Cupid swipes in

Journalists are supposed to have sleuth-like qualities since the profession demands investigative skills and a keen eye for observation. I admit that I failed to notice something brewing right under my nose. It was the quintessential office romance conducted with such secrecy and finesse that even the bin-Laden operation in Pakistan's Abbottabad paled in comparison. Theirs was a Jurassic affair, culminating in marriage recently, leaving the entire office stumped. "We dated for seven years," says the undercover romantic.

In today's day and age, when people spend more time in office than at home, cupid is bound to strike. At the very least, it makes the tedium at the workplace a little less intolerable for love-birds and gossip-mongers.
One step at a time

Curiously, in this T-20 era of instant gratification, Ritika and Christopher Moniz's relationship unfolded like a test match — from friendship to courtship and finally marriage. Both were bank employees — she was at the front desk and Christopher at the back office — when Ritika was introduced to Christopher by co-workers. "We were friends for about one-and-a-half years. We often met after work, partied on weekends, but it was strictly friendship. Whenever we went out, it was with friends and colleagues," she avers. There were days when they walked all the way from Lower Parel to Santacruz with a common friend, but neither Ritika nor Christopher was in a hurry to take the next big step.

She has forgotten who popped the question. By then it had become pretty clear to them that the relationship should progress to the next level. "We knew we liked each other, but neither of us expressed romantic feelings. Our friends had also started teasing us," she says. The courtship phase lasted for about four years. What cemented their love was football. "We both used to watch the Premier League matches with his friends and Christopher used to be a footballer," she says. The couple tied the knot in January 2013, after six years of knowing each other.

Initial hesitancy

Not everyone is that patient when it comes to matters of the heart. Bengaluru-based freelance writer and photographer Ajay D'souza was working with an e-learning firm in 2008 in Mumbai when he was struck by a thunderbolt — a pretty woman called Minila had come for an interview. "The moment I saw her I knew she was perfect for me," says Ajay. Soon after Minila joined the firm, Ajay made the first move. "I tried several times to take her out, but she steadfastly declined my offers. On one occasion she agreed, but laid down a condition: a colleague must come with us," he says. Seven months after working together, Ajay revealed his feelings to her. She didn't reciprocate. 'It broke my heart and I simply shut down. For a few days, I was very depressed," he says. "A month later, it was Minila who initiated conversation. We dated for five years and this February, we will celebrate three years of marriage," he says.

For Niharika Singh, it wasn't exactly office-romance, though the seeds of an enduring partnership were sown in the same Delhi office where they had worked in 2013. "I never wanted to date a colleague, so my affair with my husband Amit started after he left the organisation. I was smitten by his good looks, but kept my feelings locked up. We worked on different projects and were introduced by my manager. He used to come to my floor for tea, and we'd exchange a casual 'hi'. Then one day in June 2014, I read his farewell email and learnt that he had resigned. When I made a courtesy call to him, we ended up agreeing to meet for the first time. He was leaving Delhi for Gurgaon in two days," says the techie. It didn't take much for Niharika and Amit to fall in love, and the rest they say is history.

Though some organisations can be indifferent about workplace romance, provided it's not an extra-marital affair, several companies do not allow husband and wife to work in the same office. It's a policy based on the assumption that a married couple working together may not be as productive, says Pritam Jha (name changed), a human resource professional in the media industry.