Romance Short Stories

To a Worse Person

It felt like her lungs were on fire, but she couldn’t stop or slow down. Sylvia escaped through the forest. The men who had invaded her home were shouting orders…[...]

The Experience

Preface:Author get to experience only what you see in the movie. Chapter One: The Author Lois tried to calm her nervous by pulling out a cigarette from her jacket pocket.Noticing…[...]

The Disruptors 1.2

The energy of the room vibrated around him while laughter, clinking glassware, and small performances played out like an orchestra he and his wife had composed together over decades. At…[...]

The Shed

By Conor Burrell The screen door opened with a creak as Val entered into the cherry wood paneled kitchen. He gingerly removed his long coat and placed it gently onto…[...]

Empty Insides

On the fifth of march, as the late snow was crying from the sky into the suburbs of Tulip's Hollow, Michael Phillips woke up to discover that his liver had…[...]

ONE COMPLAINT PER CUSTOMER by Alessandro TRIGGERS: THIS STORY CONTAINS IMAGERY OF SUICIDE, MENTAL HEALTH AND DARK PSYCHOLOGY. What an asshole. Before this new idiot police Sergeant arrived (after a…[...]

Doin’ Time

***Sensitive Material: Contains mental health issues, some sexual content, and violence*** She stared mindlessly out the window. What was she supposed to do now? “Med rounds!” a shrill voice pierced…[...]

Consequences

I was working as a jack of all trades at the local Homeless shelter. The place started life as a motel, but gave in to economics, and took guaranteed county…[...]

The Front Door

“Oh, I see my bag. Yeah, I’ll text you when I’m in the car.” Julia hung up the phone and put it in her trench coat pocket as she maneuvered…[...]

The Power of Rain

My mother used to tell me that in a city like Starlight, a rainy day could either force people to show their true colors or signal that something bad was…[...]

The Disruptors 1.3

Her phone vibrated.Unknown Number: There you are.Something brushed lightly against her shoulder.When Jess turned, Victoria was already standing beside her.Not across the room. Right beside her. The tightness started in…[...]

Das Blaue Maedchen

Note — this story contains sensitive content including the mention of suicide and description of blood. On the left-hand side of a wooden desk sat a miniature replica of the…[...]

Plum Red Musings

The restaurant had its lights dimmed down to simulate candles, an overall clatter of metal on porcelain, a spicy garlic scent, the distant hiss of sizzling, live music—piano not a…[...]

Covering the Ugly

Frederick Bond walked briskly down the sidewalk heading for the pharmacy. It was unseasonably warm in Chicago for mid-October, and his fine wool topcoat was unbuttoned and swung freely as…[...]

Every fourth word

CW: References to murder. To our patrons: If the morning suits you, early callers now can pause awhile and read what follows in this week’s paper: several free currant buns…[...]

Auto Delete

Got a sec? No Not really… Urgent?KindaYesDefinitely In mtg Email?Feels safer on signal Jeez FineOr phone? Cant Mtg???LEAVEWut mtg Can’t Steve is here Pickering all staffScene of the crime Not…[...]

Feral

I taught her to lie before she could spell her name. Told her people were soft, stupid, and always looking for a story that made them feel good about parting…[...]

The Bear Necessities of Contract Law

Goldilocks Lockwood v. Bear FamilySmall Claims Court, Woodland DistrictCase No. 2024-SC-0847Transcript of the Plaintiff's Opening Statement THE COURT: Ms. Lockwood, you may proceed with your statement.MS. LOCKWOOD: Thank you, Your…[...]

Wax/Off

“I’m going to start this confession as plainly as I can: if you can think of a better way to rob a wax museum, I am ALL ears.” The arresting…[...]

Speaking of Superpowers

Speaking Of SuperpowersFor now, I am going to ignore the fact that I am not great at learning languages. It is exceedingly difficult for me. But I am going to…[...]

I’m the Guy Who Rejected June McCarroll’s Proposal to Add White Lines in the Center of Roads to Stop People From Crashing Into Each Other All the Time

Based on the true story of June McCarroll. It may be hard to imagine now, but there was a time before lines were painted on the roads. A time when…[...]

Family secrets

Lies! Always lies! Why couldn’t the family share the truth about its own Who’s Who, including the embarrassing sprout lopped off the family tree. Bastards did not fit into its…[...]

One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Yen

(For Reedsy’s Prompts, March 27, 2026)Contest 347 - Write a story about a character who believes something that isn’t true. “You should be in prison!” I told him straight, no…[...]

The Cost of Being Good

Before she knew what tension was, she knew how it sounded. It lived in the house like a hum—low and constant—threading through the flicker of the television her father watched…[...]

Never Been Kissed

What is it to have been kissed?I have never been kissedAnd I never knew why.But I am now saving itFor later on in lifeI hear it is all in the…[...]

Heartbeat of Labor

Possible TW: birth trauma The sound of a heartbeat filled the room before I ever understood what it meant to lose it.Not a literal sound—not something my ears could actually…[...]

So Lucky

Internalized racism, identity dissociation, greener grass*Content warning: non-graphic mentions of abuse and use of racial slurs* “Talk to your Uncle Hank!” High-strung and demanding as always. My mother anxiously thrust…[...]

Wife and Mother

TW: Contains themes of sexual violence and religious reinterpretation Wife The way that the rainstorm can turn sideways and knock me off my feet is the way that he came…[...]

Chain Reaction

My little sister and I dash across the grass, the sunlight like a warm shower mingling with the cold spray from the sprinkler. Tiny rainbows come and go. We’re laughing,…[...]

Desire

Waking, in this dim structure. I hear nothing. No animals. No water. No wind. Not even my own... heart beat. Looking around, I could tell I was left here. By…[...]

A human body sitting on the floor of a dark room

,Gazing at the moonlight reflecting off the furniture,And pondering life and deathAnd survival,On consciousnessAnd what makes us who we areWithout ever reaching an answerWithout ever getting up Why is it…[...]

The Heist

The pale-yellow light of the porch lamp echoed over the sharp edges of the middle-aged man; his sunken eyes more telling than a book which has been scuffed and curled…[...]

The Cuts Continue

My mother watched the road, then me, then back again. She didn’t reach for my hand. She knew I didn't want to be touched when I was dealing with Sam’s…[...]

Humanity: Is It Me or You?

CW: Emotional distress UmmHumanityIs It Me or You? Is it me or you?Remind me. Is there something wrong with me?I’m going to admit it now.I’m not gonna hide behind the…[...]

Never Left Unsaid

I don’t believe in the idea that heaven is a place that we go to after we die. For instance, I don’t believe that in this moment, my mom is…[...]

A Grandad’s Confession To His Grandson, 1888, London, England

Here in my hand, lad, lies the letter of admission of my guilt for some very grave crimes that stumped law enforcement and scared the prostitutes of the impoverished White…[...]

Draft Messages

My father was not a sentimental man. I want to say that first because it matters. He was the kind of person who showed up and fixed things and left.…[...]

The Reflection

El looked in the mirror, but nothing stood out. Good; she was ready for work. The day was pleasant enough, and El always enjoyed watching eagles and the other birds…[...]

You Can’t Outsource Compassion

“You Can’t Outsource Compassion” Jen Wasyliw My thoughts are jumping around like grasshoppers–-springing away a split second before I capture a sane one. But, I guess that’s to be expected…[...]

“The Girl Nobody Came Back For”

Envy Leeown learned how to measure time by abandonment. Not in minutes. Not in hours. But in how long it took for hope to start hurting. She was ten the…[...]

“Where the World Still Breathes”

The world didn’t end all at once. It exhaled itself to death. First the oceans pulled back like they were tired of touching land. Then the skies turned a permanent…[...]

“Pretty Things Don’t Bleed”

Today is April 31st and……… They always said pretty girls got saved. Nobody ever told them what happened when pretty girls did the saving. By the time Enyla Cross walked…[...]

I am just like you

CW: Substance abuse, sexual assault I am Just Like YouShort Story by Paula Badder…I spend time with loved ones, I go to work to my full time office job where…[...]

Alone on the Brooklyn Bridge

The year was 2017, sometime in the fall. I had just moved to the City for work at a prestigious agency Deutsch, which turned out to be a total shitshow.…[...]

For the Love of Mankind

Billy lay in the wet grass and watched the wood and canvas aircraft circle in the sky above the fjord. It was a warm day, the sun beamed down on…[...]

350 Yards

After everything, I have discovered that the darkness ends if you are willing to stop asking, "WHY ME?" Five years ago, my life ended. Everything I had ever known was…[...]

Dog Night Out

When I was 19 my mother bought me that book Smart Women, Foolish Choices after I broke up with my first really serious boyfriend. I think it was her subtle…[...]

Summer Dreams

The extreme temperature of my first memorable summer was unusually humid for our area of Indiana, driving the heat index up into almost the 100’s. There hadn’t been much rain…[...]

It’s not my fault

Write a story from the point POV of a monster, infected creature or lone traveller. IT’S NOT MY FAULT “ that I was born this way, and I don’t like…[...]

Go Get Charlie

You’ve seen those machines where there are a lot of enticing toys spread underneath this giant silver four prong claw. When you stuff some coins into the slot, the claw…[...]

April 31-Doomsday

Today is April 31. That’s weird to say! There’s never been an April 31 in history! Well, until today. I don’t know what time it is today or what day…[...]

Misunderstood

The bell rang, and Room 12 settled into its usual hum—pencils scratching, chairs shifting, quiet whispers floating like dust in sunlight. In the back corner sat Eli, small for his…[...]

The comically six worst online dates I’ve ever been on

#350 Comic Relief – Virginia Albert – 4//10/2026This week’s prompt: Write a story with the goal of making your reader laughThe comically six worst online dates I’ve ever been on…[...]

This Happens all the Time

This Happens All the Time The four of us stared at the monstrous void where a 1200-foot, 20-story, 100,000-ton floating buffet had stood. Charlie bent over to whisper, “Maybe they…[...]

Hindsight Is Hilarity

Note: While this story is intended to be a coming of age story with humor, mature themes are discussed in this story that do not include profanity or explicit language.…[...]

A fake accountant in the fog of Ferrara

A lady with long wavy blond hair that fell just below her shoulders and a flashy baylage A lady with long wavy blond hair that fell just below her shoulders…[...]

The Warning Triangle

The loud crackle from my little red Mini car sounded electrical. I was on my own and although I didn’t exactly panic, I came close. I saw a driveway on…[...]

A Four-Year Old’s Story

Theres things I don unnerstand. I mean, like, I get Im a kid, but geez, I can’t wait to get growed up soon and peopled would take me more serious…[...]

Starzy Przestępca

Stary Przestępca never expected to live to be 200 years old. He took a gap year in college, putzed his way to a business degree and moved back into his…[...]

If these walls could speak

Susan Cochrane Drawing up at the vantage point overlooking the valley Lisa stepped out of her car and scanned the spread of vineyards descending towards the river below until her…[...]

The Cookies I Didn’t Eat

The hospital cafeteria was quieter than it had any right to be for mid-afternoon. Linda and I sat across from each other at a small table near the window, coffee…[...]

The Weight of Silence

At first, she didn’t notice it.Silence wasn’t loud. It didn’t knock or announce itself. It didn’t arrive with warning signs or sudden shifts. It didn’t come crashing into her life…[...]

THIS LITTLE PIGGIE SHOULD HAVE STAYED HOME

About 1010 words As a city girl that married into a ranching family, I had to adjust to a different life style most of it revolving around some kind of…[...]

Who Are You?

Linda and I slowly approached the red carpet stretched out before us like a tongue the entertainment industry uses to taste-test who belongs and who does not. Betty White was…[...]

Young Lads and Ladies of the Night in Paris, 1963

Young Lads and Ladies of the Night – Paris, 1963 My mother took my cousin Billy and me as young teenagers to Paris for a couple of weeks in each…[...]

Raising Matt

“Parenting: The days are long, but the years are short.”-Gretchen Rubin Jim Valvano was dying from cancer when he gave his acceptance speech upon receiving the Courage Award at the…[...]

A Rare Dragon Made of Dreams

I knew him on sight. Rugged, muscular, disheveled, sad. Sunglasses hid his eyes. “You must be Grant.” I hugged him with all my strength. “I’m sorry, I’m so dirty. I…[...]

Unspoken silence

Mara kept the blanket folded at the end of her bed, the edge lined up perfectly with the seam of the mattress. The pillows were stacked in the same order…[...]

Where the Hand Falls

She is already seated when she notices the document. It is open, cursor blinking, the white of the page softened by the dimness she prefers when she works. The room…[...]

the colors of sadness

They sat at the table in relational silence, comfortable yet somehow unfamiliar. The only noise came from a small TV on the far counter; the Hallmark channel again. Her mom…[...]

A Library After An Earthquake

The nurse spoke to me with kind eyes. I looked at his name tag, but I couldn't read it. It was just a jumble of symbols and colors. And that…[...]

Finding Frannie

The little grey tabby cat showed up on June 26, 2023, on what would have been my mother’s 99th birthday. My husband named the kitty Frannie and started feeding her.…[...]

7086562214

After all these years, I still get the urge to call you, to talk about life and all the things that have happened thus far that you missed out on—my…[...]

The Stuff of Tradition

Turkey fat, sage, yeast, rye. The man was preparing Thanksgiving dinner. Thoughts of perfection and indulgence entered his mind. An opportunity to create the perfect Thanksgiving dinner this year: a…[...]

The Weight of Six Months

I was at work when I got the call.I sat at my desk, listening to Tamela Mann low in my headphones, staring out the window as the campus moved without…[...]

The Draft

Claire Grainger, New York Times Bestselling Author. She stared at the words, embossed on the glossy cover of the book. Tracing her fingers over the letters that glinted in the…[...]

A Living Weight

It is nearly midnight. We should be asleep. Especially me.Tomorrow, I will be married here on Phú Quốc Island, in this house, beneath the same ceiling fans that turn now…[...]

Green Around the Gills

When Dr. Mary Winter looked around the labor suite and asked her next question, I knew my day had just taken a turn for the worse. “Where’s your husband?” “He’s…[...]

A Little Blue Heart and a Vial of Nitroglycerin

What if liking never becomes loving? For Mary, love was a forbidden subject. Grief, though—that was a subject we shared. She was a widow, and I was a widower.Yet for…[...]

“Y” is a crooked letter

“Mummy, what does blue taste like?”My son asks.As always, I am met with a constant bombardment of insistent chatter the moment I strapped him into his seat after picking him…[...]

The Colour

“Same old gray sky.” I think to myself whilst going home after work. “Same old days, same old gray world.” I listen to my music, sinking deeper and deeper in…[...]

Without You

CW: Death, grief I awoke again to stiff pains radiating from the back of my neck. There isn’t any time for me to dwell on it, though. The old wooden…[...]

RED ZONE

Elinor whispered soft shushing sounds as she placed her baby in the cradle. Her work-roughened hand lingered for a moment, rubbing gently on the small back as her daughter snuffled…[...]

Euphoria of Ink and Color

Warm sand slipped between her toes as a cool breeze drifted along the coast. She sat atop her favorite bohemian blanket, an ice-cold coffee resting beside her, condensation sliding down…[...]

The Red Carpet Ride

TW: Coercion, emotional abuse, drug use Something in the room had changed. The air suddenly felt thick, like moving in slow motion in a movie. Her altered, watery gaze focused…[...]

Exceptionalities

Driving has always been my quiet reset button—the place where my thoughts finally line up instead of running into each other. The other day, I got in the car with…[...]

Drifted

Long after I found her, she began to return to me in fragments. Not the sirens, thepolice, the boat, the reporters, or the Chaplain who came by after. Only her.Dark…[...]

Creamsicle Skies and Hidden Rainbows

It was an early Fall morning when I began scaling the eastern face of the Rocky Mountains with nothing but my bow, my wits, and a stubborn will. The mountain…[...]

Greyed Out

Invisible. This is how I am feeling as I am looking out the window of a cozy neighbourhood cafe and seeing my own frowning reflection. I feel invisible, and it…[...]

on a wingless plane

Studies. Research. Accolades. I decided to take a breather from hunting down the mob who stole my friend and concentrate a little on what's actually in front of me. Exams.…[...]

The 614 Blues

The red eviction notice left on the door tasted like salt. It was sharp and slightly metallic. Behind me, the morning air was a heavy, suffocating gray that felt damp.…[...]

The Purple, Yellow and Orange of my Stevie…

CW: Grief On April 10, my sister Jennifer's birthday, she picked up Stevie's ashes from the funeral home in Albany and brought them to us. It was so emotional and…[...]

Mama’s Secret

Soft steps are heard in the garden, gingerly I hide. Looking from the bush, I see my mother. My love. Oh, how she is so sad. My initial motive to…[...]

Can-Can Wonderland

What does that even mean? When I thought of the can-can I thought of the scandalous scarlet skirts whipping back and forth on stage showcasing ebony heels and a little…[...]

What the River Leaves Behind

In the quiet Lowcountry of South Carolina, where tea-dark rivers wind beneath moss-draped oaks and memory lingers like humidity in the air, one woman begins to understand that survival is…[...]

Remember

Johann Keim found the walnut grove along the Manatawny Creek in 1698 as he walked through the Pennsylvania wilderness day after day, alone in the New World.Two days before, he…[...]

I Remember the Wallet

When my brother Jake and I were kids—twelve and eight, respectively—we lived in one of Montreal’s poor immigrant sectors. We’d been ice-skating at Beaver Lake at the top of Mount…[...]

Chapter Closed

Six years had passed since the former Viscountess Alexandra of Pembroke, now the Grand Duchess Alexandra of Blackwood, had stepped foot in the chapel, the last place she wanted to…[...]

All the lonely people

I confess that my contact with M has been reduced to an annual posting of the family newsletter. We live on opposite sides of a large city. Our lives have…[...]

First Light

Before the flood, I spent most clear nights in my backyard staring at Saturn through a cheap 90mm telescope. Some nights the atmosphere was too unstable to focus clearly, but…[...]