I had an intellectual love affair with an old friend during the pandemic and we fell deeply in love. So deep that I'm quite certain no one will ever know or love me like that ever again. There's something about getting to know someone exclusively through their writing. No inhibitions, I suppose. We showed each other the darkest corners of who we were and held space with nothing but acceptance. We eventually met up in person after months and it was incredible. We laughed, listened to music and read books together. We woke up and did the crossword each morning while sipping our coffees. We built a life together in our heads. There was so much passion and love...but it just wasn't feasible. It would be a very arduous journey to that place, so we decided to end our story there. We're still in contact these days, albeit very little. Sharing the odd book or song and other reminders of our love. I wish we'd fallen in love years ago because letting go of your soulmate is awful. - Human, 34 y/o
