We're Getting Married!

Allison Gilbert knows her romantic comedies. She and her sister used to co-host a podcast devoted to the genre. In 2020, she wrote an original screenplay during the pandemic shutdown. She is well versed in archetypal themes and iconic plots, like Isabel following signs in “Fools Rush In,” Harry and Sally beginning as best friends, and Shopgirl falling in love with her mysterious pen pal in “You’ve Got Mail.” Allison has always loved a good rom-com. With Ben Columbus, she lives one. Allison and Ben met in 2021 as colleagues on the NBC show, “Kenan.” She was a script coordinator; he was a production coordinator. They shared a set just once and, because of Covid-19 restrictions, wore face masks during the introduction. Chemistry built over banter in text messages and emails, creating a safe space to speak freely about the show’s inner workings. “There was something special about the way we communicated,” Ben said. “I knew this was someone I wanted to know.” By October 2021, production on the second and final season of “Kenan” had wrapped. Ben texted Allison an invite to connect in person. He kept the meet-up’s nature ambiguous — it could be mere networking or a potential romantic relationship. Ben, hopeful for the latter, was on a fact-finding mission. Allison did not immediately read the message, off celebrating her sister Carrie’s birthday in Chicago. Activities included tarot card readings by Jabulile, a professional diviner whose name derives from “be joyful” in Zulu. “She said, ‘If you’re looking for a sign to start seriously dating, this is your sign,’” Allison said. “When I finished my tarot reading and we moved on to one of my friends, I looked at my phone and had the text from Ben: ‘Hey, do you want to meet up for drinks?’” Allison was stunned. “The tarot reader told me to look for a sign,” she said. “I thought that was the sign.” Now, at this stage, Allison still had not seen Ben’s face. On video calls, unlike her, he always kept his camera off. He possessed no discernible Internet footprint. LexisNexis is a premier public search platform, popular among lawyers, journalists and investigators. As any good sister and lawyer would, Carrie looked up Ben. The search yielded no results. Still, Allison agreed to meet her mysterious pen pal. When connecting in person on Nov. 11, her first thought upon seeing Ben was “thank God he is cute.” The romantic potential became clear to both: Rapport from work messages translated into their conversation, the flow and familiarity rivaling a 12-year friendship. They kept in contact when visiting family for the holidays. In January, Ben asked out Allison on a date. They exchanged their first “I love you” that year during a Brazil trip where, despite losing luggage and simultaneously being stricken with food poisoning in a small shared space, they managed to be joyful. Allison and Ben found themselves before each other. A few dates in, they hiked a gorgeous Malibu trail and laid out their ugly relationship truths: Ben worked with his therapist to unpack a fear of commitment; Allison worked with hers on a fear of emotional intimacy. The realness to their foundation is the type depicted in only the best of rom-coms. Speaking of which, Ben reminds Allison of someone. His offhand sense of humor. His grounding presence on her. He is the female lead’s love interest in her 2020 screenplay. “The realistic answer is I wrote what was important to me in a partner and then found that in a partner,” Allison said. “But it's also fun to say that I wrote Ben into existence.”