Ever met someone and just knew he’s the one? Ever had that magical moment where you thought to yourself “Ah! He’s all I ever prayed for”?
My name’s Dan and after the failure of my third relationship, I stopped believing in happy-ever-afters. No matter the effort or the compromise, it just didn’t work. However, with a little bit of faith and desire for love left in me, I persisted.
Being a foreigner here in Malaysia limited my options. Communication was hard because I don’t speak Mandarin or Malay. The same can be said for the people on gay apps. Thankfully, it wasn’t a dead end.
One day, I came across a profile that had “I’m broken” written as its description. I checked it out. I thought “he looks cute, has a great body…and an overall charming aura.” All I could think to myself at the time was “what could possibly be your damage?” I made the move to get to know him, and found out his name’s Edward.
Simultaneously, I was also talking to two other guys, but that soon tired me out. The conversation just went dry. As for Edward, he was different. He reached out, and asked me how I was. I felt so touched! For the first time, someone asked how I was, with me being in a foreign country.
Edward and I made plans to meet each other, and we both agreed on Artbox at around 4 pm. I was so excited, I went 15 minutes early. On the way there, I shot him a reminder text, and that’s when I found out he’d forgotten. Upon arrival, I decided to go in, hoping that he would show up. He came four hours late with a huge apologetic smile on his face.
I’m usually not the type of person who waits patiently, but there was just something different about that day. Something kept me calm. The night wasn’t ruined at all, and I still had the best of time. It was not until we had to bid farewell that I realized my patience and calmness was due to the fact that I really like this guy. I couldn’t wait to see him again!
We shared different cultural backgrounds. Him being the first child of the family, and us being of different nationalities. He and I weren’t always on the same page. Sometimes that could lead to petty arguments, but of course, that didn’t force me into giving up. I won’t because I know that he’s all I ever prayed for. He never judges me for any of my childish antics, and his patience for them is unconditional.
After nine months of courting, Edward and I are now officially a couple and I couldn’t be happier. So never give up on love. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t. If I had given up, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
— Dan