From the Computer Screen Straight Into My Arms

I was never a fan of online dating. Maybe because I’d always imagined that love should come into my life in a more… traditional way. Meeting in a café, a chance smile in the checkout line, spontaneous conversations about everything and nothing. But times change, and eventually I decided to give this modern way a shot.

So one evening I was sitting at my computer, scrolling through profiles on a local dating site. Suddenly, I stopped at her picture. She was laughing sincerely, and there was something in her eyes that intrigued me — a spark that told me this girl was real, genuine, and natural. I clicked “LIKE” and sent a short message:

“I’m not sure if it’s the photo or that smile, but I had to say hello. How’s your day going?”

She replied faster than I expected, and from that moment on, we were talking practically every day. What started with casual questions about weekend plans or favorite movies quickly grew into long, heartfelt conversations about what mattered most to us. She told me about her work, I told her about my travel plans. We laughed at our little missteps and soon realized we were thinking about each other, even though we hadn’t met yet.

It felt strange — at my age, I didn’t expect to feel those same butterflies I had back in high school. Yet every time I saw a new message from her, I’d catch myself grinning.

Finally, I suggested we meet. We picked the same café we’d talked about so many times. When I walked in, I spotted her right away. She looked up from her coffee, and in that instant, the computer screen disappeared — it was just her. She stood up as I approached, a bit shy, and I could see the same joy in her eyes that I felt inside.

-“Hi,” - she said softly - “finally in real life.”

I sat down, and for a minute we just looked at each other. Naturally, without pressure or expectations. Our conversation flowed just as easily as it had online, but now it felt more vivid — more real.

That afternoon, we stayed until the café closed and left together, hands intertwined as if it were the most natural thing in the world. We walked slowly through the quiet streets of our neighborhood, savoring the fact that this random click in an app had turned into exactly what we were both hoping for — closeness.

Now, when I wake up next to her and look into the same eyes that first caught my attention in that photo, I feel like everything in my life has finally found its place. It’s funny to think that someone so important was right there all along, and how little it took to change that. Sometimes all you need is to let fate lead you in the right direction — and not be afraid to send that first message.

Because in love, it’s not always where we begin that matters — it’s where we end up. My story began in front of a computer screen, but that one click led me straight into her arms.