Kana and John sat in their respective rooms, smiling at their screens as they finally got the chance to talk again. The anticipation had been building throughout the day, and now that they were here, a sense of comfort settled over them.
For Kana, the thrill was overwhelming. She had been looking forward to their conversation all day, her heart practically buzzing with excitement. John, on the other hand, was happy too—but he wasn't about to show how much he had been thinking about this moment. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen.
John: (to himself) I'll start with something slow. No need to come off too eager.
However, before he could type anything, Kana's enthusiasm got the best of her. She couldn't hold back her excitement and quickly sent a message before he could even form his first word.
Lonelygirl4556:
[What took you so long?! I thought you'd forgotten about me😭😭😭😭]
John blinked at his screen, caught completely off guard by her message. He hadn't expected her to start off so dramatically. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, hesitation creeping in.
John: (to himself) Maybe I actually made a good impression when we first chatted…
His initial plan was to keep it casual and just say he had been out with friends. That's what he told himself. But somehow, what he actually typed was completely different.
Gamerboy115:
[I didn't forget about you. I was out with a couple of friends but I kept rereading out chat and thinking about you the whole time!]
As soon as he hit send, his eyes widened in horror.
Mission failed.
John: (to himself) W-what??? What are you doing, John?! You weren't supposed to type that! Now she'll think you're a creep!
Kana's face immediately flushed red as she read the message. Her hands trembled slightly as she re-read it, her heartbeat accelerating.
Kana: (flustered) What?! Did he really just say that?! He was thinking about me… the whole time?!
There was a moment of stunned silence on both sides of the screen. Then—
Gamerboy115:
[This message has being deleted.]
A moment later, Kana's response popped up.
Lonelygirl4556:
[Huh? Why did you delete it? Put it back!!]
John groaned, running a hand down his face.
Gamerboy115:
[No.]
Lonelygirl4556:
[Put it back!!]
Gamerboy115:
[No…I can't do that.]
Lonelygirl4556:
[Why not..??🌚]
John immediately knew what that emoji meant.
John: She's teasing me?
Taking a deep breath, he decided to remain composed. If he wasn't careful, he'd give her even more material to tease him with.
Gamerboy115:
[It's not fitting for a man to type such a message.]
Lonelygirl4556:
[Oh? …or you're embarrassed because you can't be upfront with your feelings? 🌚]
Gamerboy115:
[Shut up.]
Lonelygirl4556:
[Why? Because I'm right? Because you're shy??🌚]
Gamerboy115:
[I'm not responding to that…. and please stop using that emoji]
Lonelygirl4556:
[🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚]
John let out a defeated sigh.
Gamerboy115:
[Damn it…]
Despite all the teasing, they both found themselves grinning at their screens. It felt good—natural, easy. Even through a chat box, they could feel the warmth of each other's presence.
After a brief pause, Kana changed the subject.
Lonelygirl4556:
[So…did you have fun?]
Gamerboy115:
[Fun?]
Lonelygirl4556:
[You said earlier that you were out with a couple of friends.]
Gamerboy115:
[Oh that. Well, you could say that. We went to a lot of places today. ]
Lonelygirl4556:
[Really? Where did you go?]
Gamerboy115:
[The mall, we played some arcade games, watched a movie and then went to the beach.]
Lonelygirl4556:
[Seems like you had a lot of fun.]
Gamerboy115:
[Yeah I did.]
Lonelygirl4556:
[And yet you were thinking about me the whole time?? 🌚🌚🌚]
John stared at the screen.
Gamerboy115:
[N…no I wasn't. Please stop it with that emoji.]
Kana giggled, enjoying how easy it was to fluster him. On his end, John simply smiled, shaking his head. This was fun.
Then, unexpectedly, Kana's tone shifted.
Lonelygirl4556:
[It must be fun to be able to go outside and hangout with friends and just have fun.]
John frowned slightly.
Gamerboy115:
[You don't go out that much?]
Lonelygirl4556:
[More like….I can't.]
John could sense they were heading into sensitive territory. He took a deep breath before typing his next reply.
Gamerboy115:
[You wanna talk about it?]
A few weeks ago, Kana would have dodged this question or changed the subject. But tonight felt different. Tonight, she felt safe.
Lonelygirl4556:
[Sure…]
*****
Kana took a deep breath, steadying herself as she prepared to type out the words she had been holding back for so long. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, trembling slightly. But just as she was about to begin, a new message popped up on the screen.
Gamerboy115:
[Wait… before you say anything, I have a request.]
Kana blinked in surprise, her train of thought abruptly derailed. A request? That was unexpected. Her curiosity piqued, she quickly typed back.
Lonelygirl4556:
[What is it?]
Gamerboy115:
[I know this is sudden, but… can we switch to an audio call?]
Kana's eyes widened at the request. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the message again, making sure she hadn't misunderstood.
An audio call?
Her immediate reaction was hesitation. Talking through text was one thing—it gave her control over her words, time to think, and most importantly, a sense of distance. A call was… different. A call was real.
She hesitated before responding.
Lonelygirl4556:
[Why…?]
Gamerboy115:
[Well, I just feel like… if you're about to say something really important, something personal, then maybe it'd be better if we talked instead of typing. I dunno… it just feels more real that way. More meaningful. Does that make sense?]
Kana stared at the screen. His reasoning… it was oddly mature. Sensible, even. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized he was right.
She had spent so long crafting her words, rewriting and deleting, afraid to say what she truly wanted to say. Maybe hearing each other's voices would make this easier. Or maybe it would make it harder. Either way, she found herself typing out a response before she could second-guess herself.
Lonelygirl4556:
[Uh…sure let's do it.]
The moment she pressed send, a notification popped up—John was calling.
Kana's breath hitched. Her pulse quickened. She stared at the ringing phone icon on her screen, frozen.
Should I pick up? What if I say something dumb? What if my voice sounds weird? What if—
Realizing she was overthinking, she quickly cleared her throat, adjusting her posture as if that would somehow make her voice sound better. Once she felt somewhat composed, she pressed the accept button.
A heavy silence followed.
Neither of them spoke at first, as if both were waiting for the other to go first.
Then, John broke the silence.
Gamerboy115:
>So…are we good to go?
Kana exhaled slowly, relief washing over her. At least now she knew for certain he wasn't some AI bot or a catfish or anything bizarre like that. He had a voice. A real, human voice. That fact alone reassured her.
Lonelygirl4556:
> Yeah. We are.
Gamerboy115:
> Okay…
Neither of them said it out loud, but at that moment, the same thought flashed through their minds.
"They sound real…"
Kana took another breath, this time preparing herself to speak the words she had been keeping buried deep inside.
Lonelygirl4556:
> (clears throat) Well, the reason I can't—
But then she stopped.
The weight of what she was about to say suddenly hit her all at once. Her chest tightened, her throat clenched, and an overwhelming fear washed over her. She was about to lay bare something deeply personal, something she had never told anyone online before. Could she really do this? Was she ready?
Her breath hitched as doubt crept in.
Lonelygirl4556:
>I'm…I'm sorry. I thought I was ready to talk about it today but…
Before she could say anything else, John's voice cut through the silence.
Gamerboy115:
> My mother's a sex worker.
Kana froze.
Lonelygirl4556:
>Huh?!
His words hit her like a truck, completely knocking her off guard. She hadn't expected that—hadn't even been remotely prepared for it. But before she could ask anything, he kept going.
Gamerboy115:
> My mother's a sex worker. She's been doing it for as long as I can remember. I'm pretty sure my dad was just some random guy who paid for a night with her, and I happened to be the result. She takes care of us with the money she makes, but… she also uses me as an excuse to keep doing what she does. Like I'm the reason she keeps selling herself, like it's somehow for my sake. And I hate it.
There was bitterness in his voice. Kana could hear it clearly, the frustration, the resentment. He wasn't just venting—he was telling her something deeply personal, something raw. And yet, she couldn't understand why he had suddenly started talking about himself. Why now?
John took a breath, steadying himself. His voice was more composed when he continued, but there was still an edge to it.
Gamerboy115:
> It just pisses me off, you know? It makes me feel like I'm not even a real person to her. Just… an excuse. And I can't talk to anyone about it because all my friends have these perfect little families, and I know they wouldn't understand and I can't let them know about mine because of how embarrassing it is (pauses) …Sorry. I didn't mean to dump all that on you out of nowhere.
Kana's eyes widened & his words dripped with resentment.
It wasn't nearly the same. Their situations were completely different. And yet… somehow, in some way, she felt like she understood. That isolation. That deep-rooted pain of feeling like no one could possibly understand what you were going through.
Her mind flashed back to their conversation the day before—when he had said he always felt alone.
Lonelygirl4556:
> Is that why you said you always feel alone? Like you mentioned yesterday?
For a brief moment, John didn't respond. Then, in a quiet voice, he answered.
Gamerboy115:
> Yeah. This is what I was referring to.
There it was. The confirmation.
Kana stared at the screen, her fingers trembling slightly.
This was it. The moment. The opportunity she had been given to open up.
She swallowed, her throat dry, but she pushed through.
Lonelygirl4556:
> Why did you tell me all this?
John had been expecting the question & his response came without hesitation.
Gamerboy115:
> I heard you hesitate earlier. You were about to say something, but you got scared. I figured maybe you weren't sure if you could trust me with something that personal. And that's fair. We barely know each other.
He paused for a moment before continuing.
> But I thought… maybe if I started, if I showed you that I was willing to open up first, it would help you feel safer. That way, you'd know you're not alone in this. But… you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I won't push you.
That did it.
Kana felt her chest tighten, not from sadness, but from something else—something warm. His words felt so genuine, so sincere. He wasn't just saying them to comfort her. He meant them.
She felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She blinked rapidly, trying to hold them back. She had spent so much of her life feeling like no one understood. Like no one cared.
But here he was. A stranger on the internet. Offering her something no one else had—understanding.
Jane was right.
He was exactly the kind of person Jane had told her about earlier that day. Someone who was real. Someone who was rare.
Someone who understood.
She took a deep breath, steeling herself. Then, with all the courage she could muster, she finally spoke the words she had been too afraid to say.
Lonelygirl4556:
> The reason I can't go outside is because I'm…I'm really sick and it's only a matter of time before I…