Today's our 6th month of together-ness.
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I texted Karen, crossing my fingers hoping she'd be free for the evening to chill out with me. At a fast-food joint. I didn't feel my cough would appreciate a Dirty Lychee Martini.
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Archie's off to Kukup for the weekend with his friends. I had to stay back to fall sick and despite that, still work. An exhibition is setting up over the weekend at Expo.
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Karen took damn long to reply. Turned out she is currently in Shanghai. Busy with 'stuff'. Oops. I felt like I was interrupting. =)
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Many conversations ago, Archie mentioned that we should have gotten together two years ago. Many conversations later, he's still onto it. In fact, he wanted an explanation why I didn't/couldn't accept him then.

My simple reply was, "You weren't mature enough,'

He couldn't take it lying down. He probed further, asking questions and questioning my sanity (then and now). He insisted that he couldn't be any different from two years ago. But dude, if your mental level 'still the same' then and now, you have a serious problem. People should age with wisdom and grace. Which is why I find George Clooney irresistible sexy.

I don't think the two years of non-coupledom between us was a waste of time. We simply spent it building a deeper-than-supercial friendship. I elevated him from a acquaintance to a friend. A friend who gets my sarcasm. A friend who laughes at my jokes at him. A friend who... well, you already know what a friend does. =)

But it felt like the right person at the wrong time. Sounds absurd. There was a missing link between us. But deep down, I know 'this is a very nice guy and possibly...'

Many years ago, I was a younger girl who craved for some sense of maturity - womanhood. I went shopping for lingerie. But I found something else instead - a silky cream nightgown. A piece of clothing no young girl in her teens should set eyes on. I bought it anyway. But I soon learnt why it just wasn't for me. My boobs and back couldn't fill the curves of the gown. I was scrawny and looked like a kid in her mother's power suit. Unfitting.

So I chucked the gown aside and put it behind my mind. I love the gown but it just wasn't for me then. Fast forward a few years, I chanced upon the same gown (a little yellow though) during a spring clean. It was different when I put it on again. The physical *ahem* aside, I was a more womanly, more comfortable in my own skin. It wasn't simply a pretty little gown which resembles what the Sleeping Beauty could be wearing; it was more like an empowerment bestowed to a woman of what could be... (if I even make sense)

Anyway, it's like adding time to cheese. Flavour, aroma, texture don't come just after you leave a bottle of milk to sour. The environment and its natural bacteria influences the type of cheese produced. But after all the fussing, once passed the ripening stage, you'd be rewarded. Patience, my friend, is key to good stuff.

I don't think I'll ever appreciate Archie more if we had been together two years ago. The period of non-coupledom saw us grew up, roughed up, matured in many ways. Life has its funny ways of putting pieces together. The edges were sanded and polished to make the puzzles fit, if not better.

There are more to learn and wise up from. Archie and I have our differences. We talked about it. We cried about it (actually just me crying and him sighing). We sorted things out. We kissed and made up. Each time we try a little and laugh.

I'm not sure how time would wear off the you-used-to-do-this-or-that-for-me. I just hope it wouldn't wear down the I-will-love-you-forever.