At the age of 18, for the first time
Liangzi is one month older than me when we were 17 years old.
At that age when I always thought the world was wrong and love was beautiful, he held my hand and called me 'girl'. He often accompanied me on the playground after school and gave me warm words after I argued with my parents. The first time I tiptoed and kissed him, he turned red before me. Watching his shy expression, I suddenly wanted to walk with him for the rest of my life.
After a night of self-study, we walked hand in hand on the playground and somehow talked about things other than hugging and kissing. The sky was very dark, and no one could see the expression on anyone's face. The two of us were hesitant, but we pretended to be very calm and talked about things that were vague to us.
That day, we talked until late, and even after returning to the dormitory, my heart was still pounding. My little heart seems to have planted a seed of curiosity, desperately trying to unearth and sprout it. I think Liangzi is probably the same, but he's shy and won't say anything.
The next day, he and I had lunch together as usual. Sitting face to face, we both had some unpleasant feelings and burst into laughter, while also asking each other what was wrong. After a moment of silence, there was a telepathic gaze. I suddenly had an idea in my heart and whispered, "Let's spend the night together on my 18th birthday. I would like to ask for your help in completing my coming of age ceremony
His face turned red, from his ears to his forehead. I looked at him with a warm heart, filled with a sense of sacredness towards the arrival of 18 years old.
Three months before the college entrance examination, my 18th birthday. I took a serious shower at home, put on my newly bought clothes, and called Liangzi to ask if he was ready. He kept panting and stuttering when speaking. I arrived at the scheduled meeting place and Liang Zi was already waiting for me. He was also dressed in new clothes.
He looked at me, and I looked at him, both smiling unnaturally. We didn't speak, took out the pocket money we brought with us and gathered it together, unfolding and organizing it one by one, everything appeared extremely solemn. Liang Zi calmly focused on counting the money, and I watched the sweat beads oozing from his forehead. Suddenly, his heart felt like an electric shock, slowing down and jumping up.
Liang Zi held money in one hand and me in the other, and the two of us sneaked into a hotel like thieves. His hands were constantly sweating, and my palms were also wet.
When I opened the room, I hid with my back to the counter, afraid that the waiter would tell from my ID card that Liang Zi had just turned 18. Finally, I paid the money smoothly, got my room card, and walked into the room that temporarily belonged to the two of us. As soon as he entered the room, Liangzi rushed into the bathroom, and then came the sound of water, which was very powerful and impacted my eardrums.
I sat by the bed, involuntarily pinching my collar, my heart pounding like a little rabbit. Getting into bed, thinking about what was about to happen, my face burned hot
But ten minutes later, we checked out of the room. The situation did not develop as we expected. Liang Zi was crying when she came out of the bathroom. I don't know what happened, but she calmly rushed forward. He held me tightly in his arms and said incoherently, "Ah Yan, let's go back… I don't want to hurt you… we… we still have the college entrance examination
He turned his back to me, and I silently put on my clothes behind him. After getting dressed, we left the hotel.
My 18-year-old coming of age ceremony came to a dramatic end like this. Afterwards, we continued to walk and laugh hand in hand on the playground, but no one mentioned those things anymore.
Many years later, I suddenly thought of Liang Zi's back in the hotel. The silhouette I silently watched as I put on my clothes, from that moment on, was no longer the silhouette of a boy, but the silhouette of a man - from the moment Liang Zi waited for me to put on his clothes, he was interpreting his promise to me and the responsibility he should have as an 18-year-old bearded man through his actions.
Originally, my 18-year-old coming of age ceremony shaped the growth of another person.