Short Story Press Presents: Accidental Expectations by Jessie Qu

Love can happen, at any place, any time, with any given person. Many people dream of having a rendezvous with a foreigner in a foreign country and have the romance of a lifetime. And that’s exactly what Sophie got when she traveled to Firenze for a short vacation while work-studying abroad.

In the outskirts of Tuscany, a fuse sparked, leaving behind the entrails of an undesirable fire, slowly burning away the remains of those left behind. The love between Sophie and Alessandro seemed shallow and childish at best. From their initial confrontations to their constant arguments and differences, the gap between their relationships continued to push them further apart.

Left with nothing more than a surreal dream with lingering desires, what will Sophie and Alessandro do when the reality of life finally takes over the world of fancy and dreams? Are the trips to Trieste, Paris, and Slovenia merely a desire for sexual deviance or a sign of true love? With an engagement ring and a lifetime promise, can Sophie really risk having something more than just a measly fling with Alessandro? As each encounter became more complicated, the initial accident turned into constant expectations with no ends.