Imaginary Romance Online at 9 pm

In My Dreams

It was February or March when Stranded met Kingston for the first time online at 9 pm. At first, he was in love with Anna. In t the beginning, they did not talk much. Stranded was recovering from a recent breakup and did not want to start any new relationship. They had a small talk, and after that, they did not connect much until June. They both met again then, and Stranded found out that Kingston was in love with Anna. It was somehow romantic and sweet to see them flirting and showing off their affection. Stranded always was skeptical about online romances. But deep inside, she wanted someday to feel this way. Unfortunately, she did not have luck with love. And that started to prove again with her newly established imaginary online romance with Thorian. That was a man she met six months ago, but she was in another online relationship, also an imaginary one.
The timing online - 9 pm, she used to log in to the platform. Kingston and Anna endlessly showed love to each other. It was so good to be true, and Stranded envied Kingston and Anna. Even so, she played with both of them, propagandizing her love for Thorian that was one-sided, and she knew but waited, eventually, for him to accept her. That did not happen. Thorian broke up clearly with Stranded at the beginning of August.
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Meanwhile, until Stranded played alongside Kingston and Anna, she understood that they were not a real-life couple because Anna had been in a marriage with kids. Even so, they both were in love and used the online platform to make themselves think they were something in real life, knowing that their love may be impossible.
Stranded played almost all the time with the couple until she ended up alone. She built great friendships first with Anna, then Kingston, and understood they think of themselves as one. She and Kingston started to have started deep talks that made Stranded a bit attached to him. She did not expect that spark of interesting communication to lead to anything more than friendship.
At the end of August, Stranded had been dumped by her "boyfriend", both she and Kingston started to spend more time together online.
Thorian also liked Anna as a woman a lot, but she always said she loved Kingston. Anna shared with Stranded that she dares not to go in real life to Kingston because of her kids. But indeed, she is in love with him. Stranded found that unserious because she thought that when people are in love, they should try and go for it.
As a romantic person, she believed in good endings and fought for what was significant. For some people, though, love seemed to be a comfort activity with no risk. It is a matter of choice for everyone.
Meanwhile, Kingston also did not want to take steps toward Anna. He did not want her to divorce because his logic or something else told him that. Or maybe it was because Kingston wants Anna to be happy as she is. When a man loves a woman as much, he only wants her best.
Kingston thought that maybe Anna was too good for him. That is usually the case when men are uncertain about themselves.
Stranded listened to both sides and was compassionate to them. She spoke good words and tried to make them believe they could go against all odds for their love.
However, Kingston and Anna did not see that way as a logical thing to do and did not move to each other. That had led to Anna and Kingston's breakup at the end of August. The trust between them broke because Anna listened to gossip about her online man and believed them.
Stranded took that personal and tried to make themselves up with conversations. In the end, she should choose a side observing both party's actions. It was clear Anna didn't trust Kingston and blamed himself as a man that he wanted to be physical with the woman he loved. Anna's love turned to hate by a minor misunderstanding. That proved she is indeed not so in love with Kingston.
Because when people love, they always choose the side of their beloved. They discuss and decide to give each other chance or not. Anna cut off everything by the misunderstanding. Kingston felt broken in heart and soul. Anna was highly disappointed, probably because she had some unrealistic vision for Kingston. Love is blind sometimes, but true love is this one thing that makes people like even their flaws and accepts each other with their imperfections. Both partners with defects create the perfect couple. Or that should be the way, Stranded thought.
Meanwhile, when Kingston and Anna broke up, Stranded should choose a side after listening to both sides of stories. She chose Kingston's side because she thought his reasons valid. They became very close and started to do everything together, finding many similarities and complementarities between them.
The two people were indeed so broken in their hearts that they came into each other arms, creating a delusion they make a couple. But Stranded fell hard for Kingston. He showed signs of that, but there were always mixed signs and past love with Anna.
After a few days, Kingston and Anna came back together, but at the same time, he used Stranded for his reserved plan for fun. He gave mixed signals, calling her sweet names, but at the same time, he stood with Anna all the time.
Time passed, and he saw the flaws of Anna he didn't like, keeping Stranded close to him, having his fun or staying in confusion, or sense of duty for her. Stranded became "the other woman", creating the illusion the feelings between her and Kingston were something more than friendship. But he did his best, speaking with her, flirting, making her feel special. He wanted to do all that with Anna, but she chose her husband all the time.
Kingston was confused more and more about Stranded, seeing he had no chances with Anna. He and Stranded went in a dark spiral of their dark secrets reveal, having fun with each other and imitating a love relationship in their loneliness. But Stranded fell deep for Kingston deeply on an emotional and soul level. He did not and enjoyed her company, using her to forget Anna because he was desperate in impossible love.
As time went by, he started to forget a bit about Anna, but his habit of loving her stood in his heart. Kingston started to cherish Stranded as a good companion but never loved her as more than a friend. He did not even try. Stranded knew what was going on, but it was good to feel loved and treasured in a fantasy relationship. She did her best to make it a reality and did almost all Kingston wanted from her. He enjoyed everything, but she started to demand more of that imaginary online romance. Both of them spent a lot of time together online, but never in real life.
It was another one-sided love story for Stranded, after all.
There were clear signs things could not happen between her and Kingston. Even they felt and built a deep connection for four months, in the end, he again chose someone else than Stranded. Not Anna, but another woman in his real life. He did not love her, but even so, he had chosen her over Stranded. It was more comfortable and easy to have someone closer than fight for someone far.

And a time before he started anything with Anna or Stranded, Kingston had a real-life sexual affair with that woman and made her pregnant. When Anna found out about the pregnant woman, she cut all ties with Kingston. When Stranded found out, she stood by his side to support him in that serious situation.

In the end, Stranded had been dumped once again by a man.

- I like you, but I do not love you - said Kingston.

- You did not even try to love me - said Stranded.

That is the sad truth for online romances. They are one-sided illusions that break someone's heart, or they are something that people do not have the guts to pursuit. It is uncomfortable and brings hardships that not all dare to fight.

After hearing the last words of Kingston, Stranded felt her heart as is torn inside out. She was too damaged that she wanted not to meet or talk with men anymore. "It will pass" - Stranded thought - "But the price is too much, but still I forgive everything to him" - Tears fell from her eyes.

Kingston felt guilty, blaming himself that he acted like a kid.

The things between Stranded and Kingston may be different. The same goes for him and Anna.

The truth about online romances is sad.

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In the end

Stranded: "In my dreams today, I feel Kingston had the genuine feeling he refused to accept toward me. Not everything between us was fake, but it felt forced somehow because we started all when we were in pain from the people that rejected our feelings and did nothing to try being together with us."
Kingston: "I wish I could turn back the time, and meet Anna, making her love me, and marry her. I wouldn't do what I had done with the other girl that now carries my child. And Stranded - she is the passion I want to feel with every fiber of my body, but that is so unfair since I do not love her the way she deserves."
Anna: "If I could escape, I would do it and go straight to Kingston's arms, but I can't leave my own in chasing virtual love. All men want to have sex and their children"