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

Knowing Jane 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 belie...

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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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“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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“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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“Lovely Happenstance” by Marc Graziadei

Submitted to Contest #276

In my way of thinking, what were the chances of me ever getting married? Since I was only focused on being a rebel and deliberately going against the grain as it were; I just didn’t want one of those people who were socially pressured to tie the knot by family friends. The best advice that I had received from my father was to ‘ fully live out your celibacy, find out who you are and decide whether or not to make a decision then if the occasion would ever arise ‘. Human haste towards the marital bandwagon is only made because most don’t want...

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“Silent connection ” by Esther R.

Submitted to Contest #276

Hi, my dear,I miss you so much. Some days, I don’t know how to explain the heaviness that sits in my chest, or the quiet ache that grows with each passing moment. The world around me continues on, moving forward as if everything is normal, and yet inside, there’s this hollow space where you once were. I wonder, if people could look beyond my outer shell, if they would see the quiet sorrow I carry every day—the grief that no one knows, because no one knew about you.It’s strange, isn’t it? To love someone so completely and deeply and yet have ...

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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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“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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“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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“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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“Javon and Kimberly” by James Barrett

Submitted to Contest #276

My name is Javon Jackson. I’m a twenty-nine-year-old black cop in a black high-crime precinct in Newark, New Jersey. Besides my service revolver, I carry a blackjack. Often, the blackjack comes in handy when I need to show some perp that I mean business without threatening or, God forbid, using deadly force. Like most cops, I keep a backup piece at home: a Glock 22 semi-auto. It's under lock and key in a gun safe. The combination is my daughter's birthday.New Jersey is heavily blue and controlled by Democrats. As is their wont, they spend ot...

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“The older light guy” by Janelle Garrison

Submitted to Contest #276

The older light guy. Older , short, and light skin. Oh no. He was so not my type. We use to work together in a store, a grocery store at that. We had two different positions in the store. I was a security officer, and he was a cashier. We would always laugh, and joke every time we seen each other at work. We had fun at work. Time went by fast when we worked together. This man has always been a funny guy, comedian is what he should've been in life. He knew how to make me laugh and smile. I loved that about him. I would ask him for gum almos...

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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

“My Third Silent Promise” by LifeCycles Creative Media

“Absalom! ” by Giulia Belgrado

“Lovely Happenstance” by Marc Graziadei

“Silent connection ” by Esther R.

“Thoughts for Five Dollars ” by Han Ly

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

“Mary Ollen's Diary” by Priyanjali Bhattacharyya

“Just Friends” by Mattea Cone

“A love affairt to remember” by Nafis Iskander

“Javon and Kimberly” by James Barrett

“The older light guy” by Janelle Garrison

🌟 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

230

Contest entries

110

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: