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Looking for a steady supply of romance short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

150+ Romance Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. From the thrill of a first date to a snapshot tour through an entire relationship, our collection of romantic short stories will give you everything your heart desires.

Romance Short Stories – Page 5 of 10

The Love That Led Us Home

Submitted to Contest #309

When I first met Elijah, I never expected him to be the one who would lead me to God. He was loud, rough around the edges, and angry at everything — especially himself. I was quiet, insecure, and constantly apologizing for taking up space. But somehow, we found each other. It started with a verse.I remember we were sitting on the hood of his car after a long night of communion — the stars above us, our pain between us, and Jesus in the very midst of us. “I don’t know what I believe anymore,” I whispered, leaning into Elijah's broad shoulders...

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As She Was

Submitted to Contest #309

The booth groaned beneath him as Jonah shifted, the haze of his sleep still clinging to him, as if he hadn’t just woken from rest but something deeper. Something colder. Then he saw her. Sat at the bar with her back to him. Her dress, pale blue, soft as river mist, draped from her shoulders like it remembered another time. A ribbon, loose and languid, traced the line of her dark hair, tied without care—like she hadn’t needed a mirror, like it belonged to no one else. Jonah couldn’t blink. He didn’t need to see her face, just the shape of her...

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The Girl From History 404

Submitted to Contest #309

The door jingled as David entered the gas station store, his eyes already pointed towards the refrigeration section where the source of and relief of his addiction lay. He marched over to the door containing the cornucopia of energy drinks and heavily caffeinated teas and scanned the collection of ‘wake up juice’ as he liked to call it. What do I feel like today? He thought to himself as his eyes moved. Rockstar Fruit Punch tastes good but man, those stomach aches I get afterwards are not worth it. Probably should avoid the Rockstars then. A...

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The Last Thing She Said

Submitted to Contest #309

THE LAST THING SHE SAIDEverything in life is coincidence, and much more likely not to have happened. But the coincidences are often tied up in consequence, the results of actions we have taken or not taken. Brian as a lawyer was reasonably good at his job, affable when necessary, so clients were never in short supply. Indeed one or two of the more desperate ones may have called him their hero. But Brian was losing focus on his day job as he turned to scriptwriting movies and should have known that all heroes have fatal flaws. Money was his....

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Caramel Eyes

Submitted to Contest #309

WARNING: Contains car accident and loss of life “No chance Madeline. No way I’m doing that. I told you, I’m not doing it anymore.” Andrew was pacing across the living room now. I wish I would’ve given up. I wish I could’ve told him okay like any other person would but I didn’t. “Cmon Andrew! It’s not that hard! You’re my cool older brother right?” He was 5 years older than me, and was 15 at the time. I was merely 10. We had a good relationship, the best actually. He always gave me gifts and took me with him to parties. He had a girlfriend, b...

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The Soulmate Equation

Submitted to Contest #309

I’ve always believed in soulmates—long before I even knew the word for it. At five years old, while other kids asked why the sky was blue, I asked what came after death. Not because I was afraid, but because I already suspected this life couldn’t be it. It couldn’t be this short, this simple. I knew, somehow, that I had been here before. That I’d laughed in other languages, cried in different bodies, and met people I would meet again. I sensed that life is school for the soul, and we reincarnate like students repeating the same tricky subjec...

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The Soulmate Equation

Submitted to Contest #309

I’ve always believed in soulmates—long before I even knew the word for it. At five years old, while other kids asked why the sky was blue, I asked what came after death. Not because I was afraid, but because I already suspected this life couldn’t be it. It couldn’t be this short, this simple. I knew, somehow, that I had been here before. That I’d laughed in other languages, cried in different bodies, and met people I would meet again. I sensed that life is school for the soul, and we reincarnate like students repeating the same tricky subjec...

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—Stars—

Submitted to Contest #309

Stars He missed me "like a knife cuts without blood" at the first bar from the airport. But by dinner time I was the "heartless bitch who had sodomized his heart." It was a small but concise microcosm of our relationship ten years before.He met me at international arrivals, clutching a drooping balloon that said "Happy 70th, Bernard," obviously repurposed for the occasion. I was June, or "Jazz," according to Jono. He had crammed his spilling body into his signature leather pants from way back. He looked like the love child of one of Snow Wh...

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Maybe in another life

Submitted to Contest #309

Content warning: This story contains sexually explicit content and themes of grief and mental health challenges. Maybe in another life "Maybe in another life, we will haveour happily ever after, I still love youand I always will." Clara“I love you baby.” I say to him while we’re slow dancing in our kitchen, waiting for cookies to bake.“I love you too my love.” He says and kisses me deeply. Me and Leo met when I was 25 and he was 26. We met at a bookstore here in London, we were both reaching for the same book and when our...

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My Druid, My Love

Submitted to Contest #309

Oscar Manuel Lopez Camargo7/1/25(Trigger Warning: Manipulation, Emotional Abuse, light descriptions of gore at the end) Oh, how I love her! From the moment we had met, typing away at our computers like obsessive woodpeckers to a tree, maxing out the message board word limits per messages, our love was unbreakable. Unbreakable past even the most potent of explosives or mining equipment, birthed from feelings and hardened through time. It was to the point that our physical distance could no longer be tolerated, and I was on a flight to her ho...

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Second Breath of Us

Submitted to Contest #309

SECOND BREATH OF US A Short Storyby J C Neel I get off the bus at my usual stop, just as I have for the past six years. But this time, deep in thought, I trip and nearly lose my balance. I manage to regain my footing before falling, hoping no one notices. When I look up in embarrassment, a beautiful young woman is smiling at me. It isn’t a mocking smile, more like a friendly one. As I make my way into the small group of people waiting for the next bus, she walks up to me. “Don’t you hate when that happens? Maybe you should lighte...

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Under the Umbrella of Destiny

Submitted to Contest #309

“Ms. Marissa Johnson. I’m afraid your application has been rejected. Another candidate was selected for the slot you were interviewed for.”“I understand. I should go now.” Marissa's shaky voice replied, a fake smile covering her weary heart. She swung her duffel bag over her shoulder, avoiding eye contact with the young, blonde woman who stood before her and left the secluded office. Her heart sank with each step she took. Her smile faltered as tears glistened in her eyes. She didn’t care about her clothes getting soaked by the rain and her ...

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Portions of Love

Submitted to Contest #309

As every Sunday went, Preeti stood barefoot on the warm hardwood floors of their kitchen, her toes sinking into the vivid runner she had carried back from Rajasthan - deep indigo and white block prints, soft from years underfoot. The kitchen itself was a blend of two worlds: sleek American cabinetry and modern pendant lights alongside a beautiful brass diya from her mother’s puja shelf, a line of terracotta spice jars with little hand-painted elephants, and a Pichwai painting framed between photos of their Boston trips.Now the kitchen was al...

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The Years the Tide Took

Submitted to Contest #309

The sun was dipping low over the Adriatic, its last amber rays scattering like brittle shards of glass across the water. In Cavtat, the small Dalmatian town where time often felt like it was folding over itself, Lara stood at the edge of the old stone pier, watching the sea swallow the horizon. The scent of salt and pine was heavy in the air, but inside her, an emptiness echoed louder than the waves crashing against the shore.Her fingers clutched the thin silver chain around her neck, cold against her skin. It was the only thing she had left...

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Centre your story around two characters who like each other but don’t get a happily ever after.

Submitted to Contest #309

Late Fall Every Thursday at 5:30 PM, Emma met Chris, no questions asked.Their spot, the café on Montrose Street, Halcyon Grounds, had been theirs for almost six years. It was situated between a used bookstore and a locksmith, the kind of hole-in-the-wall café you could stumble upon or walk by entirely. The inside was dimly lit, with warm lamplights and mismatched secondhand chairs; even the mugs were mismatched, all layered with the scent of old books. There was a vinyl player in the corner that only ever played smooth jazz records. It was n...

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RBE | RBE Romance | 2024-03

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