I once found myself sitting on my bed listening to stereotypical love songs, staring straight ahead, clutching my phone while waiting for one simple text message to come from someone who I really really liked.

I waited and waited, hopeful at first, but with each passing second I found myself getting more hurt and more disappointed. By now, it was obvious: I wasn’t getting a text back.

At first I thought about how pathetic I felt and how useless it was to be so upset over a simple text message. It wasn’t like I had been stood up or kicked to the curb. For some reason though, the silence really mattered.

The minutes of silence turned into hours, hours turned into days, and with each passing moment I experienced a new emotion whenever I thought about the response I wasn’t getting. Sometimes, I was sad. Other times, I was angry. Occasionally, I was really freaking confused. I found myself creating made-up situations explaining why I wasn’t getting a response and I began imagining all the other things that were more important than our conversation.

I felt crazy.

Thankfully, I discovered that I wasn’t the only person who experienced just how awful it was to wait and wait and wait for a text that would never come. I realized people had just as many sad, crazy, pitiful, and hilarious thoughts; things they were just dying to say to the other person, but understandably kept tucked away in the back of their minds:

1. I wish you’d realize those few minutes you keep me waiting feel like forever.
2. I’m wasting my time waiting for you.
3. You better either be sleeping or dead.
4. If it’s gonna take you this long to reply every time, please don’t even bother texting me at all.
5. I want to chop your thumbs off so you have a good excuse not to be texting me.
6. You make me feel so unimportant.
7. I know your phone is sitting right there. Just pick it up. And text me back.
8. If I’m so important to you, why can’t you text me back?
9. Are you with somebody else?
10. I hope you’re not texting me back because I’m so attractive it’s intimidating.
11. WHY WON’T YOU JUST LOVE ME?!
12. I guess you found someone else to talk to.
13. You probably found all the little things wrong with me.
14. I don’t wanna play games with people I care about and it sucks because I really like you.
15. Is this my fault?
16. You even text your mom back faster than this.
17. I get that we all want to be let down easy, but just tell me if you’re not down.
18. Your phone is glued to you every time I’m with you. Now that I’m not with you, why am I not good enough?
19. Did your phone fall in the toilet, or what happened?
20. I can message you on Facebook since you’re online right now.
21. It’s cool because your bedroom was gross anyway.
22. I can’t believe I got ready for nothing.
23. What part of me didn’t you like?
24. I hope you got drunk and passed out with your phone in your hand halfway through the text you were trying to send me.
25. Fine. I’m not gonna text you back either.

Who knew a task as simple as not texting back could create such a mix of emotions? After all, it’s just a message.

Sometimes it’s discouraging, but even though conversations have become defined by emojis, DMs and feelings that have to be expressed over screens, I’ll still hold my breath, hope for the best, and believe that something good will come after I hit send.