Heart Wrenching Story: Love Affair at 18
At the age of 18, she experienced a brief love affair. Due to her stubborn unwillingness to let go, her heart remained empty for seven years. She refused to open her heart and let herself move on, and resisted others who tried to get close. During this time, there were people who expressed their affection for her, made promises to accompany her through life, and offered her everlasting romance.
There were even those she liked—gentle and refined individuals. She tried to accept them, but soon realized that the hard block of ice in her heart could not melt even a little. That piercing coldness often unintentionally became a blade that hurt others. She still yearned for love, but no longer dared to believe in it.
She once thought that perhaps she would spend her life with someone she didn’t necessarily love, living an ordinary life until the end of her days.
At twenty-four or twenty-five, she couldn’t avoid the topic of marriage that everyone was talking about. She couldn’t blame the mundane world because her parents’ hopeful eyes bore a responsibility she couldn’t escape.
She began to resign herself to fate. She couldn’t remember when the blind dates started. From the initial awkward silence, she gradually became calm and even chatted and laughed. She had been through at least ten such arrangements. She often shook her head when talking to her parents, comforting them with playful banter while asking herself in solitude, “Will there never be the right person in this world?” During this period, she also met someone for almost a year.
They talked about marriage without much passion. She heard more than once that she was suited for domestic life, and she felt that was the most ironic and despairing remark in the world. Shouldn’t love be the only reason to enter into marriage? For someone still disconnected from reality at twenty-five, the idea of never marrying was terrifying. But spending a lifetime in a loveless marriage was even more tragic.
Even though it was extravagant, she was still willing to wait for her true love. The well-meaning advice from elders and the endless introductions constantly battered her fragile nerves.
Many times, she felt on the verge of collapse and compromise. But she remembered a friend once telling her solemnly, “Follow your heart. It’s better to have nothing than settle. You will meet someone who loves you dearly and will be very happy.”
Even if the whole world turned against her, as long as one person believed in her future, it was worth holding on to her original intention. In that moment, she felt as if she had been given an exclusive ticket to a happy future, filled with strength and clarity.
She loved a speech by Lu Yu, where the protagonist had just ended a six-year-long relationship and was exhausted. On a blind date, her first words to the man were, “I don’t have time for a relationship; I want to get married.” This assertive opening line led to a successful marriage. Once, she thought flash marriages were unreliable, but later realized that if you meet the right person, one look could become eternal.
On February 13th, 20xx, in the same old routine, a group of people sat around the living room sofa. It was only their first meeting, but everyone chatted warmly like old friends. She was exhausted and dissatisfied, having met two others the day before.
Numbly, she made tea, feeling out of place in this orchestrated scene. She saw her father chatting with the boy, sitting close on the same sofa. She knew this meant her father was pleased, but so what? She had said from the beginning she couldn’t accept someone younger than her, but couldn’t refuse the matchmaker’s kindness. She told herself it was just going through the motions.
Even when her friend said, “He’s not bad; you should get to know him,” she only smiled quietly without replying. As everyone left, she had no memory of his face because she hadn’t really looked at him. She thought this chapter would end like all the others, with no further involvement.
The next day, they chatted on WeChat about trivial matters, their conversation as bland as water. In the afternoon, he sent a message saying he was leaving for work the next day and asked if they could meet one last time. She had nothing else to do and was curious about the person her father and friend spoke highly of, so she agreed.
They met at a KFC in town. That night, it was drizzling, and as she got out of the car, the wind howled fiercely. Her down jacket wasn’t enough to keep her warm, and she regretted agreeing to meet in such weather. As she walked and dialed his number, she pushed open the KFC door and saw a boy smiling at her with a phone in hand.
For a moment, she was dazed, feeling a warmth envelop her. A ripple spread in her otherwise calm heart. She forgot what they talked about but remembered they had a pleasant conversation. His gentle and sunny smile etched deeply in her mind, she found herself unknowingly falling for him.
Had it not been for the following days together, the story might have ended there. But fate has its own rules.
Later, she often recalled when she started to inexplicably depend on him. Even though it had only been about twenty days since they met, everything seemed to happen naturally and unbelievably. She remembered friends telling her about others who got engaged, pregnant, and married shortly after meeting. She had scoffed at such stories, thinking that true love couldn’t begin so hastily. But now, she realized love doesn’t need reason or time.
Those few days, they would hold hands and lie on the sofa watching TV, occasionally sharing a smile. After meals, he would hand her a cup of warm water, wash her hair, and she would trim his nails.
Everything felt so natural, as if they had been together for years. He talked about their future, promising never to leave. She felt blessed by fate and thought, “How lucky I am to have met you at the right time.”
He once asked her, “When did you start to like and love me?” Was it when she felt empathy for his life story? Or when she was moved by his tender care? Or had she fallen for his unique smile? She didn’t know. She only knew that the walls she had built over the years had finally crumbled. It takes one person to clear another’s obsessions, and she let go of all her burdens.
Many had asked her about her criteria for a partner. She replied, “Someone from a loving family, with a stable job, good looks, a rich personality, preferably three to five years older, and who loves me.” Meeting him, she realized that life doesn’t always follow the script.
Sometimes it goes against the plan. No one has the right to interfere with your heart’s choice. If he was wild and unruly, she would offer him a vast expanse. Life is like that; the best match isn’t always the one that fits your standards perfectly. He was her serendipitous encounter.
Love at first sight happens every day, with its reckless passion. She had envied it and dreamt of her own fairy tale love. It was beautiful and fleeting. They didn’t fall in love at first sight, but the feelings came rushing in. She couldn’t explain why but believed he would give her a long, brilliant love.
Love should be like this: meeting the right person at the right time, with both courage and luck. She was proud that, despite being hurt and betrayed, she still found the world incredibly beautiful.
She had always wondered what it felt like to have feelings. Was it the intense passion or the explosive attraction? Her sister once told her, if you meet someone and can imagine a future with them, and feel strongly that they are the one, then everything is right. This is love.
The first time their fingers intertwined, the first time they held each other close, including this moment of writing. Yes, she was so happy to have found him among the crowd!
By staying true to her heart, she had waited for the right moment and met him, the best arrangement by fate.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
