And sometimes chance encounters can definitely turn into something… more.

Curious, Redditor Fickle-Computer-6883 asked:

“Who is the most unexpected person you had sex with?”

A New Form Of Communication

“My friend’s housemate’s friend, who didn’t speak a word of English. I smiled at her during a house party, then about two hours later, she grabbed my hand and led me into the spare bedroom.”

– Active-Strawberry-37

“Same thing happened to me with an Italian girl. We met earlier, and later she grabbed my hand, put her index finger up to my mouth, and said, ‘shush,’ and proceeded to lead me to her bedroom.”

– floppybunny26

Healing The Inner Teen

“I had the biggest crush on this girl in high school, but we never had a conversation beyond random pleasantries since we were in completely different social groups.”

“Fast forward a few years after graduation, I was going to Australia for a while, and a friend told me about this girl from our high school who was apparently living there now. So I randomly hit her up on Instagram, seeing if she’d like to meet up at all.”

“I ended up spending the entire month with her, and we were hooking up pretty much the entire time.”

“17-year-old me would be so proud of 25-year-old me.”

– whiskeynise

‘Lord Of The Rings’… Marathon?

“I was a nerdy 18-year-old who had only been with one girl. A girl I had just graduated with started a tattoo apprenticeship, and I commented on her Facebook post, congratulating her.”

“She randomly DMed me a few days later and asked if I wanted to maybe watch ‘Lord of the Rings’ with her. H**l yeah, I wanted to watch ‘Lord of the Rings.'”

“So she came over to my place, and before I realized what was happening, we were making out. I just wanted to watch my favorite movie and instead had the best sex ever with an almost stranger.”

“Situation ended up with me having a ferret, a urinary tract infection, and a bad tattoo in a noticeable spot.”

– 20somethingmokid

The World’s Best Cup Of Coffee

“A waitress after her shift ended. I had never met or even spoken to her prior to her serving me black coffee at like 11:00 PM.”

– mmmhmmfriedtaters

“Similar story with a flight attendant. I had an overnight layover; she rolled past me leaving the airport and asked me when I was leaving. I told her in seven hours.”

“She said, ‘Well, the flight agency booked my room here, so stay with me.’ I played it cool as we went to her room, I didn’t know if she meant on the fold-out couch or something.”

“…It didn’t mean the fold-out couch.”

– arlenroy

An Unexpected Line

“My all-time college crush. We spent hours talking at a bar, just me and her.”

“Her friend came up asking if she wanted a ride home with her. My crush said, ‘No, we’re gonna go back to my house.'”

“My jaw dropped so low, it was a ridiculous move. But so hot.”

– stenny21

Not Like The Videos

“Years ago, I worked for a fairly high-end men’s formalwear clothier. Every year, we at the management level would fly to California for a few days of conferences.”

“Also in attendance one year was the guy who did the voice-over for our training videos. I’d never seen or met this guy, and he had the most godawful monotonous voice ever, perfect for corporate training videos. On the last night, there was always a drink-fest.”

“I caught glances with this really cute guy and started chatting, it turned out to be him. He took me back to his room. There wasn’t anything boring about what followed, and I never looked at training videos the same way again after that, lol.”

– _MyCatsNameIsBinx_

“It would have been hilarious if he used the training video voice back in the room.”

– NYArtFan1

Be Careful What You Wish For

“A neighbor chick who’s boyfriend stormed off one day because for some reason he thought she’d been f*cking me. Up to that day, I’d never done anything more than exchange pleasantries in passing with her.”

“After he split, she came over to apologize for his behavior (I had overheard the argument) and introduce herself. Next thing I know, I’m waking up in her big soft bed after an all-night romp.”

– Cheap-Bell-4329

“That boyfriend is a really powerful manifestor.”

– Schlag96

The Beginning Of Something Great

“My wife, though not wife at the time.”

“We were at best acquainted work colleagues.”

“We were out at a work function, and I was interested. I didn’t even do anything to pick her up, I just danced with her for a while and then told her I’d like to see her sometime.”

“To which she pretty much said. ‘Okay, let’s go,’ and about half an hour later was having what was the best sex of my life.”

“We’ve now been together almost 20 years.”

– Kayback2

An Excellent Wine

“This hot manager at my company. She sat a couple of desks away from me and wasn’t on my team, but we’d made eye contact a couple of times. Anyway, I go out drinking with my friends one night, and after I’m a few beers down, I head to the john to relieve myself.”

“On the way back, guess who I see downing tequila shots at the bar. The liquor in my bloodstream emboldened me with the confidence to approach and greet her. She was pretty drunk, too, because she sprang up and hugged me.”

“She admitted that she was pretty depressed after this guy she was seeing just vanished into thin air. After talking for god knows how long, she says, ‘By the way, I have this really good Chinese wine back at my place. Wanna check it out?'”

” We head back to her place, and no sooner than the door is latched do we start furiously making out and taking each other’s clothes off.”

– _betterpingfring

Not A Good Look

“My probation officer.”

– Wrong-Pizza-7184

“Pretty sure that’s a crime.”

– WhoIsYerWand

“Oh yeah, that’s a felony in my state.”

– Foijer

High School Reunion

“Girl from high school. She was considered one of the hottest girls in our school, easily. Unobtainable queen bee. Not in a mean way luckily she was actually super nice.”

“Shortly after graduating, maybe a year or two, we ended up hanging out through a mutual friend. We found out we had a lot in common, and we very quickly went from friends to friends with benefits for one amazing summer before parting ways amicably.”

“That girl was my sexual awakening, too. She was down to do anything, anytime, anywhere, with enthusiasm. I still look back on that time with great fondness, and I hope she’s doing well.”

– Idontdanceforfun

Art Imitating Life, Or…

“A girl who was sitting next to me on a plane. She was drawing, and I watched three of the flight attendants comment on how beautiful the drawing was, so I made a joke about the odds of another person walking by and saying the same thing.”

“We chatted for a while, and we happened to be flying to the same city (no connecting flights or anything); it turned out we both lived there but in opposite parts. As we were getting off the plane, I asked if she would want to show me around the city sometime, and to my surprise, she said yes! We hung out probably about a dozen times, and had sex every time. We did not do it on the plane, though.”

– RicardoVonCoucho

Do Not Recommend

“Someone who I absolutely used to hate as a teen. A few years back, when I was 26, I had sex with her after a party she attended (mutual friends thing) after not seeing her since high school.”

“The next day we hung out for a bit, and I was reminded why I couldn’t stand her.”

– RipAgile1088

Happily Ever After

“At my 50th high school reunion, I re-met our Homecoming Queen. We hadn’t been close in high school (she was way out of my league), but got along great 50 years later. We’re now in a long-distance relationship, travel together, and visit back and forth. We’re a couple of 70-year-old rabbits…”

– thirtyfivesteps

“I was at a wedding a few years ago for an elderly couple, in their 80s. They had grown up together, actually dated in high school, and then he joined the army, and she got married.”

“They randomly ran into each other after both their spouses had passed away, in their 80s. Turns out, they had always thought of the other as “the one that got away,’ and they got a second chance.”

– Jeddak_of_Thark

Unexpected Turn Of Events

“A coworker I never liked. We were forced to work together once. Turns out she is really nice to work with and talk to. One thing led to another, and now we’ve been together for 13 years now.”

– CJLogix

Most of these stories were pretty surprising, either in how they happened or in how quickly a situation escalated. It was adorable to see how many of these accidental encounters turned into something more, from meaningful marriages to long-time marriages.

U.S. Open Is Going Viral for the Wrong Reasons on Monday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The 2025 U.S. Open is here, and while fans are eager for another thrilling major, all eyes are on the wrong thing, Oakmont’s rough. With golf’s toughest test teeing off this Thursday, the drama has already begun, not on the leaderboard, but in the grass. Literally.

Advertisement

Oakmont Country Club, known for its brutal layout, is under fire for the insanely thick rough that’s already causing chaos during practice rounds.

Dubbed “Soakmont” online due to recent rain, the course is drenched and growing into a nightmare. Players say it’s nearly impossible to escape if you miss the fairway. Videos are going viral, showing just how unforgiving the rough is.

PGA Tour pro Ben Griffin, who’s having a breakout year with two wins and seven top-10 finishes, gave fans a jaw-dropping preview.

In a video posted on social media, he dropped a ball into the rough, and it completely vanished. It’s clear that the rough isn’t just thick but it’s wild.

Bryson DeChambeau also chimed in, saying even he was shocked by how hard it was to escape.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, Korn Ferry Tour player James Nicholas attempted a hack-out with a 60-degree wedge, showing how even short shots are nearly impossible.

With this kind of setup, fans and players alike are debating whether Oakmont has gone too far. While the U.S. Open is known for being challenging, many are questioning if this year’s test is borderline unfair.

Still, it’s the third major of the season and if the course behaves, it could be epic. But for now, it’s the rough, not the play, making headlines.

Related: Stunned Bryson DeChambeau Sends Message on Phil Mickelson’s Viral Moment

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.

Wayne Gretzky’s goodwill tour continues as “the Great One” looks to get back into the good graces of his home country of Canada.

In an amazingly heartwarming gesture put together by social media influencer Zachery Dereniowski, aka @mdmotivator, who does simple either-or gestures that end with sweet moments for those chosen, along with Gretzky and his oldest son Ty, the trio sold two tickets to the NHL Stanley Cup Finals to join the Gretzkys in their luxury box for only $1 to a pair of diehard Edmonton Oilers fans that were shopping at a local grocery store.

RELATED: Paulina Gretzky betrays dad Wayne’s Oilers rocking Panthers hat in workout fit

Gretzky’s NHL GOAT career happened in Edmonton, where he won four Stanley Cups and the NHL MVP a staggering eight years in a row, so for two fans to be invited to his personal box for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals would be a dream come true for anyone. But for these two, you could tell it was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

“Thank you @tygretzky and @waynegretzky for making this dream come true for Davin and Eric. Be kind and love always ,” wrote Dereniowski, who’s tagline for his page is, “Kindness is Cool.”

RELATED: Connor McDavid’s wife flaunts bachelorette bikini missing Oilers’ Stanley Cup Finals

And what a game to attend as the Oilers came back against the Florida Panthers in dramatic fashion to win in overtime.

Take a couple of minutes out of your day to watch it in full. You’ll be glad you did.

The Oilers are tied with the Panthers 1-1 as the series moves to Fort Lauderdale tonight for Game 3.

Gretzky’s oldest and most famous child, Paulina, also shared the video. Don’t hold it against her she’s a Panthers fan.

— Enjoy free dish of rich and fabulous players with The Athlete Lifestyle on SI —

Totes adorbs: Hailee Steinfeld drops first official photo from Josh Allen wedding

Speaking of adorbs: Josh Allen gives rare comment on Steinfeld’s wedding post

No way!: 6-foot-4 Cameron Brink towers over WNBA star Paige Bueckers meeting

Secret wedding?: Aaron Rodgers’ first official Steelers photo sparks marriage rumors

New sweet digs: Aaron Rodgers buys insane Pittsburgh mansion with unreal amenities

This article is part of our Finding Fútbol series, a special feature produced by The Athletic to chronicle how the U.S.’s Hispanic communities celebrate and enrich the beautiful game.

Cecilio Waterman isn’t tired of any of it. It has been three months since that moment when a friend’s joke changed his life. Everyone laughs, but like all the best jokes, it’s funny because there’s some truth behind it.

Before Waterman scored a dramatic, stoppage-time winner for Panama against the U.S. men’s national team, then jumped over the advertising boards, climbed onto a TV network’s stage and celebrated with his idol, he was not exactly a household name. He got buzz, he got attention, but Waterman insists it was never about going viral or anything to do with social media, though his profiles got a boost.

“I didn’t do it for marketing. It simply came to me in the moment,” Waterman said this month.

As part of the pre-Nations League media day, he’d been asked who his idol was growing up and selected Thierry Henry, not knowing the Arsenal legend would be watching Panama’s Concacaf Nations League semifinal against the U.S. pitch-side as part of CBS Sports’ coverage.

“He was there, and it came out of my heart to go hug and celebrate with him. It was totally natural,” Waterman told The Athletic.

Now that he’s known in Panama and beyond, everyone jibes. Things seem to be going a little more smoothly.

Cecilio Waterman’s goal defeated the United States and sparked an impromptu meeting with Thierry Henry. (Robin Alam / ISI Photos / Getty Images)

“When I got here with the national team, they were all reminding me of that moment, and it was just a great moment with how everything went down,” Waterman said. “I got back to my club (Chilean side Coquimbo Unido), I became a starter again, I started scoring — everyone joked it was because of Henry. It was a really beautiful moment for me.”

It wasn’t just Waterman shouting in the stadium. With a population of around 4.5 million, Panama is the smallest country in Central America, aside from Belize. Unlike other countries in the region, there haven’t been huge waves of immigration to the U.S., either. Yet, a small but mighty group of Panama supporters who live in the U.S. were at the Nations League semifinal in SoFi Stadium.

Victor Chancay, who lives in San Diego, travels around the country to support Panama in tournaments like the Nations League and Gold Cup. His group tries to get seats in the end zone to make its support felt more strongly.

As he remembers watching the Waterman goal, he says he felt like the buildup to the moment — Janpol Morales’ winning the ball back, Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla playing Waterman in — happened in slow motion.

“Us Panamanians just had an enormous shout, a huge cheer,” he said. “This goal was very, very important for Panama, and we celebrated it in a way where … you just don’t have the slightest idea how we celebrated that goal and the passage to the final.”

Like many TV viewers and the crew on the desk themselves, Chancay was confused at first when he paused his celebration to see Waterman in the face of the Arsenal legend.

“I saw him shouting, and Titi was like, ‘Damn, is this guy crazy?’” he recalls. “I said, ‘Wow, they’re going after Titi for something,’ but after, on TV, I saw he was shouting, ‘You’re my idol, you’re my idol.’ From afar, I couldn’t hear because all us Panamanians were cheering.”

Panama made its only World Cup appearance in 2018 in Russia, where Felipe Baloy celebrated after scoring the team’s first goal. (VI Images via Getty Images)

Waterman can understand the confusion, even from his countrymen. But he insists the moment was distinctly Panama, a moment when he couldn’t contain his joy and expressed it unreservedly.

“It comes from our childhood. It’s something cultural: having joy, having good energy, enjoying the moment,” Waterman said. “Sometimes when we talk, you think we’re shouting, but that’s just how we are — we’re happy. In the national team, we laugh a ton. It’s a very loving country.”

Though Waterman is happy to relive those moments, he also knows it’s time to turn the page. Like most of the current Panama group, the journeyman attacker wasn’t part of Panama’s first trip to the World Cup in 2018. At age 34, the 2026 tournament in the U.S. is undoubtedly his best chance to play in a World Cup.

Even as Los Canaleros made the Nations League final in March and the 2023 Gold Cup final, Panama manager Thomas Christiansen and his players have remained consistent: A continental trophy would be a remarkable achievement, but their focus is fixed on a return to the World Cup. That’s why clinching a place in the third and final round of qualification this week was so important for Waterman.

After that, he’ll also be working to make sure he has a place in the squad. After his goal in the semifinal, Waterman earned a start in the final against Mexico. But competition among him, semifinal starter José Fajardo and other attackers remains stiff as Christiansen works to find a consistent scorer.

“My goal is to push Panama as a group to the World Cup, do things well. In Chile, after the moment with Henry, I started to be a starter with the club. The manager there gave me confidence, I started scoring, and we’re in this good moment,” Waterman said. “Wherever you are, when you come to the national team, it’s a good time.

“When I scored that goal against the United States, I started on the bench. When you come to the national team, you’re open to supporting the team in whatever role as a good teammate so the country of Panama wins.”

Panama reached the final of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)

In a small country like Panama, everyone needs to be pulling in the same direction. Chancay says when Panamanian TV stations show him and his group tailgating in the parking lot before matches, he’ll hear from friends in Central America. “There are Panamians there!” Chancay imagines the TV networks are saying the same thing.

Unlike many larger countries, many of those Panamanian reporters transmitting the images are happy to be seen wearing the national team’s jersey. In a country with such a relatively small population, viewers would find it strange if they weren’t supporting the national team. In a sense, aren’t we all rooting for Panama?

Waterman became a national hero in March, but he goes into this summer’s Gold Cup and fall’s World Cup qualification carrying the hopes and expectations of this country. Who else is going to score the goals but the guy who did it before — and received the blessing of a god of the game, to boot?

His friends continue to laugh about the moment, his teammates joking about Henry’s luck rubbing off on him during this stretch. Still, he’ll have the last laugh. He knows exactly what he’s going to do with the No. 14 Arsenal shirt Henry presented to him after the semifinal victory.

“I’m going to hang it and put it in the living room of my house,” Waterman said. “I have several shirts, but when it’s one you’ve wanted since you were a kid? I’ve got a lot of shirts from friends, but that’s the top, top.”

Now, with a smile, Waterman sets out to create another joyful moment his countrymen will remember forever – and he’ll never get tired of talking about.

(Top photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images)

The Finding Fútbol series is sponsored by Modelo. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Sponsors have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.