A woman has spoken out about the moment she developed romantic feelings for her stepbrother, despite judgment from her friends.
Matilda Eriksson, 25, from Espoo, Finland, met her step-sibling and husband Samuli, 29, when her mom married his dad back in 2019.
Speaking to Yahoo News, she explained how even though they were at their parent's wedding when they first spoke, that didn't stop them from sparking a romantic connection of their own.
Then, in a later interview with That's Life, she recalled the moment she found herself blushing at Samuli's gaze.
"I’d seen Samuli at family gatherings, but we’d never spent much time together otherwise," she wrote, revealing that they started hanging out more as friends from then on. Until she realized her feelings weren't just that of friends nor family.
"Sitting across from one another a few weeks later, I felt Samuli’s gaze on me," she recalled. "I got lost in his kind smile, noticing his beautiful blue eyes for the first time.
"What am I doing? What if someone notices? That’s so weird! I thought, blushing. He’s my stepbrother!"
After hanging out again a few weeks later, Samuli placed his hand on her upper leg, causing Matilda to "freak out" and tell her stepbrother: "Whatever this is, it can’t go any further."
Samuli agreed and apologized, but that didn't stop the pair's passion for one another from continuing to grow.
"One week later, we drove down to our parents’ cottage one-and-a-half hours away," she says. "After a few drinks sitting in the hot tub, Samuli’s hand found mine beneath the bubbly water."
That night, they shared their first kiss.
"I responded right away with passion," Matilda told Yahoo News, adding: "It took us two weeks to start dating after that and he basically moved in with me right away. It felt good and natural immediately."
Despite their intense chemistry, Matilda admitted that the start of their romance was not easy. "I was confused and in love at the same time and honestly I really didn't know what to do. Thinking about the fact that he still is my stepbrother and also I thought about other people's opinions," she recalled.
She went on to explain how some of their friends were judgemental about the relationship, which they felt strangely about because Matilda and Samuli were still step-siblings.
"Some of our friends were first a bit doubtful and [were] kind of judging. I think it was because of the confusion that someone I called stepbrother has to now be called my boyfriend," she said.
Despite this, the couple eventually found peace after consulting their parents and gaining their blessing.
Matilda in particular said that it was her mom's advice that led her to pursue a married life with her step-brother.
"My mom told me to do whatever I felt was the most right in that moment, putting everything else aside and to follow my heart, and that led me to marry Samuli," she said.
After proposing to each other, the happy couple tied the knot in July 2022. They were able to celebrate with all their friends and family, who eventually warmed to the relationship after seeing how right Matilda and Samuli were for each other.
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