Has it really been a year?

A cliche can perfectly describe how I feel: it only seems like yesterday. Jeff and I celebrated our first anniversary unceremoniously by pigging out at Tong Yang in Megamall. Nothing's changed. He's still late. And though I long for a specialness to be attributed to this day, it has been given none. Surprisingly, I don't feel bad about it. I'm actually okay with the normalcy.

A year has passed and still no roses or teddy bears in sight. I'm not even bothered that he has not proposed yet. I would have pouted over this last year. But not yesterday. I sure hope I'm not getting numb or cold or unfeeling or anything. I'm sure I'm still in love. Maybe I'm changing for the better. Or better yet, maybe I really have found the ONE.

So... quoting several friends and acquaintances, how did it all start? For sheer terror of forgetting (which I keep doing), I'm writing it down.

To say that we met playing Ragnarok would be a lie but to say that Ragnarok does not have a part in a story will be erroneous as well.

Jeff has been playing the massively famous MMORPG since the Beta days while I just started fairly recently a few weeks before the launch of the Fenrir server. He has met success in playing the game, even going on to win the 2004 Fenrir Server Eliminations for RPC under Armageddon's banner. Yes, I've heard his name. But being the normal, regular player that I am, I did not take notice.

Fast forward to early 2005. Having just suffered from a bad breakup, I've decided to break from Ragnarok as well. I nursed my heart with a high dosage of Ragnarok. I created a new account, a new identity, a new start. Around two months into the therapy, I reconnected with a high school sweetheart and we got together again but broke up shortly after.

Then, Jeff. I first met him in a computer shop near De La Salle University. We played across each other and got introduced very informally through my sister's boyfriend then who was a loyal member of Armageddon. No impressions then. No love at first sight. We met again in RPC 2005. Unfortunately for Armageddon, they lost at the server eliminations and had to content themselves with watching in the sidelines. Jeff invited us (my sister, her boyfriend, and me VERY indirectly), along with five other people to have dinner in Tagaytay. It sounded like a good idea at that time, so we did!

I don't know why or how he fell in love with me. He is still annoyed when I ask him about this until now. But my sister thinks it's because I was not starstruck with him and teased him to the point of annoyance. :P

After that, Jeff called me incessantly. Of course, he was only after my friendship knowing full well that I had a boyfriend at that time. We talked on the phone for hours. We talked about anything. We talked about everything. My friends noticed that whenever I talk to him on the phone I was starry-eyed but I would not believe them and dismissed the relationship as only friendship. The charade went on for a couple of months.

Then, an isaw* delivery. Wandering along Prontera's east sidewalks, I happened to blurt out that I was in the mood for isaw. Later that night, there he was, knocking on our door, along with his friends for backup and a plastic bag full of isaw. It was then that I admitted that he was not after friendship. But of course he did not admit it.

We tried to fight it but we could not. We tried to hide it but it was obvious. After a feigned sickness, and a feigned visit, we came to the inevitable moment. He kissed me. And I kissed back. Gazing at each others' eyes, we finally saw the truth.

*Grilled pork intestines. A Philippine street food.