5 Short Stories About Being in Love from Thirteen Emotions
Adoration, infatuation, butterflies in your stomach. I love writing about, well, love. And that’s how I ended up writing more than a handful of short stories about being in love for my book Thirteen Emotions. Some are happy, some are gut-wrenching. For this post, I’ve included mostly joyous ones. After all, it is technically the most romantic day of the year. Except for my wedding day, of course. Which, you can see photographed here by Sincerely, Studio.
Short stories about being in love capture the essence of human connection in its myriad forms—from the euphoric highs of infatuation to the bittersweet pangs of longing and heartbreak. Each narrative unfolds like a Bottega Veneta bag, weaving together moments of vulnerability, laughter, and shared dreams that resonate deeply. These tales often explore how love transforms individuals, challenges perspectives, and ignites passion, painting vivid portraits of relationships that are both fleeting and enduring. Through concise storytelling, authors are able to encapsulate the complexity of emotions, reminding us that love, in all its chaotic glory, is a universal experience worth exploring and celebrating.
Because today is Valentine’s Day I thought I’d revisit five short stories about being in love from my book, Thirteen Emotions. To be honest, not all of them are strictly about being “in love” or at least not in the traditional sense. Some involve being in love with yourself and some are about the security you feel when you’re in love when you no longer have to put on a show about it. That comfortable, unspoken love. But then there are two short stories with a love so strong it might make your heart hurt.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Let’s get romantic.
5 Short Stories About Being in Love from Thirteen Emotions
What I Miss About You
Have you ever missed someone you know was bad for you? But you just can’t help it. The love you shared was so strong that it pulls you back like the ocean currents at your favourite beach. The narrator of this story about being in love is reminiscing on what her and her previous partner once shared: a love of dogs, the sea, a waterfront bistro where they might have slurped oysters and drank champagne well into the night. They’ve both moved on but she can’t help her mind from meandering back to… him.
Read a snippet of What I Miss About You here.
Crossed in Love
After a bad break-up with the love of her life, Isabelle González fled Brooklyn and moved to Paris to work at Vogue. It’s her dream come true. Although, she’d always thought that Marcus would be a part of that dream, too. Then, one afternoon as she’s sauntering toward her favourite corner cafe, wearing a silk dress and open-toe mules, she runs into him. Is she dreaming? Is he really here? But how? And why? Marcus tells her that he’s still in love with her but is it enough? Would he even fit into her new life?
Read a snippet of Crossed in Love here.
A Bold Woman
Gabriela Garcia can’t be described as anything but a bold woman. She’s a single, thriving, independent woman living in Manhattan. She’s a style icon (although she’s yet to be photographed by @watchingnewyork) and owns one of the city’s most popular vintage boutiques. On the night the story takes place, she’s on a blind date with one of the most vile men she has ever met. She’d much rather be curled up on her boucle armchair watching Friends reruns.
Read part of A Bold Woman here.
Awake in the Woods
Victoria and Andrew are away for Christmas at a secluded lakefront cabin. A dense forest surrounds them, only adding to the nighttime blackness that engulfs the property. Usually they’d be tucked away in their cozy New York City apartment overlooking Central Park but the city was beginning to feel too overstimulating. Victoria is awoken in the middle of the night to their dog growling at something beyond the sliding glass doors; something lurking in the woods. She knows she can count on her husband to keep them safe, but it doesn’t quell her feeling of fear. Is someone trying to hurt them?
Read a snippet of Awake in the Woods here.
The Apron Strings
The couple in The Apron Strings are deeply in love. They’ve decided to take their relationship to the next level and move in together. However, the woman in this story wasn’t expecting her boyfriend to bring with him so much… baggage. And she’s not talking about his stack of CDs that they don’t have a player for or his tedious percolator or the mountain of socks he stockpiles under his side of the bed. No. It’s something more invisible yet persistent that those things. But can she handle it?
Read a snippet of The Apron Strings here.
Here’s a look at my Valentine’s moodboard from last year:
Roses, homemade ice cream sandwiches, DIY chocolate-covered strawberries. We had a seriously romantic day. This year, I’m baking a small-batch cheesecake with edible flowers and we’re seeing Tyler, the Creator tonight. It’s a different vibe, but romantic in the way romance blossoms when you’ve been together over 8 years.
Buy a paperback, hardcover, or eBook copy of Thirteen Emotions from my bookstore. Or find it at Amazon, Bookshop, Book Soup, and anywhere else that sells books online.
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All black & white photos by Sincerely, Studio. Taken in Toronto at Archive Studios during my Jacquemus wedding.