Despite the same major, mutual friends and a shared cubicle, one Marshall couple’s love bloomed slowly — and then all at once.
Megan Russell, the director of progressions for the School of Pharmacy, and Adam Russell, the assessment coordinator for the Office of Assessment & Quality Initiatives, shared every facet of their office during their time working at the Office of Recruitment.
“We had to share a phone and computer for two months,” Megan said. “We couldn’t stand each other when we shared a cubicle.”
However, once Megan moved to her own office, she said the pair got along so much she felt compelled to push their relationship to the next level.
“After a while, I finally just said, ‘Are you ever going to ask me out?’ and suddenly we had a date to the movies on Friday,” Megan said.
Adam said the first date served as a trial to see if the coworkers to friends to lovers pipeline would be able to transition smoothly.
“After that first date, I was pretty sure that was it,” Adam said. “It wasn’t weird at all to me in any way.”
Staying true to their “frenemy” roots, the couple’s first date included a playful bickering match over a lost parking ticket.
“I said, ‘Your car’s a disaster; I mean, it could have eaten it,’” Megan said.
Lightheartedly, Adam said, “We never did find that ticket.”
Parking ticket fiasco aside, the pair quickly became inseparable, attending every event together — no matter the interest level.
”Megan has gone to more wrestling shows than she would want,” Adam said. “I have also seen Jason Mraz more times than I want, but we just enjoy each other’s company.”
One outing that captured the hearts of both Megan and Adam was the couple’s 10th anniversary trip to Hawaii, they said.
“It was nice to hang out with each other,” Megan said. “We have a nine-year-old, so we try to make sure we spend time together and enjoy each other.”
On the daily, both Megan and Adam said they speak the same work language, opening avenues for active communication.
“It’s a little easier to give advice,” Adam said. “We both have the same kinds of days and are able to pick up each other’s slack and understand what it’s like.”
This work-life balance has shifted since the pair’s stint of working together, but this healthy medium stems from working in the same office, Megan said.
“We had a rule that you had to get everything out on the commute home,” Megan said. “From the parking lot to the driveway, you could get out whatever you needed. Then, we made an effort to not bring work home.”
In terms of life balance, the couple said their “no murder pact” has served them extremely well.
“‘Dateline’ and everything is always about horrible domestic situations, so I was like, ‘If you want to leave, I won’t murder you, and you won’t murder me,’” Megan said.
On a more serious note, Megan said she plans to return back to school this fall and has no doubt Adam will act as a support system through this milestone.
“He keeps me grounded and helps me with that emotional regulation on a daily basis,” Megan said. “He’s also incredibly smart and knows some of the most niche things; he still surprises me.”
Similarly, Adam said Megan’s hardworking nature draws him in daily.
“Megan is my favorite coworker I ever had,” Adam said. “Beyond a marriage standpoint, she was never in a mindset of ‘that’s how we’ve always done things’ and was never satisfied if things weren’t working correctly.”
In addition, in terms of extroverts and introverts, Adam said opposites do, in fact, attract.
“She brings me out of my shell,” Adam said. “Intellectually, though, we are equals.”
A mix of love, teamwork and a murder-free track record might just make for a match made in heaven.
Kaitlyn Fleming can be contacted at [email protected].
