Write about a relationship or friendship that was unexpected or so outside your usual type that you kept it a secret from your loved ones. (Bonus points if it didn’t stay secret for long!)

Posted in Nonfiction on Nov 8, 2024

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✍️ 23 stories

“How I Met And Married Your Mother” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #276

Dear Mila Elena & Bjanka,"How I Met Your Mother."Remember that show on TV? Well, my story might be even more awkward! Before I begin, let me just say this: I know what I'm about to tell you sounds a bit crazy, maybe even too strange to believe, but I promise it's all true.I met your mother...on Facebook.Yes, I know how it sounds. But before you laugh, let me explain.Back then, Facebook was still new - a place where people could find new friends, join random groups, and feel part of something bigger. I didn't know many people, so I joined...

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“Sarah” by Daniel Dupuis

Submitted to Contest #276

When I was in middle school, around the age of twelve or thirteen, I was the class reject. My father did not have all the money in the word, being a single father of three kids... two girls and a boy (myself, the only boy of two female siblings) I had a challenging time sharing the bathrooms in the morning. I often was forced to stand outside holding my bladder, before I was soon to inadvertently wet myself there in the cold hallway on chilly autumn mornings. We got along about as well as expected at this age, bitching and moaning as young a...

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“Knowing Jane” by Jane Rothschild

Submitted to Contest #276

I never imagined being best friends with my ex-husband’s first wife. We bonded after I divorced him and moved back to Jacksonville from Chicago. To my amazement, Jane became a curative person in my life. Jane One (she was his first) shared openly with me (Jane Two), her successor, about the husband we had in common.At first, Jane One and my stepdaughter Lauren lived near us in a beach town bordering the Atlantic Ocean. At the time, I felt grateful to have a good husband, the opposite of my gambling, womanizing father. I believed him when he ...

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“A Learning Experience” by Anne Reed

Submitted to Contest #276

My parents had always been overprotective throughout my childhood and adulthood, so when I had a crush on a man who was my father's age, I decided to keep my mouth shut. I will call this man Ryan. Ryan was a teacher, and in the classroom, he was really the best version of himself. He perfectly combined discipline with a genuine concern for his students. But teachers often seem to have dual personalities, much like a performer on stage. For example, if a teacher is extroverted in the classroom, he is more likely to be introverted in real life...

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“Absalom! ” by Giulia Belgrado

Submitted to Contest #276

“Oh, I forgot to tell you". You pause, readjusting your tone. We were just talking about lighter things: my sister's drab new boyfriend, our Friday night date, the cinnamon tobacco breath of my history professor because he leans in real close to answer questions, your physics fellow making you work after hours. But then your voice drops. You're trying to be respectful, we're on the phone after all, and this sort of news deserves delicate delivery. It shouldn't be dropped in the middle of three other mundane anecdotes about our day. Ideally, ...

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“My Third Silent Promise” by LifeCycles Creative Media

Submitted to Contest #276

Trigger Warning: This story contains themes of emotional distress, toxic relationships, and familial judgment that may be sensitive for some readers. In March 2023, I met Esmir in an online space where I had hoped for connection and safety. After three marriages—two to immigrants—I wasn’t looking for love. I carried the weight of heartbreak, judgment, and insecurities, convinced my best chance was to focus on my children and myself. Then Esmir appeared. His words were kind and his charm magnetic. He promised me the one thing I had been afrai...

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“Thoughts for Five Dollars ” by Han Ly

Submitted to Contest #276

We met online, which is what I usually tell people when they ask. Most people are content with that answer, but a curious few will prod and ask more questions, like "Was it tinder or plenty of fish?"And then I'll sigh, look off into the distance as if remembering a romantic first date, look at the questioner with sincerity and say,"I hopped into a party chat, and he was in it."Eyes usually widen at this, and nine times out of ten, they have no clue what I mean. Maybe they'll place a hand underneath their chin, begging for me to elaborate&nbs...

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“Mary Ollen's Diary” by Priyanjali Bhattacharyya

Submitted to Contest #276

Mary Ollen's diary When we were little, we always were together – we were neighbours, you see. I wanted to weave a happy ending through the entries in my diary. We laughed together, played together, studied together and married each other. It was all going well when he had a stroke in his youth – my dear poor Mike – and following that he lost his ability to walk. So it fell upon me to raise our two kids and earn bread for our family. We had come to Russia a while back. We had to go far off from the place where we grew up, to avoid those snak...

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“Just Friends” by Mattea Cone

Submitted to Contest #276

Piece includes subtle mentioning of an abusive relationship + mental health. Reader’s discretion advised.I knew it was wrong for me to let it happen. When he walked through the library doors where I worked, something shook within me. His face was somehow new to me. Something lost in time to me. Could this be a face I knew from seven years ago in middle school? I had wondered. But this story really begins with that day. When I had realized I was giving in to a decision that would alter all I thought I knew.Suddenly, the old draw to hang ...

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“What Am I Gonna Say? ” by Cedar Moss

Submitted to Contest #276

I knew she would ask. She always does. What am I gonna say? Of course, the story doesn’t start there. Yikes, I wonder where it does start? I guess the second week of 7th grade is a good a place to start, when Jenifer rushed up to me with a secretive gleam in her eye, “I know who likes you, Linda?” “Who?” “Mark Truman.” “Who is Mark Truman?” A day or two later someone pointed him out playing catch with a football in the hall. A skinny guy with a crew cut and a strange point of hair co...

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“There Are Ghosts in Normal Heights, and You’re One of Them” by Liv Chocolate

Submitted to Contest #276

I couldn’t breathe. Between the hot, moist gym air and the bacterial stench of sweat rags strewn across the floor, I felt a gag bubbling in my throat.I covered my nose with the sleeve of my flannel and breathed in the crisp, powdery smell of fabric softener. At that moment, I wondered why gyms were such popular mating grounds — a social hub to meet romantic and sexual prospects, as if we were at a dimly lit bar or under the moonlight.And then it happened. Through the haze of a dirty gym mirror, I, a neurotic grammar nazi with a fanny pack, h...

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“A love affairt to remember” by Nafis Iskander

Submitted to Contest #276

Prologue:“When you feel nervous or are having a breakdown, just close your eyes and imagine that your parents and siblings are standing next to you, cheering you on and boosting your confidence. They are your biggest fans and believe you can do anything you set your mind to. Hold on to that belief which will make you strong and resilient. Believe in yourself and put this into your heart and mind that you can do it no matter what. Open your eyes and speak from your heart whatever you have in your mind, and you will do great I promise. Remembe...

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“After Hours” by Kashira Argento

Submitted to Contest #276

I remember adjusting my designer blazer and smoothing my skirt for the hundredth time that evening. At 9 PM, the 47th floor of Morrison & Blake was nearly empty, save for the gentle hum of a vacuum cleaner somewhere beyond my cubicle. Being a first-year associate, I was sternly advised that leaving before 8 PM was considered practically part-time."You're burning the midnight oil again?"The unexpected gravelly voice made me jump up in terror. Lifting my chin from my overheated laptop, I saw Jim, the night janitor, who stood in the doorway...

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“Some secrets are best kept secret, yet more exciting when spoken about” by Paul Tyree

Submitted to Contest #276

Relationships and friendships are hard to distinguish between one and the other, because they are considered separate, yet similar in more ways than one. How can we know which is the beginning of the other or which happens at the same time, where they become inter woven as one? Seems that most of the time we find ourselves wrapped up in the moment, wrapped up in the discovery of something new, that we lose sight of which is which and whether one may lead to the other. How can a secret be kept, if the secret should never be kept at all? How c...

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“The Math Teacher” by S.d. Schwarz

Submitted to Contest #276

“What should I write about? You know all my deepest, darkest secrets.” I sent the text to Alisha along with a screenshot of writing prompts. Prompt four, to be exact.Her response came instantly. “What about Valentine’s day three years ago? That random you hooked up with?”Oof. Did I want to relive the worst sexual experience of my life?“Or that one coworker of yours that was cute and flirty. The skater boy.”Oh, Mike. A scrawny guy two years younger than me whose immaturity somehow made him the most likable person I worked with until I quit.I ...

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Write about a relationship or friendship that was unexpected or so outside your usual type that you kept it a secret from your loved ones. (Bonus points if it didn’t stay secret for long!)

Submissions are closed

✍️ 23 stories

“How I Met And Married Your Mother” by Darvico Ulmeli

“Sarah” by Daniel Dupuis

“Knowing Jane” by Jane Rothschild

“A Learning Experience” by Anne Reed

“Absalom! ” by Giulia Belgrado

“My Third Silent Promise” by LifeCycles Creative Media

“Thoughts for Five Dollars ” by Han Ly

“Mary Ollen's Diary” by Priyanjali Bhattacharyya

“Just Friends” by Mattea Cone

“What Am I Gonna Say? ” by Cedar Moss

“There Are Ghosts in Normal Heights, and You’re One of Them” by Liv Chocolate

“A love affairt to remember” by Nafis Iskander

“After Hours” by Kashira Argento

“Some secrets are best kept secret, yet more exciting when spoken about” by Paul Tyree

“The Math Teacher” by S.d. Schwarz

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about an encounter with someone new to you who changed your life forever.

Write about a date you went on that took an unexpected turn.

Write about something you do now that has become routine, but that the old you — or friends and family from your past — would never believe if they couldn’t witness it today with their own eyes.

Write about a time you approached a situation with one strong feeling or belief, only to have your perspective shift completely by the end.

Contest #276

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

226

Contest entries

109

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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