He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me…but hey, I love me too. Isn’t it funny how a day that was named after a massacre became one of the biggest holidays in which we learn to love…or want to love? As time passes, people start to believe more and more that Valentine’s Day is a day only for couples. For the chocolates, and wine, and big $60 stuffed teddy bears, but it’s not. It’s about learning how to love those around you, including yourself, and being grateful for those you love around you, like friends and family. Trust me, I’m a single girl myself. I sit there and envy those in relationships, just watching how cute they are and at times it makes me sick. However, it’s not all about single or committed, which is why I interviewed some people who were in five different types of relationships and what their plans are for this Valentine’s Day.

The Single and So NOT Ready to Mingle:

“I'm single and I have no plans. I’m trying to stay away from boys and keep myself out of trouble. No plans equals no expectations to be crushed and I can turn my phone off so I don’t have to see anyone else’s cute pics and I can watch Fifty Shades Darker with my bestie.”

The Super Committed Guy:

“I don’t mind if you use my name, either. But, as you know, out of your choices I’m in a super-committed relationship. Since Valentine’s Day is during the week and both of us will be busy, I’m gonna buy her gifts the weekend before hand and hide them in her room. Then I plan to take her out to a nice place for dinner over the weekend. For the other question, I do believe it can be hard to find people. I feel like some people can be too picky or not willing to take a chance with someone. I understand for some people it’s hard to trust another person because of their past relationships, and in that case, if you find yourself single on Valentine’s Day, I believe you should go out with some of your friends and just see where the night takes you, cause you’ll never know who you can meet.”

The Non-Existent, But Totally Perfect, Relationship:

“This past summer, I started a job working with children. I thought the fun part would be playing with kids all day - I didn’t think it would be fantasizing about my dreamy boss. To me, he was perfect. He worked so well with children, had an amazing personality and was EXTREMELY SEXY. The only issue was he had a girlfriend….and he was my boss. Just as I was about to leave work on my last day, he pulled me aside, asked me for my number and told me to keep in touch. I felt like a million fireworks went off in my head. We casually talked during the fall and I casually fell in love with him. I was always careful to never cross any lines with him because I knew he still had a girlfriend. Until, one day, he told me that him and his girlfriend broke up weeks ago and he was finally moving on (IT'S ABOUT TIME). I was ecstatic! I was going home for winter break and I would finally get to hang out with him outside of work. He seemed eager to see me, which made me get butterflies. We went to the beach and talked for what seemed like hours, although the conversation was mostly about his ex and how he’s still in love with her. I was totally annoyed at this point and just wanted to go home. We got inside of his car and the conversation died down to an awkward silence. That’s when he turned my head and started making out with me. YUCK! I was totally not into it because he had just told me he loved his girlfriend and I was confused as to what he was doing with me. I pulled away from him and told him to drive me home. Almost immediately after saying goodbye, he texted me saying he hopes he didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. UM YEAH YA KIND OF DID. I told him politely that I don’t think we should be texting anymore because I didn’t want to get in the middle of him and his ex. They got back together a few days later and my Valentine’s Day plans, as well as my hopes and dreams, were gone.

The Hook Up:

“It had been right after my last serious relationship. I had to end it because things went down bad with the ex and fighting became a big problem in the relationship. A couple weeks after I ended it, I felt in need of some attention and some fun, so I went on a little spree I guess you could say. I started hooking up with this guy that was begging to get with me before. He wasn’t a bad looking guy and, better yet, we had built a slight friendship after denying him before. We hooked up and then days became weeks, weeks to months, and now it’s spread out to every now and then. He texted me every day for six months and then stopped, but he’s always been a nice guy. Girls think that because you hook up with a guy and he doesn’t make you his girlfriend and wants to hook up with other girls, that means he’s a douchebag. But he wasn’t. He was there for me when I was sad and needed someone, and it was a fun time. It was refreshing to have a person like him. We’re not as close anymore, but we have no problem hitting each other up without second guessing actions like if you were talking to someone. The best part in it all is that we never lost each other; we’re still there during periods. For my Valentine’s Day plans, this means I’ll be flying solo with some friends and maybe watch How To Be Single or even Fifty Shades Darker with a pint of ice cream. That’s the best part of hooking up; you can still do what you want and have that independence while still having someone.”

“The Talk” Relationship”

“Well, it was really just casual conversations over Snapchat. But they would happen every day and while they weren’t meaningful or deep conversations, they were fun and interesting and through that you get to know the other person a little bit better. For my Valentine’s Day plans, that didn’t mean anything. I mean in the back of my head I hoped that maybe it would turn into something more, but for the most part it was just fun. There were no expectations.”

The real question is, what status will you choose to be this Valentine’s Day?