I know how nervous he gets about it,” she says. “It’s really fucking adorable.”
When asked if she is going to talk to Bollinger about these feelings, Stein remarks, “Hell no! This is way too funny to shut down!” Stein then says she will wait for Bollinger to admit it to her directly.
Stein also admits she’s not innocent of similar tendencies. “He’s got a good lap! Noticed it right away! This hot wheelchair guy has a great lap for me to sit in!”
With pride, Stein adds, “Best first kiss I’ve ever had!”