You'll Never Believe How Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys First Met

Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are more than just an item on the FX drama The Americans: The pair's real-life romance started almost four years ago when the show first debuted, and they've been a happy pair (now joined by a new baby boy!) ever since. Although things finally clicked for Russell and Rhys when they began working together, it actually wasn't the first time the two met. In fact, Russell and Rhys had their first encounter ten years before they began filming The Americans, E! News reports. And that encounter didn't take place anywhere romantic, and it certainly wasn't love at first sight for the couple. But it does make for a good story.

The two first met right after a kickball party in a parking lot when Russell asked Rhys to open a beer for her. "I very drunkenly asked her for her number when she was a young, single, slip of a thing, so I sort of knew then when I was 26," Rhys dished on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

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Rhys mentioned that it took awhile for them to become an item, and Russell then went on to explain how their romance really started. "We did all the readings together and all the things, and after a heavy dose of fight training, all sweaty, at lunch, you said, 'Oh, you know we've met before,'" Russell explained. "I said, 'No we haven't,' and you said, 'Yeah, we've met before, like 10 years ago at kickball.' As soon as he said that, I knew exactly what [happened] and I opened my eyes, like, 'Oh! Of course I remember that.'"

And Rhys was nothing if not persistent back then. He left Russell a voicemail and then wouldn't stop calling. So while a relationship didn't pan out then, it was obviously in the cards for the two, who have been an official couple since 2014. They even welcomed their son, Sam, last year. Sure, love at first sight definitely sounds romantic, but Russell and Rhy's relationship proves that bonds don't have to be instant. With the right timing, everything falls into place when it's meant to be.