I had kept him awake until five in the morning. Sitting opposite each other on metal chairs that squeaked whenever we moved. We had been talking for hours: about our families, about school, about anything that came to mind. Only two thin computer screens and the entire Atlantic Ocean in between us. Neal Collin Case was by far the most interesting person I had met- or at least that’s what I would have said five years ago. I was from a small city in Connecticut, while Neal was privileged to live in the exciting town of Bexleyheath, England. I could and would be entertained for hours just by listening to him speak. I was obsessed with his accent, and the stories he told with his beautiful voice. He quickly became a part of my daily routine:
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After five years of intense lectures and lessons, I had earned a degree that I was finally going to put to use. Neal and I, our relationship was based around facts and stories we told each other. We never went on great adventures. We never saw a movie together. We never spent the day lazing around the house. We were close through an internet connection; how would it be face-to-face? Eight o’clock at the Hard Rock Café London, April 15th, I saw Neal for the first time. He stood waiting on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. At first, I couldn’t be sure it was him. He was taller than I expected- and less pixelated. Hugging him felt strange, he was actually there, I could feel him in my arms. All of a sudden the moment became real. My dream was coming true. The dinner went on for hours- we both knew this was a once in a lifetime moment. We talked and ate slowly, determined to make the night last as long as possible. The boy who I had known exclusively through webcam and Facebook messenger was now suddenly sitting on the same bench as me. I felt like a thirteen-year-old girl again- I was distracted by his voice, the way he moved his hands as he spoke, the way he rambled when he was nervous. The whole experience felt incredibly surreal; I didn’t want the night to
After five years of intense lectures and lessons, I had earned a degree that I was finally going to put to use. Neal and I, our relationship was based around facts and stories we told each other. We never went on great adventures. We never saw a movie together. We never spent the day lazing around the house. We were close through an internet connection; how would it be face-to-face? Eight o’clock at the Hard Rock Café London, April 15th, I saw Neal for the first time. He stood waiting on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. At first, I couldn’t be sure it was him. He was taller than I expected- and less pixelated. Hugging him felt strange, he was actually there, I could feel him in my arms. All of a sudden the moment became real. My dream was coming true. The dinner went on for hours- we both knew this was a once in a lifetime moment. We talked and ate slowly, determined to make the night last as long as possible. The boy who I had known exclusively through webcam and Facebook messenger was now suddenly sitting on the same bench as me. I felt like a thirteen-year-old girl again- I was distracted by his voice, the way he moved his hands as he spoke, the way he rambled when he was nervous. The whole experience felt incredibly surreal; I didn’t want the night to