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Write about two characters who meet and/or fall in love in a bookshop, café, or at a wedding.

Posted in Short Story on Feb 14, 2025

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✍️ 65 stories

Love Among the Pages

Submitted to Contest #290

On a busy street in the city's heart, nestled between high-end boutiques and trendy coffee shops, was an old yet charming bookshop named "The Hidden Words." It was beneath a small shopping mall with designer stores. In an age dominated by electronics and mobile devices, this bookshop somehow managed to hold on to its customers and avoided the fate of most bookshops in the city, which either closed or began selling stationery and other novelty items besides books. It was Tuesday, and like every Tuesday, John walked down the stairs of the book...

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An Exceptional Match- A regency inspired romance

Submitted to Contest #290

“Confound it Georgianna. It’s not as if we are sending you to the devil. It’s your wedding day. It will cost you nothing to smile.” Lord Winton smoothed his silken waistcoat and flicked an unseen speck of dust from his immaculate sleeve as they waited in the drawing room for their barouche to be brought around.“Papa, I have nothing to smile about.” Indeed, The Honorable Georgianna Winton could barely summon a twitch of the lips, her face as pale and immobile as an Elgin marble. Not that she h...

25 likes 16 comments 16
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Reflections Between the Pages

Submitted to Contest #290

The bell above the bookshop’s door chimed, announcing her arrival. Claire stepped inside, shaking the rain from her coat, her fingers lingering at the edges of her scarf. The scent of old paper and ink wrapped around her, a comforting embrace. It was a cozy, dimly lit space, with the afternoon light filtering through the dusty windows. It was quieter than usual today, just a low hum of whispers between bookshelves and the occasional rustle of pages turning. She wasn’t looking for anything in particular—just something to hold in her hands and...

22 likes 12 comments 12
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The Wedding Cake

Submitted to Contest #290

The first thing I noticed was the improper knot on his tie. He chose a large knot. It doesn’t fit. Every other man at the reception has gone with a small knot, which is appropriate for a lean tie. This tells me that the Best Man has never attended a proper wedding. He has never been to a wedding held by the sea. Where the ocean is in the background as the couple exchange vows. Where the women will wrap shawls around themselves as they make their way inside the very nice hotel for the reception. Where hors d’oeuvres will have cost more than e...

21 likes 13 comments 13
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The Scent of Old Paper and New Beginnings

Submitted to Contest #290

The bell above the door of "Pages & Parchment" tinkled merrily, a sound Amelia had come to associate with the comforting rhythm of her life. It wasn't a grand, sweeping symphony, but a gentle melody of turning pages, hushed whispers, and the subtle scent of aged paper—a fragrance more intoxicating to her than any perfume. At 42, Amelia had found solace and purpose within the overflowing shelves of this independent bookshop, a refuge from the whirlwind of a life that hadn't quite unfolded as she'd envisioned.She straightened, tucking a st...

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Cookies

Submitted to Contest #290

Cookies My name’s Rick (Richard on my book covers) Jansen. When it started for me, I didn’t even know the Fae Folk were real, and certainly didn’t know anything about Magic. The first plate full of cookies was just there when I got home from work at Twilight Treasures, the bookstore I manage. I could smell them from the front hall because they were still warm. I didn’t make them … and I hadn’t even met any of my neighbours yet. I’d just moved into my new apartment three days before. I’d been living in what the ad for it called a ‘studio apa...

16 likes 1 comment 1
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The Big One

Submitted to Contest #290

Puzzled, Henry looked up from his spreadsheet to see what the noise was. It sounded like a big truck going by or a jet engine right overhead. But as soon as he noticed it, he felt a massive jolt, and another. The old bookstore shuddered and shook like a dog coming out of a pond. As he dove under the counter, bookshelves creaked and tipped, sending thousands of volumes to the floor, making another kind of roar. The power flickered and went out. Then, for a moment, everything was so quiet, Henry felt like his head was muffled in cotton. He cou...

15 likes 12 comments 12
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Barry Berringer Kills Austin

Submitted to Contest #290

Waiting for Joe Blogan to show up at the Austin Longevity Forum feels like its taking forever. Even without him, the Convention Center is buzzing with wealthy men who look like they have more money than time left. At my booth, selling $500 bottles of nutraceuticals is proving easier than unloading Buzz Lightyear toys at Disneyland–a job I regrettably have far too much experience with.As I wait, a man with the smooth hairline of a $20,000 transplant approaches. His forehead is as flaccid as any network news anchor. Yep, Botox. Exactly the kin...

15 likes 14 comments 14
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Last Stand at the Cafe

Submitted to Contest #290

“I was in a place like this when I learned about you selling information on me, honey,” Laine said. “Still won’t quit on that one, will you?” Dan muttered as he collected his black coffee and settled himself at the table nearest the threshold into the bookstore, and opened his newly purchased paperback. “I know what I heard, honey! The guy said, ‘She didn’t get into Harvard, and her boyfriend likes playing with her breasts!’” She lowered her voice on the last four words, but not nearly enough to avoid being overheard. Half a dozen other peop...

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The Catch

Submitted to Contest #290

“Amy, what am I going to do?” Cali moaned to her friend who was on speaker, “My parents want to meet my new boyfriend – the one I’m completely devoted to and totally made up!”“ I told you that it wasn’t a good idea to lie to them, Cal,” Amy reminded her, “I mean, I know you’re sick of them setting you up with blind dates, but a direct, assertive approach would have made more sense.”Then Amy quickly shifted from the therapist she was to the friend she needed to be now: “You know you’re very pretty. I’ve seen you turn down dates left and right...

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The Stranger

Submitted to Contest #290

   “So, what’s your biggest fear?”   I do him the decency of turning my head to watch the bride and groom’s first dance while I roll my eyes directly into my skull.  “I usually reserve that for the second date,” I mutter, sipping my glass of red wine. I’ll need another very soon. “Keeps things interesting.”  He chuckles. “I like girls like you.” Groan. “Are you about to tell me I’m not like the other girls?”  He leans down in front of my face, keeping his nose no more than four inches from mine. Ew. He must...

15 likes 3 comments 3
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Ghost Story

Submitted to Contest #290

Ghost Story                 David turned the corner of 5th and Vine and stopped. He hadn’t meant to go this way. Habit, he thought, shaking his head. He had walked this street so many times, for so many years his feet followed the path like a hunting dog follows a scent. He stood on the corner for a full minute, clutching his overcoat, the rain beating on his bare head, pounding on the sidewalk. Finally, he turned right, down Vine. He walked with his head down,...

13 likes 4 comments 4
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One Door Closes, Another Opens

Submitted to Contest #290

“Unbelievable. Of course this had to happen to me… again!”Bitterness swelled inside Joe, but he kept walking away from the office he'd once called his workplace. Of course they had said it wasn’t due to any performance issues; the company was just downsizing.“Why me? Why, why, why?” He said under his breath.He had thought things were just starting to settle after a year of working for Bluestar, and of course just when he was starting to relax into things, the layoff had come. He sat down on a park bench and put his h...

12 likes 10 comments 10
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Five Days to Fall for You

Submitted to Contest #290

I adjust the grind on the espresso machine without thinking, my fingers moving over the familiar knobs as if they are second nature. A smile tugs at the corner of my lips as I hand the warm cup to the customer. It's always the same, but it never gets old. "Good morning," I greet one of the regulars that come in. "Hello!" he greets me, then orders his drink. I whip it up and hand it to him. As I wait for the next customer, I make small talk with my coworkers. We don't have a lot of downtime, but there's always time to talk. Finally, another r...

12 likes 2 comments 2
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Memory Transfer Protocol

Submitted to Contest #290

I have them: the perfect memories to formulate everything you were. I promise.In the quiet, dark room, cluttered with apparatus and with the machine beeping periodically, only the moonlight acted as a guide to my hands and work. Everything needed careful consideration, it needed to be perfect, it needed… love behind every action.Years had passed. Decades could have gone by and I would have been nothing but a lone passenger in the passing of time. That's how it's always been. Well, until I met you that is. You slowed down the days by making m...

12 likes 18 comments 18
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