It was January 2021, and Cassie was living in downtown Cleveland, regularly attending the Orangetheory Fitness studio nearby with friends. OTF became a big part of social life during COVID, and Cassie got to know a couple—Ann and Dennis Hatvany—who had moved from the suburbs to downtown.

One day, Ann sat next to Cassie on the rower warming up for class and asked if she was single. She said her son and her nephew were both single, and the nephew was older. Cassie jokingly said she’d pick the older one but wasn’t really looking to date anyone.

The next week, while getting ready for class to start, Ann and Dennis walked into the lobby with a tall mystery man. Ann yelled across the lobby, “We brought him for you!” To say both Chris and Cassie’s faces were red is an understatement…

Cassie and Chris exchanged phone numbers after the workout class. Two days later, Chris texted Cassie apologizing for his aunt, not realizing she was trying to set them up, and then asked Cassie out for a drink. Cassie needed a little encouraging from her maid of honor, Corinne, to agree to drinks with Chris. But thankfully, she said yes and since that first night of drinks, they’ve been together ever since!