But six months on, things went horribly wrong. He began hitting her and even threatened her at knife point.
Two years later, she turned to the Centre for Promoting Alternatives to Violence (Pave) in Ang Mo Kio, seeking help to end the relationship.
The counselling centre is seeing more people come in because of dating violence. In 2002, it had just two such cases. This year, it has handled nine.
Ain Society, which helps youth at risk, has also seen an increase in such cases - from two last year to four this year.
In the most severe case, a teenage girl nearly jumped from a 12-storey building because her boyfriend told her to.
These numbers are small. But, worryingly, in an informal survey of 2,200 secondary and junior college students done by Pave in 2003, 15 to 30 per cent of teenagers said they had experienced family violence and/or dating violence.
To nip the problem in the bud, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) is ramping up efforts. Today, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, it is signing the United Nations Development Fund for Women's 'Say No to Violence Against Women' declaration.
The declaration has been signed by more than 30 governments including those of Japan, Germany and Thailand. It seeks to end violence against women, a major cause of death and disability in women worldwide aged 15 to 44 years.
Today, Pave is holding a one-day exhibition on the impact of intimate relationship violence on youth and children at HDB Hub in Toa Payoh.
It will also stage a roadshow about family violence outside Hougang Mall on Sunday. This will be followed by a dating violence awareness week, which includes relationship talks, during the week before Valentine's Day next year.
The MCYS has also teamed up with Ain Society to produce a television docu-drama on dating violence.
The problem requires early and extensive intervention, says Pave family development head Seah Kheng Yeow, before it escalates into something far worse.
In July, former cleaner Prathip Selvan, 22, was arrested for the murder of an 18-year-old childcare centre teacher with whom he had had a tumultuous relationship.
A recent United States study found that teens exposed to dating violence had a greater tendency to engage in unsafe sexual activities, substance abuse and attempted suicide. The victims were typically subject to violence that increased in frequency and intensity over time.
Social workers from both Pave and women's advocacy group Aware have found that in most abusive marriages, the violence started when the couple were dating, and escalated through the years. This is why, Mrs Seah says, it is vital to sound the alarm early.
Although the profile of aggressors differs, she says they tend to be controlling, display obsessive jealousy and blame their partners for their own violent behaviour.
Some come from violent households where they were abused as children, or have low self-esteem, which is why they try to exert power to feel good.
Unfortunately, she notes, many victims of dating violence are often insecure and feel responsible for the violence inflicted on them.
They may also feel too emotionally committed to the relationship to give it up, especially when they have had sexual relations.
'The two factors I've found as to why they stay in the relationship are that the victim needs love, and believes the aggressor's promises to change, even if he doesn't,' she says.
Fei Yue Community Services social worker Celine Koh adds that some victims have a 'saviour mentality', believing they can help their aggressors change.
'Some go on to marry their partners in the hope that they will change after marriage, although this rarely happens without intervention,' she says.
Counselling can help both victims and abusers understand the cycle of violence and break it.
Victims are equipped with communication skills, built up in self-esteem and given help to develop a safety plan. Aggressors are helped to address denial, blame others less and challenged about gender stereotypes.
So far, Pave has seen two men come forward for help. One had several failed relationships and wanted to understand his own violent behaviour.
Mrs Seah says: 'Violence is learned behaviour so we let them know they have the choice to communicate, be responsible and find resolutions, instead of turning to violence.'
But change and letting go is tough.
Retail assistant Janet Li, 31, knows this all too well.
Even though a fight with her boyfriend left her hearing impaired after he burst her eardrum, it took her 18 months to seek help and move on.
'I kept hoping he would change but it became a hopeless cause... I'm glad it's over,' she says. 'The two years felt like five years, and it was just not worth it.'
