Everyone digs romcoms for a reason—those killer meet-cutes! Picture bumping into your soulmate at a gas station or crashing into each other at a no-pants party and then, boom, a happily ever after. Or for a moment, picture falling for your brother’s wedding planner or the cute pizza delivery guy ;)

Now, imagine having those wild stories IRL. Imagine the giggles when someone asks, “So, how did you two meet?” I mean, it hasn’t happened to me (yet), but I like to believe it does. And for so many of my friends (or a friend’s friend’s friend or their cousin), it really did go down like that. So, grab your fave mug of coffee and get cozy under your comfiest blanket as you dive into these stories—they’re every bit as heartwarming and smile-inducing as your favorite romcom.

Kritika, Mumbai :

“Of all places, we met at a funeral. My cousin’s grandma had passed away. He was from my cousin’s wife's side of the family. I’m still not over the fact that we missed each other at the wedding shenanigans. Anyway, we started chatting a little while everyone was quietly munching on their food and, guess what? We hit it off! With all due respect to my aunt, we slipped away to a café afterwards, and, well, we’ve been dating for three and a half years now.”

Pankit, Agra :

“I am a sucker for music, and never miss any chance to go to a music festival or concerts. A couple of years ago, I was at the Ziro Festival. On my second night, a small group was chilling and jamming - when this girl suddenly dashed to a corner and started puking. Her friends rushed to help. I jumped in too because I had a water bottle which might’ve been of some use. No other intentions, I swear. After a wild throwup, we all got to talking. It turns out she wasn’t even a music fan—her friends dragged her here for a break. But, plot twist, I had the best time with her. We’ve now hit two editions of Ziro together. I’m about to make her meet my family soon.”

Shilpi, Jamshedpur :

“I was visiting my nani’s house and decided to take my dog, Oreo, for a walk in the nearby park. This girl was walking her dog, Cheers, and our eyes kept meeting. We exchanged smiles for a few days until she finally stopped me and asked if I’d just moved there since she hadn’t seen me before. I told her I was just visiting my nani. We started walking Oreo and Cheers together after that day. Tbh, I was scared to ask her out—queer dating is still pretty taboo, and I didn’t want to mess anything up. But she beat me to it and asked me out instead. Now, I can’t wait to visit nani’s place as often as possible!”

Lucky, Indore : 

“We have the same therapist, hahaha. Every time I finished my session and waited around to sort out my payment or book my next appointment, I’d see her waiting on the couch. She was almost always the one who came in after me. I thought she was super cute. We’d exchange cursory smiles here and there, but nothing beyond that. I think after about a month, she came up to me and said hi as I was leaving. She asked for my Instagram, and two coffee dates later, we know everything about each other.”

Disha, Kolkata :

“I'm a hardcore gamer, but none of my friends share the same passion, so I usually end up playing with strangers. One day, I was into a 5v5 match on Valorant. We switched on our mics to strategize, and the guys realized there was a girl on the team. Two dudes started with the usual sexist nonsense, "Oh, what will she even do? We'll definitely lose now!" But one guy interrupted them and said, "Hey, you don't even know how she plays!"

Plot twist: those guys died before me. I made all the sly killing and sniper shots. And that guy who defended me? He sent me a friend request. His flirt line was, ‘I've never seen a player like you.’ We got to talking, realized we live just 10 minutes apart, and started teaming up for new games. Now, we're a duo IRL.”

Riya, Mumbai :

“I used to sell and buy phones on OLX, and he was one of the buyers! We started coordinating a lot on texts and calls - because he was one of my regular customers. After a while, we realized that it would be a great idea to run a business together - repairing, selling, modifying phones. We spoke endlessly about how phone repair and modification business together would be perfect! We became business partners first, and I am now about to get married to him.”

P. S : She’s one of my closest friends, and we still tease her about this. We have countless ‘boyfriend ko ab vaapas OLX pe bechde’ jokes, but all of that apart - I can’t wait for her wedding!

Told you to grab your mug and get comfy, didn’t I? Alright, now ditch that bed and your screen and hit up a club bathroom. Who knows? Your epic love story might start with a random chat over the sink. Go out now.

About the Author :

Hemali (she/her) is an explorer of the realms of sexuality, intimacy, and dating. She talks endlessly about the evolving landscape of feminist narratives on the big screen and makes you reanalyze the portrayal of women in mainstream culture. If you're looking for alternative conversation starters, take your pick from: Biryani, Art Fairs, or Spoken Word Poetry.