Write a love story without using the word “love.”

Posted in Valentine's Day on Feb 9, 2024

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✍️ 101 stories

“Et Cetera And So Forth” by William Glewicz

Submitted to Contest #237

It’s late afternoon and the sunlight through the massive windows of the library is fading fast. We give each other a look that says we’re both finished studying for the day and pack up our satchels. As we leave the library, he holds the door open for me and we start heading the three blocks back to our dorm. I revel in the red and orange leaves that swirl and crackle beneath our feet but the wind is sharp so I scrunch down a bit and raise the collar on my jacket.As we cross the quad, two guys on bicycles round a blind turn and almost run int...

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“What We Talk About When We Talk About Talking” by Will Willoughby

Submitted to Contest #237

My girlfriend Maggie was talking. Maggie was a phlebotomist, so she was used to talking as a distraction, and she was just a talker anyway. That night, though, she was talking because something was eating at her. What it was, I couldn’t tell at first.This was in the summer a long time ago. We were at the kitchen table drinking vodka tonics and smoking cigarettes. She had scented candles burning, and the light from the moon angled in through the window over the sink. Her apartment. There’d been talk of me moving in, but that night, it was sti...

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“My Dearest Partner in Greatness” by Jeremy Stevens

Submitted to Contest #237

Walking up her steps after work; her front door is open, and the screen door allows for the cross breeze through the high-ceilinged living room where she works from home. The slough of my shoes on her WELCOME! mat announce my arrival; she jumps up excitedly, as though her “working” from home in the living-room lounge chair were just a pretense. (For I know she has an upstairs office, though I hadn’t been upstairs yet.) She practically skips across the floor to greet me, a prance, wearing a smile that says you are the reason for this beautifu...

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“Maid in Babylon” by Natalia Cosnett

Submitted to Contest #237

"Her eyes!" The piercing shrill of foreign voices virtually pulled the remaining water from her body, as she lunged forwards from a horizontal position and coughed up mouthfuls of salty water that made her gag. She clutched her chest as memories of bottomless whirlpools of ocean came flooding back to her. The last thing she remembered was her Fathers face disappearing into the underwater shadows and the feeling of someone sitting on her chest as she inhaled endless water. She now shook with chills as the ice cold air hit her and everything c...

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“Kokoro” by Tammy Haskins

Submitted to Contest #237

My name is Kokoro. I am from the northern part of Japan. I am a woman and was “Onna-Bugeisha,” a Samurai Warrior to Tokugawa Shogunate. During the Boshin War, I fought to ensure Japan’s traditional way of life. The emperor of the Imperial Court wanted to restore political power in Japan. When the imperial forces invaded Aizu, I fought to secure the castle; however, I became trapped outside the castle walls. When I knew that capture was imminent, and I was stained in blood, I sought to fall on my sword. Before I could take my life, Takesha, a...

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“‘IN SICKNESS AND IN “IN EXISTENT ILL” HEALTH’!” by Andrew Venn

Submitted to Contest #237

‘IN SICKNESS AND IN “an existent” ILL HEALTH’!Something is in the air and it’s got an annoying sound,It’s from those helium balloons that are blowing ‘all around’,There are 4 shiny letters and ‘with an E, a V, an L and an O,and they’re flapping in the wind with their annoying glow; I know I’ll hear this noise all day and it’ll ‘drive me mad’- “Please somebody buy those ‘bloody things’ to make me really glad”!But nobody came near, the wind grew stronger, ‘as if’, there was an evil curse, because those balloons were ‘flapping’ f...

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“A Mother Puzzle” by Ron French

Submitted to Contest #237

A Mother Puzzle Mother was good at puzzles. It didn't matter which sort, number, word, or whatever, but her favourite were jigsaw puzzles. The bigger and more challenging the better. She had a large table set up in the centre of the lounge and it would be very unusual for there not to be a part-finished jigsaw lying there waiting to be completed. She had a system. The unfinished puzzle would be at the centre. The pile to the right were the pieces still to be fitted. To the left were pieces that showed promise for adding to the puzzle being w...

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“Pastrami and Swiss” by Jessica Miller

Submitted to Contest #237

The pigeons eyed him suspiciously and he wondered, not for the first time, if they could smell the aroma of deli meat and bread. He took a wide berth on the sidewalk, giving the beady eyed dinosaurs their space. The air was breezy but temperate, warmer than most February Days in New York. The streets were a hum of activity. He had grown fond of this industrial playscape over the years. His grandparents immigrated to New York in the mid 1900s and founded their small but stable Delicatessen, which was passed to his father, and one day would be...

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“Under the Same Stars” by Ali Azhar

Submitted to Contest #237

In a small coastal town where the sea whispered secrets to the shore, there lived a painter named Ellie and a writer named Sam. Their paths had yet to cross, but they shared the night sky, each finding solace in the blanket of stars above them.Ellie spent her nights on the beach, canvas propped against the sand, capturing the moon's silver reflection on the water. Her paintings were whispers of her soul, tales told in hues of midnight and dawn.Sam, on the other hand, found his muse in the quiet of the night. With a lantern by his side, he wr...

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“A Warm November” by Mike Henry

Submitted to Contest #237

Like him, the Thames moved slowly; an ancient waterway has no need to hurry. “Hurrying is for the young and impatient,” he thought to himself as he shuffled along, enjoying the brief spell of warm sunlight in what was usually a chilly and sullen time of year. He paused and leaned against the iron railing, squinting at the light reflected from the slow-moving water. Across the mighty river, London’s skyline was a pale watercolour painting in the early morning light. “Might as well enjoy my last day of freedom,” he thought wryly...

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“Done Playing ” by Kim Smyth

Submitted to Contest #237

Done Playing(based on a true story, names were changed for their protection).Their eyes burned into each other the minute he entered the room. Her heart skipped a beat, mistaking him for a former lover. She told her girl friend that she thought so and so just walked in and how could that be? “Figure out a way to get him over here!” she whispered to Paula. About that time, Danny’s eyes sought Paula out and both guys started moving in their direction. Kendra was hoping against hope that the one she was staring at would ask her ...

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“Trace of Butterfly” by Eon Wenzel

Submitted to Contest #237

“This is Mabel Lee.” After twelve beeps, what I heard was a voice as clear as the wind on the beach. Before I knew it, I exhaled a sigh of relief. I was holding a piece of paper with an unrecognizable number on it. It took me several days from when I first received the note to finally muster the courage to call the number. I was hesitant. I was scared.The voice remained unchanged, and I marveled. Then I tried to count exactly how many years have passed since I saw your face or heard your voice. You asked me how I was doing in the same voice...

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“Growing Away” by Rohini Sunderam

Submitted to Contest #237

“Hello,” he said, “I’m Amar.” “Hello. I’m alone.” Amar laughed. “Do you always have these opening lines?” “Not always. I never do anything always. But then I don’t always say never to anything, so perhaps I do.” “What a complicated person you are,” said Amar. “Do you always make snap judgements?” And that was how we met. We argued almost constantly. Differed, would be more accurate, and yet we were electrically drawn together. Besides, there were moments of peace and clarity that we shared so completely that they made up for the argum...

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“The Last Valentine’s” by Sue Hunter

Submitted to Contest #237

The world ended on Valentine’s Day, leaving the destroyed strip mall bathed in pink and white decorations. Roses that had once been carefully pruned now drooped in their vases, some of them completely deteriorating into piles of dusty petals. Songbirds would dart through the broken windows, grabbing colorful streamers and confetti to add to their nests. Emile sat behind the register, watching a bright red cardinal hop along the counter. He had only just woken up himself. It would be a few more minutes before his brain would decide to fully t...

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“Undefined Fate” by Lyss V.

Submitted to Contest #237

The first light of dawn slowly painted the sky, blending into a thin line. I knew it was working again, after figuring it out through trial and error with the Script. The teachings of Enchanted had taught me about the Lines. “There’s a special knowledge within Enchanted,” the Warder explained, “What you have now is just the basics. Now, you’re ready to learn something new: the Lines.”“The Lines?” I asked, curious.“The Lines hold the stories of each person, in the practice of Enchanted, we can retrieve something from your past, this is essent...

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Write a love story without using the word “love.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 101 stories

“Et Cetera And So Forth” by William Glewicz

“What We Talk About When We Talk About Talking” by Will Willoughby

“My Dearest Partner in Greatness” by Jeremy Stevens

“Maid in Babylon” by Natalia Cosnett

“Kokoro” by Tammy Haskins

“‘IN SICKNESS AND IN “IN EXISTENT ILL” HEALTH’!” by Andrew Venn

“A Mother Puzzle” by Ron French

“Pastrami and Swiss” by Jessica Miller

“Under the Same Stars” by Ali Azhar

“A Warm November” by Mike Henry

“Done Playing ” by Kim Smyth

“Trace of Butterfly” by Eon Wenzel

“Growing Away” by Rohini Sunderam

“The Last Valentine’s” by Sue Hunter

“Undefined Fate” by Lyss V.

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a successful marriage proposal, or one that goes horribly wrong.

Write about a cynical character who somehow ends up on a blind date.

Write a story about a first or last kiss.

Write a story about two people falling in love via email.

Contest #237

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

324

Contest entries

133

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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