“Hi. I
don’t believe we’ve met. My name is Tom, and I’m madly in love with you.”
The
message flashed across the blank White of the screen.
Six
years. Six years that flew in a heartbeat. She wished on every wishing star and
four leaf clover to be noticed. And if she had to be honest with herself, she
loved him for the last two of those six years. He was funny, charming, clever, and
incredibly pretty. Unsure about making such an irrational confession, she chose
to watch and to dream. Every day she would make her social media rounds hoping
he’d posted a joke or funny story about gaming. Some days she was rewarded with
the slightly crooked smile of an avatar while chatting with friends. Some days
her heart would gallop when she got a Guild log-in notification.
So here
she sat facing a computer screen that made her cover her mouth with her hand.
Unable to breathe and on the verge of tears, she sat dumfounded. The harsh
White backdrop contrasted sharply against the black letters. There it was.
Everything she ever wanted.
And she
had no idea what to do next.
FIFTEEN SECONDS AGO…………
This
time he would hit send. He swore it. He’d seen her struggle each time she was
told she was fat or ugly or dumb. He’d watched the façade of self-esteem break
behind the scenes. She was plenty strong on the surface and had nearly everyone
fooled. But he knew for years about the fragileness that she kept from the
world. He’d seen it in heartbreaking posts she was convinced no one saw.
It
devastated him.
He had
no idea how she felt about him, but he knew she deserved better.
She
deserved to know how he felt.
He took
a deep breath and stared at the blank White typing field.
And
once again Tom started to type. “Hi. I don’t believe we’ve met………”
