10/10/2026
Flowing up on my previous post in more detail, Victoria & Russell’s story began on the 27th July 2019 in The Crescent Bar in Finnieston.
V. I was on a date with an ex-boyfriend that had asked me to meet with him to see if we could give it another go. Russell came into the bar with a group of friends, two of whom Ross & Johnny, I knew from work
R. I remember thinking she was a bit of me! We'd had a few sherbets and every time he went to the bar or the toilet I was over chatting and having flirty banter. She had made quite an impression.
V. Ross & Jonny came over to say hi, and our seats were at the window, right beside the bar, so it was rather handy for them to keep turning around to talk to us, especially when my ex was at the bar. They all found this hilarious as he was starting to get annoyed, especially when they were clearly stalling him at the bar by talking to him while Russell was talking to me. He was saying to me things like “what are you doing with him?, surely you’re not with him, he is well punching!”. Let’s just say I was trying to look beyond looks and height at this time as my experience with good looking men wasn’t great at all.
V. A while later I got a call from the sitter and had to leave because my daughter Rachel wasn’t feeling well and wanted to come home. I didn’t get out very often, and struggled with childcare, so I felt really sad that I had to leave, especially when I was having a fun night. Just as we were leaving , the boys left too, and I remember looking at him walking up the road and thinking ‘why do I never meet someone like Russell that I actually fancy?’
R. We then bumped into one another again a few months later in The Brasserie. I was out with another friend who knew her, and I remember thinking I could end up in trouble, as I was still married at the time, so I kept my distance.
V. I remember seeing him standing in the background, but he didn’t speak to me.
R. 2 years later, I was now single, and while away for a few nights with the boys, talk turned to who they could set me up with. Victoria was the first person I mentioned, so Johnny was tasked with finding out if she was single, when he went back into work on Monday.
V. Johnny starts asking me if I remembered Russell from a couple of years earlier. It took a while for the penny to drop, until he said, ‘you know, my good looking friend?’ I still had a blank look, until he said it’s the only good looking friend that he had! I said, “but he is married!” Johnny said not any more.... I remember having this excited feeling and I kept thinking about him.
R. A couple of weeks later with a bit of Dutch courage, I sent her a message through Facebook..... and got no reply!
V. I thought ‘does he think I am some kind of b***y call messaging me at this time, and expecting me to jump?’, so I ignored it until the following Thursday when the usual conversation in the office came up about weekend plans.. Just I was in the middle of answering, Johnny walked through the door and one of the girls said to him “you must know someone to set Victoria up with“, and he said, “I’m already on it.” I then had to explain that I’d ignored his message and still hadn’t responded. To make it worse Johnny told me that Russell’s not like that, if anything he’s had a few drinks to give him the courage to message you. I was to get on the phone right there & then which I did, and Russell messaged back within the hour.
R. This time I invited her for a coffee, she replied that she'd prefer a glass of w**e! After consulting with Ross (the unlikeliest gi**lo) on where to go, we met for dinner at Rioja in Finnieston
V. He’d been visiting his cousin in Frankfurt the weekend before, which happened to be gay pride and I did get some pictures and drunken texts, which made me think, what the hell am I getting myself into??
R. I arrived early and waited at the bar for Vic to arrive. She did not disappoint! Her entrance was like a scene from a movie! The door opened and in walked this vision, it was as if fans had been set up to blow her hair as she strutted, catwalk-like towards me. I was bricking myself, as I picked my jaw up off of the floor
V. I felt amazing, excited and just so happy to see him again, only this time it was different we were free to talk to each other, and it just felt right.
R. Straight away we hit it off, we talked so much we hardly had anything to eat. We then moved on and had a few more drinks, before I dropped her off in a taxi. Numerous dates followed, before I met Rachel just before Vic and her went away on holiday. They both said it was like I was on that holiday too, the amount of time we were on the phone.
V. At the end of August, Russell was going on holiday with his friends to America and a few hours before his flight he took me for lunch. I remember sitting in Kember & Jones thinking that I love him.
R. We then had a weekend away in September and that's when I realised she was the one for me
V. Covid hit in March, along with lockdown. Rachel and I moved in with Russell as he had a dog and a garden and it made more sense to stay there. I never moved out again and it’s been a blast ever since. Every bump along the way & every challenge made us stronger. We had each other’s backs, and this was the first time that I’d ever experienced such feelings
R. We were like the 3 amigos; Rachel and I struck up a great relationship and I tried my best to be a responsible parent. I was her go-to when she needed dropped off, or picked up, or taken for food, or went into get her a wee bevvy when she was going out with friends. We had great holidays and always had a laugh and slagged each other to death. Things were just perfect!
These two are just perfect together and their day was so chilled and relaxed! Congratulations Mr & Mrs Laing ❤️
