Valeria sat on the edge of her bed, her phone resting loosely in her hands. The screen glowed softly, showing the latest message from them—an inside joke they’d been volleying back and forth for days.

She’d stumbled across their profile a year ago, drawn in by a photo of them laughing in some sun-soaked city she couldn’t place. One cheeky comment on a story had turned into a full-blown conversation, and now… now it was a routine. A lifeline, even.

They’d been talking for a year now—one year of DMs, jokes, and those middle-of-the-night conversations where time seemed to slip away. But somehow, they’d never taken it further than text and voice notes.

She rubbed the back of her neck, nerves prickling at the thought. What if they said no? What if it got… awkward? Still, the idea of finally seeing their face live—she couldn’t shake it.

“So… what are the chances I can convince you to FaceTime me?” she typed, pausing for a second before hitting send.