When 48-year-old Rachel Caudele signed up to Tinder after getting divorced, she didn’t know she’d find love with someone two decades younger than her.
The mum-of-two got divorced in September 2020 and – despite ‘enjoying her freedom’ – Rachel decided to give dating apps a go.
After a rocky start with blunt messages and unsolicited pictures from men, Rachel eventually came across Alex Michael – who was 23 at the time.
‘It sounds really cliché, but I thought he had kind eyes. We started chatting and the age question came up,’ Rachel, from Texas, explains.
‘When he told me he was 23 I was like “woah, that’s way too young, nothing is going to come of this.”
‘He liked to talk on the phone, and his voice was very sexy and appealing to me. We had great conversations and lots in common.’
Alex, a website creator for pharmaceutical companies, adds: ‘I happened to change my age range on Tinder, and matched with her.
‘I thought, oh my god, she looks great for her age, she doesn’t look like she’s in her forties at all.
‘She was super cool and genuine, she’s more than just a pretty face.’
After initially hitting it off, Rachel decided to take the plunge and fly out to meet Alex in New York for the first time.
The trip went very well and they decided to travel to Miami and Austin later that year – where they realised they both had strong feelings for each other. And in December 2020, they officially began dating.
‘In January 2021, I went to Houston where Rachel was living,’ Alex explains.
‘I had a remote job and she asked if I wanted to live with her. I got a suitcase and never went back.
‘We lived together for that whole year.’
But it wasn’t all plain sailing, five months into living together, Rachel discovered Alex had been messaging other women on social media.
‘He had never experienced those sorts of boundaries in a relationship before, and I felt heartbroken and betrayed,’ Rachel says.
‘He has issues with anxiety, and female attention made him feel better. I wanted to leave the relationship, but I’m not a person who gives up easily.’
Alex has since deleted his Instagram and Facebook and has worked hard to progress in his relationship with Rachel.
He says: ‘It was very wrong of me, what I did. I grew up with a lot of insecurities, and I didn’t get a lot of attention when I was younger.
‘I wanted to experience that. I never had the intention of hooking up, I just wanted the attention.
‘It helped me to come full circle and realise what the right thing to do is in relationships.’
Following a short relationship break earlier this year, the couple say they are now happily together again.
‘Sometimes you need to step away to realise you truly want something,’ Alex continues.
Despite their different ages, the couple don’t identify with terms such as ‘sugar baby’ or ‘cougar’ and encourage others to do what makes them happy.
Rachel says: ‘It’s not going to be the easiest thing, things outside the relationship will impact you like people thinking it’s weird or strange.
‘Age should not be the main factor, if you are both consenting adults with a connection – do it.
‘If you find something so real like what we have, you should do it.’
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