From meeting and playing games online to exchanging phone numbers and finally meeting in person—this is the story of how I met my online friend Alex face-to-face.

How we met:

It all started in 2019 when I was playing Fortnite with my friend Aden. He was one of my only friends at the time since I had just gotten my Xbox. While we were playing, one of Aden’s friends, Alex, joined our game and immediately asked, “Can I join you guys?” Aden and I both said, “Sure,” and we decided to play together. Soon, we were having a blast, winning games left and right. Eventually, Aden had to log off, leaving just me and Alex in the party. It got pretty awkward with neither of us talking much. But I decided to break the ice and asked, “Wanna play duos?” Alex agreed, saying, “Alright, bet.” As we played, we realized we had a lot in common and started to get closer. Before Alex had to go, he asked, “Wanna add each other to play again sometime?” I immediately said, “Sure,” and we added each other as friends, agreeing to play again soon.

Why we met:

During the summer of 2024, I was traveling a lot with my family. We were on the road for my older sister's pre-college programs and college tours. One of the cities we visited was San Diego, where Alex lived. After talking about it with Alex for a while, we decided to see if our moms would let us meet in person. After some discussion, they agreed, and we planned to meet at a trampoline park in San Diego. Alex and I were so excited about finally meeting face-to-face.

When we met:

After touring UC San Diego with my family—my first-ever experience on a college campus—our moms started sharing texts to make the meeting with Alex possible. As excited as I was to explore a college, I couldn’t stop thinking about finally meeting Alex in person. The day had arrived, and I was buzzing with excitement. Around 6:00 p.m., my dad drove me to the trampoline park and dropped me off. When I arrived, I spotted Alex waiting for me. Even though we’d had so much fun online, meeting face-to-face for the first time felt a bit awkward. I could sense our parents were probably a little uneasy too, watching us navigate this new experience.

Alex had brought his cousin Zeus along, which really helped break the ice. Soon enough, we got into the groove of hanging out. The trampoline park was a blast—we were laughing, jumping, and just enjoying each other’s company like we’d been friends forever. I was having such a great time that I didn’t want the day to end, so I asked my dad if I could grab some food with Alex and Zeus afterward. He agreed, and Alex suggested we try a place called Cane’s that he highly recommended. However, we ended up choosing another restaurant because there wasn’t a Cane’s nearby, and with Friday traffic, we wanted to make sure we picked a spot that was convenient for both Alex’s house and our hotel.

After dinner, we said our goodbyes, thinking it was the end of our time together, but two days later, my mom surprised me by telling me that Alex was joining us for dinner. I was thrilled! When he arrived, we picked up right where we left off, talking and laughing as if we had known each other forever. Even our families seemed to hit it off, with my parents getting to know Alex’s mom. Both of us have got to be grateful to have parents who trusted our friendship and made the time and effort for us to meet. Our moms shared several texts and updates to make this work. We ended our time together with some pictures, capturing the start of what felt like a new chapter in our friendship.

Meeting Alex in person was truly an experience of a lifetime. I didn't know what to expect, but I couldn't stop anticipating it. In the end, all of my positive expectations came true, and our bond turned out to be just as strong, if not stronger, than it was online. I can't wait to meet him again and finish the unfinished business of having Cane's chicken with him.