Love at first
site: Scott Howell

Scott Howell, 22 Residence: Beverly Hills, Mich. Relationship status: single

I was 15 years old when I got a message from Sean in a gay teen chat room. He told me he was British, lived in Stamford, Conn., and just happened to be moving right down the street from me.

At the time, I was in the process of coming out, so it was perfect timing, and he was perfect-looking: blond-haired, blue-eyed, and he was a soccer player, so I'll leave it up to your imagination what his body looked like. However, you know what they say: If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

Within a week of talking to each other online, he asked me to marry him. This is what our "engagement" looked like:

Sean: gets down on one knee::

Sean: Will you marry me?

Me: Yes, I'll marry you.

Needless to say, it was anything but romantic. And in just a few short weeks, he disappeared.

Eventually we started talking again, and he told me that he was coming to Michigan to visit. I told him I wouldn't meet him until we talked on the phone. We talked, but we never met.

I honestly don't know what I was thinking nor why the red flags didn't go up right from the beginning. My heart was ripped out and stomped on. I was blinded by "love." Although I now know that "Sean" was most likely some old pervert preying on children and teenagers, back then I didn't see the signs. I truly loved the man I created in my head: Sean. I guess you could say it was love at first site.