Three Hours in a Tree Costume
At a children's charity show two adults receive the least rewarding roles and discover their shared awkwardness suits them.
247 short stories
Romance
Page 5 of 9
Encounters that change our plans. Love that arrives when we least expect it.
Stories on this page
When They Counted the Chairs
After a full day running an association's board election, two rivals stay to clear the hall and talk without an audience.
Compartment Seven
Two passengers try to hide that they are traveling to canceled weddings until a long delay leaves them without prepared answers.
The Last Lap Around the Lake
An amateur runner and her most persistent rival fall behind the group, where their competition finally finds a different purpose.
The Cup Nobody Bought
At a craft fair a potter refuses to sell one crooked cup while a customer offers increasingly unusual trades.
The Snowman Outside the Shop
Every morning a florist finds a different snow sculpture until she discovers who is making her unusual exhibition.
Five Minutes on the Chess Clock
Longtime opponents from the park attempt a dinner date, but for once no rules tell them whose turn it is.
A Cinema for the Last Two Rows
Two adults restoring a small cinema clash over the seats nobody wants to use.
Silence Between Two Banks
A translator accepts work on a small river ferry, where the captain keeps avoiding discussion of her approaching departure.
The Street Without a Number Yet
A delivery driver and a new resident try to locate an address that exists on paper but not yet on street signs.
A Ticket Without a Return Date
Selma returns from abroad to sell the family house, but the boy from her memories no longer wants to be someone else's reason for coming home.
Ice Cream for the Whole Stairwell
During a long power cut Harun shares his ice cream with neighbors, and the woman upstairs refuses to let their conversation end when the lights return.
The Bread That Waited for Morning
A baker and a night watchman arrange their first date, but neither has free time when they can stay awake.
The Third Stop After the Bridge
A night bus driver notices a man who travels to the end of the route without ever carrying a travel bag.
A Place for a Wet Coat
While restoring a village reading room, Jasna discovers why the carpenter keeps refusing to make a coat rack for two.
A Sunday That Asked for No Argument
Irena is used to love arriving with grand reconciliations. During a quiet afternoon at her new partner's home, she starts wondering why nothing with him needs to be repaired.
Voices from a Small Box
While clearing a storage cupboard, Rada and Jusuf find their old answering machine. On it they hear two people who found tender words much easier to say.
A Conversation After Work
Darija is used to questions about her work leading to jokes, other people's tragedies, or requests for favors. On their first date, Irfan asks something for which she has no prepared answer.
A Night with the Sound of a Machine
Before their first night together, Jela has to show her partner a part of everyday life she has left at home until now. He also has something in a little box beside the bed.
The Gift I Did Not Have to Choose
For her birthday Alma is asked what she wants, as she is every year. This time she tries to explain why making another list feels harder than receiving an imperfect gift.
The Name That Was Not Mine
Elena sees her own name on her new partner's arm. The tattoo belongs to his past, and she must decide whether she can stop reading it as a message about herself.
The Sister I Did Not Resemble
Nera is used to comparisons with her identical twin. At the beginning of a new relationship, she discovers that recognition need not be a competition in finding differences.
The Place of Our First Kiss
On their anniversary, Dunja and Adnan try to find the place of their first kiss. The trouble is that they do not remember the same evening.
The Back of a Head I Did Not Know
When his longtime barber retires, Mirko asks his wife to cut his hair. After thirty years of marriage, the small task reveals a part of him she has never closely examined.
Leaving Without Slamming the Door
Two people in love realize their shared plan demands a life neither wants and end the relationship without erasing what was good.
The Anniversary Without a Reserved Table
A couple celebrate in the same place every year until both admit they stopped enjoying the tradition long ago.
A Postcard from the Same City
A couple who communicate mostly through practical messages begin sending each other postcards and discover unexpected parts of their shared city.
The Exit from the Haunted House
A man promises courage he does not possess on a date and discovers that leaving through a side door need not end the romance.
The Letter That Arrived on Time
A man who dislikes writing decides to leave his partner an honest note before their first serious argument grows worse.
The Menu We Could Not Read
Two people on a first date leave honesty behind with their reading glasses, and dinner arrives in entirely the wrong form.