Once upon a time, in a land we probably recognize from everyday drudgery, lived a couple who were blissfully in love. Eric and Ariana had satisfying jobs, great friends, and best of all, separate wardrobes. It made for a wonderful life. Until that day when a pair of jeans became the proverbial spoke in the wheel. It drove Eric mad with anxiety, while Ariana continued living her life in blissful ignorance. This is the story of how Eric, our charming hero, overcame his monsters, and went back to living the life he was meant to. Day 1: Picnic with Friends Hannah's picnic. That's where it all started. That fateful day in the park when Eric suddenly noticed something very off about Ariana. She was always a little moody when it came to spending time with large crowds. But not that day. She was gregariously happy. His mind was in turmoil. Had something happened? Was there someone new in her life? She always hated these things. The people. The stupid dress codes. That's when he realized what was different. Her clothes. Ari was what everyone called a complete girly-girl; she hated the idea of wearing denims. Miner's clothes, she called them. And her dislike always showed on her face. But today, things were different. Her jeans weren't the usual skinny ones. She was wearing her favorite grungy, vintage tee with that pair of orange sneakers she loved and normally, kept for outings she liked. But her jeans; they were baggy, loose, low-slung; almost like a guy's jeans. And then, it struck him. That's what was different. Ari was wearing his jeans. Why? Day 4: Office A one-off; that's what it was. There was nothing more to it. Maybe she was just more comfortable in baggy clothes. It didn't seem like her. But hey, people change! Right? Eric really didn't think there was anything more to it. But boy, was he wrong! A couple of days later, Eric got back from his morning jog, walking into a bit of a surprise. Searching for Ari, he peeked into the bedroom, and he was shocked. She was wearing his denims again. To work, to top it all. Why? Granted, it was a gorgeous look, but didn't she have enough clothes in that overflowing room that she called a closet. Why was she ransacking his bare minimum cupboard? He had to admit though, he would never have thought of his denims being worn with a blazer, striped tee, and heels. But this was getting a bit too much now. Should he speak to her about the boundaries they had set? Or was he just over-reacting? He had heard horror stories where girlfriends would take over their boyfriends' wardrobes, and style it according to what they thought worked best. But this was completely new. His bewilderment of the first two times gave way to resignation. Ariana was all about boundaries, and if she was taking stuff from his cupboard it was probably with good reason. He just figured he would ask her when they went for dinner on the weekend. Day 8: Dinner Date Their favorite little Italian joint, good music, and heavenly food. Eric was looking forward to a wonderful evening with his favorite girl. And nothing would make him think too much. But there was no way he could have known that his denims were going to make an appearance at the dinner table. But they did, and he was so flabbergasted at seeing them being worn with a cape and high heels, that he remained a little tongue-tied throughout. He did manage to compliment her on her appearance, though. He figured the look was kinda growing on him. He decided he would just tell her to keep the denims. They looked better on her. He would tell her the next time she wore them. Day 15: Indie Music Festival And the opportunity presented itself soon enough. They were going for the indie music festival, and he was waiting for her in the living room. She came out in this very tomboy-inspired, yet feminine attire; a slinky top in bright green, long earrings in pink, a hat, and his denims. And she looked so stylish. He figured it was now or never. That's when he told her. "You know Ari, my jeans look better on you. You should just keep them." "Huh?! What?", replied a very surprised Ariana. "These aren't yours. They just look like yours." "Stop hiding it sweetheart. I know they're mine. They have rips exactly where I have them and everything," said Eric. "Yeah Eric, that's because I painstakingly created this ripped look using your jeans as my inspiration. These are mine. They're called boyfriend jeans 'cos they look like men's jeans. Don't believe me? I can prove it to you with one trip to the mall." That trip to the mall did happen. Eric was shown the boyfriend jeans shelf with gleeful enthusiasm by Ariana. The mystery that remained was where were his jeans. Well, information about them came via a phone call a couple of days later when the dry-cleaners called to ask him to pick them up. The pickup had been long overdue apparently.