I know the saying “age is just a number” is pretty cliche, but I’d like to think this story highlights its truth in a few way. One of them being that age isn’t always a great indicator of maturity. Even in high school, Jensen showed a lot of maturity, that maturity extended into adulthood. He was hardworking, dedicated, thoughtful, and considerate…at 17 or 23, he was a catch (though, not for Nolan at 17 lol).
I also think it’s so easy to use age as a barrier when you have other, more personal, reasons that are holding you back. Which I believe was the case for a Nolan.