“There she is again,
looking perfect as always,” I thought to myself. Sitting on the bench while waiting for the train, I nervously took a quick glance at her direction. Did she recognise me from the other times we’ve crossed paths at the MRT station?
She didn’t look like she did. Her fringe covered her eyes slightly as she looked down at her phone. Every now and then, she would type something and a smile would break across her face. She must be chatting to some dude, I obviously stand no chance.
Chance encounters
I sighed. Ever since I began my new job at Tanjong Pagar, I have to go through this uncomfortable situation every week. It was strange. Uncomfortable it was, but I still looked forward to seeing her. The sight of her messy hair but immaculate work clothes was enough to send me all aflutter. Her pretty smile and squinty eyes charmed me from the day I met her.
But I could never summon the courage to approach her. Why would someone like her even entertain the likes of me? I am far from the epitome of handsomeness, and neither am I close to the likes of Channing Tatum nor Tom Hardy. My geeky interests – Star Wars, video games, and Marvel comics would probably end the conversation between us very quickly.
Movement at the corner of my eye stirred me from my deep thoughts. The train was already on the platform and she was nowhere in sight. Pushing away any lingering emotions, I picked up my bag pack and quickly boarded the waiting train.
The world is too small for us not to meet
I trudged out of the train, more than glad to be off the packed carriage. Peak hours are not exactly the best time to travel on the MRT, especially after a long day at the office. Exhausted, I brightened up at the thought of KOI. Surely that would perk me up!
As I neared the venue, I did a double take. Isn’t that her? The lady I always crossed paths with at the MRT? As I squinted my eyes to verify, thoughts quickly raced through my mind. That can’t be anyone else, can it?
It is definitely her; I distinctly remember that she is wearing a blue dress today. And she is holding a cup of Ovaltine Macchiato, the same drink that I am planning to buy! Can’t believe she likes that same unconventional drink.
To approach her, or not?
My heart began to race. This is it, a perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation with her! Should I introduce myself immediately? Or play it cool instead by asking her for the price of the Ovaltine Macchiato? No, that would be stupid, there’s a price list on the screen for that very reason!
Should I mention that I’ve seen her plenty of times before this, to make things less awkward? Probably not, it would paint me as a stalker instead. Argh, this is agonising! But this is my chance, and I don’t want to miss this opportunity!
As I slowly approached her while figuring out the best one-liner, I saw her heading towards a group of ladies. There goes my chance. They began to laugh and talk animatedly, while sharing sips of each other’s drinks.
Stopping dead at my tracks, I knew that there was no way I could go through with the plan. Being all flustered over one lady was bad enough, but to be rejected in front of a group of ladies would probably spell the end of my self-confidence.
One of the girls noticed me staring and turned to my direction, a questioning look on her face. Swiftly turning away, I suddenly decided that it would be best to have a nice cup of cold water at home instead.
When I heard about Happn
As I poured hot coffee into my mug at my office’s pantry, I overheard a conversation.
“Oh, in that case, have you heard of Happn?” he pulled his phone out and showed the other colleague. “It’s like a dating app, but it’s about people you’ve crossed paths with or encountered before!”
My interest perked at the mention of this new dating app.
Rather than wait for a stroke of luck, create your own
Sitting at my office chair, I stared at my phone screen. I had downloaded the application, and had spent the previous night tinkering with my profile. So far, I’ve seen a few other profiles but not hers.
Opting for a short break from work, I launched a quick game of Tetris or two.
I stopped when I saw a new notification by Happn, asking me to check out new partners. I was about to swipe the alert away when a thought stopped me. No harm in checking the application out again.
I opened it and saw the same ones as just now. As I scrolled down, my jaw dropped.
Discovering her on Happn
I am staring at that lady’s profile page! Rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn’t seeing things, I stared at her picture for a few more minutes before clicking on it with a trembling finger.
I let out a tiny squeal. She likes Star Wars! She is a big fan of Marvel Comics and loves a whole bunch of video games. Her taste in music is almost similar to mine, from Coldplay to Imagine Dragons, it was all too much to take in.
I grinned like a silly cheshire cat. This is all too surreal, for her to share so much common interests with someone like me! I knew that I had to do something or I’ll never forgive myself for a very long time.
Like or Charm?
Taking a deep breath to calm myself down, I brought up the happn application again. I could either click on like, in hopes that she would eventually click like on my profile and realise that I was similarly interested, or click on charm and go direct with my intentions.
Charming was unnerving for me, as I feared a cold response, but liking would probably mean no reply at all. But I also know that we will cross paths many, many times. Enough times for her to at least take notice of me eventually. My finger hovered over the like button and inched closer to the screen.
Everything happens by chance, but it all comes together perfectly
“Aaron! Stop using your phone and get back to work! Those reports are due today!” Startled, I stuffed my phone in my pocket and muttered a quick apology to my supervisor, who was glaring at me from the side of my table.
Waiting until my supervisor was out of sight, I pulled my phone out. My eyes widened with disbelief. I set my phone on the table and placed my hands on my face, groaning miserably.
I’d clicked the charm button.
Waiting
Standing in the populated train back home, I stared at my phone’s screen for an eternity. A whirlwind of thoughts was going through my head. Why did I click the charm button? Why hasn’t she replied to the accidental charm? How will I face her at the station when she knows that I’ve sent her a charm?
I put my phone away and willed myself to calm down. There’s no use worrying. It’ll happen if it does.
At that moment, my phone began to buzz. I tenatively picked my phone out from my pocket, as if I was afraid of what’ll be displayed on the screen.
Two parallel lines never meet, unless they are made for each other
“Hi! I’m on the same train as you! J”
My heart froze. It was her, messaging me through happn. Was this some kind of dream? I had to pinch myself to make sure this wasn’t a figment of my imagination. No, I am definitely awake and reading the message on my phone.
And she is on the same train as me, right now! I slowly looked up from my phone, my heart racing.
Full circle – There she is again,
standing at the opposite side of the carriage, the same messy hair and cheeky grin. The quick smile, squinty eyes, and her phone were all familiar to me. I stood rooted. She waved at me, motioning me to come towards her. My heart is beating so fast, it is going to jump out of my chest.
I stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Eventually, a warm smile crept over my face, and I began to make my way towards her.
–
Inspired by true events
Have you crossed paths or had a chance encouter with someone that left you impressed? With only your memory of his or her face, and without a name or number, you can’t reach out or connect. With Happn, dating starts at real life. Create an opportunity with that person again.
Brought to you by Discover SG x Happn
Download the app here
