I've prided myself as a hopeless romantic ever since I was a child. All of my favorite movies included a perfect happily ever ending with princesses riding off into the sunset with their princes. This is how my dream started—my dream for a fairytale love that never saw the light of day.

Flash forward about fifteen years into the future and into an environment where happily ever after doesn't exist. At least not for me.

As someone who didn't experience a high school relationship, I always believed that I'd find my soul mate in college. I probably modeled the idea off of my parents who were lucky enough to meet at a time before college became a place where relationships are a rare breed.

Imagine my surprise as I was thrust into an environment where hook-up culture thrives and meaningful relationships are replaced by the never-ending "talking phase."

None of the movies that I watched as a child prepared me for horrific Tinder experiences and endless cycles of f-boys that I've had to fish through while seeking a potential romantic partner.

It's easy to lose hope in these circumstances, but for some reason, I just keep holding out for the chance that it might get better. I'm aware that my situation can change in an instant and seeing my close friends find healthy relationships has convinced me that it's not impossible.

It's just really hard. And it sucks.

For all the other single people out there, I definitely feel your pain. We're constantly bombarded with messages that tell us that there's more to life than a relationship. While this is true, it's easy to feel like our desires aren't valid.

Sometimes we just want someone to cuddle up to in the midst of our many Netflix binges, and there isn't anything wrong with that. Being single is a great thing, but that doesn't mean that it feels great all the time, and it's okay to admit that once in a while.