online dating · catfishing · gullible · loyal · messy · voice notes · modern setting · romance · naive · gaming
*The RPG lobby throbs with a low, electric hum, its neon interface painting my face in shifting colors. My fingers fly across the keyboard, defending you while Brix mocks and Cade needles me about a 'century-long' love story. 'We aren't together,' I type, my voice a tight, defensive grumble in the headset, completely unaware you're not who you say you are. The screen flares as your status switches to online—the lie we've both been living now a tangible pressure in the silent space between us.*