My interactions with H were not always this sad and heavy. There were definitely fun and enjoyable times too. Pardon me if I had gone overboard in sharing too much negativity, I tend to be a pessimistic person.
H and I got closer as we were assigned to do a group project together in our freshman year. Our group was supposed to research on a history topic and then do a final presentation as part of grading. If you have not already guessed, the incredible H was appointed the leader of our group. (At this point that I'm typing this, I had rolled my eyes countless of times. Sometimes I wonder if H was this outstanding just to have all men and women alike fall head over heels for him!)
Anyway, as I was saying, researching on a history topic can be EXTREMELY BORING. I took a break and decided to continue binge-watching on a Korean drama series which I had started recently. It was a psychological thriller drama and one of the few times which I would watch shows from this genre. The plot was super captivating and I was immensely engrossed in the drama. Suddenly, there was a tap on my shoulder. I jumped and squealed. I was watching a scary scene from the drama and was shocked by the external disturbance, thinking that something had popped out from my computer screen.
"Eh Amerie, I'm also watching this drama you're watching now. I'm at episode 15 already!" H chirped.
I was perplexed. H was not the type to watch Korean dramas. Like most typical guys, he usually gamed or watched football matches.
"Are you sure we are watching the same show? This drama has only 10 episodes. Where did your 15th episode come from?" I replied.
Upon hearing our conversation, our other groupmates laughed. I was amused. H was flustered. He scratched his head and his face was slightly red from embarrassment. H was trying to strike a conversation but it turned out to be an epic fail. I did not mind though. I appreciated what he had done that day and I had a good laugh.
Another memorable incident occurred several weeks later, when we were preparing for our final presentation. As part of the assessment criteria, every group had to upload their photos on the slides for self-introduction. Thus, our group decided to help take photos of each other. Early in the morning, H walked into the classroom lamenting, " Wah, I don't know why but no matter how many photos I took, my face just looks off."
I laughed. I didn't expect that guys could sometimes be vain too. And this was coming from someone who was already near perfect to begin with. When H heard me laughing, he knew that he had stepped onto a landmine. Back then, I did not smile easily and I still do not. And if I smiled, it means that something is brewing...
"You know, if you had taken so many photos and something is still amiss, maybe the problem is not with the phone camera. The problem is with your face." I flashed H my trademark smile. It felt good to roast him. Of course, I only did it with people I'm comfortable with. H pretended that he was hurt and clutched his heart while making a sad face. Later on, we joked about how the bad photo could have been the result of water retention or poor camera angle.
I think many people perceived happiness to be an abstract concept which is hard to achieve. People said I looked sad all the time. Looking back, I discovered that happiness was around all along. We just didn't see it. I learnt that it is possible to be happy, we just have to find and appreciate the little things in life. Happiness can be just as simple.