Romance Short Stories

Letters to James

Bristol, August 4, 1875My dearest daughter Jemma, It is of the utmost importance that you come home, and with great haste. Your mother misses you greatly, and your sisters find themselves…[...]

A Fine Line

“Hi! I’m Rachel, I’ll be your stylist today.” A petite, pretty girl who had blushed when their eyes met, lifted her long thick hair. “So! We’re going short!” She’d come out of town,…[...]

The Changes War Imposes Upon a Man

(CW: cursing, references to war)WWIII. Russia vs. China vs. North Korea vs. the US. It was 2035.The war had just ended, and Edmund Salloway was coming back to the States…[...]

Paula

“Today is the day that I change my life,” Paul stated as he got ready for school. Little did he know just how true those words would become. Paul was…[...]

Your Failing FrameTrigger Warning: Eating Disorders, Self-Harm, SuicideIt’s starting again isn’t it? As my head lays across your chest, your heart beats slowly under my ear. You graze your hand across…[...]

Memorialized with Lipstick and Dresses

I leaned against the passenger door of Dad’s red ’87 Monte Carlo, and I felt unsure of whether to catch my breath or inhale my cigarette. But the wind chaffed…[...]

Dressage

I was at the mall late, as bag-laden parents escorted their children towards the exits, when I entered the store where I found the dress. I had come to send…[...]

New Face, three micro-stories

Jane Austen While my toes started their usual tingling dance, a delightful last year drifted through my mind. Every year, for many years now, and like every other human on…[...]

Maskulinity

Trigger/Content Warning:Suicidal Ideation, Implied Suicide, Referenced Abuse/Violence, Transphobia, Misogyny, Mental Health Issues.-----Drawing under her lid, Jasmine’s arm shook, interrupting the delicate stream of black. She attempted to steady her right…[...]

Her

note; this story contains mental health problems and mentions self harm.Who am I? Am I important? Or am I just a nobody? My head hurt, i couldn’t think, but at…[...]

Rhiane

RHIANE Hi! I’m James. A fifty-seven year old male to female transgender person from New York. Along with MDD, consisting of suicidal tendencies, life sucks. I’ve read that to have, you…[...]

The Name

“The knowledge you seek is at the center of a vast labyrinth in the Mountains of Ash. There are several twists, turns, and obstacles. This will not be an easy…[...]

I’m Sorry.

Warning: Pregnancy loss. Come on, come on, come on! They chanted in their head as they sat in rush hour traffic. They glanced down at their wrist and cursed at…[...]

A Girl Named Erika

Erika Steel rounded the final turn of the quarter-mile race track, her short blonde hair whipping wildly in the wind. Standing six-foot-tall, her long, slender legs kicked her sprint into…[...]

ID

“Gina Fortier? Here’s your new New York State license, ma’am” the lady sitting behind the glass at the DMV slides Gina’s new license under the partition. Gina lets out her…[...]

Made in Texas

There is no snow on the Small Uphill Cemetery in Grand Prairie, Texas. Probably from global warming or something. The long-dead grass crunches under your feet like your abuela’s famous…[...]

The Brute in the Night

Trigger warning - contains scenes of violence, strong language, transphobia and mature themes. Darkness flooded every line of sight as Otis gently opened her eyes. An intense, throbbing pain radiated…[...]

Floating

SLAM Ah yes, a familiar feeling. New school. New locker. Same cold, unyielding metal. Ouch. “Dyke” I hear one of the girls who just shoulder checked me into my good…[...]

ALMOST LIKE AN APPARITION

ALMOST LIKE AN APPARITION No doubt that she could not go unnoticed. Her long straight platinum blond hair, they moved, remaining long straight, to the almost regal pace of her…[...]

Have a Blessed Day Sweetheart

“Are you there God? It’s me, Iris,” I say looking at my reflection in the bedroom mirror. “IRIS! Get your ass downstairs, the bus ain’t gonna wait much longer,” Grandma…[...]

Just One of the Boys

It is a slow walk up to the batter's box, the last out of the little league game, unless Shane can make something happen. Waiting for the umpire to sweep…[...]

Broken Things

“Oh, grow up.” This was my mother’s reaction when I came out to her as being transgender. I think she knew already. I had probably left her clues: a bra…[...]

Like/Not Me

Content Warning: Transphobia The sterile, lemony scent of Lysol lingered in the lobby, melding with the comforting glow of the afternoon sun streaming through the sweeping exterior windows as Elias…[...]

If only

Grow up she said to me as I stared at her. Eventually, when you become a teenager, you'll start to find yourself but there can be people who don't want…[...]

The Birth of Mary

As I slid into my silk panties, I knew I was tasting forbidden fruit. The thought of this biblical reference passed through my mind, reminding me of my Bible thumping…[...]

Treasure Hunt

I didn’t think we’d find the treasure, but I agreed to the trip because he was my dad. The prospect of finding money did excite me. Of course it did:…[...]

Peter Pan

No. No no no no. I tap on the image in the Instagram post, accidentally liking it, and then quickly untap it in a panic. If feel like I’m I’m…[...]

Darkest Before the Dawn

Trigger warning: Transphobia and mention of suicidal ideationA lot can happen in a year.For example: Around this time last December I spent a good ten minutes trekking through rows of…[...]

Death of a Mannequin

Claire stared into the mirror, scrutinizing her appearance as she had done so many times before. It was easy to do as so little of what she saw was what…[...]

Life of a cherry blossom

Toshiro galloped across the battlefield, his stallion’s hooves thundering in the quiet reverence that had descended when the last swords were sheathed. The rhythm was soothing, assuring him he would…[...]

Off the beaten track

During my childhood, nothing was bigger than my Dad’s footsteps. Everything seemed to shrink compared to it. His feet, often clad in the same woolie-socks all year around (even during…[...]

Why did you come back?

She opened the door. A stranger was standing on the doorstep, yet not quite a stranger nor yet a friend. She blinked, not wanting to know if it was really…[...]

The Art of Aestivation

Aestivation: a state of dormancy assumed in response to harsh environmental conditions, such as drought or extreme heat. One of the few times my father cried in his life was…[...]

Incongruent

Sensitive Content Warning: contains strong language, mentions sexual violence, talks of suicide, and mental health issues. Am I making the right choice? Last year I became homeless, and after a…[...]

Waiting for Winnifred

CW: Harsh language including homophobic slurs I was eight years old the first time I kissed Winnifred. We were in one of those covered tubes on the playground, the hard…[...]

Visiting Home

The heavy air blanketed the neighborhood, seemingly suffocating everything around it. The humidity made it hard to breathe, forcing me to inhale much more than I’m used to. Despite the…[...]

Does this Feel Familiar?

TW: This story has dreamcore/weirdcore imagery and ideas of transphobia in it that the character deals with. “Don’t you remember?” One of the hyper-realistic, disembodied mouths on the wall said…[...]

Jupiter’s Journal

[Warning: this book contains talk of suicide, briefly alcoholism, very brief domestic violence, as well as arguing] It was April 12th the day of the first incident. I was polyamorous,…[...]

Green 18794 – 068

Seven years. We’ve been married seven years. Did I not know before we were married that my then fiancé was an attention whore? He’s always yapping and looking for opportunities…[...]

Paper Tigress

Vidalia removed her mask, tucked her hair behind her ears, and leaned forward instinctively towards the makeup artist. He sprayed something into his hand, applied it to her face, and…[...]

Firstborn

My first encounter with him was September 11th, 2003. A friend at the time lost her mother in the attack on the World Trade Center two years prior and our…[...]

Dancing in the Rain

After a long time of processing her information with the court, she finally reinvented her identity. It only took the majority of the months the year was kind enough to…[...]

Campfire Fam

Clea sat quietly, the campfire crackling and illuminating the darkness. She watched and listened to her surrounding friends. Perhaps her new family, or so she would like them to be.…[...]

Feast

The stranger eats like an animal. He tears into the day's bread before I've set it properly on the table, fingers prying apart the hard crust to make way for…[...]

Broad Strokes

Broad Strokes A portfolio of photos laid open on my desktop as I clicked through the next set of acne-ridden faces in need of touchups. Parents paid a $19.99 up-charge…[...]

Fault Lines Acrostic

“This is Officer Laramie of the Waller County Police Department. Am I speaking with Shelly Johnson?” The words sink in my stomach, churn my intestines, and run a chill down…[...]

Sweet Dreams

Sweet DreamsbyKaya MonnI jolt awake. What a crazy dream. Rubbing my bleary eyes, I pull myself out of bed and lurch like a zombie to the bathroom.Locked.“Come onnn, hurry up!…[...]

Arden + Vida = Crushed

Two people. Their voices like silk. She is brown with hair bleached the burnished gold of firewood. He is peach, his eyes a vein under cool skin blue. “Vida.” “Arden,…[...]

A First Kiss at Midnight

"Ten minutes 'til the ball drops, find someone now, folks!" A bartender yelled out. Through the festive music, a number of people cheered over the buzz of conversation. "Last chance…[...]

A Dead Promise

She promised. Elliot and Lynn rested in the slightly damp grass of his backyard, staring at the black sky dotted with glittering speckles of light. It was much too late…[...]

Different Today

She's different today, my human. She shed her fur. Yesterday it was blonde and it flowed down her back like water from a fire hydrant and it smelled like strawberries…[...]

Metamorphic

“Speak now!” Betrayed by the silence that followed, Beril turned to leave. Haphazard mirrors leaned against the ledges of the purple-veined pit, reflecting just enough light to see the carved…[...]

The Duality Journal: Entry 1

Angie (15) lets out a deep sigh as she walks through the luxury retail store section of the mall for what feels like the thousandth time. Her mother, Jen, has…[...]

The Secret Promise

TW: bullying, slight physical violence, insinuated abuse, mental illnessGossip has never been an activity that I have particularly enjoyed, having been on the bad end of that sort of thing,…[...]

THE BERDACHE

“Bartender, whiskey, and a jug of water, if you don’t mind.” Wynonna Belle’s lips were parched after a long day trundling through sage brush and dusty trail on her way…[...]

Women are werewolves

It was late afternoon when Candice left the house. Her father had seen her to the door. There was a worried look on his face. “Are you sure you’re ready?”…[...]

Wyoming Style

Friday nights, the diner filled up quickly with locals in from the week’s work. Melissa didn’t mind it; the time went quickly, and the tips weren’t bad. ‘Give me a…[...]

Action Maxx!™

I never belonged in the toy box, this must be some kind of mistake on Sam’s part. Sam, a plucky preteen boy, a better owner an Action Maxx!™ couldn’t ask…[...]

Teachers Say the Darndest Things

I was on the floor building a rocket ship with Legos when I heard my parents’ whispered voices. Mommy was sniffle-crying and Daddy was saying there, there now, everything will…[...]

Wrong Plastic

Strangling limbs cover any sight of my plastic. Seas of fluorescent green, chrome, red, blue, white, bright yellow and matte black swirl above my painted-on eyes. Slightly, soft streams of…[...]

Honestly?

A little love letter to Midwest emo. - Sean and Valerie have just crossed the Ohio border, and they are not in love. They were, once, Sean thinks. He isn’t…[...]

Passing in the Human World

I’ve been staring at Mathias’ new friend from work since the beginning of the party and I can’t seem to stop. I’ve never seen such perfect androgynous beauty and there’s…[...]

The Silent Stager

Rhosh stood on the edge of the tower in the sky, which peeked so arrogantly but delicately above the sea of clouds. Silent clouds. They rolled across the vision from…[...]

PROTOCOL

Before her gender transition, Piper Sanderson enjoyed going out to clubs on Friday nights, hearing new bands, meeting new people, but since she came out as trans, she has…[...]

Emotion Prison

It was dark outside the locked window of the small room. The curtains were drawn and a light layer of dust covered the wooden desk in the corner. A young…[...]

DEAR OLD DEAD EXCERPT

The voices, or rather the voice, my father's voice, started shortly after he died. We hadn’t spoken since I came out as transgender, and as far as I was concerned,…[...]

Jealous of Myself

"Have you ever noticed how that same homeless guy sits out there every day? The one with the dirty gray hair." I say to Jessie, my coworker as he mops…[...]

How to Elicit an Unreasonable Reaction

1) Birth the subject in a suburban town in east Texas, in a community that completely and totally denigrates queerness. Let's call this place Pearland, as an example.2) Really work…[...]

The Shape in the Mist

A low cloud had coiled across a barren landscape with nothing but the black scars of trees and the shed husks of stone to define it. The rolling fog had…[...]

Chrysalis

“Ellis! Hurry up! We’re going to be late.”“Okay, okay,” Ellis called. He pulled on a hoodie and crossed over to his bedroom door. Hand on the doorknob, he paused, turning…[...]

Cuando el Sol Sale Ror el Oeste

It was the last day of our summer break, and it was expected that the world would end.“Today is the day, but I don’t know when...“ Anna said, her hand shielding…[...]

An Alberta summer.

Warning: This story contains multiple sensitive themes, such as sexual violence, mental health, substance abuse, physical violence, strong/ foul language, gore, and abuse. “Hell yeah! You brought the good stuff!”…[...]

Nostalgia, Not.

TW: PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE, PTSDYou can’t feel nostalgia anymore. You’re not sure if you ever could - can a child be nostalgic? You had difficulty understanding emotions as a…[...]

TIFFANY AND THE WOMAN IN RED

Tiffany Burke is lonely, desperately lonely, and she doesn’t have a clue how to change that fact. Every time she meets someone interesting – and it happens often – there…[...]

Window to the Heart

(Contains themes of depression and an instance of eye horror.) Forty-five degrees. A right angle. Inversion, and then reflection. Her fingers clutched the canvas and stained its spines in a…[...]

Me and Everyone’s Voice

The rain was rising from the puddles, which makes it hard to avoid getting wet. I tend to stay along the paths that were never rained on to begin with…[...]

Baby Butch

TW: transphobia Zee tucked their white tee into their Wranglers, slipped a sliver carabiner through their front belt loop, and put on their Tims. They slicked back their crew cut…[...]

Unconditional

In the fading light, the Florida streets buzzed with life. Long shadows danced on the pavement, animated by the setting sun. Amidst the jostle, one figure stood stark, a man…[...]

Coffee Stained.

“Control yourself.” Bells rung outside, the church’s procession beginning amidst the graveyard, “Myself? What about all of you? You said you loved me. You promised.” “Of course I love you! You believe your…[...]

Twixt Heaven and Hell

PAULThey softly trace the line of my jaw. "You should go on more business trips.""Why? You got something going on the side when I'm gone?"Oof. Charlie's playful jab to my…[...]

Heart Failure

Stars. Twinkling bursts of light. Bloodshot, glassy eyes. He has given up.He was supposed to save everyone. Save the world. Save it because the crops wilted. Save it because the…[...]

The Façade We Make

"Aren't you tired of this?" She asks him as they wander off into the night, escaping yet another party, both of them in overdone attire that neither of them liked.…[...]

In The Garden

Sam was elbow-deep in freshly churned soil when they spotted a glimmer out of the corner of their eye. As they turned, the fairy froze and stared back at the…[...]

One Morning, Ten Minutes

TW/CW: Mental Health, Child Loss, Transgender Issues This last month and 3 days has been all over the place, but I have a really good feeling about things. We just…[...]

And So it Goes, A Gossip Column for Our Times

And So it Goes, A Gossip Column for Our Times Most gentle and kind and hospitable reader: if you would like to know who fell into the arms of a…[...]

It Isn’t Normal

Michael and Miriam could never remember how they became friends, but they clung to each other since they were in kindergarten. Even though their class had the same group of…[...]

Men Like Macbeth

Virgil had risen above the actors. The air was cooler up in the fly space. Musty, metallic, muted. Macbeth (Michael) was stumbling over his lines below. Virgil had wanted to…[...]

An Unexpected Friend

It’s my first time in Chicago, and like every other tourist, I end up at The Bean. Inspecting the sculpture, I think it may be the most fascinating thing in…[...]

Melting December

Hello! My name is Ash- no… Cameron! Ugh, that's wrong too. How about… December. Does December work? No second guesses, I guess it works. Now to get on with our…[...]

A Kid Named Kip

It was two months ago in early June, just before the rains started and the hot, muggy, sweltering air brought with it biting insects and wet socks. She had just…[...]

The Mask of the Maneater

Warning: contains themes of body horror. “We don’t want you in town, Mr. Watson,” the waitress said. Gar jumped, more at the prefix than the hostility in the tone of…[...]

In His Eyes

CW: sexual content, physical violence, drink spiking, suicide reference I've been cheating on my wife for around six months now. Emma and I have been together for two years, married…[...]

False Icons for Dinner

You are Dace Keller, a paragon of manhood. Because every man that’s ever been, for as long as you’ve known, has wanted to become Dace Keller. You are the model man,…[...]

New Beginnings.

The room was quiet and all was still, save for the steady beep-beeping of the blood pressure monitors and the low rise and fall whoosh of ventilators. The only noise…[...]

Do I Know You?

DO I KNOW YOU? “No! No! No!” I pounded the steering wheel of my car in anger and frustration. It was Friday afternoon and nothing was going right. I had recently…[...]

The Ones We Left Behind

TW: mentions that a character was abused in the past, but no descriptions during the story. Freya trudged along the wet-ridden cobblestoned streets, trying not to slip or step into…[...]

The Woman in Green

Taryn sat at her terminal, staring at the mass of data shared to the data slates piled haphazardly on her desk.There was no question. No doubt in her mind anymore…[...]

Janeen the Dream

1985Greenwich Village had become a food desert. Oh, sure, there was plenty of sustenance to be had IF you were a risk taker. A gambler. I wasn’t. You only get…[...]

Little Nephew

As Michael walked cautiously into the room, he felt heads swivel towards him in awkward shock. Like a record scratching in a movie, conversation halted and all eyes fell on…[...]

A Pointless Conversation

Trigger warning: brief mentions of sexual violence, coarse language, brief mentions of mild gore, mentions of homophobia/transphobia"If you had to give up one part of your face, which part would…[...]