In your hometown, you can’t even go to the grocery store without running into someone who knows your mom. But on spring break? You’re just another face in the crowd of frat bros, beach bums and vacationers who will never cross your path again. What happens on the beach stays on the beach — or so they tell themselves.

Unrequited love is a painful yet universal experience caused by strong feelings for someone who does not or cannot reciprocate, such as a close friend who only sees your relationship as platonic. This type of feeling is often romanticized due to its idealized portrayal in the media — I myself am guilty of finding it so romantic when it comes to Mr. Darcy’s initial one-sided love for Elizabeth in Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice.”

Whenever I hear a classmate speak on Zoom, I cannot help but notice how often they say “um.”