Alex: This wasn’t supposed to be how my junior year of college went. My boyfriend dumped me yesterday, and I just slept with my best friend. Great. But Peter doesn’t seem to regret it. Come to think of it, I don’t either. I think. Maybe we should try it again? After all, Peter’s a playboy. And I’m not looking for another relationship any time soon. This could work.
Peter: I just slept with Alex. I just slept with Alex. I don’t want this to change anything. I mean, I don’t want her to never talk to me again. And she says that she isn’t looking for another boyfriend, not now. But I really, really don’t want to pass up this chance, either. Alex doesn’t have to know that I love her. And, I guess, neither do my other sex friends. You know, for now. Because if I screw this up, then Alex is never going to talk to me again.
Author’s Note: 21 AND SINGLE is a full-length, standalone story with hot sex and a happily ever after ending.
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I'm a big fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, but it requires a long build-up. This cannot be done in a short story unless the reader is dumped straight into the story where a friendship is already in place and something triggers the transformation to lovers.
Unfortunately, the plot for this short story requires the full-length format to be truly enjoyable. There was simply not enough time to connect with the characters or to really get a sense of their personalities, backgrounds and so on. Had the story been told in 50,000+ words, this might have been a four-star read for me. As it is, I can't give it more than two stars. It needed setting, plot and character development - which is tough to do in a short story format.