As the light streams in from the crack in my blinds, I begin to wake up and become aware of my surroundings. I open my eyes and smile as the bright sun shines around my room at 9 in the morning. Before I do anything else, I grab my phone and send a text message to the first person on my mind: my soulmate.

Though it’s a simple “I love you,” I can’t help but smile because I have someone to love in this crazy world. Better yet, someone loves me right back. Even though it’s so early in the morning, I glance at my phone every few seconds in anticipation for a reply. 30 minutes later, my heart sours as I hear a little ding signifying a response to my early message. I hurry with my response and wait again for the little ding on my phone.

I start getting ready for my day by watching television and continuously glancing at my phone. 30 minutes pass again and I hear my phone go off. I rush to answer and watch as the little chat head falls down, showing that my message has been read. I wait and wait for a response, but nothing. I send a message again with no avail. No response, but my message has been read. It’s only 10 in the morning and I’m already frustrated. I send another message and state exactly how frustrated I am. Eventually, I’m sent a response and pick up where we left off. The stream of messages continues until they randomly stop and 30 minutes pass once again before I hear from my long-distance boyfriend again.

Every second of my day, I wait anxiously for a response. I wait for that little ding noise from my phone to alert me. In class, I take notes, but in the back of my mind, I think of my boyfriend and how much I want to talk to him. I think about how much I want to hear his voice and tell him about my crazy class. Not hearing from him discourages me and makes me anxious. Nothing can take my mind off of him. Throughout the day, I respond as fast as I can so that we can talk as much as possible. I count the minutes until he replies to my silly text, but sometimes, it isn’t enough to fill the emptiness I feel, the desire I have to speak to him.

I look around me as I walk from class to class or to grab a cup of coffee. All I see are couples holding hands, kissing or talking. I ask myself, “Why?” Why does this have to happen to me and him? Why do they have to rub their love in my face? Why can’t I hold hands with my boyfriend as we walk to class or kiss each other on that one bench by the edge of the street? Why can’t we go on coffee dates together, where we can sit and talk for hours? Why am I forced to sit and wait to hear from the most important man in my life while people all around me get immediate gratification? All this jealousy rises up within me and I can’t push it down. It gets harder and harder every single day because I want all of that, but I want it all with him. The craziest part? I have no idea if he is thinking the same things that I am thinking.

For a brief moment during the day, we are both free between classes and call each other on the phone. My day is immediately brightened. I am so happy I finally get to hear his voice before class and talk to him about what happened in the past 50 minutes. Those little phone calls keep me going, keep me happy and relieve the stress I feel when I’m not talking with him. It adds a little normalcy to this crazy situation I’ve found myself in. Unfortunately, those calls last for five minutes and we hang up. My sadness and anxiety rises once more and all I can think about is texting him.

As the day continues, I do my work and talk to my friends, but my mind is glued to him. I check my phone every few minutes to see if I missed the ding. I check to see if he read my message or if he posted something on Facebook. I look at the clock and figure out how much longer until I can finally Skype him; where I can finally see his face and enjoy his presence. As the hour gets closer, I get happier and that’s all I can talk about. The entire day is a blur and nothing else seems to matter. I’m not sure what was said during the day, but with an hour remaining until we can Skype, it doesn’t matter. Skyping is the only thing on my mind.

Finally, the hour arrives. I’ve cancelled everything and scheduled homework around our time together. Joy fills my entire body as I hit the call button and hear the ringing noise emit from the phone. As soon as I see his face on my screen, my heart flips, I smile from ear to ear and every negative thought leaves my body. I can finally talk, laugh and bicker with my boyfriend for hours with no other distractions. He’s mine and I don’t have to share him. It’s just him and me until we fall asleep. It’s just the two of us until we have to start the process of texting over once more. But right then and there, none of that matters because, through the distance, I’ve found my happiness; I’ve found him.