Dave managed to sneak online tonight so that we could speak briefly. It was great to talk to him, but it only brought home how much I miss him.

Yes, we met online. When I tell people this, I get one of two responses. The first and less common reply is "Cool" or something to that effect. Usually, though, the person expresses surprise or condemnation. I have actually been asked, "When are you going to meet a real boyfriend?"

I have a question in return for people who ask me this. What makes my relationship with Dave any less real than your relationship with that person you met in a bar?

When we are together, am I not supposed to find delight in every glance he sends me? Are his embraces any less loving? When I mold myself into his arms and press my lips against his, is it wrong for me to close my eyes in bliss? Or if I look at him as our tongues meet, should I be ashamed that his eyes are closed or half-lidded and unseeing? After all, this is something that only real paramours do.

When he touches me here and here and there, shall I lay unresponsive to his caresses? The delighted murmurs I make into his ear as he gently brings me to climax are surely wrong. If I return his delicate nuzzlings, shouldn't I be mortified if he responds? It is common knowledge that only real lovers do this.

When we walk together, I suppose I should not hold his hand. While driving, his hand should not be on my thigh. During a movie, his hand quests in the dark for mine. When they meet, should I brush him away? Everyone knows that the gentle squeezes he gives me are only reserved for real girlfriends.

When we aren't together, are my feelings of loss any less substantial than yours when your love is away? When we finally meet again after a long separation, I guess we should not hug ecstatically and whisper "I missed you so much" to each other. And should I be mindful that when I brush my hand against his cheek and look into his eyes and smile and say, "I love you," it is inappropriate? After all... That is something I should only do for a real boyfriend.

Dave is a real boyfriend. I trust him. I love him. I miss him. It doesn't matter how we met or how we communicate or how far apart from each other we live. He is mine and I am his.

Deal with it.