Summertime is known for bikinis, sunshine, and late nights. It's also known for its heat, both in temperature and in romance. Growing up, Grease filled our minds and hearts with the concept of running into some guy while we're on vacation, falling hard and fast, and the flame dying out as summer comes to an end, because it had to.
That's not always the case with summer romance, but regardless, it always makes us melt to hear stories of sparks flying.
1. The hardest fall.
"I met a man that I fell in love with. We met in the middle of the summer while he was in my state for business. We were actually 9 hours apart, but for the amount of time we got to spend together in the summer, it was epic. I actually lost my virginity to him (I was 20). We didn't end up working (for various reasons, none bad). We were just at completely different parts of our lives. I had a lot of growing and experiencing to do and he was ready for a family, had his job, and was much older.
It was the hardest I fell for any person in my entire life, and it was the hardest heartbreak I ever had to experience. Still, to this day I remember every feeling he made me feel, and I remember every good memory we had together. He is with someone else now and I'm engaged to a different man. But I'll never forget him and I wish him so, so many great things." — Kylee, 24
2. Two stories in one.
"I met my husband in summer school back in 2012. We were taking drivers ed together. Basically, my first serious relationship was falling apart and I was realizing the lack of friends I had outside of that group. I took my class as an opportunity to make friends. I met so many people that I knew of from freshman year, but never really knew. My husband was one of them. It was a fun 5 days of sitting in the theater and listening to speakers and watching weird videos of the consequences of dangerous driving, etc. After the 5 days of instruction, driving would begin throughout the summer. Groups were of 3 people and my husband actually kind of got left out of his friend group as they partnered up. I asked if he wanted to drive together and it began. That right there was one of the single most faithful things to ever happen to me.
We bonded on our car rides over our shared music taste and basically a lot of things - it was weird how much we had in common. After the class ended, though, we kind of fell off. My then boyfriend returned home from a trip and was doing his best to spend as much time as possible with me. When the relationship ultimately came to its end a month later, I felt alone. But my now-husband and another friend of his started inviting me out. We spent the month leading up to school taking adventures around town and just genuinely having a lot of fun. He introduced me to a lot of great people, including how great of a person I was on my own. Shortly after the school year began, we kind of slipped into this in-between world of not dating, but everyone kept asking if we were. Eventually, that did turn into dating. Cue the high school sweetheart bells.
So fast forward 6 years. We got married at the end of the summer in 2018. It was just a few weeks shy of our 6 year anniversary. In the words of many friends: it was a long time coming. Now we're counting down to our 1 year anniversary of marriage and 7 years of a relationship I could've never thought myself worthy of." — Ashley, 22
3. Kicking long distance in the butt.
"With less than 3 weeks of having to leave my home state and go back to college in a different state, one of my old friends who I knew from the small church we grew up in randomly reached out to me and we reconnected. Throughout high school, we just weren't that close — both in other relationships, often went to church at different times. We had just lost touch. But as I was about to head to a different state for my second year of college and he was staying behind to start his third year of school, we reconnected and, as cliche as it sounds, the rest is history. We've kicked long distance in the butt. And now we're getting to actually enjoy a summer full of time spent together, unlike last summer since he decided to wait until right before I was leaving to reach out to me and reconnect.
I know this story may not be all "mushy gushy" or some long, drawn-out romantic story, but to me, it's the relationship that explains why every other relationship before this one never worked out." — Hannah, 19
4. The whole summer fling thing.
"I used to work at a summer camp. One summer, this guy named Colton transferred from our sister camp about two weeks before the summer ended. I immediately had a massive crush on him. To my surprise, he ended up asking me out on a date before I left back for college. Except, I ended up getting super sick and throwing up IN the movie theater.
We weren't officially together for an entire year. In fact, I dated other guys for that year, but nothing serious. Fast forward to the next summer, I did not think he was coming back but he heard there was a position opening (due to someone's being fired) and he jumped on it without my knowing. As soon as I saw him, all my feelings came back. We dated for that entire summer. I mean seriously, the whole summer fling thing, you name it. Long walks at night under the stars, secret kisses during the day, secret kisses during the night, movies in the cabin. You see, our campers couldn't know we were dating so everything had to happen at night or on the weekends for the 24 hours we had off. It was probably the most romantic summer of my life.
We are no longer together and I'm getting ready to marry another man. But, that's a summer I will never forget and I do not regret it at all." — Nicole, 24
Whether it's just a relationship you get into before you move out of town for college or it's a summer romance so picturesque that Nicholas Sparks could write a book based on it, summer love just hits a little differently. You don't have nearly as much on your plate, you've got your bags packed for some vacation, and you've got warm summer nights. The sparks are hot, they're fleeting, but they're pretty damn unforgettable.
