We'll admit it, there was more than one occasion during childhood when we sent ourselves Valentine's Day cards, but the prospect of faking correspondence from an imaginary partner is not something we would bring into adulthood.

Interestingly however, not everyone feels the same.

According to the Independent, virtual girlfriend businesses are booming, and men who don't feel they have time for a genuine relationship can avail of a service which allows them to experience virtual affection.

The report details the 'love life' of a 28-year-old software engineer from the States who pays his favourite Snapchatter $100 a month to send him photos, texts and general updates on her day.

"In the morning I could get a Snapchat selfie with 'good morning baby' written on it, later in the day she might message me on Kik (a messaging app) about how her day at work has been. It's not crazy stuff," he explains.

"If she's come down with strep (a throat condition) I'll know about it, if she's got a headache she tells me, and if she's out partying I get Snapchats that no-one else sees."

"There's never really any hot stuff … for most of the time it's the sort of thing you'd find in any regular relationship," he insisted while explaining that he shares his own news with the part-time model who has more than 20,000 followers on social media.

So yeah… is it just us, or are you also kind of hoping this pair eventually get together?