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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 – 158 stories

Stories

“Pastel Pink Is Your Colour” by Eesha T

Submitted to Contest #81

When Sher Shavik Silas found out that his high school crush, as luck would have it, was in the premises of his very own college, he was on cloud nine. This joyful news reached him from another freshman, with whom he had instantly hit off, as a result of a truth or drink game they were playing in their dormitory a fortnight before The Great Disappointment and a night before an assignment due date. In that moment, as he sat in a ritualistic circle of semi-strangers and himself half-drunk, he was forced to disclose the name of his crush. There ...

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“Serendipity” by Sylvia Luna

Submitted to Contest #81

She walked into the room and there it was, in the time it takes a hummingbird to flap its wings, the memory was waiting for the right time to resurface, but he knew her in an instant. It was 15 years ago, a few weeks before his senior year, he and his friends were at a summer dance, it was the last one before school began. Josh didn’t have the courage to approach her, to ask her to dance or even her name. But when his best friend asked her to dance, and she accepted, he lost his dibs, as he and his friends often called when one of them spott...

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“The Crush Who Lost Her Memory” by Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #81

My cell-phone tweets as I am lying on the couch, half dozing and other half watching a tennis match on the TV. A message! “Don’t forget the family get-together on Zoom at 8pm this evening. See you there! Love - your cousin, Jill.” I had planned to forget. I hate these Zoom affairs. It means you have to get dressed. You can’t appear in the picture dressed in a pair of socks. You have to smile at long-lost cousins whose names you can’t remember. You have to say nice things about everyone. And you can’t hide from the probing camera that focus...

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“Sunset” by Liza Mae Boloy

Submitted to Contest #81

"Let's go home later Matt? "I asked him while eating in the canteen. "Yes, but when we go home for a long time, you go first so that you can go home early, maybe your mother will look for you "he replied while chewing the food. "Okay go ahead but mama won't be angry when I take home for a long time as long as someone is home with me" I said while sipping the coke. "All right, I'll try if I can finish the work early so we can get home earlier ha" he said to me and drank the water so we can enter our room, there are still a lot of activi...

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“''You hurt us. It up to us to fix us.” by Tyrellmarshall Marshall

Submitted to Contest #81

''Hey how you doing Brian. Are you okay?Claire said. ''I'm doing well okay.Brian replied. Ackward silence. Well I'm so glad you decided to come to dinner with me. I really appreciated it. Claire. ''Well I had nothing else to do so I figure why not .I might as well 'You know.Brian. replied. Look I just want to say I'm so sorry. so sorry for the way I hurt you Brian. I never wanted it to be like that. It just me ,and you was just going through the somethings. We was going through things.I just didn't know how.....I just didn't know Cla...

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“The light in the dark” by Sarah Mraz

Submitted to Contest #81

Her- It's been weeks since I had given the thought to actual look in the mirror. I hardly recognize my own face. Puffy red teary eyes,raw nose and the greasy rats nest I call hair were staring back at me. I just stood there-looking into swollen eyes watching the tears flow. I've been trying to talk to him. I can't even get a sentence in without him telling me "I can't do this right now". How long can he hold this wall up? He's always let me in. When did these little arguments become so many;when did they become so big? ...

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“A Different Level of Love” by John Rockk

Submitted to Contest #81

On Friday last, a story came up on a newsfeed. A tsunami brought on by 9.4 earthquake, had ravaged the Gaza strip, such as the Middle East hadn't seen in years. In the city of Jerusalem, however, bigger news was on the event horizon. Bioengineers were revealing an algorithmic entity that was human in every way, from the complex emotional dramas that make up a life experience, to the firing neurons that create and destroy thoughts and ideas in the flash of a nanosecond. When brought online, the first artificial human being w...

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“Patching Up Rainbows” by Shelby Donnellan

Submitted to Contest #81

Something in me told me this wouldn't be the last time we spoke. I pushed down the feeling, finished shoving my shoes in the plastic tote I had bought for Christmas decorations and I began to cry. The feeling of my heartbreaking took over and within moments I was consumed in sobs, face in my palms and I sank to the floor in tears. "Are you okay..?" "How could ANY of this be okay?" I blubbered, "How can YOU just be okay?!" Ignoring my gut instinct that told me not to, I turned my head to see his face. He stood in the doorway that connected t...

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“The distance between us” by Kora Jones

Submitted to Contest #81

Lovers. That’s what they had been since high school. They had always been together. They resented when they were apart. They could be surrounded by a mob but they would still feel alone. Separate. They felt completed together. They needed each other; if not they felt as if they would combust. They would feel worlds apart. Longing for the other. Graduation. The event they never wanted to see. They knew what would happen after. They would be forced to be apart. T...

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“Being Free” by Stellan Quin

Submitted to Contest #81

Trigger warning: Suicide attempt Ivan sat on the side of his bed, wondering where it all went wrong. He looked up, looking at his nightstand. A picture of his girlfriend Luma smiling would normally warm his heart, but recently it had felt like nothing. Ivan and Luma had been together for four years, but the last month had ruined their relationship. Nothing had gone as expected, and nothing would to Ivan. Luma stared at the ceiling, tears rolling down her face. Although she still loved Ivan, he seemed incredibly different. Normally, Ivan wa...

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“Teardrops” by Michaela Memories

Submitted to Contest #81

I'm Shara, I'm 20 years old, a simple type of person, an average girl even though since I was a child a lot of people say I'm beautiful. I'm here at the park holding a coin that I'm going to throw into a wishing well, to wish that this pain inside of my damn heart would fade away. Because of my ex-boyfriend. It's been two months already since we broke up until now I couldn't believe that we ended up like this, even if our love for each other was unbreakable. Or maybe I was the only one who thinks about that. ...

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“MY BETTER HALF” by S NANDANA

Submitted to Contest #81

Jennifer was sitting in her seat without any response and it was suddenly a chalk fled towards her."Where are you? Are you dreaming?"The professor shouted.The children started to laugh."Those who are inattentive to my class get out."The Professor ordered.She suddenly took her bag and exited from the class.She was Jennifer,a final year bachelors student.Jennifer sat down under the tree.She was in a state of depression. She was confused and was unable to take a firm decision.She thought of her life she was a naughty girl and many used to call ...

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“A PAIR OF SILVER SHOES AND TWO LOVES OF A LIFETIME” by Nynn Tamayo

Submitted to Contest #81

THEY lay half hidden in the shadows, unbuckled and in disarray; as if just taken off hastily after a long night’s dance. She comes and goes seeing them all the time but never bothering to return to the box. She just can’t yet. She wanted a now fading memory to linger like the favorite perfume she hadn't had for years. She recalls how she got this lovely pair of shoes in the first place. She and hubby hopped from store to store in the crowded city to find one that matches her beaded and sequined cocktail dress. It amazed her tha...

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“Love conquers all” by Alex Lucky Nxumalo

Submitted to Contest #81

They met up whilst still in school. He was doing his first year of the "A" Level programme at a multi-racial school, and she was doing her Grade 10.This following is a gripping love adventure between Alex and Janet. Alex was a South African citizen, and Janet, a Swazi citizen. She was a very beautiful, but reserved young woman who took her school work seriously. Alex was a vibrant and extroverted young man, whom everybody loved for his charming demeanour. He was also a very versatile soccer player who played regularly for the school team. Ja...

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“Working threw the pain” by Christina Chapman

Submitted to Contest #81

Vincent and Tessa hadnt seen each other in six months, and six months before that. The past two years theyd go 3 or 6 months without seeing each other even though they were married. The only time they got together was when their daughter was home from school. Elena was a sophmore in college she came home then for summer break, so her parents were together. During the time she was home for the three month summer one would make up an excuse to go away for a few weeks then the other so they had to spend very little actual time together when the...

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$50

Prize money

915

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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