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Modern Love
Tiny Love Stories: ‘I Had a Crush on the Teacher’
Modern Love in miniature, featuring reader-submitted stories of no more than 100 words.
Asking the Handyman
He was a handyman referred to me during the pandemic by a neighbor. I opened the door with unbrushed hair while wearing pajamas. During that lonely time he seemed to be the prettiest man I had ever seen, and I wanted to close my front door again so I could pull myself together. Over the next three months, I found thousands of dollars of work for him to do in my house. When I ran out of projects and hadn’t seen him for a few weeks, I had no alternative but to ask him out. — Shay-Ann Heiser Singh
I’ll Give You (Good) Bad Advice
Don’t ask me for love advice. I’ll unwisely tell you to carry a torch for your ex. Kurt and I met in 1992 at Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia. He was the resource coordinator. I worked in a day care and sought children’s books about gay parents. Dude was brusque! But when I spotted him later at my gym, his red Converse high-tops intrigued me. After four years of friendship, hot sex and fights, we separated and I moved to New York. Three years later, he sent a letter: He missed me, and could we talk? We’ve been together ever since. — Alexander Joseph
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