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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#81: Candy Hearts

Ah, love. From the first spark of attraction to the soul-deep contentment of a long-established relationship, romantic love is a force that continues to mystify, enthrall, and surprise us.

And while there’s plenty to criticize about Valentine’s Day, it’s still a nice excuse for people in romantic relationships to stop and appreciate their partners for a day. Especially during lockdown, when quarters are tight and nerves are often frayed, it’s important to remember why we chose the person (or people) we coupled up with.

What better time for a writer to dive headfirst into romances? No matter how many times we tell a love story, each relationship is going to have its own unique joys and frustrations, and we want to feel them all. So feel free to let your sappy side out — this week we’re celebrating love!

This week's prompts

Write about two people reconnecting after a rough patch in their relationship.

Romance – 247 stories

Write a love story about an older couple who’ve been together since they were teenagers.

Romance – 168 stories

Write about a first date that surprises both people, but in different ways.

Romance – 161 stories

Start your story with one character setting up a romantic dinner, and end it with them looking at a framed wedding photo.

Romance – 181 stories

Write about someone asking out an old crush, only to realize their crush doesn’t remember they’ve ever met before.

Romance – 159 stories

Stories

“Whatever Happened to Maxwell, Charlie?” by Amy Ayres

Submitted to Contest #81

The third time I saw Max, I heard his laugh for the first time; it came floating through the air until it pounded in my temples and made a breeze flutter through my eyelashes. All of us girls would sit side-by-side on the bleachers. We made a point to share an entire jar of peanut butter and a sleeve of crackers. We would just pass the peanut butter jar from one to the next down the line, absentmindedly. All of the girls were fused to the bleachers, silent, staring, while I would sit there and write. They all had this look on their...

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“Another Year Together ” by SpaceHuman 🌌

Submitted to Contest #81

I spring out of bed. The clock informs me that it's 2:00 in the afternoon. I write a mental note on my cat themed calendar that I need to be a little more strict on waking up. I don't think my alarm on max volume is working.It's the day before Valentines Day. One of the most important days for Luke and I besides New Years Eve. We may or may not have rented a yacht, gotten a little drunk and found ourselves almost flipping over the side and into the sea. But that was once. The other times we just hung out at the karaoke club.I need to go shop...

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“Women Are Unpredictable” by Samar H

Submitted to Contest #81

“Leslie? Is that you?” I couldn’t believe it. What are the odds that my high school crush would be here? “I’m sorry, have we met?” Of course she doesn’t remember me. “It’s Jake! From high school!” Her face turned red. It was obvious that my name didn’t ring any bells. “Sorry- I-” she stuttered. “You know! Jake Reynolds! We were in like 20 classes together?” She started avoiding eye contact. “I know we didn’t talk much, but we’ve met a few times. Remember Dylan’s party? We played beer pong. We absolutely destroyed Charles and Amy.” She stoppe...

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“Over Spilt Wine” by Annabelle Otero

Submitted to Contest #81

I stand outside of the restaurant, tugging at my too-tight collar. My hands are sweaty, making the flowers wrapped in plastic slip around in my hands. I take a deep breath, grab the door handle, and step inside. "Hello, table for one?" The woman at the welcome desk smiles at me. She is in a white shirt, black vest, basic black pants, covered by a maroon waist-only apron. She clearly doesn't cook, but in the apron is a simple notepad, pens, and napkins. "No, I'm meeting someone here. Uh..." I rake my brain for the name she gave me on tinder, ...

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“Peas” by Chris D

Submitted to Contest #81

Being the kind of kid born and raised in a church (quite literally, he popped out mid-sermon Christmas Eve, to Jesus jokes galore), the last thing he can admit to his parents is that he is gay. He's seen what happens, exiled off to conversion camp, to bleed the gay out them. He's not the real Jesus. He's not bleeding nothing for nobody. His parents have tried setting him up with the girls at church. They corner him at the dinner table during their Sunday lunches when he comes over post church. "Robin, don't you think Marybeth looked pr...

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“Chasing Butterflies” by T. Crandia

Submitted to Contest #81

It was a late night call from my stepmom which keeps on bugging me up about chasing a man named Zach. I never imagined that Carly is so obsessed with that name. In this midnight of thoughts I only had one person in mind who gave me something and which differs from every guy I talked to. I heaved a sigh and let this cold long night swallowed me. “I wish Carly would let me date my dream guy with my favorite pillow”. “Hey Emily! There’s a cute letter on your desk!” Anne with her excitement loudly spoke....

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“My dear Isobel/Howard” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #81

The two emails, identical apart from the name, arrived at exactly the same time, and bore the same subject heading of My Last Request. They were sent from the email address of a solicitor called Robert Hampstead, but he was not the one who had written them. My dear Isobel/Howard Robert has promised me that he will see to this for me when the time comes. Oh, how they love that phrase on those rather tedious adverts for life insurance. Well, my time is coming and I know it. You both do as well, and I thank you both for not assuring me I’ll be ...

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“Relic of the Past” by Jungle Clover

Submitted to Contest #81

Slumped in a corner booth, scrolling through her phone, Elizabeth sighed as she realized that another minute had passed. If there was one thing she disliked, it was tardiness, and her date was already five minutes late. Though she was dressed casually, in a pale blue pair of skinny jeans and a white, long-sleeved blouse, those were her nice jeans and blouse, and she had spent hours agonizing over her makeup and her hair. Now done mourning the time she had wasted, Elizabeth shuddered as she imagined having to face the friendly waitress aga...

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“Gloriously Glazed p.2” by Zoé Nöel-Lemieux

Submitted to Contest #81

“Jasper! Come help me bring in the boxes of flour!” Aubrey yells beside me as she finishes wiping the front counter and rushes out to meet the delivery man out the front of the bakery. “I’m coming!” Jasper yells from somewhere in the far reaches of the bakery. It’s another day working at a bakery, but rather than at our family bakery, it’s at Glazed and Glorious. Our family bakery shut its doors last Tuesday and since then, we’ve worked peacefully alongside the Thompson’s at their bakery Glazed and Glorious and my father has not been seen s...

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“Strawberry Rum” by Suhani Choudaha

Submitted to Contest #81

Freshman year of college, and the smell of roses was in the air- a rather painfully obvious indicator to the season of love- and the hushed glow of twine wrapped candles flooded the room. I remember thinking to myself, “All it would take is one wave of my hand to turn the mood lighting into a trail of scented smoke,” but I persisted, and took the time to straighten my bow. The oven timer cut through the silence, and I took the notification as a countdown. I fixed my hair, straightened my collar, and lightly doused my crisp suit in that colog...

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“Pizza and Porn ” by Meli Mangos

Submitted to Contest #81

“Take a right at the stop sign.” Anna followed the directions from her phone’s GPS mounted in an air vent of her 1999 Honda Civic and turned down the road to her right. Her headlights shone over perfectly manicured lawns and houses with elegant entryways. “Wow, he lives here?” She said to herself as she drove past the mansion-like houses. She stopped next to a driveway in front of house number 513 and turned her car off. The house had two large bay windows on either side of the front door. Every window in the house was i...

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“He works through everything” by Beth Murray

Submitted to Contest #81

Every morning it's the same ole' story, the same ole' song and dance, (as some people might say). You'd think that after 43 years I would have moved on buy now. Nope it's just me, all by myself, no kid, no husband, no marriage, no grandbaby to take over to Mom and Pops'. I got me a house, I work in my garden, (even though it's getting cold,) but nothing exciting comes around these days. Well, I guess I 'oughtta' count my lucky stars that nothing exciting comes around these days. In fact if something to exciting came around Mamma might h...

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“Tangle” by Chris D

Submitted to Contest #81

There are glow stars on her ceiling. She hadn't put them there. She hasn't moved in what has felt like days, save for trips to the bathroom. Yet somehow, in the five minutes she's been gone, glow stars have been tacked onto the ceiling. It looks as if they're glued to giant sheets of posterboard, tacked up haphazardly with no particular order. Uriel is still sitting on the couch where she had passed him on her way to the toilet, filling out paperwork. He's hardly moved either all week. He lets her rot in the bedroom, sleeping on the couch.&n...

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“Peanut_Butter” by Peace Nakiyemba

Submitted to Contest #81

Do you want to go to the dance with me?Tick either Yes --- or No ---Dear Diary,J and I are spending a lot of time together. It’s insane! How we can sit together for hours and it feels like no time has passed or most insane of it all, how I keep wanting more. We sit in the library or go to the park and talk about everything and nothing. I think he is the coolest, smartest and most beautiful boy in our class.I like that he is very serious about his studies and Mummy is always saying that’s a mark of a good man. I like that I’m the person ...

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“Timeless” by Mandy McCool

Submitted to Contest #81

Do you believe in a love that transcends time? Well then, you are in luck! This is a tale about a love that has bloomed across many lifetimes, becoming stronger with every sunrise and sunset. In total, our fated lovers have found each other in the midst of six different lives that span different times and places. It wasn’t a simple feat, mind you. There were always obstacles that stood in the way to keep the two separate. Yet in the end, they would find each other and the memories of their shared pasts would return as if told in a fairytale....

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$50

Prize money

916

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 19, 2021 EST

Won by Molly Quinnell 🏆

Title: Golden Cheekbones and the Rising Sun

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!

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