->''Love led us here''
->''Right back to where we belong''
->''We followed a star and here we are''
->''Now Heaven seems so near''
->''Love led us here''
-->-- ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'', "Love Led Us Here"

A trope most common in the RomanticComedy genre. AliceAndBob, by complete random coincidence, keep ending up in the same places at the same time, usually while pursuing a mutually shared objective. The basic chain of coincidence goes as follows-

* Meeting the First: I find you very annoying, yet also charming in a vaguely erotic way. Oh well, not like I'm ever going to see you again.
* Meeting the Second: OK, seriously? Are you stalking me? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. [[RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear Perfectly logical explanation you describe]]? OK, let's just chalk this up to weird coincidence.
* [[RuleOfThree Meeting the Third]]: According to the book of tropology, we are now legally obliged to make out.

In narrative, this is a specific variant of MeetCute. It differs from the standard largely in that characters who meet via this method will feel compelled to give each other a chance, even though in other circumstances they probably would not consider it. Often uses a DoubleSubversion in that the third time they seem to meet, it will actually turn out to be a different guy- and then Bob strolls into the shot a few seconds afterward.

Note that while this trope is most commonly used for the sake of romance, it can also be invoked to set up the meeting of a band of TrueCompanions, particularly characters who may not have much in common otherwise.

Related to the RedStringOfFate. See also YouAllShareMyStory, ForgottenFirstMeeting, and WeGottaStopMeetingLikeThis. Compare IntroductionByHookup, where they have a brief fling ''before'' meeting again.

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'': Ichikawa and Yamada most frequently share the library, but aside from that they keep ending up at the same places by sheer coincidence. A magazine shop, on the way to school or from school, at the school infirmary when they're ''both'' ill, outside of a snack shop, and at a restaurant. In the last case, he even admonishes himself for thinking of a classmate seeing him there with his sister, because it will come true. And that's the exact moment Yamada sees Ichikawa, walking past him with her friends. He and his mom even end up going after Yamada and her mom during parent-teacher conferences.
* The epilogue of ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'' has [[spoiler:the modern-day descendants of most of the cast playing very similar roles to their ancestors, but without demons interfering with their lives.]]
* ''Manga/RecoveryOfAnMMOJunkie'' And how! Moriko and Sakurai hit it off while [[CrossPlayer cross playing]] as Hayashi and Lily in the MMO ''Fruits de Mer.'' They live a few blocks away from each other without knowing it and are regular customers at the same convenience store. Sakurai and Moriko have their first real-life conversation after a CrashIntoHello occurs when Sakurai is running to work late because he was up all night playing ''Fruits de Mer'' with Hayashi, while Moriko is on her way to buy cough medicine having gotten sick from not getting any sleep. Moriko and Sakurai have a shared acquaintance in Koiwai, which Moriko also didn't know about because she had only spoken to him on the phone, and he helps [[ShipperOnDeck move things forward]] between the two of them. Finally, it's revealed that [[spoiler: Sakurai and Moriko actually met years ago, since they were best friends in an MMO that shut down years prior to the start of the series.]]
** A non-romantic example also occurs, as it turns out that the guild leader Kanbe [[spoiler: is actually the cashier at the convenience store]].
* A decidedly unfunny, sinister example occurs in ''Manga/TheSecretAgreement''. Yuuichi's uncle explains that the reason Iori has such an intense connection to Yuuichi that keeps driving them together is not that he loves him but because Yuuichi is built to steal Iori's life energy and Iori exists only to be consumed.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In one ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' story, "A Date With Fate", Archie and Betty were supposed to go out on a date, but mutually agreed to cancel it because "absence makes the heart grow fonder". They both separately decide to spend their time in the mall and ran into each other on three separate occasions. Finally, they decide to put their cancelled date back on.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]
* In ''Fanfic/AnOddLittleFamily'', it's after Luz and Camilla meet Eda and eventually create a family unit do they find out that Camilla and Eda had already met, having had the one-night stand that led to Luz's conception.
* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': Japan basically told Italy they were destined to meet after they discussed their shared dream.
-->"...In fact, I'm glad that child is you; that means we have met before, even if we didn't know it. And..." Red tinted his cheeks. "...us seeing each other means we must have had a shared dream; fate has great plans for us." He blushed. "Sore wa watashitachi no unmeidesu."
-->The European quirked a brow. "Unmei? As in destiny?"
* The ''Film/StarTrek2009'' fanfic ''Fanfic/WrittenInTheStars'' has this as a premise; no matter what universe, [[LoveTranscendsSpaceTime Fem!Kirk and Spock will meet and fall in love somehow]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/TheBackUpPlan'' uses this trope. It was in the [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil trailer]].
* The first half of ''Film/WhenHarryMetSally''. Comes off as more plausible than most because Harry and Sally meet each other randomly twice over the course of several years rather than several days.
* Lalita and Darcy keep running into each other in ''Film/BrideAndPrejudice''.
* In ''Film/TheAdjustmentBureau'', fate literally exists in the form of a "plan" handed down by the PowersThatBe for the titular CelestialBureaucracy to carry out, and previous drafts of this plan are what keep driving David and Elise together.
* ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'': Troy and Gabriella. They meet at a ski lodge in Colorado, where a stranger literally picks them out of a crowd and forces them to sing together. They're totally smitten but think they'll never see each other again. Then voilà! Gabriella's transferred straight into Troy's form class in Albuquerque.
* ''Film/JasonsLyric'': When Jason encounters [[LoveInterest Lyric]] for the second time, he convinces her that they're meant to be this.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Common (along with every other type of ContrivedCoincidence) in the romantic comedies of Creator/PGWodehouse; ''[[Literature/BlandingsCastle Something Fresh]]'' and ''[[Literature/{{Psmith}} Leave It to Psmith]]'' are two good examples.
* In ''Literature/{{Overenskommelser}}'' by ''Creator/SimonaAhrnstedt'', Beatrice and Seth keep bumping into each other. But they don't get the chance to actually say what they ''feel'' for each other before Hell breaks loose...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* In one episode of ''Series/ThirtyRock'', Liz Lemon meets Wesley Snipes (no, not ''that'' Wesley Snipes. Seriously, is that name not so much more logical for a British guy to have?) at the dentist's office while she was under novocaine, and puts him in her cell phone as "future husband". After a disastrous first date, they go on a second when they meet by complete coincidence at a store buying tickets for Film/HotTubTimeMachine. This date goes even ''worse''. When they meet a third time at a taxi cab, all Wesley can stammer is "you...witch!", before catching up with Liz and suggesting maybe they're "settling soulmates" and proceeds to try and convince her every time they meet that they should get married, despite increasing evidence that they are not just ill-suited but ''hate'' each other.
* This is how Carrie meets Mr. Big in ''Series/SexAndTheCity''.
* There's an episode of ''Series/{{Friends}}'' where Phoebe comments on having run into this guy everywhere she goes, including the laundromat, coffee shop, and adult bookstore. She eventually decides to give him a chance after she reads her tea leaves and interprets them to mean she's about to meet a guy. He ends up being a total jerk, who makes inappropriate comments about her breasts over dinner.
* On ''Series/TheSecretCircle'', Adam and Cassie's relationship. Fate and destiny is a driving force of their relationship. It has been repeatedly stated throughout that Adam and Cassie are destined and fated to be together.
** The same was said for Cassie's mother Amelia and Adam's father Ethan.
* On ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'', Stefan unexpectedly meets Elena for the first time at a car accident scene and rescues her to safety. Elena unexpectedly meets Stefan for the first time after bumping into him outside of the men's washroom. Also, Stefan and Elena coincidentally end up bumping into each other at the cemetery, where Elena was alone writing in her journal. All of their first meetings have been seen as fateful, synchronistic, or coincidental.
* Subverted in an episode of ''Series/MysteriousWays''. Peggy keeps running into an engaged man who asked for a sign that he was marrying the right woman right before he saved Peggy's life. He thinks it's fate; she disagrees. Eventually they figure out that the man's fiancee was also in all those places, but Peggy kept getting in the way. When Peggy wonders why she was even there, Miranda points out that maybe she needed to realize there might be another soul mate out there for her, too.
* ''Series/NoahsArc'': How Noah and Wade happen to run into each other in the bar (as well as other times).
* Lampshaded in ''Series/WinterBegonia'' by Cheng Fengtai, when he starts seemingly running into Shang Xirui everywhere.
** Also, when Shang Xirui remarks that if it weren't for his performances, he and Cheng Fengtai wouldn't have met, Cheng Fengtai assures him that their meeting was fated, and even if Shang Xirui hadn't become a performer he's absolutely sure they still would have met and become friends.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful'' has the Entwined Destiny merit, which indicates that your fate is in some way connected to another person and that circumstances will conspire to put you in a position to fulfill this destined role. This will not necessarily be romantic, however: you might equally be destined to be someone's guardian, teacher, student, or even arch-enemy.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* In ''VisualNovel/HalloweenOtome'' with Emma and [[spoiler: Mr. Bandages]] during their day off. In addition, both seem mildly annoyed by the other's presence.
* ''VisualNovel/IkemenSengoku'':
** In Yukimura's route, after he and the female main character have run into each other multiple times, he thinks to himself that it must be fate that they've met this many times but is too embarrassed to tell the MC this. [[spoiler:Subverted when he learns that she's working for his enemies and realizes that her just happening to pop up in the same places as him wasn't fate but her accompanying his enemies who were scouting out his allies' locations.]]
** In Shingen's route, when he meets the MC for the third time, he says to her, "We've met three times now. Whim, inevitability, and finally fate. Are you anticipating our fourth meeting as much as I am? When it happens, I'll make you mine."
* Invoked right in the beginning by the protagonist of ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}'', when he says that his tortured relationship with Bethany led to his meeting his dream girl.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Joked about in [[http://wondermark.com/314/ this]] ''Webcomic/{{Wondermark}}'' strip.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' uses this in a future episode dated in the far-off year of [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 2008]]. College-age Lisa is constantly being inconvenienced by a rude British student, first at the drinking fountain, then a vending machine, then when it turns out he's checked out the same library reserve book that she needs. [[ForegoneConclusion Naturally, they make out]]. The librarian [[LampshadeHanging questions the logic of this]], since they spent most of the day hating each other. The janitor points out that of course she doesn't understand love, she's a robot. The librarian then explodes when she [[NoWaterproofingInTheFuture cries]] in response.
[[/folder]]

----