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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

“Permanent things in the transient world” by Shree M

Submitted to Contest #81

Years rolled and time-lapsed. People say everything in this world is temporary and just a passing cloud, but in my life, there was one permanent, time-tested thing- our relationship and the footprints of the pain we survived to lead a peaceful life. I and my husband met when we were 14 years old and we were best friends for years but we both know very little that our relationship will turn from friendship to love, a true and deep one. This is our story. We realised our bond in the middle of an infamous riot-The India’s partition. Then we liv...

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“Hitting our Stride” by Kerensa Rybak

Submitted to Contest #81

I am looking at myself in the mirror tonight, dissecting my appearance the way women often do as they get older, when I realize I no longer feel familiar with myself. Where once my breasts were alabaster and full of life, and for many years, with milk to feed my children, they are now a roadmap of blue veins and stretch marks. Skin from my pregnancies now sits loose on my hips, and no amount of situps will alleviate it. My hair, once a wild mane of brown curls is now striped with gray, thick and wiry near my temples. This woman isn't the one...

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“Late to dating” by Mark Rice

Submitted to Contest #81

She puckered her lips as she applied the lipstick, pursing them to smooth the pink gloss evenly from end to end. Angela was staring at the face of what once was an attractive woman. What she saw didn’t please her but you can only work with what you’ve got and above all else, in life, she was a pragmatist. That was her attitude borne of life experiences. She stood up and adjusted the dress that sheltered her ample bosom and middle-aged spread. The dress and she had both had better days but Rome wasn’t built in a day and Angela h...

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“Other People” by Chris Jordan

Submitted to Contest #81

“Shit!” Nick’s shakiness from anxiety was something that came out of nowhere when he started shaving. He furiously grabbed the toilet paper roll on the counter, ripped a small piece off, and slabbed it on the small cut on his neck. Why does it always bleed so much? he thought. Small drops had landed in the sink so he turned the water on to wash it away. His face was shaved clean, the clotting blood a visible eyesore. He ran his hands through his hair, longer than he typically wears it but the style was growing on him. He grabbed his hair ge...

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“Love at the Flower Shop” by Anthony Citerella

Submitted to Contest #81

“There you go Mr. Frederickson. I hope she loves it.” The elderly man nodded and took the bunch of red roses and the baby's breath as Alice smiled at him. She had seen Mr. Frederickson at her floral shop several times with his wife who was equally adorable. By helping him write letters that had gone with the flowers over the years she had learned that he had lived in New York City with his wife all of his life, and intended to keep it that way until his death. It was getting late and the shop was about to close up. The last customer in lin...

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“The Faceless Saviour” by Imi W

Submitted to Contest #81

“For God’s sake!” Charlie threw her curlers down into the sink with more force than was necessary. She ran her fingers desperately through her hair, groaning at the tangles which she was attempting to transform into flowing locks. Her phone flashed angrily beside her. Anne. “How are you feeling?” Anne asked through the speaker, ever the mum of her friends. “Fine., I’m stressed, obviously, but I’m excited!” Charlie replied. It was a lie, but one she hoped Anne didn’t pick up on. She had felt odd since waking up this morning, like some stra...

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“Anniversary” by Jop Van As

Submitted to Contest #81

“I’m home”, he shouted as he opened the front door and stepped in the warm comfort of his house. No response. He shook some snow off of his jacket and took off his shoes. As he walked to the kitchen, he put his bag on the stairs and rubbed his hands against each other to get them warm. He opened the bottle of red wine he bought earlier this week for this occasion. “A nice glass of wine to start of the evening”, he mumbled to himself. It was the fourth of January, not an ordinary day no, it was the anniversary of him and his wife and he had p...

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“What Love Really Is” by Grayson Callender

Submitted to Contest #81

This day began just as normally as any other day would, with the alarm ringing at 10:30 on the dot.However this was no normal day, today was the ultimate anniversary as my wife and I like to call it. We have been doing this for probably 24 years, this all came together as a result of our relationship having three major anniversaries in the same month.I guess you could say that besides our love for each other we both loved the month of October. It started the day after my birthday, on the eighth of October I saw her for the first time and I t...

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“Anniversary” by Darryl Lehane

Submitted to Contest #81

Our first anniversary together we had been poor. Mac and Cheese from a packet, with non alcoholic wine, cheap chocolate mousse, bargain basement cognac and cheap cigars had been our very cheap dinner of choice.It soon became a yearly ritual, no matter how well we were doing. Our personal in joke. We’ve always joked about how horrible it was. But the truth is; The fact that the two of us were together makes it taste like the best food from the finest restaurant in the world.It’s amazing how love can do that. Make the mundane into the magical ...

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“A Hole in My Heart” by Min Everwood

Submitted to Contest #81

July 7th, 2004. A date burned in my memory for eternity..Soft jazz music playing in the distance. A table set for two, perfectly placed beneath the shimmering moonlight. The cold evening breeze, welcoming itself into the room. I sway, feeling the music and hum remembering the fond memories I have with the song while I make minor adjustments to the table. Everything needs to be perfect. I take a look at my watch and see it is now a quarter past seven, three more minutes until the fun begins.The door swung open abruptly and walks in a lady, co...

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“To Endure Whatever Comes” by Leslie Bedenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #81

Everything looked perfect. The food was ready to eat, the dining room table was set, and the candles had all been lit. Jordan knew his wife deserved nothing but the best. And tonight, that’s exactly what he planned to give her. Caroline was the type of woman that just couldn’t imagine putting herself first. She was always helping somebody out, whether it was at the hospital where she worked or in her free time. Countless wounded animals had been taken in and nursed back to health by her. She even anonymously covered the costs of a fu...

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“A Closer Vantage Point” by Ryan Hays

Submitted to Contest #81

Yvette hassled over the details with such a scrutinous eye that her roommate, Dina, had told her to calm down on six separate occasions leading up to her date’s arrival. She had ignored her friend on each and every instance. This was something she had never done before, at least not within her own abode, and so if she was able, she would make damn sure that nothing about this dinner went poorly. Her dish of choice was Cassoulet, something her mother in France had taught her how to prepare, and she had spent the better part of a day fussing o...

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“Unbreak my heart” by Arynn Diaz

Submitted to Contest #81

Trigger warning; mention of a miscarriageThe tantalizing aroma of roses wafted from the Indian scented candle, the beautiful smell enveloping the dining room of the Mystic Meadows Mansion as multiple servants placed multiple expensive china on top of the twenty-sitter dining hall table under Mia's strict directions. The wonderful smells of roasted potatoes, seared duck, salad ranch and fresh fruit warred with the rose scent in the air, all of the the scents vying for the spot of most pleasant smell in the big house. Expensive whine from the ...

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“First Dates” by David Seybold

Submitted to Contest #81

I could never remember where the utensils go. Do the forks go on the right or the left? Big then little or little then big? And what about the knife? She would have known. This was her thing. But it didn’t matter, right? The effort is what counts. Hopefully, that’s still the case. I put the forks on the right, spoons on the left, the knife above and stepped back to admire my handiwork. The table looked nice, I thought. I had set it for two, a white tablecloth, napkins on the plates—paper not cloth, I’m not that insecure—and a candle in the m...

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“Anniversary” by Andrea Kepple

Submitted to Contest #81

Now, where did I put the herb bouquet? Ah, there it waits on the cornflower blue countertop by the strawberry shaped cookie jar. Once people realize you have a theme to your kitchen, gift giving becomes easier. Just grab something in that theme and you are all set. In my wife Joan’s case we have years of cannisters, glasses, cups, clocks, place settings, magnets, even salt and pepper shakers on display throughout the kitchen. It’s been a sick joke for me because I’m allergic to strawberries. The bundle of parsley, thyme, and a bay leaf is a...

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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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