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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#237: Sugar Rush

As a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic, Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays of the year, and it has been ever since I was young. I can still remember how excited I would get whenever I gave and received candy hearts in class: those heart-shaped chunks of sugar said so much in just a few letters, from cute little confessions to grand decorations of love.


As romance is in the air this month, let’s write some stories inspired by the following candy heart messages: “1 4 3,” “MARRY ME,” “DATE NIGHT,” “LET’S KISS,” and “EMAIL ME.” Whether you write something heart-wrenching and contemplative, or sappy and sweet, is up to you!

This week's prompts

Write a love story without using the word “love.”

Valentine's Day – 102 stories

Write about a successful marriage proposal, or one that goes horribly wrong.

Valentine's Day – 44 stories

Write about a cynical character who somehow ends up on a blind date.

Valentine's Day – 39 stories

Write a story about a first or last kiss.

Valentine's Day – 108 stories

Write a story about two people falling in love via email.

Valentine's Day – 32 stories

Stories

“Last Gasp of Connection” by James Moore

Submitted to Contest #237

The chaotic chatter rang around Laurence’s head, the busyness of everybody’s speech, the excitable inflections of his friends, blurring together with the background noise of everyone else on the boat. He sat back and just watched everyone have fun, he tried to soak up the ambiance, the fabricated party atmosphere, and engage with it, enjoy it, but he couldn’t, once again his friends were deep in conversation, laughing and joking with each other, clinking glasses and smoking. And he just sat back and drank, he had slowly and subtly withdrawn ...

4 comments 4
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“I EMAILED HIM” by Pindakaas Banaan

Submitted to Contest #237

It took me since the bang of our universe to fall in love, but it took the shortest of a second to completely and utterly lose my common sense. My fingers lingered the glowing backlit keyboard. On the screen flashed a simple confession and I exhaled both in relief and disbelief. What was I even doing? My feelings were like a language I didn’t speak. Yet these feelings were unreasonably potent and dangerously persistent.This whole thing started as a half-hearted excuse to touch the waters of online dating. That's what led me to Flame; a cyber...

2 comments 2
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“Like A Dragon Sitting in Church” by Daniel Rogers

Submitted to Contest #237

A minor disaster occurred in a quaint house inside the outer wall of Selwyn. Not that Treena would call it minor unless compared to a dragon attack or invading army. However, barring dragons or armies, Treena judged her disaster to be monumental. The family necklace broke. It was an heirloom passed down through ten generations - a golden brooch inlaid with rubies and emeralds arranged in a spiral pattern. Treena had bent to pick up her fallen hairpin. When she rose, the necklace caught on the corner of a table and snapped. Fortunately, the b...

4 comments 4
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“A Box of Broken Crackers and a Shoelace” by Rose Winters

Submitted to Contest #237

I was as broken as a box of crackers… that had been stomped on by an elephant, put in a paper shredder, and dumped down the garbage disposal. Yep. A smidge glum, you might say.The D word. It sucks.First, it's the nauseating "Oh, you poor thing." (Barfing a little as we speak, even now.)Then it's the traumatizing "I have a friend you should meet!" and "Have you tried the new dating site?" which would leave me begging for a samurai harikari sword.I wasn't ready. Men made me want to scream and run away. If a guy looked at me, I'd sort of do a D...

11 comments 11
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“Lie With Me” by Michael Ginsberg

Submitted to Contest #237

I met Susan in 1973 at a dinner hosted by Dan and Rachel, mutual friends who thought we might make a good couple. By the end of the evening, I agreed, and a few days later, I invited Susan for dinner at my apartment. Standing side by side, we chatted while chopping vegetables for a stir fry. When the conversation lagged, I asked Susan if she’d like to hear some music. “How about ‘The Four Seasons,’” she said. I pulled out “Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ Greatest Hits.” When the drum solo announced “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” Susan laug...

1 comment 1
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“ALEX AND JESSE: ONE KISS THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #237

Where has the time gone? It seemed like only yesterday when we said our vows. When I look at you after all these years of marriage, I still see the same young girl I fell in love with. Nothing has changed. My love for you continues to grow. My Alex, the love of my life, you were my friend, my best friend before you were my wife. Before I told you I love you, we shared something special, something that took my breath away. Our first kiss. That day has lived in my heart for all these years. My Alex, our first kiss was memorable. It was bre...

2 comments 2
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“100%” by Khadija S. Mohammad

Submitted to Contest #237

"So, who do you think your 100 will be?" Dorro leant over the back of the sofa and whispered into her room-mate's ear. Her casual dress rustled against the sofa's fabric. Lana batted her off with a gentle laugh, not taking her eyes off the wall-clock as it ticked its way to 12:00. "How many times have you asked already?" "I know, I know, but you're getting your list today. They might ask you what kind of man you would prefer to marry." "It's not the 90s, Dorro," Lana said with an indulgent smile. The second hand of the clock seemed to have w...

11 comments 11
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“Your Best Bet!” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #237

Nicky meandered into work, her sleek attire impressive as always. Her hair was well-groomed, in an upswept bun to show she meant business. Her skirt was pencil slim, topped with a matching jacket. Nicky had a bit of a shoe fetish, her high heels showed off her legs, with sheer hosiery. Naturally, Nicky did not tell her collaborative team of Christian counselors about her own fixations. She had already been promoted, and was regarded as slightly icy to males, but a true professional mediator in well-being. As one of the leading professionals...

5 comments 5
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“Rain and Roses” by Ace Mccutcheon

Submitted to Contest #237

Rosy took a deep breath, and faced her opponent, the winding path before her. If she could steel her nerves, she might finally get some closure. She couldn't allow herself to hope for the best.Behind her, the bustling metropolis of London II warbled quietly as the day ended.She took a step.On either side of her, colourful flowers made from cogs, springs and tin dotted the astroturf. She remembered helping Georgie paint them; how she had laughed, paint smearing her face, at a joke Rosy had told, and how Rosy had seen the sun shine in Georgie'...

4 comments 4
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“Owl and Raven” by Kathleen Capacci

Submitted to Contest #237

“Raven is so beautiful!” Owl inhaled his breath sharply.Nestled in his tree hollow, he had poked his head out and saw the most stunning sight of his life. A sudden gust of cold air had awakened Owl from his daily slumber to this astonishing bird. Raven was hopping over the lustrous snow, occasionally digging with her beak. Her black feathers glimmered blue and purple every time she moved as the filtered sun reflected off her sleek body. Raven moved around gracefully as she explored the underbrush by the trees. Her courtly feet left a soft cr...

2 comments 2
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“1-4-3” by Infernia Dragonfly

Submitted to Contest #237

Warning: death.Her lips touched his forehead, warm from the fever he had had for the last couple of days. He was trembling and slowly closed his eyes when she touched him. Then, he finally seemed… at peace. His forehead grew colder so fast as if his very soul left the room in a split second. He has gone to sleep forever. A tear dropped from her cheek onto his arm. But he would never feel the sensation of water brushing against his skin again.Once this was all they had. Sun and saltwater splashing them, wetting their clothes. Somehow, he alwa...

8 comments 8
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“Last Kiss” by Adam Francomb

Submitted to Contest #237

I've known Jake a long time. Back when the two of us used to lay shirtless underneath the apple tree after a long day. We were children really, when the lines of his face left when he was done smiling and the salt hadn't sprinkled into my hair. Before either one of us had kissed a woman. That’s how it began I suppose, neither of us brave enough to talk to the fairer sex. We told each other everything. After a school field trip where all the boys bragged that they weren’t virgins we admitted to each other that we were and taught each other ho...

5 comments 5
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“Electric Reflections” by RC Riggs

Submitted to Contest #237

The couch is a faded forest green velvet, arms rolled in an imitation of an 18th-century English antique, but it is unequivocally comfy, which is why I had hauled it atop my ancient Volkswagen Beetle after finding it abandoned on the side of the road. That couch is the second most important tool of my trade.I sit on the couch staring at the gilded mirror, another miraculous gem saved from the curb. The gilt frame was missing chunks in several locations and had a crack vaguely in the shape of Nevada in the bottom left corner. But a mirror tha...

6 comments 6
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“First And... Last” by Kate Walsh

Submitted to Contest #237

      She smoothed down her dress and checked her lipstick in the car mirror. Tonight was the night; it was the third date with Darren, and she really liked him. She fixed a flyaway hair, pinning it back into place, heaved a large sigh and started walking toward the restaurant.           The restaurant was on the fancier side, with private rooms instead of open seating. The hostess standing the in the entrance way was dressing in a lovely black dress that sk...

1 comment 1
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“There's No Such Thing As Love” by Jordan Tyler

Submitted to Contest #237

“Dude, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and you don’t have a date again. Why don’t you text Sabrina or Abbey and just get a coffee or something? Just one cup. It could be fun!” “Hell nah, dude. Last time I went out with Abbey, she vented about work for two hours. I don’t want to be trauma-dumped on, again. Sabrina just wants to fuck and then kick me out. She already texted me earlier. I’m not about to be used again.” “Or… She could just want to get some food and talk because she’s into your personality, too…” “No way, man. It’s definitely not lik...

7 comments 7
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$250

Prize money

324

Contest entries

133

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 16, 2024 EST

Won by Eliza Levin 🏆

Title: Love.edu: Courtship and Coincidence in Modern Academia

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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