Thirty Minutes Before the Vows

Later, when the dancing had started and Marco had somehow convinced Keisha to attempt a waltz and the lodge was all amber light and the low pulse of music, Santiago and I stood at the tall windows with glasses of wine and watched the snow that had started to fall on the mountain. Soft, unhurried snow, the kind that makes the world quiet.
“For what it’s worth,” I said, “I’m glad the seating arrangement was a disaster.”
He looked at me sideways. “For what it’s worth,” he said, “I asked Jamal to seat us together three weeks ago.”
I stared at him.
He had the decency to look slightly guilty and mostly unrepentant.
“You are—” I started.
“Precise,” he offered.
I laughed. It came out louder than I intended, warm and real, and he smiled at the sound of it in a way that made the whole two years feel like a season that had finally turned.
Outside, the snow kept falling on the dark mountain. Inside, the music played on.

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About the Author

Clara Vance — a former corporate strategist, expert in the tension that builds between two desks. Her hobby? Morning coffee chats in the office where she collects ideas for her stories.

— Clara Vance

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Categories: Contemporary, Romances

Tags: 10min stories, Aspen, contemporary romance, enemies to lovers, short story, ski lodge, slow burn, wedding romance, workplace romance

August 5, 2026

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