In 2017, Maithili moved to Washington, D.C., where Chris also lived. Both frequent patrons of M, U, and 18th Street establishments, they had all of the elements in place for a meet-cute that Hugh Grant (Maithili's fellow British subject) would be proud of. That never happened, but wouldn’t it have been fun if it had? Instead, Chris moved to Washington in the summer of 2018 to take a temporary campaign job and to dip his toes in the water of moving back to the state full-time. Perhaps because she got a new job in Seattle, or perhaps because she felt an inexplicable force pulling her there, Maithili unknowingly followed him to the PNW months later. They still didn’t meet. Once again, Maithili and Chris found themselves still living separate, albeit proximate, lives. In 2019, however, they serendipitously and unwittingly agreed to work together when they both took new jobs with the same organization. That June, as part of her orientation, Maithili was sent to work with Chris in Vancouver (Washington - not the good one) for a week. While it was decidedly meet-professional rather than meet-cute, at long last, they met. The next two and a half years were romantically uneventful, but foundational, for the future couple. As coworkers, Maithili and Chris got to know each other. Chris admired Maithili’s intelligence and at times outrageous personality, especially because it was all contained in the least imposing five-foot frame in the office. He relished moments when her normally buttoned up demeanor would give way to comical rants and jokes about entitled clients. Maithili was in awe of Chris’ lunch choices (including once a box filled to the brim with BBQ meats) and his obsession with Mountain Dew. Over time, their relationship changed from coworkers to work friends, and then, from work friends to friend-friends. When the pandemic sent everyone into their homes, Chris and Maithili found themselves spending hours working together on Google Hangouts and Zoom meetings during the day only to trade text messages and Tik Tok links at night. While everyone was sick of their coworkers and roommates, and could barely leave their houses to see other friends, Maithili and Chris stumbled into a COVID-era friendship. Their friendship continued out in the real world the next year. When Maithili took a new job at Chris’ favorite TV company, casual outings with coworkers and mutual friends eventually gave way to more elaborate outings together - exploring Seattle’s cocktail bars, getting late night pizza, and going to Sounders games. One evening in late 2021, thanks to a suggestion by Chris’ dad for a “fun place to check out,” the pair found themselves at an unexpectedly intimate speakeasy bar called Bathtub Gin. By New Year 2022, they were dating. Since then, Maithili and Chris have tackled four moves, managed a temporary long distance relationship between Seattle and Las Vegas, traveled to six states and three countries, and merged their cats into one unseemly 16-legged super herd. Last March, Chris proposed to Maithili on the waterfront at Alki. Neither of them are sure that she officially said yes in the moment, but she took the ring so it still counts. No takesies-backsies.