Johnathan Wenske on meeting his husband, Rihanna, wearing briefs and an airplane kiki

Johnathan Wenske was working at Progress Bar and when he got off work one day, he went to Hydrate Nightclub with some coworkers. He was standing near the front restrooms when Gabe Espinosa Martinez came over and asked if Wenske was waiting for the restroom.

Well, that's how it played out.

"It was totally an excuse to talk to me, but, behold, it worked," Wenske said, laughing.

That late-night meeting led to their first-date, when they rented a car and went to Six Flags Great America in north suburban Gurnee.

"When we got to the car rental place, he let me upgrade to a Dodge Challenger, a car that I had been wanting to live my butch fantasy in since high school," Wenske said. "Then, at the park, he splurged and got us the platinum flash pass, so we didn't have to wait in lines and got to ride some of the good rides twice. It was honestly so great and still one of my favorite days."

On March 3, 2018, they took the ultimate thrill-ride: they got married on the rooftop Wenske's old apartment in Pilsen. "We just had close friends come," he said. "The sun was shining, and the Chicago skyline was in the background; it was adorable."

So, how is married life?

"It's no different from being in a serious relationship except that there's this constant reassurance that he can't leave me," Wenske said, smiling. "In all seriousness, we made the commitment to one another and it truly took our dynamic to a higher, stronger level. I love doing everything with him, and at the same time doing absolutely nothing with him. Gabe and I can either be found stuffing our face on the couch for days or raging hard at some parties. He's my partner in crime, in bed, and at the grocery store finding the best bargain possible."

Wenske, originally from Austin, Texas, works for United Airlines as a user experience designer.

"I graduated (college) with a degree in communication design, with a focus in advertising, but my senior year of college I began to teach myself HTML and CSS so I could design for digital platforms," he said. "(My work now) involves field and ethnographic research to leverage insights for our internal facing products at United. From there, drawing insights to strategize, sketch, wireframe and prototype design solutions. I work closely with our development team to produce a product that is intuitive, appealing, and functions properly.

"(Basically), I design products that work so that the users don't have to think when they use it."

Wenske said the best part of his job is the simple user research. "I love talking and working with our users because I learn something new every time," he said. "I appreciate what they do in their jobs and I want to create a product for them to do their job more effectively."

Flying High With ...Johnathan Wenske

Best Chicago Bar: Sidetrack – "It's huge, plays all the songs that I've been queening out to for years, has my favorite and cutest bartender (Klider), and has the outdoor patio. (My) second favorite (bar) is Progress because I love the people there and the music is always good for a turn up."

Now Serving: "As of January, I stopped drinking except for dinner or special events. But my drink of choice was either a Don Julio & pineapple or an Absolute Acai and water."

Favorite Chicago Restaurant: Crisp – "I love, love, love the Korean fried chicken as well as their bowls. Anyone who visits Chicago, I take there for a yummy time."

Favorite Holiday: Christmas

One Celebrity You'd Like To Meet: Rihanna

Dream Vacation Destination: The Maldives

Listening To At The Gym: "Either pop, house or some circuit mix."

Ingredients On Pizza: "Meat, meat and meat."

(Complete this sentence): I'm Better Than Most ... "at making horrible first impressions."

Boxers or Briefs: "Briefs because of how they complement the best parts of a male's figure."

Superstitions: "Walking with someone and splitting the pole, where they walk on one side and I go on the other. I have no idea why, but every time someone and I split the pole, I panic a little. Sometimes I put my hand on the other side of the pole as the other person passes so I feel like I went on the other side with them. (Also), if my ear is ringing, then someone is speaking ill of me somewhere. The solution for this superstition is to bite down on my tongue so that the person speaking about me bites their tongue."

Favorite Work-related Story: "Being upgraded to first-class on a research work trip to Cancun and having a full-on Kiki with the flight attendant."

After Work: "You can find me at the gym and then at home with my husband, cat and dog, watching some ridiculous reruns of Family Guy, Kitchen Nightmares, or Real Housewives of Atlanta."

About Chicago: "I never have a moment where I don't think the city is so alive, beautiful. I moved here for the city and I'm happy that I can work downtown and enjoy the architecture daily."

Worst Part of Living In Chicago: "To me, (it) is not the winter, but (rather), commuting on the train during the winter when I'm all bundled up and toasty outside but then sweating and smushed up against someone with coffee and cigarette-breath who's also dripping sweat on my arm that's barely able to reach one of the poles."

Career Goal: "I'd like to eventually manage a small team somewhere. I never really saw myself as management material, but my boss now has been a good mentor and I could see myself doing what he does one day."

Dream Job: "The dream would be to not need a job."

It's A Fact: "People would be surprised and slightly creeped out (to know) that, when I was younger, I collected Christmas nutcrackers. When I moved out of my parent's house, I brought them all with me, so I have this giant container that hasn't been opened in five years with all these nutcrackers in it. One of them is like two and a half feet tall."