I remember being one of the first to arrive in math class in seventh grade because I wanted to snag a seat close to my crush, Jonathan. Jonathan was about 5 inches shorter than I was and much better at integers. Learning was more fun with him around.

Fast forward a decade to my first job out of college. I dressed up in my finest sweater set to impress a new employee a few cubicles over. After a few weeks of our eyeing each other in meetings and dining in the horrible cafeteria downstairs, he asked me out and we began a covert office romance that lasted a year. While the relationship started in the office, it did not end because of the office.

As far as I know, our office mates had no idea about the relationship as we made a conscious decision to separate business and pleasure (that meant no hooking up in the paper supply room -- and not just because of wanting to avoid paper cuts...). In fact, years later I told a mutual friend who wanted hard evidence about our affair since she never would have paired us together...and that was part of the fun. Fun you ask?!? Why should work be fun or flirty? Why not! Just look at an office party this holiday season to prove me wrong. Your co-workers yearn to show their sassy -- non sweater-set -- side.

It's no surprise that some singles are hooking up at work since this is where they spend the bulk of their days. I know a number of people who have found true love in the office and married.

Critics of office romance certainly have a point. If you're more focused on your crush than on your work, you may not meet deadlines or assigned tasks and this will negatively contribute to your office environment and productivity. Moreover, if you are involved with a 'higher up' you run the risk of missing out on a promotion or getting one that others will be cynical of. For this reason, if you date in the office, better to date someone in another department, keep the relationship quiet for the first few months (until you know it's really going somewhere), and set ground rules in advance ( i.e. if it doesn't work out, you won't lodge campaigns against each other at work).

Dating a co-worker is not a 'safe' option on a few levels, but it IS an option when you're single. I am a firm believer that in dating, we all have to take risks to find success.

So, if you're going to take the risk, be smart about it. Do not date your married boss and do not share details with every office mate or the water cooler chatter will heat up fast.

Here are some other rules of managing office romance:

1. Do not blab to the whole office the night you first hook up. Confide in your friends in the 'real world'

2. Figure out if it's a fun roll in the hay or if you see long-term potential with this person. If it's fun sex, it may not be worth taking the risk but if it's looking like you may have a future with your office mate, it may be worth exploring.

3. And finally -- if it's explicitly stated in your contract that office romance is against company policy ask yourself -- is it worth losing your job over your crush? Maybe.

The bottom line is that office romance happens. In fact, I'm betting someone down the hall from you is having a little office fling of her own as you're reading this article...

So -- weigh the risks against the rewards when evaluating the possibility of an office romance. Do a solid cost-benefit analysis. I'm sure my math crush Jonathan would have been satisfied with that equation.