Welcome to a new series where I break down classic romance tropes and give my opinions. First up is a well-known and well-loved trope: “There’s only one bed!”
They’re rivals at a law firm and
have to leave town on a business trip. They arrive at a hotel only to discover
that they’ve been booked in the same room. It’s not the best situation, but
they can suck it up for one night and deal. Lo and behold, when they arrive to
their room…there’s only one bed.
Or, they’re friends hiding their
feelings for each other on a vacation. They find a quaint bed and breakfast
along the way and stop, but there’s only one room left. You guessed it - this
room has just one bed that they’ll have to share.
In essence, this is the simplest form
of the forced proximity trope. There are plenty of other ways to get your
characters closer, but this is so easy! What better way to get your lovebirds
all snuggled up than having them share a bed for a night? Sure, one of them
might offer to sleep on the floor or the couch, but before long we know where
they’ll end up.
I’ve seen this done in countless
media and I love it. It can be comical and cute or it can be tense and force
the characters to face their feelings, be they physical, emotional, or both.
The trick is to make it believable. An error in booking, a last resort, or the
scheming of a cupid-type friend who knows the two need a little nudge in the
right direction.
Is this a trope you enjoy reading
or are considering adding to your own work? Let me know!
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