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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

“Matters of the heart ” by Victoria Hungwe

Submitted to Contest #81

All she could do was look at her phone, with tears clouding her eyes she knew her world had been shattered. Just one text mesaage had changed it all, ' how could he, after all that we have been through', four years meant nothing to him. A simple text message was like a hot slap across the face. Deep down she had felt it, for weeks she knew something was up but couldnt put a finger on it. She had tried making him open up on what was wrong and all he had said was i cant talk about. Man and their emotions, who ever said talking about your troub...

9 comments 9
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“Begin Again” by Amanda Wisdom

Submitted to Contest #81

12.12.2020 “And where’s there?”  “Where’s what?” I answered.  “Where does the road end? What are we driving to?” He inquired, curious, and reasonably so. I hadn’t told Ben anything yet. How strange it was, to have him here beside me, in the passenger seat of my small, dark blue honda civic. He looked so different from the 18-year-old boy who left me at Homecoming.  But right now, I didn’t want to answer him yet. To be honest, I was surprised that he already didn't know. Years ago, we took the school bus here, together. W...

0 comments 0
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“Lucidity” by Paige Leppanen

Submitted to Contest #81

It had been seven years since Beth died. Norman still felt pain when he looked at the framed picture on his bedside table. His roommate, Big John, told him the picture was beautiful. It was of them in their first home, Beth holding their first baby. The joy in their faces could be felt by anyone who looked at that photograph. Everyone knew Norman was a sentimental man. He didn’t bring much into the home, but he had photo albums and a box of cards that had been sent to him throughout the years. Peggy, his favorite nurse, loved to look thr...

4 comments 4
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“Love is a Stand Still” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #81

I saw her standing inside the store. Her hair perfectly quaffed. Her skin smooth and delicate like a porcelain doll. She was dressed in the latest fashion and it fit her beautifully. She was mine at one time, but I haven’t seen her since I left two years ago. Today was my first day back to this part of town, and as fate would have it, I find her in the same store the two of us both worked at a few years ago. Our love was true and fast. I knew from the moment I first saw Vanessa that this was something special. I looked at her and when our e...

3 comments 3
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“Drink Me!” by D. Alfonso

Submitted to Contest #81

Sophia smiled as she put the finishing touches on the lavish dinner table and stood back to admire her handiwork. The candlelight illuminated everything perfectly, casting the perfect light on the wine glasses. Oh, one of the forks was crooked. She carefully straightened it until everything was perfectly aligned. Rose petals were scattered along the table. The color would compliment the color of the aged red wine. The red wine would then complement the main course.  “Is everything ready,” a voice called. Sophia turned to find her clie...

0 comments 0
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“Sixteen” by Cassia Savage

Submitted to Contest #81

April 2009 (flashback)"Eri." my mother's voice, both a memory and a wish. I miss her."Mommy?" I was five when she 'went away' then, 'died' now."Erica, promise me you'll find a good man," she had said. A good man... what if I didn't want a good man?"I promise." there was no other choice but to promise. She was sick and dying. The least I could do was promise something as simple as finding a good man.And I did find a good boy, though I can’t say I kept him.April 8, 2020It has been eleven years since my mother died. My sixteenth birthday. Somet...

25 comments 25
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“Diary of thoughts: After He cheated” by Trishie Chikerema

Submitted to Contest #81

Myleene shuffled through the pages of her diary. Her face saying nothing about the thoughts whirling in her mind. Only the tremor of her hand when she reached the faded page inscribed with a somewhat shaky handwriting betrayed what she was feeling. She bit her lip nervously and her eyes darted across the room though she knew she’s utterly alone. Her hand rested on an entry from a year ago and a haunted look came over her face, her bony frame taut almost as if she was about to confront the ghost of her past. Everything about the scene screame...

2 comments 2
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“A Dance Of Rhythm and Rhyme” by Ishan Chopra

Submitted to Contest #81

He sighs and shakes the can of spray paint vigorously. It is a sheer drop down to the busy highway below, and the suspended rampart he stands on swings madly in the wind. The longer he thinks about it, the longer he would have to think about it. He starts spraying:Spray my brains Spray my soulSpray my heart Across this wallFor life was onceSunshine and goldBut is nowDrudgery and coldMark me love's latest victimJoy drawn, quartered, and soldShe sighs and brings her goggles down over her eyes as the plane begins to make its ascent. It is a cle...

4 comments 4
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“Galaxy Girl: The Kiss” by Cara H

Submitted to Contest #81

The Kiss Dream Lover Pepper was filled with conflicting emotions. The dowdy, forty-seven-year-old nurse’s aide had been dismayed to learn that one of her longtime heroes, blues-rock guitarist Gerry Clifford, had been placed in a care home in London’s storied Crouch End borough. At just sixty-two years old, Gerry had been diagnosed with dementia. Pepper always thought that Gerry was sweet and smart, and she felt that what was happening to him was terribly unfair. She wondered if he was frightened. She knew that she would be. So, she sent a wi...

2 comments 2
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“Working to progress” by Benny ...

Submitted to Contest #81

“You were supposed to be watching.” “I’m sorry.” “Just a few stragglers slipping by would’ve been fine, but an entire horde of the undead?” Jamie had been trying to ignore the sounds of the hands pounding against the wall of the farmhouse, the boarded windows felt like old, unlocked doors; willing to swing open at the lightest tap. The pistol in her hand felt as if it was shrinking with every uneven breath she took. She kept her body turned away from Mai, refusing to look her in the eyes, much less acknowledge she was there – Jamie wa...

6 comments 6
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“The Concert, the War, and the Nursing Home” by Emily Germaine

Submitted to Contest #81

{*NOTE FROM E. D. ROSAMUND* So this is for the prompt about the old couple who has been together since they were teenagers… the story is a little odd because it’s not told by their point of view, but I promise, it still fits because…. Just read it. XD}  I just want to go home.. I thought, rolling my eyes when the door closed. I propped my knee on the table and took out my phone, turning off the recording app. I missed ten messages just for half an hour of talking to my grandma. I only asked her one question, too. She droned on and on ...

2 comments 2
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“A Warm November” by Mike Henry

Submitted to Contest #81

A Warm November                                                Like him, the Thames moved slowly; an ancient waterway has no need to hurry.           “Hurrying is for the young and impatient,” he thought to himself as he shuffled along, enjoying the br...

4 comments 4
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“Loving Skittles” by Sincerely Cezlie

Submitted to Contest #81

The wind blew against my wavy short hair as I drove into Spoons, the town I’d left, the memories I’d tried to forget. 4 years had passed since I had been in this town. People buzzed around the town, families, friends, couples. Lots and lots of couples. I knew riding into Spoons on Valentines Day was going to be a terrible mistake but I’d have to face it, not this year but maybe the next.  As I drove nearer to home I stopped at The Diner, a diner I’d spent my entire teenage life in the place I’d met him. Should I go in, would he be her...

0 comments 0
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“Pictures of us” by A. Neptune

Submitted to Contest #81

"25 minutes, cutting this a little close," David thought to himself as he removed the nearly cooked steaks from the oven. The middle-aged man had lost nearly an hour consoling his youngest daughter over the phone. And another 20 thinking of ways to dispose of the young man that'd broken his baby's heart.He shook himself free of the anger that surged back into his chest every time it crossed his mind and focused on cooking. The steaks hit the cast iron pan with a sizzle, followed by butter, diced garlic, and rosemary. The heavenly aroma fille...

6 comments 6
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“Second Chances” by Ryth Lebron

Submitted to Contest #81

   "Valentine's Day Madness! Buy One Get One Free! Matching Couples' Sets!"     I sigh, remembering the pain of why I’m now single.      It all happened two months ago, on December 22nd. It was a snowy day. My boyfriend and I were walking through the park, holding hands and acting like everything was fine when just the opposite was more accurate.     “Babe, I think we need to talk.” my boyfriend had admitted, pausing and turning to look me in the eye.  &nbsp...

2 comments 2
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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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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