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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 3 of 10

At The Shore Between Worlds

Submitted to Contest #324

Adrian sat on the shore, forlorn and insignificant against the white, gleaming sand that cocooned his body. He clutched fistfuls of the warm sand, then let his arm hang in the air. Slowly, he unfurled his fingers, allowing the grains to slip through the cracks. Again and again. He had become a living hourglass, waiting, refusing to let it stop flowing. As long as it did, he could wait a while longer. He gazed at the horizon, at each new, darker stroke of pink staining the late afternoon sky; at its yellows and oranges disappearing below the ...

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The Incoming Tide

Submitted to Contest #324

The Incoming Tide. Newcastle was cold that evening in late July. Andrew leant on a railing on the headland at Nobby’s lighthouse, cigarette dangling from his fingers. On one side the sea raged, pounding waves, not even the surfers would brave that break. The other, the Hunter River churned, a restless animal. Dark and indifferent. Swollen from the winter rains. Waves tossed the ferry around, threatening to pull it under. The sea fighting the river. The Antarctic winds whipped at Andrew, biting through his coat. He played with the tiny box in...

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Bad Coffee, Hearing Aids, and the Grim Reaper

Submitted to Contest #325

The gnarled oak stood resolute, its branches splayed like mourning fingers. Underneath, the Grim Reaper stood silent, his tattered cloak devouring the dawn’s frail light. In an outstretched hand he held a scythe, its blade gleaming with a cold, prismatic sheen. From the kitchen window, Frank watched, willing the Reaper to go away. His weathered hands clutched a chipped coffee mug, its warmth a fleeting shield to the empty house. “You know what he wants,” Mary said. “Give it to him.” Frank didn’t hear her, too busy staring daggers at the Rea...

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Drowning

Submitted to Contest #324

“No wonder someone wants you dead.”The portly, middle-aged man lying at my feet snored into the muddy sand that cushioned his ruddy face when he finally collapsed and lost consciousness after drinking himself into oblivion. An empty bottle of wine rested next to his outstretched hand, and the urge to use it as a weapon was strong, but I resisted. It seemed far too easy a death for a man as evil as him.Lip curling at the stink of body odor and urine, I nudged the empty bottle with the toe of my boot. It rolled away into the heavy darkness tha...

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The Playlist

Submitted to Contest #324

Trigger warning: Reflection on abortion and unresolved grief. The direct flight was long. I watched the sky pass by as music played in my ears, a playlist that spoke a language only I understood. Each lyric carried me back to moments with him, and sometimes to the emptiness without him. He had always held a place in my heart, a presence that brought comfort, friendship, and a passion beyond the boundaries of this world.Maybe that’s what it means to be soulmates, not someone who simply fits with you, but someone who exists within you, even in...

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Getting Coffee

Submitted to Contest #325

Annie set the porcelain cup back on the dish that accompanied it to her table, the print of her lips visible on the slightly chipped rim. It clinked, just above a whisper, competing with the buzz of chatter around her. Cicero’s was always busy this time of day, just after morning rush, full of people pretending to meet up to discuss work but haphazardly wandering their way into much more interesting topics, like their children or their weekend plans. Annie did not deign to pretend this was anything close to that. In her oversized heathe...

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Waters Run Deep

Submitted to Contest #324

You couldn’t tell Chad anything. Well, you could, but he wouldn’t listen. He always had to figure out anything and everything the hard way. He didn’t even consider it a hard way. If you said, “Hey, don’t touch that, Chad, it’s hot.” Chad would touch it, and say, “Yeah. That’s hot.” It was as if every day were his first day on earth. If someone accidentally used an idiom in front of Chad, he would cock his head and look at that person with his striking blue eyes piercing into their very cerebral cortex. “Why would anyone try to make a silk p...

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50 Years

Submitted to Contest #324

50 YearsHe stood at the edge of the pier, staring at the water.The sea was calm tonight, almost kind. It had taken so much, and yet it still came back—again and again—like someone who didn’t know how to stop loving.The gulls had gone quiet. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath. The air smelled of salt and roses, faint as a memory.Thomas rested his hands on the railing. The wood was swollen from rain, cold beneath his fingers. He’d come every night since she died. Not for prayer, not for peace. Just to listen. The sea spoke in a language h...

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The Ocean Will Cure Me

Submitted to Contest #324

It was my first time on a plane, flying solo with no one to tell me where to put my bag or how to find my damn seat. “B3 by chance Miss” I turn to a kind eyed old man to my left. “You kind sir, just saved me from crying in front of all of these strangers, thank you.” I say with frustration fading from my face and a smile forming. I sit down and awkwardly look around trying to determine where to keep my bag for this four hour flight. I never understood why they made everything so jam packed in these stupid aircrafts. “You can put your bag...

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Forever by the Sea

Submitted to Contest #324

(Based on Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee") He lay beside Annabel in the warm white sand, feeling the soft grains shift between his fingers. He closed his eyes and let the golden sunlight warm his face, the roaring whisper of the waves and the wind filling his ears. Annabel laced her fingers through his with a gentle squeeze, letting him know she was there. He turned his head towards her, his cheek against the warm sand. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her. Her eyes were as bright as the sea, her hair the color of sunlight on...

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Washed Ashore

Submitted to Contest #324

Part 1: Waking Up at Sea Oh no, I’m going to be sick, she thought. She lay there, eyes shut, taking a deep breath. She could feel the spins through her feet. Oh no, I can’t be sick. Overwhelmed by the feeling she was moving in a wave, she felt like a boat in the ocean—her stomach rising with the tide in her throat. Oh no, I’m going to be . . . seasick? She opened her eyes and sat up. There was no time to question where in the nautical hell she was; she locked eyes with the bucket at the bedside, and there went the remains of whatever was ye...

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The Tide of Two Worlds

Submitted to Contest #324

Prince Andrew of Aqualis was born beneath the sapphire waves, heir to a kingdom woven from coral and light. His people said the ocean itself had blessed him — that when he was born, the tides rose higher than ever before, and every sea creature sang in harmony. By the time he was grown, Andrew could command the currents with a flick of his hand. He was charming, brave, and endlessly curious — but curiosity, his father warned, was a dangerous current. “Do not look to the surface,” said King Nerion, his voice like the deep rumble of the trench...

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Tideborn

Submitted to Contest #324

The night I wash ashore, the stars look like barnacles—small and stubborn, clinging to a dark hull I can’t name. Waves unmake themselves around my ribs. The tide tries to pull me back, then changes its mind, foaming away like a friend unsure if they’re still invited.I crawl from the water on my knees, palms, and pride. I have legs again; they remember me like old scars remember knives—with a twitch.The lighthouse above me turns its slow white eye. Its beam slices the fog, leaving a metallic taste in the air. I press my cheek to a tide pool a...

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Cassandra's Leap

Submitted to Contest #324

The sea was restless beneath a dark and menacing sky. I watched angry waves barrel into the cove, crashing against the rocks. Foam and water sprayed in every direction, soaking everything close. The sound of the waves crashing put a smile on my face. The wind whipped my brown hair behind me as I stared out at the vast sea. Seabirds flocked the cliffs around me trying to find safe places to land or to get to their mates. A large gust of wind pushed against me, briefly causing me to take a step back. It did not affect my resolve. I rais...

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The Staring of The Souls

Submitted to Contest #324

*This story contains smoking* “Aunt Dolores, who’s that?” Kristen Joei muses, observing a guy wash a car. He doesn’t have a recognizable face, yet his aura is something she’s seen before… something similar to a ghost lost in her dreams. A ghost she knows, but its face is blurry.The elderly woman hums, taking a break from the flowers to rub her gloves.Kristen peers into the new man; a well-built fellow whose clothing is soaking in soap. His hair hides underneath a weathered baseball cap, but his shoes stand out the most. In near one-hundred d...

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RBE | RBE Romance | 2024-03

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