Short story: Love in times of Internet

No doubt that the Internet has made our lives easier, today we can perform different kinds of activities that previously required our presence and also consumed a lot of time: banking transactions, purchases ranging from food to other products, online courses, medical consultations, etc ... but among all this is also one that is so vital and fundamental in the life of human beings, one that is nothing more than interpersonal relationships, those that can range from friendship to love.

Love... that feeling, that attraction and desire to want to be with that other person to share our ideas and emotions, is very present in Ana's mind.

Ana is a girl who is almost 30 years old, and despite having had other love relationships that have ended in failure, she has not given up to get what she considers her "better half". And making use of these applications that are used in smartphones, she decides to take advantage of them to find that ideal person.

After reviewing different applications and profiles found in them, she notices a profile that catches her attention: a guy who is only 24 years old, who calls himself Victor, and whose interests coincide with hers. From then on, Victor and Ana become good friends, they communicate at first only by chat, then, when they have more confidence, they start video-calling, making their emotion for each other grow because of the physical aspect between them and more because the feeling of mystery of not knowing each other's faces has vanished.

All this happens almost daily, except on days when they have to attend to other matters in their daily lives; but even so, they are always attentive to each other.

After several months since their initial conversation they both decide to move on to another stage of their relationship, they have agreed to meet in person in a suitable place that allows them to talk without interruptions, feeling at the same time comfortable and calm; the chosen place has been a coffee shop.

The agreed day arrives, Ana is the first to arrive and as soon as she enters she feels her heart beating faster, as the expectation of having to wait for Victor increases.

She chooses the table that she thinks is the right one, and gives instructions to the waitress that she has not yet ordered any product because she has to wait for someone.

Ana feels cold in her hands. And she finds it hard to keep her thoughts in order when handling possible scenarios of the date, the main one being that of being duped by this guy.

Ana looks at her watch and notices that twenty minutes have passed, so she starts to get up from her chair ready to leave, but something suddenly stops her and makes her mind cloud over for a few seconds and her heart freezes, that something was nothing more than Victor's hand on her shoulder.

Victor to take a seat and see Ana face to face offers apologies for the delay, that the traffic in the city is unbearable but still knew that he had to fulfill this commitment, to what Ana to be listening to him is gradually calming down, but to tell that she was getting impatient and believing that this meeting was not going to happen.

As the two of them start to talk, they start to trust each other again, they talk like crazy and without stopping at any moment: they tell anecdotes about their previous relationships, their failed love affairs, their dreams about life, their personalities, hobbies and occupations. So many topics to bring up that they lose track of time until Ana remembers that she has to leave so as not to be late home, since she has to leave early for work. Victor understands perfectly and decides to accompany her to take a cab.

When they are on the street and stop a cab, Victor does not miss the opportunity to confess that he feels strongly attracted to her, that from the moment they met on the Internet he knew she was special, and that he did not stop dreaming about this meeting and having her close, to which Ana looked him straight in the eyes, smiling and answering "I also feel the same for you". Without thinking, the two kiss, and despite lasting a few brief seconds this kiss did not cease to be passionate and intense. A kiss that can be taken as the beginning of a love that will transcend over time, a kiss that marks the beginning of something special in their lives.

When they get into the car and leave, Ana does not stop looking out the back window at Victor who is still waiting on the sidewalk, and does not look away until she sees him almost disappear into the distance between the two of them.

The only consolation she has left is to know that they can keep in touch through digital media, waiting for a day when they can meet again.

Image source

Image created with Starryai.