Elizabeth and Lucy

October 5, 2016-December 24, 2016

Elizabeth was thrilled when she started seeing Lucy. I’ve cuffed her just in time!, she said to herself. And those first few months flew by—a montage of fireside makeouts and Netflix binges. But over the holidays, when she texted Lucy, “How’s the xmas family drama? Hope it’s O.K.!” Lucy didn’t respond. For three days. Elizabeth checked her phone anxiously, but she knew she couldn’t send Lucy another question until she got a response. Elizabeth tried to convince herself that the text didn’t count as a question because it ended in a statement, but to no avail. How could she know that Lucy’s two-year-old niece had taken Lucy’s phone and deleted her text history?

Janet and Mark

June 5, 2017-June 19, 2017

Janet and Mark met on Tinder. Janet had been reluctant to sign up for the app, but she also wasn’t getting any younger. They went on a nice date, to a wine bar, and ordered a ton of tapas. Janet didn’t have sex on first dates as a general rule, but when Mark texted her within forty-eight hours, she knew they’d get it on. And they did. They went out eight days later and engaged in intercourse lasting nine minutes. After parting, they text-bantered for a few more days. Mark texted to ask if Janet had seen the newest episode of “This Is Us,” but never learned the answer. He wanted to “U up?” her a week later, but didn’t want to seem clingy.

Clara and Steven

December 31, 2017-January 29, 2018

Clara went home with Steven on New Year’s Eve. Just one more misdeed in 2017, Clara promised herself. But Steven was cute and sweet; she gave him her number. They went on four dates. At some point, though, Steven remembered his New Year’s resolution to spend less time on his phone. “How was your dog-walking interview?” Clara texted him on that fateful January 29th morning. Steven was meditating—he forgot to respond.

Raul and Jane

February 11, 2018-April 20, 2018

Raul had never been a relationship guy, but things with Jane were different. They’d been dating steadily for several months now. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what he liked so much about her—maybe it was her promptness responding to text questions. Or maybe it had something to do with the face she’d make when she’d send a text. All day long, he’d fire off mundane queries, like, “Did you see Trump’s latest tweet?” or, “What’d you have for lunch?” And she’d dutifully respond. Until one day Raul texted her a video of a cat wearing a bowtie and asked, “Isn’t that cute?” Jane was busy—she was performing open-heart surgery. Raul waited a few hours, but he knew it was over. So he packed his things and left. Jane couldn’t comprehend why—she had no closure, until she reread their final conversation. “I’m a fool!” she wailed.

Franklin and Stacy

April 16, 1990-April 27, 2018

Franklin and Stacy were married in a small ceremony in Stacy’s parents’ back yard. Their love weathered everything—the death of his father, her unemployment, the confession of his secret credit-card debt. In 2010, they both got smartphones. And for eight years, each responded to the other’s texts promptly. Neither ever left a question unanswered. But nobody’s perfect. On a business trip to Cincinnati, Franklin lost his phone. “It’s fine,” he said to himself, “Stacy won’t care if I don’t respond to a question immediately.” But he was wrong. Stacy had texted him, “Did you read Billy’s report card?” By the time Franklin returned from the trip, she was in Cabo with her spin instructor.