The two were initially not going to be cubicle mates, until a last-minute switch by the editor landed Caroline next to Mason's desk.
"I bothered him fifteen times that day," Caroline said. "He was the only friendly face, and the only person who would talk to me."
Mason got used to the frequent interruptions that came with working next to Caroline, who regularly knocked on their shared cubicle wall to ask for advice or a friendly ear. The pair bonded over data from the U.S. Census Bureau and discussions of the idiosyncrasies of certain newsroom characters.
"I called upon my great stores of patience that year," Mason recalled. "Some co-workers believed we had a nascent romance going on, since we were always chit-chatting. But that didn't happen until later."
By 2008, Mason had moved to Oakland for grad school and a new career, but he and Caroline kept in constant contact. During a visit to the Bay Area that year for Caroline's participation in a marathon, the two went out to a wine bar one night, after which both saw each other differently.
For a few months, they managed their relationship long-distance (thanks, Southwest Airlines!) but Mason was determined to return to Los Angeles. He moved back in May 2009, and the two have been inseparable ever since.
"Things moved quickly after that," Caroline said. "We bought a condo together and got engaged during a trip to Hawai'i. Poof!"
