For Small Woman and Tall Man, Size Doesn't Matter

Feb. 6, 2008— -- At 2 feet 9 inches tall, Christianne Ray, 20, is the average height of a toddler.

"I can't reach anything in the refrigerator," she said. "It's a pain being a little person. It's a pain in the butt."

A rare kind of dwarfism, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, severely affects Ray's spine and limbs.

She grew up in a small town near Seattle and said that her friends and classmates always accepted her as just one of the kids. Outside school people, would gawk, but her schoolmate, 6 feet 4 inch Jeremy Bowden took charge.

"Most people would look and then stare for a while," Bowden said. "And then I'd say something to 'em like, 'What are you looking at? You don't need to stare.'"

At first, they shared one class together, but over time the two friends bonded over more than just schoolwork.

Jeremy, now 19, was different too. His mother had died from cancer when he was 12 years old, and he had struggled with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A sensitive, compassionate high school senior, his friendship with Christianne became even closer.

"He just, he kissed me, once … one day when we were, it was … at night, and … we were sitting on the piano," Ray said. "I literally saw fireworks when he kissed me."

"I just … decided to lay one on her," Bowden laughed. He had a reputation as something of a ladies man, but he fell in love with Ray because of her personality.

"She's never down in the dumps or anything, she's always out ... making me happy and stuff whenever I'm mad," Bowden said.

Personality was a big factor for Ray as well, who said Bowden is caring, and helps her out a lot. And his good looks don't hurt.

"Yeah, he is good-looking too. And he's tall," she said. "I like tall guys."

Bowden's height and strength come in handy for Christianne, who can't walk far or lift heavy things.

It's a very physical relationship, in every way. Ray told "20/20" that the sex is "great." Bowden blushed.