Countless friends have asked exactly how Mark & I met, how we fell for each other, when did we fall for each other, how we got together… Etc.
Well, here it is! Don’t worry, its not going to be as long as How I Met Your Mother.
….Still kind of long though. You might want to bring the popcorn over.
It was in February 2009, my friend Daron invited me to have a Chinese New Year gathering at his place. Other than me, he also invited Fernando, Mark and Shaun.
Yes, I still had my bangs.
No, I still don’t know what possessed me to cut those bangs.
And no, I still don’t know what further possessed me to keep them for so long.
But they’re off now! *grin*
So since then, he somehow got my e-mail and we would occasionally chat on MSN.
And since he got into NS, he would call me every now & then just to kill time. We’d chat for hours on end until he had to go off because it was lights out.
I distinctly recall, two occasions.
One, I was leaving school… Really tired out & exhausted from debates. Then he called & I started ranting non-stop already.
Okay, I see the paradox here… As much as I was tired out by debates (which required a lot of talking), I somehow still had loads of energy to go ranting (which also required a lot of talking).
Two, I was leaving school again. This time I was leaving a camp, which I thoroughly didn’t enjoy & I fell ill. On the first day too. I just got off the phone with my then-boyfriend, then Mark called & I complained. Again.
Ah yes, the then-boyfriend. Y’see, towards the end of September 2009, I was attached to someone else. I was madly in love and Mark & I were the most platonic of friends.
Why?
I was unavailable, he wasn’t interested in girls.
Okay, I realise how this sounds. No, he wasn’t gay! Albeit I like to tease him on that… 😛 He was just one of them gamers who spent all their time & money on computer games. He just saw having a girlfriend as a hindrance.
Throughout 2009, we met on a very irregular basis. Haha! It was always with the group. Trust me, Mark was one of the boys I never ever thought I’d end up dating.
He was even enlisted in “My Most Platonic Boy Friends” category. …Well, he would be if that category existed.
In December 2009, he was holding a Christmas party. However I was unable to attend. To make up for it, I said I’d help him bake his Christmas cookies on Christmas day!
So we went ingredients shopping together & bought Subway back to his place. He wasn’t very sure that he chose the right help, since I did steam cookie dough before. It was like cake…
I have a perfectly logical explanation for this! My oven died on me just when I finished baking the trial batch! So the only other alternative, was the rice cooker… Which could steam things as well.
Rather innovative, I’d say! 🙂
…And very disgusting. I threw it away.
Under the watchful eye of Mark, we managed to come up with pretty decent cookies! He likes his cookies crunchy, I like mine chewy.
Believe it or not, our cookies were both crunchy & chewy! I don’t know how we managed that, but it turned out that way.
However halfway through, while we were just getting the hang of the baking… I realised I was very late for a Christmas date with my then-boyfriend. *guilty pangs*
So I left him in the lurch… Alone, baking in the kitchen. I felt so bad that after my date, I called to ask if he needed anymore help.
After that, we returned to our usual thing of just chatting on the phone & MSN. While I continued being in a relationship with my then-boyfriend.
Then in May 2010, practically half a year later – he asked me to accompany him to a friend’s birthday party.
And because I didn’t really enjoy it… He had to leave early for me. So he sent me home in the taxi, then he went home as well.
I felt so bad. 😦 Because of me, he didn’t get to stay & enjoy himself.
In June 2010, I temporarily adopted a dog while his owner was out for town for a week. That day, we wanted to go out with our friend, Daron. However, I also had to send the dog back.
After I sent the dog back, I brought the cage along… Which was a bad thing, because it stunk up Mark’s car really badly.
Then he drove me around to put the cage away in the house again.
By then, his car was already reeking badly.
Then came August 2010, he wanted to meet me for lunch after my pop piano lesson. So we went for lunch & as promised, he’d drive me to see my good friend, Ker’s performance in Resort World Sentosa.
We got there, but a little too late.
Show was over.
Point is, Mark’s total car expenditure was unusually high that day. First, driving around Orchard for lunch & parking. Then driving into Sentosa, paying admission fee. Parking in Sentosa, parking fee. Then we drove around some more… You get the picture.
In September 2010, something really nasty happened to me. I actually had warnings from people to BEWARE when I log into Facebook.
And true enough, I needed those warnings…Because I was greeted by something very unpleasant.
The most unpleasant of it all? I was powerless & couldn’t retaliate. Basically, I broke up with my then-boyfriend about 2 months back. And I received something ugly, when I was still emotional over everything.
I know. What a loser I was. 2 months and I was still missing him.
Anyways, I ululated. Literally.
I called Mark. Not because I wanted him to console me, because I usually do that D.I.Y-style. I wanted to ask if he saw any of this coming since my then-boyfriend also knows him.
I tried very hard to sound like I was okay, but I couldn’t. One, it was Mark who I spent hours on the phone with before – he knows how I sound like when I’m happy. Two, September is always an emotional time for me… So it really got to me.
After a while, Mark showed up at my house. He stayed with me around the void deck while I told him what had happened and he even brought alcohol & chocolates for me. We talked and shockingly I didn’t cry anymore… I was so sick of crying for someone who hurt me over & over again. I guess when I saw what was on Facebook, my dam broke loose and all the tears just came out.
Then, to make things better for me… He drove me to supper. In his car, I found a bigger bottle of alcohol & more chocolates. Haha!
Since then, we were chatting on the phone at least thrice a week.
I guess he didn’t mind all the inconveniences I brought into his life… He asked me out again in October 2010. We went for some shopping & a movie. I even helped him choose the top he was wearing in the picture below! *proud*
After our day out, I was meeting my BFF Lily for dinner. He offered to drive me there, but in the end… We both got a little lost; drove around for almost 2 hours. And Mark was so tired he wanted a cup of good coffee, but the place where he dropped me had no good coffee. Such a picky fella, tsk.
When November 2010 came, the army sent Mark to Australia for 2 weeks. And probably he knew how used I was to chatting with him on the phone, telling him how my day went…how I feel about things… He bought an international call card when he got there!!
Only to find that it was notoriously expensive & he had to walk a long way to the pay phone.
So instead, we used Skype! 🙂 I love Skype.
We webcammed practically every single day while he was in Australia, so much so his army buddies thought we were already a couple.
Look at one of the screenshots I have of him! 😛 I have more!! But I’m going to be selfish & not share, because they’re for my eyes only. 😉
Within that same month, another personal thing happened to Mark. 😦
The bummed up thing was I was really tired out in school & projects… but despite it all, after school I rushed down to see him anyway.
I found myself in a part of Singapore which I have only passed by in taxis before. How brave I am! *grin!* All I knew was that the one who was always there for me, needed me this time; so I was determined to be there for him too. I even brought chocolates!!
When I found him, I saw the sad look on his face and really wanted to just hug him & tell him that everything was going to be okay. 🙂 But at that time, it was still only as a very good friend.
However, in that same night… Before I left, I gave him a half hug. I don’t know how come it was half… I guess because he & I never hugged before, so it was kind of awkward to give him a full hug. But when I did, I felt something flicker in my heart and I realised I was falling in love with one of my best friends.
Then came December 2010. I was already certain that I wanted to move on from my ex-boyfriend, I was sick of hoping that he was missing me too. Yes, it actually took me that long to accept that I had to move on. I realised it long long ago, but only then did I accept it.
I knew I was beginning to feel something for Mark, but I refused to acknowledge it. I didn’t want to ruin the friendship we had. I mean, if we got together… And what if we broke up? Then we’ll most probably lose the beautiful friendship too. 😦
In this month, I brought my dog for grooming. And while I was waiting for my pooch, Mark brought me out for a nice Japanese lunch! 🙂
And yes, this is the famous picture that many friends thought that it was announcing our relationship. No, it wasn’t.
When he sent me back to collect my dog, he offered a lift home. Little did I know that my dog would shed so much fur in his car…. I felt awful.
Within the same month, we met again for a movie! Then back to his place for another show.
However halfway through the show in his place, my mom called to get me to run an errand last minute. It was really annoying. When I turned it down, she went on ranting about how she has to work & how I should contribute & all that stuff. Lets not get into the family feud here.
Basically, I had to run down to meet some people for her and bring them to her friend’s office. Which was really stupid, her friend could’ve done it himself! Tsk.
So I had to leave him for a short while.
Being the nice guy he is, Mark drove me to the place to pick up the friends. He even waited around for me to finish hosting him & drove me back again to his house.
So December…
Soon, it was Christmas! And Mark & I were friends for practically 2 years.
Last Christmas, we were baking cookies in his house & I left halfway….
In 2010, I baked him cookies for his present instead! And this time I stayed all the way… Even had dessert!
So basically after everything… You’d think that we’d just be forever friends.
I mean look at this!
First, I left him halfway while he was baking Christmas cookies. So his cookies were first crunchy & chewy… After I left, they were just plain crunchy.
Second, he was ready for some partying at his NS buddy’s birthday party…but I screwed it up for him because I didn’t want to stick around.
Third, I stunk up his car with a dog’s cage & he even had to drive me around to drop the cage off.
Then, he had to drive me to see my friend’s performance…Which I never did make it, by the way. His cash card in his car was deducted by a good $50, I think.
Then, when I’m all emotional & hurt… He drove down from his place which isn’t exactly near my house, to come & comfort me.
It doesn’t stop there! When he had to fly to Australia, he spent on getting an international call card, walked a long distance to the pay phone just to call me; because I’m used to hearing his voice.
Then when he brought my dog & I back from the groomer’s, my dog shed fur in his car! Little bits of fur was flying around in the car!
When my mom came with a (fairly) unreasonable request, he stepped up & shared the burden with me; drove me down there & waited around for me to drive me back.
Am I troublesome or what? Roar.
Anyhow, came January 2011.
By that time, all my friends (literally, all) were saying that Mark was also in love with me. But I was too dense to see it. I continued saying, “We’re just really, really good friends.”
One fateful day, Mark came to pick me up from school.
He drove us to a nice & romantic spot. There we sat & started chatting up a storm as usual.
After a while, he held me really tightly & said there was something he wanted to ask.
There & then, it all clicked in my head – he was in love with me too.
You’d think that I’d be all happy, blushing and going, “Yes?”, with some puppy eyes.
No, I wasn’t. I was scared. I literally panicked. A thousand thoughts ran through my head….
What if we break up & lose this friendship?
What if we are great as friends, but sucky as lovers?
What about my past relationship? Will that affect us?
What if I’m making another mistake?
What if I get hurt again?
What if he isn’t even asking that question anyway?!?!
I was driving myself nuts in the head.
So I said idiotic things.
Just when I knew he was going to ask…
Me: Oh, I’m starving! Lets go for dinner!
Mark: No, not now okay?
Me: Oh, okay….. Oh no! Look! I think that man is drowning!!!
Mark: He’s fishing…..
Me: Well, sure looks like he’s drowning… From my angle.
Mark probably knew I was trying to escape, so he quickly popped the question.
For the first few seconds, I had no idea what to say.
Great job, after being pronounced as ‘bombster’ because I know how to answer just about any question during my presentations… I didn’t know how to answer the one question which I knew the answer to all along.
…Or at least for the last 2 months.
So I said “yes” and we kissed.
I realised that I am the luckiest girl to be in love with my (male) BFF.
That marks our anniversary! 21st January 2011.
And even after we’re officially a couple, we still do & say all those things we did when we were just good friends.
…Only this time, it comes along with loads of hugs & kisses.
I love you, honey. 😉
So that’s how our development went…
From mere acquaintances, to occasional phone-buddies, to occasional group-meeting friends, to great friends, to realising that we’ve gotten so close… We’ve fallen in love. All within approximately 2 years.
Gosh, this is a very long entry. Kudos to those who lasted till here!!
And kudos to those who already knew that he liked me since months back, because you were right! He said it was sometime between August to September that he realised that he was developing feelings for me.
Bah. I’m dense.
…but the most amazing guy I know is still in love with me. 😉
Gera Shen 