Woman Falls in Love for First Time With Man She Met on Craigslist

While Brooke Forman's friends were having babies and getting married, she was busy traveling the world. However, when she blew out her candles on her 30th birthday, she suddenly questioned why she was still single.

Forman told Newsweek that the milestone birthday hit home more than any before as she realized she had never been in a relationship.

"I was confused and began looking back on my life. I was so happy with the memories I had made and my accomplishments, but I began to wonder why I hadn't met someone who cared for me," she said.

One month later, Forman, now 34, met the man of her dreams in the most-unexpected way; through Craigslist, an advertising website that she used to sublet a room in her Los Angeles apartment.

Forman, a singer, said: "Truthfully, I was living my best life during my twenties. I was working in New York, and most of my money was spent on traveling.

"I felt proud of myself for going to places in South East Asia without feeling like I needed a guy," Forman added. "I had flings, but nothing every materialized into a relationship, and I didn't want to settle down for the sake of it.

"When I turned 30, I began to notice my mindset shift," she said. "Everyone was getting married and I never had a boyfriend.

"However, I didn't actively start looking for a partner," Forman added.

In September 2019, she was desperate to find a new roommate, and the only person interested was Rad Shakh, now 39. However, he could sublet the room for only one month.

Responding to the room advertisement, Shakh, an accountant, wrote: "I am pretty low-key so I won't be partying or anything like that. [And] I am a very clean individual so you won't have to worry about any kind of mess."

Shakh added that he is likely to spend most of his time working on his computer or running errands.

Forman said: "I wasn't very keen on Rad moving in because it was so short-term, and I would have to go through the searching process all over again.

"However, time was ticking as my other roommate was moving out and I needed someone to pay half of the bills, so I offered the room to him after he viewed it," Forman added.

During the first weekend of October, Shakh was supposed to move in, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Forman said: "He just didn't show up and I didn't ask him for a deposit as I trusted he would move in. I was freaking out.

"I couldn't get in touch with him for two days, and then he finally rang and told me a crazy story," she added.

It turns out that Shakh had lost his backpack in a taxi and was unable to remember the apartment address. The incident lost Forman's trust.

She said: "I didn't believe his story and I didn't want him to move in, but my friend stalked his social media and said he looks like a nice guy.

"She persuaded me to change my mind," Forman added.

After settling in for a couple of days, the pair decided to hang out to get to know one another.

"I wasn't attracted to him as it was a friendly thing. He was so nice and, for that whole week, we explored LA together," Forman said.

"We instantly became real good friends and, then one night, we kissed, which I thought was a bad idea as we lived together," she added.

Forman said that nothing changed following the moment of passion, and the couple continued to hang out.

When Shakh's month was up, he opened up and confessed his feelings for Forman. And she felt exactly the same so he decided to stay.

Five months later, the couple were madly in love and they have been inseparable ever since.

Forman said: "We still live in the apartment. All the traveling I used to do solo, we now do it together. We have a lot in common and have been to beautiful countries together.

"We are in a very stable, healthy and honest relationship. I never thought it would happen to me," she added.

"People say that love happens when you're not looking for it. It's cliché but it is true," Forman said.

"I never thought I would end up meeting the love of my life on Craigslist and living together from the moment we met.

"I know people fall in love on dating sites, but we weren't looking for a relationship but it naturally felt right," Forman added.

These days, single people are spoilt for choice when it comes to dating apps and websites, but that doesn't mean finding a partner is easier, according to one study. In October 2019, Pew Research Centre revealed more than half of American adults think dating has gotten harder in the last decade.

The results found 75 percent of 4,860 U.S. adults said they found it very difficult to find someone to date. However, the single participants didn't feel pressured by friends and family to find love, but some did feel the societal pressure.

Speaking about the future, the couple hope tie the knot one day. Forman described their relationship as the real deal.

She said: "I would advise single people against waiting for someone to do stuff with. If you want to go travel or anything, just do it, and the romance will soon come when the time is right."

Update 9/25/23, 10:05 a.m. ET: This article was updated to amend Brooke's surname.

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