EVER SINCE DANNY AND Sandy crooned, "Summer lovin' had me a blast, summer lovin' happened so fast," we have acknowledged and accepted the existence of summer flings.
This sunny season is the perfect time for things to heat up. You could encounter the person of your summer dreams in a summer workshop or summer job; sparks tend to fly when you meet someone with common interests.
It's also highly possible to spot your summer love on a trip. From Baguio to Boracay to Bukidnon, the possibilities are endless.
In Baguio, you'll need someone to cuddle and keep warm with. In Bukidnon, you'll need someone to share the view with. But the beach definitely plays a major role in hyping and heightening romance.
There's magic when the stars, sand, and sea are in the backdrop, and you have all the ingredients for a summer romance.
The ultimate place for that summer fling? Boracay. Notorious to be the "hook-up" hotspot, thus spawning the quote: "Whatever happens in Bora, stays in Bora."
Rules of engagement
Summer flings are for the single and ready to mingle. "That's what youth is for, to play the field before settling down," shares Stella, student of De La Salle University. It's so not cool to hook up with someone who's taken.
Flings are for fun. For Diego of UP, "In a summer fling, you make your own rules."
It can last for one night or stretch throughout the summer. If it's taken beyond one night, "research" is done through Facebook: is he single? What does he look like in other pictures? Who are your mutual friends? If the answers are satisfactory, the temperature could keep rising.
Summer flings can be completely physical or elevate into a pseudo-relationship. "You can hold hands and go out for dinner," says Jake of Ateneo.
"But you don't meet the parents or talk about marriage, how many kids you'll have, and what you're doing to name your dog ten years from now."
That seems to be the only universal code of conduct: do not invest your emotions.
"It doesn't matter whether you're the guy or girl, if you get emotionally attached, ikaw ang talo," says UP student Robyn.
"You have to keep your heart closed," warns Ashleigh from DLSU. "And your emotions intact," she adds. Her friend Nicole says, "Having a summer fling is just a chance to flex those flirting skills. We don't even have school to worry about."
The boys are on the same page: "You have to keep your emotions at bay and remember that it's most probably just a hook-up," says Diego. For both sides, the question: "Where is this going?" is the cue to walk out the door and walk out of his/her life.
The real thing?
But not all summer flings are fleeting. Even though Danny and Sandy sang "Summer fling don't mean a thing, but uh-oh the summer nights," they ended the movie singing, "We Go Together."
Sometimes a summer fling can turn into a real thing! Yours truly had a summer fling that started in Boracay and ended three years later.
Justin Timberlake's song entitled, "Summer Love" sees a relationship beyond the season: "I can't wait to fall in love with you/ You can't wait to fall in love with me/ This just can't be summer love, you'll see." But this would be a rare occurrence, so in the meantime, just go with the flow. "If you expect something more, you're setting yourself up for a disaster," says Jake.
He says, she says
Diego thinks there is a greater tendency for girls to misunderstand a fling as something serious.
Jake also believes that girls invest their emotions much faster and easier than boys do. Stella disagrees, and says, "Girls can play the game, too—sometimes even better than guys!"
Unfortunately, even if girls may play better, there's still a double standard. For guys, it's expected and tolerated. For girls it's riskier: "We can be called wild, easy, or worse, a slut," says Ashleigh.
But for Marianna, she believes in Carpe diem! "Seize the summer and have fun, but be sure to be responsible and have no regrets."
