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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

“Time Flies” by A Holden

Submitted to Contest #81

The breeze couldn’t have been sweeter. I had spent an hour cleaning my apartment. I opened a window, the sweet smell of flowers outside had uplifted my mood. It was the day I had a date with the love of my life. I remember how the thought of her spun around my head, I felt like I was going to pass out.We met on my first day of university. Most students had visited the campus on a previous date though I was too busy to attend. I was searching for the library during my lunch break. I looked around for a few minutes and that’s when I saw her, m...

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“Forgiveness or Love? ” by Katerina Mpomposh

Submitted to Contest #81

‘’Hey’’, she said to her reflection and she was actually looking for an answer, but there is no sound you can have from emptiness, cause she was empty inside of her.She was staring at her wet eyes through the mirror and she only saw the life she dreamed but never live- no memory of her happy past and the thing she actually did and made her happy. At her forties she realized that she sacrificed herself into the altar of what everyone else have dreamed she would became, and she became a mother of two beautiful daughters and a cheated spou...

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“Love endures” by Abby Burton

Submitted to Contest #81

It is December 14th 2021, I am here in my living room staring at a beautiful framed wedding photo, the girl looked at was so happy in the picture, oh wait that girl is me, I was so happy, and still am. It all started in November, it was the 4th. I was working, on setting up a dinner for a family, that was when my boss came over and told me a guy called and asked for someone to set up a very special dinner date. I of course happily accepted, She told me to start right away. She gave me a piece of paper with all the information. The guys name ...

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“A promise” by Ankita Badlani

Submitted to Contest #81

12 February 2019 The day was like any other day, at least in some aspects. She was setting up the table for dinner. The aroma of chocolate cake and vanilla scented candles wafted through the air. She was just placing the wine glasses on the table when the doorbell rang. And there he was. The love of her life. She opened the door and hugged him tight, breathing in his smell. It had been months since they had last met. She walked in, lit the candle that was placed on the table, and switched on some soft music. A...

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“His Sunshine Girl” by Silpa Sankar

Submitted to Contest #81

James placed the ivory soup bowls down on the small wooden table he had set up for the dinner. She had always loved romantic dinners; he smiled fondly as he tucked the chairs back into its places. He wiped the wine glass once more with the white cloth he had in his hand. Where were those rose petals? He looked around and spotted the wicker basket full of red rose petals he had plucked in the evening on the mantle. He reached out and took the basket in his hand and generously showered the petals on to the table. The red candles set on the can...

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“Dinner for Two” by Caitlyn Fehr

Submitted to Contest #81

It was to be the perfect dinner for two. That was my grand plan anyway. Incorporating the extravagance of a restaurant with the intimacy of ‘just the two of us’ was my goal. The wobbly table in my small apartment was covered with a leftover white with pink polka dots table cloth from my niece’s sixth birthday party and two grey, cloth placemats I’d packed some of my dishes in when I moved out of my parents place almost four years ago and had just never returned. Plates from my mother’s old set marked out the two places and I had bought wine ...

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“The First Date” by Your Best Ever

Submitted to Contest #81

It was April 22 the year was 1962, it was pouring down rain and the wind was gusty, just another day in Centralia Washington. A beautiful seventeen year old Eileen was trying her best to make it on time to her first date and wasn't having much luck. Her tire was flat and she was drenched and a bit nervous about going to meet a stranger. Her best friend Betty, and Betty's fiance, Charles assured her he was a decent respectful young man and that they would be great together, so she pushed her nervousness and skepticism aside and started walkin...

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“Meeting the Match” by Floraine Thwin

Submitted to Contest #81

In January 1, 2018, Lucas was staying in the bed and the alarm was ringing loudly. He didn’t want to get up because it’s holiday. So, he moved his hand over the table near his bed to stop the alarm clock. But he was opening his eyes wide open immediately because he touched something weird, soft and warm it doesn’t seemed like alarm clock or table. He looked closely to his hand go and he saw something that he didn’t expect. He scratched his head and looked at t...

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“A Special Date” by Alexa Muirheid

Submitted to Contest #81

Another year… Another Valentine's Day, yet my thoughts still only revolve around her… My darling, Jessica. I hum her favorite song as I drive home to set up a special dinner. The music and thoughts of her making the time pass by faster than what seems to be normal. I pull up to a charming little house where the snow decorates the yard and where Christmas lights still hang way beyond their time. The green paint is peeling a bit on the house but I barely notice as I grab the pink daisies and a small box of c...

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“Only Everyday” by Raveena Weerabahu

Submitted to Contest #81

He looked woefully out of place - an average Joe with a tie askew, whose mundane routine had been temporarily disrupted to accommodate a commercial spectacle he was expected to begrudgingly fulfil. There was a box of store-bought chocolates with a frayed ribbon beside a bottle of warming beer. A battered briefcase was shoved beneath the table - its clasps seemingly offering no security as crinkled papers made their presence known along the openings. She spared him a second glance as she wiped the table clean diligently. She so dreade...

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“The Valentine's Ritual” by Dnyaptee Adhao

Submitted to Contest #81

Eyes glued to the laptop screen; she had been staring right into the wallpaper since half an hour, shutting out all the functional windows, just a click away from logging out of the system. Vibrations were sent down her leg every tenth of a second and the phone screen lit up with every finger tap. Her eye lashes met on fixed intervals as though it kept a track of time. She had to remind herself to draw some breath every once a while until finally her cell phone bleeped at 16:00 hours and she jumped out of her chair twice; to turn off the ala...

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“Wishful Thinking” by Sophie Garman

Submitted to Contest #81

There was a certain stigma which circulated around first dates; they were destined to be awkward, manufactured, uncomfortable. The purpose of first dates, really, was so that middle-aged married couples would have an anecdote to chuckle about later on. As she lit one candle using the flame of another, Elaine refused to let such stereotypes tarnish her evening. She'd seldom given in to the silly traditions of Valentine's Day, the romanticized ideas that the fourteenth of February would unquestionably unite two hearts, et cetera, et cet...

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“Young Love” by Mariam Salah

Submitted to Contest #81

It's only 2 hours until my beloved husband arrives. I decided to surprise him tonight by preparing a nice meal to relieve some of the stress he has because of his work. I've been preparing for tonight's dinner for hours now. I want it to be romantic not like everyday's ordinary dinner. I even got some candles and flowers, and I'm quite satisfied with the results. I'm sure he'll love it. He always do. He's so nice, kind, and appreciative of what I do for him even if it's just me giving him a glass of water. He's always there when I need him. ...

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“Pondo and Sylvia” by Kathleen Brosius

Submitted to Contest #81

Pondo and Sylvia By Kathleen Brosius He was a tall man, handsome and rugged. His black hair fell over his ears and his blue eyes sparkled, especially when he gazed upon his beloved Sylvia. Pondo, as he was called, was an old rogue to some. Careless in dress, stubborn to conform to the changing demands of society, he spent most of his time on the river bottoms. He was a commercial fisherman. He bought a plot of land with a gunnysack full of moldy muskrat pelts and $30. Called...

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“Science Nerd” by Miss Pickypants

Submitted to Contest #81

I’m trying to remember what his favorite was, either the spinach falafel or the spicy whipped feta. I stare at the menu racking my brain, thinking back to the menu on our wedding day but it's not helping. Exasperated, I flop on the couch and pull my knees to my chest, breathe in and hold, two, three, four, five, exhale slowly. I hate that I can't remember. Did I ever know for sure? I think back to when we did the tasting to set the wedding menu, it was all so good, does it matter which was his favorite? Maybe I just order all of it...

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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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