Who says 'I love you' over Skype...the joys of a long distance relationship

Long distance relationships are hard.  I think any relationship where one needs to get on a plane to see the one they care for is challenging, but make that flight 17 hours and include a 9 hour time difference and it is nearly impossible.  Still, the things one does for love.

S and I quickly found our routine.  I would wake up at 6 am for work (3 pm in Firenze) and we would facebook chat for an hour as I put on my makeup and have my morning coffee.  This quickly became my favourite part of my day and would leave a smile on my face as I faced another day at the office.  We later discovered Skype -- free online video chat -- and this brought everything to the next level. On many occasions S would be online until 3 or 4 in the morning if it was a Sunday evening for me.  We would toast one another with a glass of wine and talk about how much we missed each other. We could do this for hours without it getting old. We never turned to any questionable online "tactics", but even just seeing his movements and mannerisms was so sexy. He is the most handsome and charismatic guy I have ever met.

During this time, S played such a pivotal role in my life. Emerging from an engagement and depression, he allowed me to realize that there was more out there for me. Being thirty and recently single was not the end of the world and he made me feel like I was beautiful, exciting and desirable. It is much easier to get over a relationship when you have someone telling you how much they care for you. He would send me song clips and the most romantic emails -- even considering the language barriers. I once got a postcard with our names written in a heart. It reminded me a little of the paper valentines I would get as a ten year old girl in puppy love, but overall, it just embodied the casual and flirty nature of our relationship.

I have heard "I love you" twice in my life from a partner. First time was my former fiance and the second time was one morning over Skype. Not necessarily the way I imagined it would go, but one has to compromise on their fairy tales under such conditions. He was so cute and shy in saying so. It was certainly the first time I heard "Ti amo" and especially "Te dua" (in Kosovaro). I can't explain it, but I really do love him. I love who he is, how he makes me feel and how he makes me feel about myself.  He is an incredibly caring and special person and while he may be miles away, he is worth the extra effort to make it happen.