Arte met Monse in the easiest way there was for Arte to meet people – online. Immediately Monse was everything Arte could ever want. Especially because she was far away where Monse would never have the misfortune to actually see Arte in real life, because that would be tragic as far as Arte was concerned.

the fastraunt? wait, you live here too?

Okay, maybe not so far away.

we should totally meet up!

Very not far away. Arte tugged at her hands, preferable to tugging at the hair she hadn’t had since the surgery.

It would have been so easy to come up with an excuse. It would have been easy. Online friends don’t always make good in person friends. Monse might not be the same in person. Even if Arte weren’t a failure, what if she’d built Monse up in her mind too much?

Arte had to turn her down. Which meant, of course, it was completely by accident and not planned at all when Arte and Monse finally met in person.