Friends? Lovers? It can work.

One of my favorite themes is friends to lovers, especially in the short story format. For some reason that suits my writing style well. There is so much a writer can do with that theme. It just hits perfectly sometimes.

I have two friends to lovers stories in Naughty Literati collections, and though they’re very different, they also snuggle in closely with this theme.

In Love Potion #69, which is in the Naughty Hearts anthology, Jenna and Keith have known each other for a long time. They work next door to each other, Jenna’s father has a restaurant right across the street. They know each other, have even floated around the idea of dating.

When they come together, due to a bit of magic and Keith’s own clumsiness, the feeling is almost of inevitability, as if they’d been dancing around this for so long and it just works. They fit together perfectly.

To contrast, Mel and Tod from Stay the Night, which is in the Naughty Flings anthology, are more acquaintances than friends. She runs the bookstore that he visits every morning on his commute to work, and they have a nice rapport, but they haven’t explored any relationship beyond that. One day, they bond over a book Mel is reading. Tod reveals his attraction to Mel.

Tod and Mel explore a new phase of their friendship, connecting on a personal, as well as an intimate level. They also fit well together, but their connection is new and dynamic in a different way. Getting to know each other in and out of bed is exhilarating and beautiful.

Do you like reading about friends to lovers? What is the appeal to you?