"Hmm... How about something leaning more Taiwanese?" I suggested, considering his Taiwanese roots.

"Oh, never considered that. Actually, you wanna bring me around?"

That's how this mini "Taiwanese themed" food hop happened.

We met at Pasir Panjang MRT station on a Saturday, a rather unlikely stop for tourists to start their day. I was thankful he didn't mind meeting early in the morning, when my social energy was the highest. In fact, we got so caught up in conversation at first that we walked a little past our first stop.

"Oh sorry, let me just..." I whipped out my camera and tried taking a quick shot.

"Okay let's go."

He seemed amused. "So that's the FX8 camera you've been talking about?"

"Yeah."

"Cool." He nodded. "Oh and, we're at one."

"Huh?"

"I told you, I'll count the number of times you apologise for unnecessary reasons."

"..."

🌸 Eat 3 Bowls Pasir Panjang

"Oh wow, I never knew it looks this Taiwanese..."

"You've never been here before?"

"Yeah..." I tried to justify myself. "I'd tried luroufan (魯肉飯) at one of the outlets but not this one. I heard this one was rather iconic, so it seems nice for you to try."

"So you gonna order that today?"

"I guess."

I never knew they sold rice rolls (飯糰) at this outlet. Don't recall seeing that at the other outlets, so I got it instead of my go-to luroufan. Evan got himself an egg pancake (蛋餅).

I was mindblown. "Mm this thing is actually really nice."

"You've never had 飯糰 before? But you'd been to Taiwan twice, you said."

"Yeah... Sorry."

"Aha, apology count: two. But I guess you'll have it on your third trip. Since you like this."

"Definitely, if I can find a good one."

Evan scooted closer to look at the shots I took. "How about going closer to the front? You can take clearer shots."

I shrunk immediately, "No no, I don't want anyone to notice I'm taking pictures."

"So your photography is kinda... Like stealth shots?" He chuckled.

"I just don't like drawing attention."

🌸 Ji Yue Coffee

We hopped on bus 51 and rode 2 stops to Ji Yue Coffee. "Is this Taiwanese owned?" After we ordered, Evan wondered aloud staring at the signs around. None of them had traditional Chinese words.

"Um, no I don't think so? But I always felt like it has the dim, cozy vibe that some cafés in Taiwan would have." I started to feel like a terrible tour guide setting the wrong expectations. "But you need your coffee right."

"I do. And yeah it's cozy here, I like it. Not the typical Singaporean café for sure... I think you'll have your answer, when you finally visit those cafés in Taipei."

It started getting awkwardly quiet as we sipped on our drinks, so I tried to say something. "This feels familiar, reminds me of when I came here with my Dad. We ordered the same stuff." I nodded at the mugs.

"Ah, so you've been here before." He nodded too. We chatted softly as if careful not to ruin the calm here. I suddenly had a question - "Actually, why haven't you been to Taiwan before? You do have relatives there right?"

Evan shrugged. "I guess I wouldn't feel quite at home there anyway. My parents hadn't visited them for ages. They're... As good as strangers to me, even though we're family."

I related to that immediately, but "me too" felt lame when I didn't feel like elaborating why. So I let that sit and shifted the conversation. "You wanna see pictures of this café? That I took on a toy camera."

"Oh, the Kodak charmera? I didn't expect you to get into that."

"I don't know. It feels like less pressure. Like I told you I sold my mirrorless right?"

"Yeah."

"So yeah I've always felt like my photos aren't good enough to justify owning a camera. This one felt casual enough. Here."

"Oh, taken on Valentine's Day." Very observant of him.

"Mmhm, it was a solo date. Now if you compare these to the ones taken on my phone, like this one."

Evan studied it before taking a few glances l around the space. "Pretty accurate, of the vibe here."

"Right? Then I started wondering if another camera could do something different from both of these. So that's when I started going down the rabbit hole for digicams. Like, there's something about the Lumix FX01 I grew up using, that I can't forget. But I can't find it anywhere at home! So I bought the FX8 from Carousell. The battery life though...."

He paused for a bit. "This is the first time I've heard you talk this much." I gave him a flat look.

"What? I'm just taking it in. Anyway, where are we going next?"

"Okay, so there's this legit Taiwanese cafe further down towards the west. It's about... 30 minutes away by bus? I'm not sure if you'll be up for it..."

"Actually, I'm a little tired and prefer if we don't drift away that much from town." His accommodation was near Maxwell.

"Oh, sorr-"

"I'm kidding."

🌸 Simple Café

"I love their breakfast items. They haven't made anything disappointing so far."

"It's good." He munched thoughtfully. "And it's a totally different vibe here."

I slid my phone over to show some pictures taken on the Kodak charmera:

"Ooh, 蛋餅 looks nice. Wait, this was taken on the same day as..."

"Yeap."

"Interesting solo date you have." He noted as he finished his plate.

"Thanks."

"I do miss Singapore that way. You don't need to drive around to go cafe hopping."

"..." I couldn't think of what to say, knowing this could be the last time he visited Singapore.

"I know what you're thinking." He gave me a weak smile. "But we'll keep in touch. And you know I never ghost or drop off, unlike someone."

"Sorry."

"Finally an apology I can accept!" I didn't expect him to laugh it off. "It's all good now. You know, I'm really glad you reached out again, after you got through that rough period."

I took the last bite from my plate too. "I'm glad you're still... Willing to be my friend."

"Yeah, so long as you stop apologising over unnecessary things. Like for spending more than two minutes between replying each text."

"..."

"Nobody would notice that. Especially not me, when we're close to 12 hours apart? You don't need to feel bad or overwhelmed for having to... Tend to something else or getting distracted while replying texts. If someone gets jumpy about it... They need to manage their anxiety, or just send one line? Not a wall of texts for you to get back to. It's not work, right."

"... I'm gonna cry."

"Don't, if Ashley knows she's gonna kill me. She keeps imagining that I'm bullying you."

"Send... Send pictures of the wedding okay? I'm so, so happy for you all." I couldn't stop myself from tearing up a little.

"Of course. Ashley said she'd fly you over to the States if she could."

We lingered a little more before I saw Evan to the nearest MRT station. He'd fly home eventually, but for the first time in a while, it didn't feel like an ending to brace myself for.

We'd start the day filling our stomachs at the hawker centre. Perhaps a chicken rice bowl showdown – one of us would order the Colombian one from Tee Kitchen, while the other would get the Algerian one from MareMyst. We'd each try half of each bowl like serious experimenters, and share our verdicts on which chicken cuisine we prefer.

When it comes to dessert, I don't think I’d be able to resist dragging you to The Pound, just a short walk away. We’d share a slice of cake I know you’d approve of. We could then hop over to the next building, where Forty9 Matcha Bar is, and maybe we'd share a cuppa. You'd have noticed the trick by now – to order only one item from each spot to share, so we both get to try a good variety. You'd chuckle at my satisfaction ticking off these spots on my list. It’d look just like another trail to you. But you're oblivious to how long I'd been waiting to clear this area with… Someone. Not just anyone.

Next we would head across the road to Filmhouse to watch a film we’d pick out. We’d hang around the lobby and be all artsy, taking some photos we'd look back fondly upon.

You know I'd be in a daze walking out of the theatres - typical of me whenever I get immersed in a film. So we'd take our time to check out a few cool stores in the tower, like Shrub and frikin guds.

There'd be some time before dinner, so we'd go for a game of pool nearby at Klassic Klub. When I do win a match, I'd be in disbelief wondering if you went easy on me. And you'd shake your head gently, telling me I always do better after I've warmed up.

Evening would arrive sooner than I’d expect. I'd start having second thoughts about getting dinner since we'd already spent quite a fair bit today, but you'd tell me we might as well dine in the area. How else would a day trip feel complete? So we’d settle at Rustica across the road for a simple but unique twist on local cuisine.

This would have been the point where I ask if you'd want to call it a day. But we’d somehow start sharing earbuds, putting our phones on shuffle play. The song Another Day by Shelby Wang would start playing – so I’d hum along to the melody pretending to be relaxed. But you know what the lyrics are hinting at. And we would end up gazing at each other, which feels strangely peaceful.

And somehow we'd continue strolling, feeling the evening breeze as we walk past Nicholl Highway MRT. Past Marina Promenade, until we finally pause at Bayfront, and we'd head home knowing this was one of the best day trips we've ever had, and it won't be the last one.