Romantic Notebook | Anthology & Collection

Bite-Sized Love Bucket 2023: Overall Winner

Overall Winner of Bite-Sized Love Bucket 2023 - EverythingsNothing with Teaspoon of Love

Below are two out of 14 entries in the winning collection. 

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DAY 2 - FAVORITE DESSERT

The creamy confection smeared against the child's face as he devoured the sweet. Only when he preceded to smudge the ice cream against his mother's face did she tear her gaze from the man perched on a stool with a toddler on his lap.

The child belly laughed as he watched his mother's face harden in displeasure, drawing the attention of a handful of other customers, including the blonde-haired man.

"Jason, don't do that." The mother placed her cup of vanilla on the tabletop, wiping the sticky substance from her cheeks.

Jason grinned. "But your eyes smile!"

The mother hummed, lips parting at the statement. Her attention remained on the man on the barstool.

"Strawberry good!" the small girl exclaimed, opening her chubby arms wide. "Chocolate bad."

"Oh really?" the man questioned, eyebrows quirking.

The girl bobbed her head vigorously while nudging the man's waffle cone away. "It's bad, Daddy."

The mother chuckled at the duo. While her son pulled at her sleeve. "Mom," Jason whined. "Stop doing that." He pouted, adding, "Please?"

"Doing what, bud?" The woman smiled, facing the boy.

"Looking at that smelly kid and the tall dude with tattoos!" Jason frowned. He sighed, snorting at his mother's antics.

The woman blushed upon seeing the man turn on her, properly scanning her features. Before anyone could register, the girl was beside the booth, arms crossed over her chest, her father frantically trailing behind. "I'm not stinky!" She glared daggers at Jason. "Not stinky!" she repeated with as much venom as she could muster.

"All babies are stinky," Jason replied in a matter of factory tone. "And you're a baby!"

"Meanie butt," the girl muttered before her father pushed her behind him.

"You're one to talk." Jason rolled his eyes, nose flaring at the interruption.

"Jason. Apologize," the mother demanded, quickly doing the same to the man who also did so on his daughter's behalf. Both stared at each other, eyes roaming the other like a laser printer on a sheet of blank paper. Neither noticed Jason's crossed arms and buckled lips at the thought of apologizing to the stinky child.

"Sorry." Jason tried his hardest to not let his face heat up but failed when the adults glanced at him. "That was rude of me."

"Apology not accepted." The girl stuck her tongue out, tugging her father's hand.

The father bent down to the girl's level, whispering, "Say sorry, Bell."

The girl huffed. "Sorry," she finally gritted, fighting the stomp she had saved for the chocolate-loving big kid's foot. "Chocolate is gross," she commented before anyone could move to partings.

The man stilled when he spotted the familiar seal of the company he set up a meeting with on the mother's folder. The partnership could be life-changing. After interrupting the children's bickering, he managed to insert his knowledge of the company.

"You know about us?" the mother asked, her brows furrowed. In an instant, a puzzle piece clicked. "Are you the CEO of Nelson Holdings and Enterprises?"

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DAY 14 - VALENTINE'S STORY

I would have never imagined that I would be spending my Valentine's Day up in Alaska with my aunt.

Well, it happened.

We got ourselves snowed in. Though, my mind wasn't anywhere close to reality. It was somewhere near senseless thoughts of absolutely no substance.

If I had only known my senseless thoughts would become a reality.

My aunt kept trying different numbers, finally getting ahold of the neighbor who shoveled her driveway every morning. The guy I had watched shovel the driveway for the past three days. It was the best distraction. The guy looked nothing like him.

"He's performing the excavation!" my aunt exclaimed, placing a cup of steamy coffee in front of me with a heart delicately swirled in the light brown liquid. I couldn't believe my aunt, the anti-cream and sugar queen, diluted my coffee so much.

I nodded, blowing a stream of air above the liquid. It took an hour for the sound of a shovel to echo and another hour for a knock on the door. My aunt ran to the door, but I was faster, swinging the heavy piece of wood wide. I immediately recoiled once the wind whipped the frosty flakes in, directly insulting the warm atmosphere my aunt had going.

"Come in!" I smiled, peering out at the head-high tunnel and at least a ten-foot path outside. The guy nodded, panting. Shutting out the frigid air, I turned to him.

He shucked off his neon toboggan, ruffling up his curly brown locks, unlike my ex's straight blonde hair. Then his ice blue eyes looked at mine, unlike my ex's deep blue.

"Hi, my name is Kailee. It's nice to meet you." I hold out my hand as he peels off his gloves.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Adam." He flashes a grin, shaking my hand gently.

If I had only known what the future would hold.

If I had only known we would be together, fighting for our lives as the world fell apart, maybe I wouldn't have felt so excited to meet Aiden.

It was only a matter of time before the grid collapsed.