Crazy For You

Did a whole month really go by just like that?

I've been so pre-occupied with trying to settle back into the swing of things and working as many shifts as I can to payback all those holiday loans I've accumulated, that I completely skipped the month of hearts and even missed the leap day.

In any case, nothing interesting happened. Well, besides the fact that I've now come to a realisation that a once-promising relationship has completely degenerated into something completely dysfunctional.

It made finding the below draft post bittersweet - not to mention ironic. How much things change in only a few weeks.

* * *

The wedding went well.

The nuptial that was supposed to start exactly at 3pm was delayed, expectedly, by half-an-hour. And it wasn't the bride that the people were waiting for. She was ready in time. No, it was everyone else.

Everything was so hectic right up until the last minute. If it wasn't for misplaced pairs of dress shoes, bridal party members going missing, and even formal ties needing last-minute extensions because they were far too short, it seemed that almost anything and everything were going pear-shaped.

But the moment my sister began making her way up the church aisle that was all forgotten. She looked so radiant and so happy that it was all I could do not to cry to see her smile so beautifully, especially knowing how stressed she had been for the last few days. I've never ever seen her so beautiful - and deep inside, I felt a tremendous amount of happiness for her, as well as a momentary pang of jealousy. She found her "the one".

Once the ceremony and reception were over, bridal party and sundry held a low-key after party at the resort venue. We had beer, karaoke, singing and lots of laughing.

I was buzzing that night, buoyed by the euphoria of the earlier evening events and plenty fueled by liquid persuasion. I flitted from person to person; making conversations and sharing jokes. It was between shots of beer that I came to sit next to Zanjoe and as soon as I did, I knew I was in for something special.

He was the groom's second cousin and although I had seen him in passing, this was the first time that we actually got chatting. I liked him immediately and I was completely intrigued - he was guarded and mysterious. A different kind of beat suddenly started skipping in my chest.

We stayed sitting next to one another, and it could have been the alcohol (goodness knows we were pretty drunk by then), or it could have been the growing familiarity; whatever it was, we somehow found our legs intertwined, propped up on the chairs in front. We didn't care who saw.

As the night wore on to early morning and the alcohol flowed endlessly, the group became more and more risque. A round of truth and dare suddenly saw everybody jump into the nearby pool, fully clothed - and then promptly strip into nothing but underwear. Zanjoe and I didn't hold back, taking it a step further. Skinny dipping isn't for the faint-hearted and I was glad to find a partner in Zanjoe.

Groping hands, some pushing and shoving, and suddenly we wear locking lips... a full moon shining in the clear, ebony sky, casting a glow below on a murky pool full of naked drunkards... and two boys in full embrace. Pulling away for a much-needed breath, I looked into Zanjoe's deep brown eyes and felt that familiar heartbeat skip once more.

"Nice to meet you, Joshua."

I could only manage a smile before he leaned in again to kiss some more.

* * *

That magical evening occurred December of last year. Zanjoe and I didn't get together that night, despite the instant closeness we shared. In fact, it would take several more weeks of sporadic communication and forced contact until we eventually became "official". The couple of weeks we spent together were some of the most memorable moments of my trip. Separating didn't prove easy but we both knew we'd see each other again.

Or so I thought.

Long-distance relationships rarely work - and for good reason. It's hard and terribly challenging. And it seems neither two of us were up for the challenge.

Zanjoe is someone special that I will always hold dear to my heart, but I guess, our timing just wasn't right. It's like that Barry Manilow song... "we had the right love at the wrong time".

And speaking of which, the music clip above is of an overseas punk rock outfit called Sponge Cola, who sings a cover of the song that would probably forever remind me of Zanjoe: "Crazy For You".