Online Relationship at 16?

I met him on xbox live almost 4 years ago. I have a lot, no all my friends on xbox live are guys and I've crushed on maybe one but this is different...

I started talking to him on xbox live, chatting you know, playing games. I stopped playing xbox for a good year and when I came back online was one of the first of my friends I reconnected with and that was a year ago. We are awesome friends, talked about naughty things because xbox is anonymous so we didnt care and we flirt.

I added him on facebook and we started talking quite often back at the start of 2011. We began talking on skype and I started to have feelings for him. I thought it was a crush so I blew it off. Mature for a 16 year old right?

We told eachother everything, our hopes, our dreams, our secrets and EVERYTHING about our lives. I confronted him in march about me thinking I kind of liked him and he said that he kind of liked me too.

We video chatted every night, stayed up too late on school days, fell asleep talking to eachother and staying on cam all night. Sometimes I'd watch him sleep if I couldnt and when he couldn't he did. We'd talk about meeting eachother in real life, kind of seriously, about hanging out and just gaming.

In the past 6 months, this guy knows more about me, and how I feel than my best friends. The only thing he doesn't know is how I think im falling for him.

In the past month we have expressed how much we care about eachother and seriously talking about meeting after graduating. We've talked about sex, which both him and I are virgins, and how we'd like to share that first time with eachother. We've talked about our futures, careers, where we wanna be and talking about maybe a future together.

He told me how if we ever met up and it worked out he really wanted to seriously date me. He will mostly likely come here to see me if it happens too so its more reassuring. We have not said that L word and I'm okay with that. Although I feel like I am truly falling in love with him I feel better not saying that until we meet and truly see how we feel.

He makes me feel special, loved, safe and better as a person. My depression has lowered significantly in the past 6 months.

Were the same age, in the same grade, we share the same feelings but we're 4000 miles apart and have never met in real life.

We've both agreed not to take our relationship futhur than friends who really care for eachother and we agreed that if we started to feel differently we'd express ourselves and we'd always be friends. We knew that we weren't dating long distance so we were allowed to date other people but when we tried we ended up getting jealous, hurt and missing eachother and comparing them to that person.

Some people think people are rapists and pedophiles and just looking for nude shots. He has seen some of me and I have seen some of him but we have not done that in 5 months and he still talks to me everyday and can make me smile and gives me butterflies when he logs on. He's canceled outings to stay online to talk to me, he's stayed up until 4am on a school night just because he loves talking to me.

I really truly like this guy and he seems truly genuine. A lot of my friends have talked to him and one of my closest who is a self accepting ***** believes that he is ligitemate and my ***** friend is a guy. All my friends think we're a cute couple. Both of our families know of eachothers existance but expressing this situation to your family is something we both definately want to avoid for now. Both our sisters know and his mom knows about me and my dad knows I talk to him every night.

He has never treated me badly, never called me out or names, never threatened. He has only been honest and truthful even if it hurts and we tell eachother everything. He's my best friend. He has been so good to me.

How do I know I'm truly falling in love?Should I keep holding on? Is it right for two 17 year olds to fall in love when you've met online? Can you really fall in love with someone you met online?

I'd also like to add, I have never fallen in love, I don't fall for someone easy and I was happily single but grew feelings for him. Ive never had a boyfriend and wasn't planning on one until after high school. I am very much independant meaning I can live my life and go do other things, I don't have to talk to him every second of the day but I love it when we do. I tried to date, I kissed another guy and I could only think of him.

Is this the real thing?

I think it's real. People can fall in love online. There have been many people who have fallen in love online and actually met up and they were happy. The man wasn't a rapist or anything like that. I have had online relationships as well. I don't go out and socialise but I socialise more on the internet. It's okay for 17 year olds to fall in love. I fell in love with people when I was 17. I think you should keep on holding on. If he is very nice and seems decent then you should. If people say something bad about online relationships, don't let people tell you what to do I hope I have helped

hillary u sound like a very mature young lady. this thus far is truly a "love story." of course when you meet IRL that will determine how it goes but it's a lovely start. keep us posted.