When a mutual friend offered to bring the Emmy nominee, 44, to the opening night of his FutureSex/LoveSounds tour in San Diego on Jan. 8, 2007, the 45-year-old reflected, “I said, ‘I could be into that.'” He added, “Patience may not be my strong suit but, apparently, playing coy is.”

His long game in full effect, he offered Biel and her friends a ride back to L.A. on his tour bus. After spending the entire ride deep in conversation, he asked for her number.

However, he shared, “We didn’t date at first. For about two weeks, we talked on the phone because I was on tour.”

Even after they had that talk, both continued to play the field as “it took a bit for both of us to admit to ourselves that we were really, really into each other,” Timberlake revealed. Still, he felt they had something worth committing to.

Once his 121-show run ended that December, he detailed, “We spent a month together.” After that time, he said, “I really want to be exclusive.” And somehow, she replied, “So do I.”