We're following the romantic adventures of Sarah, who's looking for love on the Internet. The first man she met slobbered when he kissed.

"I met another guy who looked very little like his profile pictures. Imagine that! He was nice enough but there was absolutely no spark on my part, although there was on his. I talked to a number of guys after that but didn't meet anyone else in person. I'd hang out with Travis when he was awake (his meds messed with his sleep schedule) but otherwise just chatted online with guys who were nice enough but not anyone I wanted to meet — until I saw Sean's picture.

"He had the biggest dimples I'd ever seen but his profile said he wasn't interested in kids. (I've been seriously wanting to foster or adopt children.) He's retired military which was a plus. I have to have someone with a military connection. They're the only ones who understand me and how I grew up. He seemed to have his life together.

"He was a bit younger than me — seven years — but since he didn't want kids, I really didn't give him a second thought, other than to message him one sentence: 'I know you don't want kids and I do, but I just have to say you have the most adorable dimples!' He responded with a 'thank you' and I figured that was it.

"But the next day, he messaged me with an explanation that he has no biological children, just a stepson he'd adopted as a baby, and while he wasn't opposed to kids, he didn't think that at his age having a baby was a good idea. (At my age, having a baby is out of the question!) He asked me out for dinner and we set a date for four days later.

"He was 45 minutes late due to an accident on the highway, but he called, apologizing profusely, so I never had any intention of getting up and leaving, which he later said he had been afraid I'd do! He looked better than his pictures, which is saying something. He was so handsome! I was totally smitten. He'd said he was an introvert but he kept talking the whole time, which I loved.

"A guy once told me that when women say they want a guy who makes them laugh, what they really want is someone who's intelligent. You have to be smart to be funny (not the Jim Carrey/Adam Sandler bathroom-humor kind of funny). Sean is just that — very intelligent, a lot more outgoing than he thinks, kind, personable — a true gentleman. We hugged goodbye. He didn't walk me to my car. He later told me he didn't want to seem like a stalker.

"That was on a Sunday. He mentioned in a text on Tuesday it was hot wings night at his favorite place so he was getting an order to go and would love to share them with a hot teacher he knew, thinking I'd never agree because it was a school night for me. I had told him I'm usually in bed at 8:30 p.m. because I get up at 4:30 a.m. and we live 40 miles apart. But the school year was winding down and I really liked him, so I figured, why not?

"After messy hot wings we sat in his living room in his theater seating, which is not conducive to snuggling, given the cupholder consoles between the seats, and talked.

To be continued...

Do you have an ex with benefits? Send your tale, along with your questions and problems to [email protected]. And check out my new ebook, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front."