Past Tense Smile Novels & Stories

Like she had done a shift at a coffee shop. "I'm glad I could help," Irina said pleasantly. "Yes, you are." A smile. "You have a good heart, Irina. You always were." Were. Past tense. Already. Irina put a piece of toast in her mouth and chewed and maintained her expression with the focus of a woman doing competitive sport. It escalated quietly throughout the week.

“Not just talking. You were smiling.” I paused for half a second. Damn Marcus and his semi functioning memory. Tariq dropped his fork like it was breaking news. “Smiling? Like actually smiling? Not the polite one or the fake public one, but the real kind?” “I smile all the time,” I muttered. “False,” Rafeal said. “You smirk, you glower, you look vaguely constipated sometimes, but smiling? That’s rare, my guy.” Tariq barked a laugh. “So who was she?”

My provocation, however, didn't have the expected effect, the boy instead of talking back, looked deep into my eyes, giving a small smile. "The problem is that I'm not complicated like you. I didn't take on anyone until now because I didn't have anyone to take on." My mind focused on the way he spoke, using the verb in the past tense, and a smile appeared on my lips as I maintained eye contact with my friend. " This is getting really interesting,” Liam teased. " 'So you're not complicated like us? " I ignored Van Derr Waal's little tease, not taking my focus off the other boy.

“Now, all I think about is now, the present. The past is already in the past, and there’s nothing I could do to change it. But what I can do is love you and take care of you for the rest of my life.” A smile broke out on my face, so I turned away from him. I felt him poke my cheek, but I still did not look at him. “Are you smiling?” He teased. I kept a stern face and furrowed my eyebrows. “No,” I said. “You were definitely smiling,” he smiled. I scoffed. We stayed silent for a while, but this silence was different from the silence we had just a while ago. The air had become lighter… somewhat happier.

Justin immediately cut me short, "I brought you here to have some fun and not for you to wallow in self-pity. There is no room for a pity party here. Smile for me, would you?" "Come pretty, smile for me." He urged on. Rolling my eyes, I managed to smile... showing off my thirty-two dentures. "Now, there's the smile that had completely locked me in." He grinned. "Great, can I be allowed to focus on my ice cream?" I asked, rolling my eyes at him. "Sure, and then— after you are done with it, we could play a few games." "A few games?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

I couldn't help but laugh at his words. "You look more beautiful when you smile." He said with a witty smile. "Ahha, correction. I didn't smile. I laughed." I corrected him. "Ah, yeah. But still, when you laugh it seems like a falling cherry blossom flower." He said dramatically. "Haw, but it's a bit cheesy." I liked talking to him. He's kind of cute. "But I'm impressed." I flashed a smile at him and he acted like dying holding his heart. "Oh, Jesus. You will kill me with your killer smile, Missy." I shook my head smiling.

A soft smile immediately appeared. Tyler saw it. And suddenly understood. The smile wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t overwhelming. It was peaceful. And that was what mattered. ⸻ “Does he make you happy?” The question escaped before Tyler could stop it. Irina looked toward Kyle. Then back at him. And smiled. A real smile. The kind she used to wear years ago. Before everything fell apart. “Yes.” One word. Simple. Certain. Enough. ⸻ Tyler nodded slowly. Because that was all he needed to know.

For Stephanie, that smile was a silent message amid the ordinary rhythm of office life. After this encounter, Stephanie felt as if time had slowed. She returned to her work, her heart beating in quiet celebration. She thought back to the smile over and over. It was a signal that spoke to her in a language beyond words. Even if it lasted only a moment, it made her believe that somewhere beneath his professional exterior lay a softer side.

Don’t forget milk on the way home. I smiled despite myself. A second text came through. Ella’s mom says thank you again for helping fix their mailbox. That smile lingered for another second before I shoved the phone back into my locker. It was ridiculous how seeing Ella’s name—even in a text from my mom—could improve my mood. “Look who finally learned to smile.” Sean dropped onto the bench beside me, already dressed for practice. “I smile.” “You used to smirk.” “Same thing.” “No.” He shook his head. “Smirks are annoying. Smiles mean Ella.”

Instead of soothing them, it seemed to exacerbate and highlight the differences between the past and present. A few years ago, almost every picture would have featured both of them with smiling faces, but the more the smiles faded over the years, the fewer pictures she took of either of them. Now, she impulsively stopped them along the trail and stood next to him while she held up her phone and smiled.