My date with Gaylen was actually two years before I married her.
I say “dating” because Gaylen has never officially met me in person. We’ve only met in a few photos on the Internet, and this one was taken on a forum a few years ago. There’s no official photo, and we’re not a couple, just a regular online relationship. Even so, from the bottom of my heart, I feel so lucky to have met such a good friend.
For a friend’s birthday, she sent a picture of herself and Gaylen walking by the beach, captioned “You’re my best friend.”
The meeting of two people
From the beginning, Gaylen has never let me down. She knows that I like to write, so she will often read my articles. Sometimes, when she sees a good sentence on Zhihu, she will tell me the first time. And I will also share these good sentences with her. Sometimes, we will hang out together.
I remember once, after four days in Hangzhou, we came back to Wuxi. She was taking the train back that night, but I was so bored at home alone that I decided to take her out for a walk. Walking on the streets of Wuxi, we came to a small shop called “Xiao Choxing”.
Remember at that time there was a sentence in the small real luck: “I hope you will not feel lonely because of a person in the future.” So I bought it and gave it to her as a gift.
I traveled with her
I started planning my trip after we said Happy birthday to Gaylen on her birthday.
The first stop was Xiamen, where I bought two tickets on Gulangyu Island. When we were in Gulangyu Island, Gaylen and I sat on the beach in a daze, looking at the distant sea, blowing the sea breeze, and then singing “Last Dance”.
The second stop we went to Xiamen University. When we were in school, we would walk around the campus and sometimes we would eat together.
Then the third stop was to Gulangyu Island in Xiamen.
The fifth stop is to Xiamen Zhongshan Road pedestrian street.
The first night we saw Spirited Away, and then I treated Gaylen to her favorite dessert.
Of course, I also remember many of our trips together very well. The last stop was to go to Gulangyu Island and buy a handmade chocolate for Gaylen to eat at a seaside shop.
I want to talk to her
Gaylen is a very kind person, she always thinks about how to help others, but I am a “cold-blooded” person, often at the critical moment “betrayed” her.
I remember in the second half of 2017, she asked me to do her a favor. She wanted me to help her revise her resume. But I didn’t think much of it, and I didn’t take it seriously.
I figured since it was her job, it wouldn’t matter if I helped. But I didn’t realize that after this help, we never spoke again. She was angry about it and kept blaming me for not helping her sooner.
Although this incident has passed a long time, it did great harm to our friendship.
I didn’t know how to comfort her, because there was nothing to comfort her except words. I sat with her for hours in silence, telling her everything.
When I told my mom about it later, she said, “Why didn’t you tell her? Then we can help her change it together.”
“Why did you tell her earlier? I should have told you sooner!”