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

Posted in Valentine's Day on Feb 9, 2024

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✍️ 101 stories

“The Way You Make Me Feel” by Ali .

Submitted to Contest #237

She was here. Holy crap, she was actually here.Charlotte got off the train from Liverpool, walked up the steps with all the other groggy train patrons, and froze. A wall full of what looked like flowers embodied a radiant peacock on the exterior of a Coffee + Beer Palace whose sign in the peacock's tail identified it as Brewhemia. This felt like something out of a dream or a fairy tale. The air carried a loamy scent as if the earth itself was exhaling memories of summer, blending dampness and decay into a comforting aroma that lingered on th...

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“In the Wink of an Eye” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #237

Lieutenant Scott Thompson and Captain James Knott burst into the small house accompanied by a swirl of snow and a blast of cold air, which made their wives quiver and distracted the Lieutenant’s daughter, Kathy, from the book she was attempting to read. Scott removed his cap, and a thick thatch of black hair sprung upright giving the appearance of a man constantly surprised. He winked at his daughter, then hung his hat and great coat on an iron hook near the front door.“Brr, it's cold outside, Sybil!” said Scott to his fine-boned wife, ...

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“Art Block” by Aeryn Goodspeed

Submitted to Contest #237

Daybreak looked down at the scratch stick pinched between his titanium digits and almost imagined he could feel the wood grain between his fingerpads. In the grand scheme of things, giving his arm to save the world felt…menial. Especially since he could still do recreational things like paint. But at the moment, the word “could” was doing a lot of heavy lifting. He frowned at the canvas. Its bare white expanse reflected his thoughts. He had no ideas. In concept, creating an art piece for the two people he cared most about should be easy. B...

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“Crossed Paths” by Curtis Jackson

Submitted to Contest #237

Advisory: Thematic material involving race and gender inequality.She was Tootledale’s loudest runner, likely the whole of Alabama. Near age thirty, Maxime gunned for her Olympic appearance in Rome within two months. Those prior performances in 1948 London, 1952 Helsinki, and 1956 Melbourne garnished no savored medallions. The local citizens heard her disappointment and desperation as she trained at the university track, in parks, and around town. Maxime grunts a lot, especially during the hard workouts—a self-implementor without a coach or m...

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“Love liberates” by Amy Arora

Submitted to Contest #237

The next alarm will ring at 3:15am. My eyes blur and the phone almost slips from my hand, but catastrophic consequences are averted, just in time. I lie back gently on the bed, my movements as subtle as a ninja who is trying too hard. Stillness. I am scared to breathe, but as long as you are breathing, I am allowed. I release one breath, then another, then sleep takes over. It is a sleep that is never quite complete. Two hours and sixteen minutes later, I drag both of us from slumber, and I attempt to master the life-giving skill that I only...

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“In The Kitchen” by Francis Eli

Submitted to Contest #237

In the kitchen, we are swaying, me on my toes and you in your socks. The dishes in the sink are stacked, dirty, and the spilled wine from dinner still stains the countertops crimson. We are too tired to find music, so we dance to the nightly news instead. You spin me through the weather forecast and dip me during the sports update. The home team has won, just like you said they would. You’ve always been good at that, predicting the future. I wonder if you saw this coming; saw us in the kitchen, a tangle of gawky grace and anxious affection. ...

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“I Will Wait for You, Venus.” by Simeon Bingham

Submitted to Contest #237

Venus is, indeed, a woman—I've seen her in the flesh. I’ve known her, or rather, she’s known me.Everything about her was sublime, from the pearly toes on her feet that glistened in the moonlight to the wavy locks on her head cascading down to her rear. She was a sight to behold, and even in her anger, her beauty was captivating. When upset, I usually took on the likeness of an ogre, or perhaps a mule, but she was not made from the same stuff as me. Her rosy cheeks burned a hot crimson when her dewy lips parted to spit venom from her tongue. ...

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“"Mr. Yellow-Bib"” by Greg Flury

Submitted to Contest #237

Somebody once said: To be subjected to indifference is worse than being the object of hatred. Those words always stuck with me, but I never fully grasped what they meant until now. Until now… as I lay in a fetal position on the sofa in my apartment, nursing a heartache brought about by my own obtuseness… by my own stupidity. I smothered my face in the sweatshirt she’d forgotten, sucking in her scent like a drowning man, and angrily cursed my inability to bridle my juvenile longing to feel needed, to feel desired. Why had I allowed myself to ...

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“Mellow but Yellow” by George Hughes

Submitted to Contest #237

Jimmy ran a small cafe known for its warm ambience and the rich aroma of coffee that welcomed anyone looking for refuge from the cold outside world. Well, not anyone, just humans.There had been talk of settlers integrating into towns across the country, but the chatter at the Early and Latte café was that Haberfield was too small to accommodate any. People were sympathetic that the alien world had become uninhabitable, but angry, too, because this one wasn’t doing too well either.“It’s a big universe, so why here?” Sally said, looking u...

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“The Promise” by Nic P

Submitted to Contest #237

A man knelt down, a letter in his trembling hands, and began to read: Dearest Daisy, I never told you this, but it was at a coffee shop in northern London when I first saw you. You had one of those notepads meant for to-dos and grocery lists – though I had a feeling neither held your attention. Those bright eyes watched the rush hour scene unfold: a crescendo of impatient customers and baristas completing routines in awe-inspiring synchronicity. In the middle of the chaos was you, so still, watching it all and writing, tirelessly. I pray...

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“Hands In the Rusting Highlands” by Barbara Magic

Submitted to Contest #237

Content note: This story contains reference to financial entrapment, employer abuse, and mental control over another person's actions. References are also made to severe injury and murder, but the depictions are not graphic. Thank you! Hands In The Rusting HighlandsWe met because I needed a groom and you were available. You weren't impressive and didn't stand out particularly against the stable's other choices, but they were all busy.Running short on time necessitates compromise.I remember dismounting into a pile of leavings, I remem...

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“Long-lasting” by Violetta-Valerie Gallee

Submitted to Contest #237

It was a Saturday evening. My mother had dragged me to one event where all important members of the neighbouring packs, circles and covens were obliged to attend. It was summer, and therefore hosted outside in a garden full of roses, lilies and tulips. The sun was slowly setting, painting the sky red, yellow, violet, and dark blue. A beautiful, colourful picture painted with nature’s brush. I stirred the champagne in my glass, breathing out a listless breath. My mother had abandoned me at our table the second she saw the first single man her...

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“Live, Laugh and...” by Tracy Booher

Submitted to Contest #237

A true story of a girl who just turned 11. "Life is funny but it's not always a knee-slapper." Tracy Booher It was a rainy Tuesday morning. Kind of like last week but wetter with those slow drops that tend to linger on your skin in bubbles that don't want to pop. Growing up in Arkansas, it was not unusual to see three or four pickup trucks fly by our house on Fox Pass Cutoff with great speed, as if they were finally going to get that raise at work. But in reality, they were trying to get to 7-11 for the breakfast biscuits which lay in the ...

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“Sunflowers” by Bruce Callahan

Submitted to Contest #237

One cannot look at a sunflower and be sad or melancholic. It triggers a dopamine rush, happy juice for your brain. The contrast of the dark, almost black, center to the vibrant golden petals, the large head set upon tall green stems. Fields set up in endless rows, joy radiating from the earth from a flower named for a celestial object. Just this vision warms my insides, starts the corners of my mouth into the beginnings of a tiny smile. Aurora herself might be tricked into thinking that dawn was stretching across the ...

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“Meet Up On Aisle Six, Please.” by Marianne Holman

Submitted to Contest #237

She took her eyes off the road long enough to see the dashboard clock, then cursed at herself for her lack of planning. It is Valentine’s Day, five-thirty in the evening, and she is fighting rush hour traffic to get home. Adding to the stress is a blinding snowstorm. Bumper to bumper traffic mixed with slippery precipitation makes her wish for the calming effect of the Cabernet that waits for her. Only after she stops at the store to buy the wine and a greeting card for her husband. She tells herself she cannot walk into the house holdi...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 101 stories

“The Way You Make Me Feel” by Ali .

“In the Wink of an Eye” by Luca King Greek

“Art Block” by Aeryn Goodspeed

“Crossed Paths” by Curtis Jackson

“Love liberates” by Amy Arora

“In The Kitchen” by Francis Eli

“I Will Wait for You, Venus.” by Simeon Bingham

“"Mr. Yellow-Bib"” by Greg Flury

“Mellow but Yellow” by George Hughes

“The Promise” by Nic P

“Hands In the Rusting Highlands” by Barbara Magic

“Long-lasting” by Violetta-Valerie Gallee

“Live, Laugh and...” by Tracy Booher

“Sunflowers” by Bruce Callahan

“Meet Up On Aisle Six, Please.” by Marianne Holman

🌟 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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