What is important is that the “there’s only one bed” trope gives characters the potential to navigate vulnerable space. The forced proximity trope is rife with tension. Sharing a sleeping space adds a layer of difficulty to the management of the situation. After all, even if you don’t like someone, you must trust them in order to share a bed. Listen, when your trope kryptonite is “there’s only one bed,” the minute your characters go into a room and realize there’s only one bed, you will squeal. There is no other possible response. Even though podcast commercials and mattress stores will lead you to believe there are enough beds to go around, that is not the case here. In this trope, our characters live in a world where there’s bed scarcity.
Don’t Sleep On These Subcategories
Today, I have chosen a few of my recent favorites from historical and contemporary romance. While I am a big fan of other romance sub-genres, I was trying to construct a manageably sized list. So, tuck yourselves in and get ready for a few different scenarios. First, may I present “There’s only one bed but we’re just friends,” the fun combination of the trope and friends-to-lovers. Next, we’ve come to “Our relationship is fake and now there’s only one bed,” the trope’s interaction with fake dating. Now, we cannot miss “We are definitely enemies but there’s only one bed”: enemies-to-lovers plus the trope. Finally, we have “But I am just a bodyguard and there’s only one bed,” which is a good bodyguard romance crossover. Now, I believe it’s time we get into the best romance books where there’s only one bed.
There’s Only One Bed, But We’re Just Friends
Our Relationship is Fake and Now There’s Only One Bed
We are Definitely Enemies, But There’s Only One Bed
I am Just a Bodyguard, But There’s Only One Bed
Saying Goodnight To Our “There’s Only One Bed” Romances
Sadly, we have reached the end of this particular list. The best romance books where there’s only one bed are just waiting for you to read them. Finding romance books based on trope descriptions is becoming easier with fan tagging. This is a friends-to-lovers queer historical romance that both masters the cottagecore aesthetic as well as providing good representations of chronic illness and addiction. Martin is Will’s oldest friend, and so when he stops replying to his letters, he knows something is wrong. Will has no choice but to kidnap Martin and take him to the countryside when he finds him sick in an attic. Even though the small cabin only has one bed, easy access to opium is far away from Will, plus he can take care of his best friend. The close quarters turn Will and Martin’s friendship into something stronger than either could have ever imagined. To avoid the anxiety of interacting with her abusive ex-husband, Rae needs a fake date to go to a fantasy convention so she can accept a prestigious award. Luckily enough, she has a friend who is willing to step up and be her fake boyfriend. Zach is comfortable pretending to date Rae now that he knows how to communicate his boundaries to his friends and family. He is ready to be confidently demisexual, and even pretending to date his wonderfully funny friend in a hotel room with a single bed can no longer damage that. But, as both their feelings change, will they be able to communicate their respective boundaries and come out stronger than ever? April’s time in Willow Creek, a town known for its romantic Renaissance Faire, appears to come to a close as her daughter nears the end of her senior year. She intends to follow her plan, fix up her house, sell it, and move to the city. When April asks her friend Mitch for help, he says yes, but only if she can pretend to be his girlfriend at a family gathering in exchange. Mitch is and has always been a confident, likable, kilt-wearing gym teacher. But now he needs his family to see him as respectable, settled, and worthy, and April’s confidence will surely aid his cause. Can the stress of his family gathering and her home reno transform their friendship into something with roots and keep April in town, or are they destined to go their separate ways? Becoming the voice on the mic after a decade of producing Seattle public radio always feels out of reach for Shay Goldstein. It doesn’t quell her rage that after months on the job, her infuriating colleague Dominic Yun breaks a news story live. So, when the opportunity to be on-air comes her way after a half-hearted pitch gets picked up by her boss, she is willing to give it a go, even if it means pretending to have dated and broken up with Dominic. The Ex Talk is a dating advice show from the perspective of exes, so they will have to learn a lot about each other if they want to successfully pass as a former couple. But as the show grows, so do their fuzzy feelings for one another, and it becomes harder and harder to tell if they are just lying to the world or if they are fooling themselves too. Alden knows who he is supposed to be when he plays Odyssey at his local game shop. He is competitive and sharp and he has a perfectly infuriating rival, Conrad. Everyone loves the social camaraderie they feel when Conrad walks into the room, and even the fans on their YouTube channel can tell. When their team gets invited to attend a gaming tournament, they cannot say no to an opportunity that can change their lives. But when Conrad and Alden unexpectedly find themselves without the rest of their teammates on a cross-country drive, this classic set of enemies might just find something to love about the other. From the master of romcoms with fake properties comes an unexpected bodyguard romance between a wayward actor and his contracted minder. After 13 years as an ER therapist, Lauren is burnt out. She does not need her annoying cousin Rob to ask her to watch a hothead, Hollywood star. Alex is a professional who doesn’t need a watcher, but when Lauren is the watcher in question, he cannot resent her no-nonsense attitude and specific tee shirts for long. Alex worms his way into her heart with his endless stream of consciousness rambles, midnight walks, and unrelenting selflessness. When Alex burns down his relationship with his former showrunners, Lauren has to decide what place she has in his life. Funny, fierce, and heartbreaking all at once, it is a book that is impossible to say no to. Before you go, you might also want to check out these forced proximity romances and enemies to lovers romances!
