Chapter 4

Sean and I had been in an online relationship for three years without ever meeting in person.

When we first started talking, he called me Lucy.

As we grew closer, he started calling me Lulu.

Later, after he confessed his feelings, he called me "sweetie."

We had known each other for almost three years.

During that time, his grandfather passed away.

We talked on the phone five times a day during that period. He would talk about his grandfather until his voice grew hoarse, or break down crying.

I cried along with him on the other end, comforting him through my own tears.

I knew every detail of his childhood. I listened as he reminisced about those bygone days of his youth, the only times he looked back on fondly.

My browser search history was filled with: "How to best comfort someone who lost a loved one."

Sometimes he would call me in the middle of the night.

The city would be pitch black at 3 AM. I'd be jolted awake by the ringtone, sit up in bed, and stare into the inky darkness as I kept him company while he cried.

Eventually, Sean started to heal. Time proved that companionship truly was the best comfort.

Even though we had never met in person.

Whenever he needed me, I was there.

He told me, [Sweetie, I'm so glad I have you.]

When I got that message, my best friend Hazel happened to be next to me and saw it. She scoffed:

"I can't believe you're so free that you'd comfort a total stranger through a screen."

I kept my eyes on the screen and replied tangentially:

"Isn't it amazing?"

"The internet is truly incredible."

Sean's profile picture was a smiling cat. Just looking at it lifted my mood.

"It can turn two people who've never met into an intimate relationship by society's standards."

"Companionship through a screen can become someone's salvation."

I typed out a message and hit send:

[I'll always be here for you.]

"How should I put it," I smiled at Hazel. "Is this the greatness of love?"

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