Lila was bored and lonely. She had no friends in her small town, no hobbies, no job. She spent most of her days browsing the internet, looking for something to fill the emptiness in her heart.
One day, she stumbled upon a chat site that promised to connect her with people from all over the world. She signed up with a fake name and a random picture and entered a chat room. There, she saw dozens of messages from strangers, some friendly, some flirty, some rude.
She ignored most of them, until one caught her eye. It was from a user named Jake, who said he was from New York. He asked her how she was doing, and what she liked to do for fun. He seemed genuine and polite, unlike the others.
Lila decided to reply. She lied about her name, her age, her location. She said she was 25, from Los Angeles, and worked as a graphic designer. She made up stories about her life, her hobbies, her dreams. She felt a thrill of excitement as she typed, creating a new persona for herself.
Jake seemed to like her. He told her he was 28, from New York, and worked as a journalist. He shared his opinions, his passions, his jokes. He made her laugh, he made her think, he made her feel. He was smart, funny, charming.
They chatted for hours, then for days, then for weeks. They exchanged pictures, voice messages, video calls. They learned more about each other, their likes and dislikes, their hopes and fears, their secrets and desires. They grew closer, they fell in love.
Lila knew it was wrong. She knew she was lying to him, and to herself. She knew he would never accept her if he knew the truth. She knew she had to end it, before it was too late. But she couldn’t. She was addicted to him, to the fantasy they had created. She wanted to be with him, to meet him, to touch him.
She decided to take a risk. She told him she wanted to see him in person, to move to New York with him. She asked him if he felt the same way, if he was ready to take the next step. He said yes, he said he loved her, he said he couldn’t wait.
She packed her bags, bought a ticket, left a note. She didn’t tell anyone where she was going, or why. She didn’t care. She only cared about him, about their future, about their happiness.
She arrived at the airport, nervous and excited. She looked for him, among the crowd of people. She saw him, holding a sign with her name. He saw her, smiling and waving. They ran towards each other, hugged and kissed. They looked into each other’s eyes, and knew they had found their soulmate.
They lived happily ever after.