Elijah Barker is the only child of educators Nathaniel and Brynn Barker. He is first introduced as the lifelong best friend of Tanner and Lynn Lockhart and later befriends the new kid, Tommy Covington. Over the years, Elijah develops romantic feelings for Lynn, and the two eventually begin dating, losing their virginity to one another. Like many young couples, they break up for a time before finding their way back to each other.

As the child of a high school principal and a college professor, Elijah grows up under constant academic pressure. He attends Sampson University, where his father teaches, but struggles during his first semester, disappointing his parents. The stress leads him to develop an unhealthy attachment to alcohol, which gradually becomes a serious problem noticed by Lynn, his friends, and his family. Still in denial, Elijah’s addiction costs him his job at Jojo’s after he shows up late and drunk, resulting in Tricia firing him.

Despite an intervention on Halloween night in 2021, Elijah walks out, later drinking and driving and crashing his car into a pole. Though he sustains only mild injuries, he is arrested and charged with a DWI, with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit. After receiving a six-month license suspension and fines, Elijah finally admits he needs help and checks himself into inpatient rehab at Radcliffe Receiving Hospital. From that point on, he remains sober and recommits to rebuilding his life. He later graduates from Sampson University in 2025 and decides to pursue law, enrolling in his alma mater’s law school.

Elijah’s greatest challenge comes when Lenny is diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. He remains by her side throughout her diagnosis and chemotherapy, supporting her during her lowest moments. Realizing how deeply he loves her and fearing he could lose her, Elijah proposes on Christmas Eve at her hospital bedside using Sarah Lynn’s engagement ring, despite his parents’ concerns that he is too young and acting out of fear. When no bone marrow match is found, hope arrives unexpectedly through Emma Covington, revealed to be Lenny’s great-aunt and a perfect match. After Lenny goes into recovery, Elijah surprises her with a wedding on her release from the hospital at Franklin Farm. Wearing her grandmother’s wedding dress, the two marry in front of friends and family, including Elijah’s parents, and begin their life together in the attic of the main house, navigating adulthood side by side.