Online Cyber Love

As my PlayStation loaded, connecting agonizingly slow, my heart pounded against my chest. "Please be on," I mumbled to myself, relief washing over me as the home screen finally appeared. It was a bit pathetic, really. I had never seen Alex's face before, but every time I logged on, I silently prayed that he would be online. For the past three months, I had been playing this online game with Alex. We had communicated solely through messages, never hearing each other's voices or seeing each other's pictures. I knew he was thirty and lived in Liverpool, which was quite a distance from my tiny one-bedroom flat in London. Yet, there was something about him that consumed my thoughts. My imagination had conjured up an image of Alex in my head – strong, handsome, and mischievous. One thing was certain, he had a great sense of humor. His messages never failed to make me laugh on a daily basis. Having been an online gamer since the age of fifteen, I had accumulated a wealth of experience by

I breezed through work the next day, anxiously anticipating Alex's call. Just before it was time to go home, my office mate Drake looked up at me and chuckled."What's got you so happy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Sharing an office with Drake was a stroke of luck. He was the nicest guy who always knew how to lift my spirits.I shrugged and replied, "No reason.""Bullshit," Drake laughed, and I gave him a side-eye. "Tell me, what's going on?""I met someone," I sighed dramatically before adding, "online, while playing Call of Duty.""No way!" Drake exclaimed, and I threw my head back, laughing. "Damn, Jess, it's about time. Where did you meet him?""Online," I whispered. "He knows I'm a woman, Drake. I'm not a girl anymore.""Where does he live?" Drake asked, packing up his bag."Liverpool. I don't know how it's going to work," I shrugged, knowing I was getting ahead of myself. Drake stroked his beard, looking around the room."Well, it's not that far, just a different country. Have

"I pushed open my front door, keys in one hand, noodles in the other. Finally, it was Friday night, and I felt I deserved it after the week I'd had. "Jessica!" I heard my upstairs neighbor Janet call. She'd lived here longer than I've been alive. I left my food by the door, heading towards the stairs."Hey Janet, everything okay?""Yeah, something arrived for you today, one sec." I caught her halfway down the stairs. She handed me a huge brown box."Thanks, Janet," I said, puzzled. I dropped it in my tiny hallway, taking up most of the space, and, using my keys, ripped it open."Oh my god," I chuckled, pulling out an oversized brown teddy bear and burst out laughing."What the hell?" I asked myself, flicking open the tag attached to its ear.Jess,Hope he cheers you up. I'm sorry I'm a dickAlex xLaughing through tears, I marveled at Alex getting a shop to write 'dick' on a note. My heart smashed into my chest. I put my new friend under my arm, grabbed my food, threw on a new tank t