Chef Fajrin Shahrom, 29, and nurse Nurtahirah Abdul Razak, 28, first met while they were kicking virtual butt.

In 2008, they were both playing the Facebook game Kickmania where you score points by kicking opponents in the rear.

A headshot of the player is attached to an animated body in the game and Ms Nurtahirah's playful expression caught Mr Fajrin's eye.

He says: "I normally meet people through friends of friends but she was the first stranger I was into."

He checked out her Facebook profile for a month before sending her a private message on Facebook. Her curt response: "Do I know you?"

At the time, she had been dating for three years men she described as "superficial and insincere". She says: "My tone was sassy because I thought he might have some hidden agenda. He replied in a polite way."

So she decided to give him a chance.

Three weeks later, they met for dinner at a restaurant in West Mall and spent the rest of the night chatting at a playground in the void deck of the flat where she lived with her parents.

At first, the outspoken Ms Nurtahirah was puzzled by Mr Fajrin's reserved nature. He had not said much throughout the night. But she was intrigued by how different he was from other men who had tried too hard to impress. It took four dates for him to finally open up.

Exactly a year after their first date, he proposed and they were married in February last year. Their son, Aydin Tahir, was born last November.

She says: "He is a real gentleman and the way he treats me is like a lost art. It is very rare these days."

He says: "Before I met her, I thought only about my career. A friend advised me to slow down and so I decided to take a chance with her. She was my first serious relationship."

Cheryl Faith Wee

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