Online admirer wants more... or does he?

I’m posting anonymously because I’m a bit embarrassed about this...

My husband, soon to be ex, cheated on me before I got pregnant by him. I found out later and I left him just before our son was born.

Well now that my son is here, tbh I’ve been feeling lonely - I don’t have many friends as I worked a lot before I was pregnant and up to going on my maternity leave. I also moved away from my hometown for a while after school to study further. I only came back a couple of years ago, so my adult friends are all back there and I’m not really still connected to any of my old school friends here.

Also, none of the mum and baby groups and that are running right now due to the pandemic, so I’ve been feeling very isolated for the past few months.

I started playing a game on my phone, which has a global chat room. I only downloaded it because I used to enjoy this kind of game way back and I was up feeding my son and stuff. Well, I wasn’t expecting to, but I made a few friends on there who I talk to when we’re all online.

Now the problem I’m having...

One of them, I seemed to have a lot in common with and lively/ funny conversations with on chat. He started flirting with me and I was flattered and flirted a little back. This carried on and he was being all sweet with me and flirting and it turned into sexting sometimes as well on private messages. Well... he’s now saying he loves me. I’m like ... ... ... how can you love me? You’ve never even met me!

I didn’t say that to him. I don’t know what to say tbh. I mean we did chat about each other’s lives and stuff before it turned flirty. So I feel I can say we we’re friends. But he’s started calling me his girl and stuff as well. At first I thought he was joking but I’m not sure now.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve just got out of a relationship, a marriage, where I was betrayed that makes me disbelieve him but I also don’t want to hurt him if there’s a chance he does somehow feel that way about me. He’s a really sweet guy. But I don’t feel like that.

I mean we’ve only been talking intimately about 3 weeks-ish and not even every day. We’ve never even spoken on the phone verbally or FaceTimed. Just messaging through the game and the odd message on WhatsApp. We’ve seen pictures of each other, like profile pictures but never sent any pictures even vaguely sexual to each other like that, because I won’t do that - just selfies pulling silly faces n stuff.

He’s also in a different country to me and along with COVID, the chances I’d ever actually meet him are unknown!

I don’t put much stock in this, but he does - he’s a Libra and he’s always referencing how Libra’s do things and feel about stuff, and that he’s always liked Virgo’s (such as myself), among a few others.

I guess I’m just clutching at straws.

I really like him, but I don’t want to break his heart and lead him on if he’s actually starting to develop feelings for me. I’m going to try and explain it to him the next time he sends me a message online...

I don’t have anyone I can talk to, like I said. I want better than the standard “it’s not you, it’s me” or “I need to work on myself first”...

Maybe I just need to vent, I don’t know. I guess I’m a bit afraid of losing one of the new and few friends I’ve made.