What are we?

I'm officially back to the US physically and mentally. It's been almost 2 months and I am still having withdrawals from my epic Asia trip. There were some changes to my trip due to unexpected circumstances but everything worked out well. My friend and I started our trip in Seoul, Korea. We were there for four days and explored the city since it was my friend's first time there. After Korea, we headed to Vietnam for about 2 days. We met up with our friends from Vietnam at the airport and headed to Bangkok, Thailand. My friend customized a tour package for about 20 something people for this trip. I knew a few of the people who went with us and made new friends with the rest of them. Among the new group of people I made friends with, there was one guy who caught my attention. I admit that at that time I found him attractive but I wasn't giving off any signs because I was "talking" to someone from Canada. Even though me and the guy I was talking to wasn't a thing yet I still didn't want to talk to two guys at once. That's not who I am as a person. So I kept it cool even though the Canadian guy was very on and off with me. I even nicknamed him "Mr. MIA" because he was always missing every now and then when we talked. So we were in Thailand for about a week and we had a freaking blast! In the beginning I didn't talk to "him" because I didn't really know him and I was shy. We happened to to talk because I was helping everyone get the wifi at the Bangkok airport. I didn't even look at his face when I grabbed his phone to enter all the stuff for the wifi. I actually saw his face that first night because we all splitted into groups of four to ride on the taxi to go to Chinatown. He happened to be put in a group with me and my two girl friends. That's when it all started. Ever since that first night, we were put into the same group for everything and to go everywhere. I guess as the days went by we all grew a little closer to each other like a giant family. Funny thing is he spoke to me more than he did to my friend who came back to Asia with me. So I guess that's why me and him clicked a little more. The other girls always made me sit next to him or walk next to him whenever we go out because they were more comfortable with each other. When we were riding on elephants, they separated us in groups of twos and I ended up with him. I don't even know if it was a coincidence or not anymore. It seemed like we were a pair for everything. One day we had hot pot and me and my friend were seated with him and another guy friend. When I got up to get stuff, he complimented me to the other guy in front of my close girl friend. At that time, they both thought she didn't understand Vietnamese well. HAHA. He was telling the other guy that I looked so cute in my overall shorts, and the other guy told him to date me. When I came back my friend told me all about it. My friend said he replied to other guy that I was a lot older than him and the other guy told him that age is but a number. LOL. Later on, I found out that he is actually 3 years younger than me. I guess in the beginning we were kind of shy about the age difference but honestly I look younger and act way younger than I look so I guess it didn't matter anymore. We call each other by names anyway so nobody really knows who is older. He still doesn't know that my friend told me about the conversation him and his friend had. Oh, and my ex went on this trip to Thai as well. He somehow knew there was some kind of vibe between me and the new guy. So he kept making unnecessary remarks every now and then. I ignored them and just played it cool. After a few days of hanging out constantly, me and the new guy became a little more comfortable towards each other but still very respectful and shy towards each other. We found each other on Facebook and exchanged numbers in case we got lost. That kind of became the start of how we ended up getting closer. We would call and text each other when it's time to go somewhere or to meet up with others. One night, we came back before the others and I was locked out of my room because my friend L was dead asleep. I was with him during that time so I stayed in his room for a bit. He took his shirt off because I guess that's what guys do when they get home. There was only me and him in the hotel room but the door was open the whole time of course. When the others came back I slightly closed the door until they walked close to scare them. The first thing they noticed was the fact that he was half naked. I was teased by all of them for being in a room alone with a half naked guy. Man did I turn red!! I ran back to my room and one of the cleaners saw that I was locked out so they opened the door for me to go in my room. The last night that we were in Thailand, I was so sleepy I could barely open my eyes. I was laying in the lobby while waiting to go out. I refused to stay home and miss out on any fun. He saw that I was so sleepy so he went to 7 Eleven and bought me coffee. Hehehe. Super sweet. Eventually our Thai trip ended and we had to head back home. We still kept in touch through Facebook when we came back. A few days after we got back to Saigon we had to fly out to see L's family in Phan Rang and they took us to Nha Trang and Da Lat from there. We were there for about 2 weeks and he would check up on me every now and then. He was trying to invite me to his birthday event but I wasn't going to be in town that week. I asked him to change it to the week after and I will go. He actually agreed to it and planned everything out. After two weeks with L's family, we went back to Saigon for two days and met up with our friends to hang out. He tried to come out most of the time if he didn't have work at night. After a couple of days, we flew out to the Phu Quoc island to see my family for about 5 or 6 days. We didn't text quite as much then because he doesn't respond fast and replies sometimes. He has always been that way so it was normal for me. Since I was talking to the Canadian guy still, I held back all the vibes I felt for the new guy. Also, I was unsure about how he felt for me besides finding me attractive. So I didn't think into it like that. I was trying to reach Mr. MIA the whole time I was on the island and he replied like every once in a blue moon and then disappeared for a month. I got sick of them games so I texted him and told him I was done playing and I hate feeling unimportant to someone. After I texted him that, I didn't bottle my feelings for the other guy up as much. I just went with the flow. My friend and I went back to Saigon and two days later we flew out to Korea. One of those days in Saigon, we met up as a group and had Korean food. Both him and my ex came out. They sat next to each other and I sat diagonal from them. They were both putting food in my bowl and telling me to eat this and that. God it was weird to see. I just sat and ate quietly. We had bubble tea next and met up with more friends. It was a chill night. When we went to Korea we stayed in Incheon and explored it for a few days this time. A few days later we flew out to Tokyo, Japan for four days. It was awesome. We loved everything about Japan. We went to every Don Quijote to buy weird flavor candies and snacks for everyone. We tried different flavored beer in cans, ate ramen, and fresh udon. I want to go back just talking about it. After four days, we flew back to Korea for a day in half and went shopping like crazy in Seoul. This time we stayed in Seoul since we liked it better than Incheon. Then we headed back to Vietnam and about a day later we went to this one bar for the new guy's birthday. His cousin went with us as well. We were with some of the the people who went to Thailand with us. We had a lot of fun. Me and him basically drank most of the first 2 kegs of beer. I took pics with the other friends and noticed he kept looking over at me. Later I went over to him and took a selfie with him. It was very ordinary, we were just having fun with all of our friends. Then he asked me to go out for a minute to talk. I was kind of afraid of what was going to happen next but it was really nothing. He asked if his young girl cousin could stay at our hotel for that night since we were staying out so late. I told him yes and headed back in and he patted my shoulder and told me to come back to Vietnam again next year. I just smiled and walked back in towards our table. Everything still felt normal between us and nothing happened. After the bar he had to drive his drunk friend home to a really far district from his house. My friend and I took his little cousin back to the hotel with us but they were going to charge her for staying with us for a few hours so we checked out. We went to our friends house to stay for the rest of the trip. So here's all the connections I need to lay out. My friend who I met last year on my Thai tour introduced me to his niece who is now my really close friend. They all live in the same house. My ex boyfriend also used to stay at their house too but he doesn't anymore. After he left, they let the new guy I am talking to stay with them and two other friends of mine. I know everyone that lives in that house. LOL. There are only 2 females that lives there. One of them is my friend's niece and the other one is his older aunt. His niece stays in her room alone so L and I ended up staying with her the rest of the trip. We had plans to go to Can Tho the next day and the day after we were headed to Tra Vinh, his hometown to visit and play. So it all worked out since we didn't have to meet up, we could just all ride together. We rented a van and headed there. He didn't sit next to me on the way to Can Tho. He was dead asleep in the row in front of us. When we got to Can Tho, he knew my friends and I wanted bubble tea so he asked them to take us to get some. Again, super sweet. He even went in with us even though he didn't drink anything. He used to go to uni in CT so he had friends there and knows the place well. We went to the night market and karaoke that night. He kept walking next to me or near me in case I got lost or something were to happen. We went to this one coffee place and somehow I was pushed to sit next to him again. The next day we went to the floating market and one of his friend joined us to guide us. Me, him, and his friend ended up sitting way in the back of the boat. He held my hand and helped me go up and down the boat because apparently I don't know how to balance. Hehe. Oh another thing I never mentioned is we shared food and drinks often. Like we'd offer it to each other to try and not anyone else. We did it in in Thailand too and didn't really realize it or maybe we did but just ignored it. I wonder if anyone else noticed. When we were on the way to Tra Vinh, he asked me to scoot over to sit next to me so his friend can sit in his seat. We were dropping his friend off before we left CT. I thought he was going to go back to his seat after his friend left but he stayed. He knocked out as soon as his friend got off. I had this cute puppy faced pillow I bought in Japan and offered it to him because he head was about to fall off from the bumpy ride. I didn't think he was going to take it but he actually did. We finally got to TV and we headed to the temples first. It started raining so we all bought rain ponchos. It was the cheap kind and we looked super ridiculous in it but it was fun. After the temples, we went to his house. In order to get to his house we have to get on a boat and go down the river for about 10-15 minutes. It was fun to watch everyone do the asian squat. Again, I was seated next to him again. His dad and little brother came out on boat to get us. Once we go to his house, we were offered fruits, coconut juice, and desserts. He had lots of fruits grown on his property. His parents make money off of their fruit field. I had pandan coconut juice and ate this one coconut meat that was as thick as candle wax. It was really yummy. When we walked through this tiny little bridge he offered his hand to help me again. We stayed at his house for about 2 hours and head back to the van to go back to Saigon. He got on the van and sat next to me again. This time we were all sleeping in the back row. Although I was asleep, I still felt our heads touching because of the bumpy ride. I wonder if he felt it too. I would snap out of it and pull myself back up. When we were closer to home I found my head resting on his shoulder. He didn't move away or push me away. I think I heard him talking once, so that means that he saw me resting on his shoulders. He's good at playing it cool. Once we got home, he had to carry a whole giant bag of coconuts and two bags of fruits and his backpack. I offered to help him and he let me. He smiled a little while we were walking. Oh by the way I am terrified of roaches and the ally we had to walk to to get home is filled with them. So I was walking super slow in case I saw them. He saw what I was doing and laughed a little. Usually when he isn't there, my friends and I would run home. So I made my friend's house into my own home. I would wake up in the morning and cook with his niece. It became our routine. We didn't have enough blankets, so I borrowed his since he worked night shifts. I felt bad because he didn't work the night shifts the following days, so I tried to return his blanket but he told me it's fine and I could keep it to use. We'd go out for bubble tea and dinner with the crew at night. L went back to the US four days before me. So on the day she was about to leave, he took us out for bubble tea. Then our other friends, took us out for lunch right after. He took me on his mo-ped. That was the day I actually felt everything he felt for me. It was raining and he was afraid the seat was too wet so he wiped it for me. Then he wore my helmet on my head for me. It took me by surprise that he wore it on for me so I looked around to see if anyone else saw it. They all saw him do it but no one said anything and I kept wondering if everyone knows or they just act like they don't. Man people in Asia are good at that. I didn't feel too good after drinking the tea, so I couldn't eat much. Everyone kept putting food in my bowl so I put my food in his bowl and begged him to eat it for me. Also, told him not to tell them. He looked at me and asked me to eat a little more but I couldn't eat anymore. One of our friends invited us over to his house the next day for lunch. Me and the new guy stayed in the same house but he was one floor above me so we texted when we needed to reach each other. Sometimes we'd bump into each other downstairs and eat whatever my friend and I cook that morning. I'd always offer to wash the dishes after we eat even though I am scared shitless that a roach might crawl out of nowhere. They are big flying roaches not the baby ones. So whenever I am in the kitchen, I often move my feet or stomp a little in case they plan to come out. I don't think it works but in my head it made sense. He would look at me and laugh a little every time he sees me stomping or squirming around. He knows how scared I am of them. The next day after L left, he messaged me in the afternoon to ask when we were going to go to our friend's house. I told him whenever he wakes up completely. So he finally got up and took me. I didn't have pockets so I asked him to hold on to my phone so he put it in his pocket for me. At the end of my Asia trip, I was really tired of food so I didn't eat much. He and my friends would try to get me to eat more although I was dying from eating. I told them I was full so he ended up rolling spring rolls for me to eat. So sweet! All of his little actions were adding up for me. I started to sense a bit of his feelings but I still wasn't sure because he's nice to everyone.  When we went back home I forgot to get my phone back from him. We both went back to our rooms when we got home. I went to my room and laid down and then I heard a knocking. I opened the door and he handed me my phone. I was like "Ohhh I forgot about it," and he smiled, so I smiled back. I asked everyone to go out for dinner that night. I messaged him but he didn't reply so I went upstairs to tell him myself. I knocked on his door and he opened it and stood at the door with sleepy eyes. Then he opened it bigger because he saw it was me. I asked him to go out to eat that night and he said he made plans with friends already. So I told him to ask his friends to join too and he said ok. Later he texted me and said they were drinking and stuff so he doesn't think they could join all of us. He said he made plans ahead with them already so he couldn't bail. I sent him a crying emoji and he replied by saying he'll make it up to me with bubble tea the next day. Damn, he knows how to cheer me up. I told him we might do something after dinner maybe he could join. So after he hung out with his friends he called me but I didn't hear it. So he called our other friend and he told him we were going out to eat dessert. He rushed over to us and ended up sitting next to me again. I couldn't finish my dessert so I pushed it to him and he helped me eat it. The next day I messaged him. We do this thing where we'll message each other starting off with just our names. Once the other person replies, we'll send the rest of the context. So I messaged his name and he replied and said "It must be about bubble tea isn't it?" I was like "How'd you know?" Then he said, "We know each other too well." Then he took me out for bubble tea. On the way back home, another mo-ped was too close to his mo-ped so their wheel hit my sandal and the wire broke off. I only had one sandal left. He freaked out a bit and asked if I was okay. I took that sandal off and held it in my hand. He kept looking back to see if I was okay. He felt bad, When we got home I couldn't get down because I only had one sandal and I wasn't going barefoot so the roaches could get me. He ran in the house to grab his new sandals for me to wear and helped me down. Could he be any sweeter? My friends were going to go on charity missions so I was planning to stay in Vietnam a little longer. I don't know if he overheard us talking or one of our friends told him about it. He messaged me while he was at the gym and asked me to stay longer if I could. He said he was quitting his job soon and will start an English course so that he can find a better job. He asked me to stay and hang out with him since he'll be jobless. I tried to ask my mom to stay longer but she wasn't having it at all. So I couldn't stay and I couldn't change my ticket because the next available date to go home was 3 weeks later. I had to get back to work. He'd tried to hang out with me every day I had left to stay although he had work. We went to karaoke with the squad again and he came a little late and left early. I wasn't sure what he felt once again. He messaged me before karaoke and asked if I was really leaving in a couple of days. He took me out for bubble tea with our friends again because we love tea! He did the helmet thing for me again and I don't know why I felt like we were a couple.He promised to take me out to do night charity before I leave to the US. The night before I left he took me out to pass sandwiches and milk pouches to the homeless people on the streets. After the charity mission, we went to bubble tea again. We had a little bit of alone time since the others were meeting us up. By the way, he's not even a tea person. He goes because he knows I really like it. So I ordered his drink and mine and he paid for it. We grabbed our drinks and waited for the other two friends who did charity with us. After tea, we headed to the bar we went to for his birthday. We met up with our friend at a restaurant nearby and I shared a little bit of his beef noodles because I can't finish one by myself. He told me if I stayed in Vietnam longer, he'd buy me bubble tea every day. He's super cute. He was really trying to get me to stay. Earlier that day, I messaged him and told him I couldn't stay and he was really sad about it. He said he doesn't know when we'll see each other again after this time. I told him about 2 or 3 years later. He said that sounds very little but it's actually more than 700 days. I told him not to count it like that or it will feel like a lifetime. We both sent sad faces to each other. When we got to the bar, I had a drink or two and started to feel nauseous. I think I had food poisoning because I had to puke out all the food to feel better. He heard the others say that I wasn't feeling well so he stood outside of the ladies' restroom to look for and wait for me. After vomiting it all up, I felt better but I was tired. I didn't drink afterwards and nobody would let me even touch the beers. He sat really close to me. His guy friend kept eyeing me the whole time and I was just overwhelmed with people. I think he was really sad because he drank a lot that night. Some of our friends went home early. I started to sit in a corner by myself to listen to the music. He came up to me and told me to check my messages. LOL. He is so damn shy to talk to me. Or it could be that it was so loud I couldn't hear myself think. He sat next to me while I read and replied to his messages. He told me he took care of the bill. He wanted me to have a fun night and to not forget him when I'm back in the US. He said if he had the opportunity and meet the requirements, he would have gone back to the US with me. He said he just graduated from college not too long ago and he's trying to become independent and not depend on his family. He said he will be busy learning English, so he won't be "talking" to anyone. Then he sent like 3 smiling emojis. I told him it's ok, and when he has the chance come to the US to see me. He sent me smiley faces with heart eyes. I asked if he was drunk and he said he wasn't because he's texting me. He told me to go have fun and not think about all the sad stuff. He literally had so much to drink that night. So he basically opened up to me that last night. Took 2 months but he finally did it. The next day was super sad. I slept through half of the day and so did he. We were tired from the night before. I was leaving that night so I had to get up and pack. My two other friends came to meet us at the house to go eat dinner and desserts before we head to the airport. Before we left, he came down and gave me a bag with a gift box inside. He told me it was for me and I thanked him and left it on top of my luggage. I wanted to open it so bad but we had to go. I barely ate dinner so they took me for some tea. Puahaha, they all know me too well. After dessert we went back to the house to grab my luggages and stuff. he and my friends each held onto one of my belongings and I was left to carry nothing. They took me to the airport and I went in to check-in and told them I'd come back out before I leave. My visa was expired and I had to do some paper works to be able to leave that day. I left my phone with one of my friends so I had to go back out to get it. I tried to do things as fast as possible to run out to see them before I go through security. I came back out and they were all sad. One of them started to tear up and I started to tear up too. I hugged each of them and hugged him last to say goodbye. When I was at the gate they all messaged me and told me they were sad to see me leave. Most of them were crying but he didn't cry. He messaged me and told me to finish school and come back to see him. He'll be waiting for me. He told to let him know wherever I land so he doesn't feel so worried. For the first time, I cried over a bunch of people I just met not too long ago. I felt like I was leaving my own family and I didn't want to part with them. On the plane, I read his messages over and over again and cried to myself. I felt like I was going away for a long time and I don't know when I'll be back. Now that I'm back, I'm motivated to get this schooling out of the way. We still message each other everyday. Oh on the day before I left Vietnam, Mr. MIA called me out of the blue. I told him everything about my trip except for the new guy. I knew I didn't feel the same for him and waited to tell him when I came back. I told him everything already and now I can freely express to the other guy. I'd help him with English sometimes. One time, I messaged him, "I miss you. Do you miss me?" and asked if he knew what that means and he'd reply, "Me too." So cute. We'd mess/joke around with each other every now and then. It's weird because I don't know what we are to each other but for sure something. We are taking it super slow. We are still really shy to each other but at the same time expressive. I'd tell him I miss him and he'd say it back. We talk everyday but not constantly. It's only when we are free but we aren't tired of it. It's so strange but I like it slow paced like this. I miss him..