"The Upside," original
(If you want something pro-Valentine, or just something a little bit longer, The Academy of Bards' Valentine Invitational is up with a story by moi: Letters Never Sent, in which we spend some time at Coffee Table Books, the best little bakery/bookshop on Squire's Isle :D)
Title: The Upside
Author: geonncannon
Fandom: Original
Word Count: 559
Category: Anti-Valentine's Day
Rating: General
Warnings: Deals with the end of a relationship.
Author's Notes: This is written for alexia47.
Summary: A woman makes it through her first Valentine's Day after her relationship ends.
Everything felt different. The way she woke up, the way she went about her morning business. It was like someone had snuck in during the night and shifted everything just a few inches to the left. She noticed the empty spaces more now, and the silences seemed more pronounced. It wasn't that their home had been particularly noisy, but now the quiet seemed pointed and obvious. On Tuesday she left the television and radio off so she wouldn't hear any obnoxious love songs or unnecessarily romantic dedications.
She managed to survive work without too many incidents. A few people received flowers, and there were balloons tied to more chairs than usual, but she kept her mind focused on her work and the end of the day rolled around before she completely lost her mind.
The day was cold, but not too cold for a walk. She buttoned her jacket, flexed her fingers inside her gloves, and went out with no particular destination in mind. She supposed that was a bright side to being dumped; there was no obligation to go out and spend money they couldn't really afford on a fancy dinner just because of the holiday. There was no pressure to do anything she didn't want to do.
She was thinking of what shows she had saved at home that she could watch when she spotted a man standing on a street corner. He was wearing a sandwich board with a simple message written on both sides: "TELL ME IF YOU'RE SINGLE." There was a woman wearing a matching sign across the street.
Someone approached the woman and they spoke. The woman took something out of her coat, gave it to the man, and then gave him a hug. It was an awkward hug due to the sandwich board, but it made the man smile as he walked away.
She debated it for a long moment before she approached the man. He turned toward her with an inviting smile, and she cleared her throat. "I'm single." It was the first time she'd said it aloud; it was something between cathartic and devastating, but she kept her fake smile in place as the man took a slip of paper from his coat and held it out to her.
It was a coupon to a free dinner-for-one at a restaurant far out of her normal price range, good for any time over the next week. She had only gone there twice in her entire adult life, and once was for a birthday dinner paid for by someone else. The food was exquisite, but the prices were horrific. She looked at the man as if she expected him to reveal it was a prank, but he just smiled and held his arms out for a hug.
"Being single doesn't mean you don't deserve a gift. Happy Tuesday."
She smiled at him, and the coupon, and accepted his hug. She was surprised that her smile had become real and she laughed in surprise as he backed up a step.
She thanked the advertising man and waved at his companion across the street as she continued on her way. She folded the coupon and stuck it into her coat pocket, chuckling to herself as she crossed the street.
Maybe there were other upsides to being single. She suddenly couldn't wait to find out.
Title: The Upside
Author: geonncannon
Fandom: Original
Word Count: 559
Category: Anti-Valentine's Day
Rating: General
Warnings: Deals with the end of a relationship.
Author's Notes: This is written for alexia47.
Summary: A woman makes it through her first Valentine's Day after her relationship ends.
Everything felt different. The way she woke up, the way she went about her morning business. It was like someone had snuck in during the night and shifted everything just a few inches to the left. She noticed the empty spaces more now, and the silences seemed more pronounced. It wasn't that their home had been particularly noisy, but now the quiet seemed pointed and obvious. On Tuesday she left the television and radio off so she wouldn't hear any obnoxious love songs or unnecessarily romantic dedications.
She managed to survive work without too many incidents. A few people received flowers, and there were balloons tied to more chairs than usual, but she kept her mind focused on her work and the end of the day rolled around before she completely lost her mind.
The day was cold, but not too cold for a walk. She buttoned her jacket, flexed her fingers inside her gloves, and went out with no particular destination in mind. She supposed that was a bright side to being dumped; there was no obligation to go out and spend money they couldn't really afford on a fancy dinner just because of the holiday. There was no pressure to do anything she didn't want to do.
She was thinking of what shows she had saved at home that she could watch when she spotted a man standing on a street corner. He was wearing a sandwich board with a simple message written on both sides: "TELL ME IF YOU'RE SINGLE." There was a woman wearing a matching sign across the street.
Someone approached the woman and they spoke. The woman took something out of her coat, gave it to the man, and then gave him a hug. It was an awkward hug due to the sandwich board, but it made the man smile as he walked away.
She debated it for a long moment before she approached the man. He turned toward her with an inviting smile, and she cleared her throat. "I'm single." It was the first time she'd said it aloud; it was something between cathartic and devastating, but she kept her fake smile in place as the man took a slip of paper from his coat and held it out to her.
It was a coupon to a free dinner-for-one at a restaurant far out of her normal price range, good for any time over the next week. She had only gone there twice in her entire adult life, and once was for a birthday dinner paid for by someone else. The food was exquisite, but the prices were horrific. She looked at the man as if she expected him to reveal it was a prank, but he just smiled and held his arms out for a hug.
"Being single doesn't mean you don't deserve a gift. Happy Tuesday."
She smiled at him, and the coupon, and accepted his hug. She was surprised that her smile had become real and she laughed in surprise as he backed up a step.
She thanked the advertising man and waved at his companion across the street as she continued on her way. She folded the coupon and stuck it into her coat pocket, chuckling to herself as she crossed the street.
Maybe there were other upsides to being single. She suddenly couldn't wait to find out.