“Hey, this is my…friend?”

So, what is this exactly? You aren’t a couple, but you’re together. He isn’t your boyfriend, but you’re exclusive. Your relationship status on Facebook is still single, but is it really?

Seriously, what is this?

To say I was one half of a melodramatic summer romance, doomed from the start (as we both were headed off to different schools in the fall) would be an overstatement. We were having fun and not thinking about the consequences or the future.

It was a summer fling, and as defined by UrbanDictionary.com: “a summer fling is a sexual adventure free of hassles, commitments or drama, timed for the summer only. Something light and fun-filled with nothing to worry about at the end of the season.”

I agree.

After a discussion of: “we’re together when we’re together, and not when we’re not,” heartfelt goodbyes were said and a promise was made that we will see each other over Thanksgiving break.

So that’s it, right?

Apparently not.

It has been a week since our heartfelt goodbyes yet he continues to text me daily. Every night, I fall asleep after receiving a good night text message accompanied by an emoticon blowing me a kiss. There’s a message when I wake up wishing me a good morning as well.

Wait, I thought this wasn’t a relationship?

According to statisticbrain.com, there are 4.5 million college couples in the United States that are considered long distance relationships. Good for them. I could never do it, which is why summer flings exist – for people like me.

Multiple articles in Cosmo tell girls to calm down and not think so much. They have warned you against falling for your summer fling, but that’s easier said than done.

During this awkward transition from fling to friends, it’s best to enjoy the little things. You could smile when he sends that cute text, and make sure you hair look cute when you video chat. But since it may not last forever, treasure those moments.

“Like any relationship, communication in a summer fling is key,” Michelle Togli, a writer for Seventeen magazine said. “A ‘summer fling’ is a loosely defined term, so make sure to talk about it with your guy so no one gets hurt.”

I have seen other people do this kind of thing and I figured it would be no big deal. It’s easy to sound like an emotional girl who falls in love with every frog she kisses while trying to meet her prince, but let’s face reality: finding that connection with someone in college is hard.

How many times have you started to think you’ve found that special someone only to find out he is just trying to get in your pants? That’s college.

My advice would be to enjoy the moments that make you happy when it comes to your fling. Don’t get too attached and don’t let a text with a winking smiley face prevent you from having fun with that new and exciting guy checking you out at the bar.

Email: rachel.kramer@ubspectrum.com