The two began chatting and, eventually, hopped on the phone a couple times. Francine learned they both lived near Toronto, and they discussed meeting up in person but couldn’t do so safely due to pandemic restrictions. When they were finally able to connect IRL for a first date, restaurants were still shut down, so they got take-out sushi in a parking lot — and that was enough to seal the deal. “We’ve been together ever since,” Francine says.
3. At an NFL watch party
Melanie N. joined the Philly Eagles Fans of Boston (PEFOB) group to watch games with fellow fans. She and a friend had plans to go to one of the group’s events in 2018, but her pal canceled at the last minute. A little worried, she went anyway. “I decided it would still be good to go to get myself out there and, if nothing else, watch the game,” Melanie said.
Given everyone’s vested interest in a win, she immediately felt comfortable with the group and found it super easy to strike up conversations with other fans. She had so much fun, in fact, that she decided to stick around after the game ended. “There was another game on that was tied in overtime, and that’s when Mike started chatting with me,” she says. “I couldn’t tell you what we talked about, but it felt like date conversation.”
That day, the two only exchanged names — but later that night she went on the group’s Facebook page, found him, and friended him. After that, the two began going on regular dates, all while continuing to watch the Eagles games together through the PEFOB group. “It helped build the foundation of our relationship because we would see each other regularly at the bar and in between dates,” Melanie says. “It allowed for us to get to know each other on another level.”
4. At a dance class
Frankie Y. met their girlfriend Tara at a heels dance class that they attended with a coworker last year. After Frankie’s coworker, who knew Tara from a previous class, introduced the two, Frankie was immediately interested — but wanted to play it cool and not “come off as a creep.” So they made a concerted effort to focus on the choreography. “It probably didn’t help that the song we were doing that day was ‘Guess’ by Charli XCX with Billie Eilish, because that song is very horny,” Frankie said. After class, Tara showed Frankie a pair of bedazzled boots she’d been working on and mentioned she was volunteering at a goth event later that week. “It was so over for me at that moment,” Frankie says.
Later that week, when Frankie was working at a San Diego Pride event, Tara showed up. “We got to chatting and I asked her if she would want to go on a date sometime and she said yes,” Frankie explains. The date was a success: The two made vegan wraps and brought them to the pool in Frankie’s apartment complex, then went back inside to watch Star Trek. “We’ve only been seeing each other for five months now but it’s been pretty great,” Frankie says.
5. On a hike
A few years ago, Jessie C. and a friend hiked Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the United States. When they reached the peak they wanted to take a picture with the elevation sign, so they asked two guys around their age who, like them, just reached the summit. They parted ways soon after, but in the middle of the trek down the mountain, the guys caught up with them.