Summer -- no school, no work, no worries. A time for romance, harmless love interests and fleeting fits of passion -- a perfect time for a fling.
It could be with your neighborhood pool lifeguard, a Brad Pitt look-alike whose impossible tan and washboard abs lured you to the baby-filled pool each day.
Or with the intern at the prestigious New York law firm, whose sultry eyes and meaningful smile kept you from concentrating on the future of your promising career.
Or it could be with the camp counselor, whose expert survival techniques wowed you and distracted you from the job at hand: watching only your campers.
These scenarios ring all too familiar to Kari Browning, who was a counselor at an all-girls camp this past summer. Browning, a second-year College student, became involved with a British counselor at the all-boys camp just down the road. Clearly, camp boundaries did nothing to slow down their blossoming summer romance.
"All the counselors went to a bar every night, and it just went from there," Browning said.
Although both had relationships back at home, they continued seeing each other throughout the summer.
"His sense of humor and, of course, his accent were what attracted me," Browning said. "We didn't really set ground rules for it, it just kind of happened."
The rest of the counselors at the camp supported their relationship, while the campers "teased us and took pictures of him all the time" when the two camps joined for shared events.
But as their campers left to return home, they also parted ways amicably.
The two left camp content with the status of their relationship -- 'summer fling, don't mean a thing.'
So do romances work best when they have a clear expiration date, like Labor Day?
Lauren Barga, a third-year Education student, believes that not having a "set time limit" is best.
"After all, what is the point of being with someone if you are going to break up at the end of the summer," Barga said.
But she also recognizes the draws of having a summer fling.
"Summer is a time of no stress, of a relaxed attitude," Barga said.
Barga says the no-stress and lighthearted nature of summer often encourages the growth of short-lived flings.
"A fling can only work, though, if both partners have a carefree attitude. If not, someone can get hurt," she said.
First-year College student Khalid Sulaiman agrees.
Although Sulaiman has never experienced a summer fling himself, he objects to the idea of having a clear and objective expiration date.
"To just suddenly stop would leave a sense of disappointment," Sulaiman said. "Usually breakups happen because of fights, but this would be a completely arbitrary way to end the relationship."
Alison Sharp, a fourth-year Education student, ended her summer relationship with a kiss goodbye at the airport.
"Although we saw each other all the time, we knew it would have to end," Sharp said.
Sharp, a member of the diving team, spent a summer in Orange County California training with an Olympic coach from China.
Her special summer guy was a high school history teacher named Matt. The two bumped into each other when Sharp was moving into a new house for the summer.
She needed help. He was more than ready to provide assistance.
Their relationship continued from there. They went to the beach and spent almost all their time together.
"I used to sneak out of the house to go see him," Sharp said.
Although he was six years older, the age difference wasn't a problem.
"I always dated older guys, so it really wasn't an issue," she said.
But as the summer ended, so did their relationship. The two have kept in touch by e-mail, but not very much.
"I know I probably won't see him again," Sharp said. "At least I wouldn't make it a point to see him again."
Browning isn't planning on seeing her British boy, either, even though he has expressed interest in seeing her.
"Who knows, maybe we will get together again later in life," she said.
Ending the relationship as summer fades can be difficult for those who grow too attached in such a short period of time.
For third-year College student Ben Spence, whose summer fling started writing him as soon as he returned home, he knew things had gone too far when the second letter contained a poem she had written for him about the day they had met.
She then published this poem under another name. "That freaked me out, and I never wrote her back again," Spence said.
Yet, Spence is quick to acclaim the benefits of a summer fling.
"Being able to make a connection with someone in such a short period of time is nice," Spence said. He contends that summer romances are a generational pastime and a rite of passage.
"Summer flings are a very dominant theme, especially in music," Spence said. Spence refers in particular to Don Henley's song, "Boys of Summer" and Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69."
These songs seem to represent the commitment-free, fun-loving nature so inherent in a summer fling.
As the temperature rises, so does the desire to become romantically involved, if only for a short period of time.
In direct contrast to the lifelong commitment and devotion shared by long-term couples, these harmless flings are more about fantasy and whimsical passions than finding someone with whom to walk down the aisle.
"To me, a summer romance is a testament to the free spirit that dominates interactions between people in the summer," Spence said. "There is just a whole different attitude in the summer."
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