The rule of thumb is that it's a terrible idea to date your roommate, but for every rule there is an exception. Enter Alex and Brian, who in 2016 met as roommates in a house they shared with three other strangers. It was an auspicious start: Alex was born and raised in Chicago, but attended school in southern California; Brian grew up in southern California, but attended school in Chicago. In another life, they might have been star-crossed lovers with a tragic end but here, Alex and Brian instead decided to break that rule of thumb, go camping (bonding over their love for large farm dogs), and live their lives happily ever after.