That's very sad and I'm sorry. It's way normal to bond with people you "see" regularly. As for how to move forward I think you need to examine you social spheres. I love TikTok but the algorithm doesn't tell me how great short or tall people are. It posts a lot of stuff about cats and oddly an awful lot of LGBTQ+ even though I mostly consider myself straight lol. Your online world consists of what you make it.

It's perfectly fine to be a short guy, you'll find plenty of people who don't have a preference or even people who dig it. I'm not quite 5'2" and I've always liked the more intimate eye contact I've had with "short" partners. You just need to find your place. Try building some inside validation by finding role models to begin emulating until you're confident on your own. Some shorter dudes I like are Seth Green, Kevin Heart, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Elijah Wood, and Tom Cruise (pre-crazy).