How Did Dave Franco & Alison Brie Meet?

I didn't know of the existence of Dave Franco until a few years ago, when I started seeing him pop up in some random shorts and, obviously, recognized his famous older brother. Who was this tiny man of my dreams? Naturally, my ill-fated celebrity crush began and intensified when he shared the screen with equally tiny hottie, Zac Efron in Neighbors. This dude was hot, funny, and down-to-earth, but was he single? Well, ladies, he is not and he has been dating Alison Brie for about three years! So, how did Dave Franco and Alison Brie meet? The couple has been pretty good at keeping things low-key.

(Update: On Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015, Alison Brie and Dave Franco's reps confirmed that they are engaged.)

As you can expect from a couple that most people had no clue about — myself included — they have been pretty secretive about their relationship. As far as my Internet sleuthing has taken me, neither of them have exclusively and openly spoken about each other, to the press at least. When Us Weekly published one of the first photos of them together while grocery shopping in May 2012, a source claimed that the couple had been seeing each other for "at least five or six months." Using my advanced math skills, I deduced that they starting hanging out around January 2012 or so, and this led to a couples trip to the supermarket which is how you know it's real.

In April 2012, Brie covered Elle Canada and gave a little insight into her private life. She said,

I’m single now, so dating has become an interesting monster. I have to be like "Let’s hang out — but could our first few dates be a bit more private?" ... I’ve just been looking for somebody I feel excited about. He better have a job and all of his teeth. Hair is optional. I like a little belly on a guy, but I’m okay if he’s fit... But, really, it’s all about the spark.

Since this interview was probably conducted a couple months prior to publication, meeting Dave Franco was probably JUST around the corner.

In April 2013, about a year after they began to date, the couple starred in the hilarious Funny or Die sketch "Dream Girl," which showed off their chemistry together even though most people probably had no clue they were dating. They played a couple that was totally in love and it was cute.

Now, here is where things for personal for me. In the summer of 2013, I went to see The Girls — a folk group that Alison Brie is in with fellow actresses Julianna Guill and Cyrina Fiallo — perform at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC. I was waiting outside with a friend who knew the band, and guess who was standing next to me? Dave Franco. I thought it was a totally random occurrence... until now!

Because all of these actors seem to be friends and in a tight-knit circle (Guill and Fiallo just appeared on their own Funny or Die video), I can assume that Franco and Brie met through mutual friends in the business. Perhaps it was one of their comedian friends? All I know is that when they met it probably went a little like this:

The couple probably just celebrated their three year anniversary, but as usual, they continue to remain under the radar. The Daily Mail published photos of Franco bringing flowers to a "mystery female" in January 2015, but many fans commented that the girl was definitely just a friend of his. Since last summer, there have not been many photos of Franco and Brie together, but Vogue did recently print a story on April 4, 2015 saying that Brie and Franco hosted a private dinner for jewelry designer Irene Neuwirth in her Melrose Place flagship store. So, I choose to believe that they are still together and happy and adorable and perfect.

Images: Giphy (4); Getty Images