The reading room
First Kiss #16
This anthology issue contains three romantic stories. "Office Party" follows Ellen, who works at a company, as she becomes confused about her feelings between Rod, a writer and editor she loves, and another man who shows romantic interest in her at the office's tenth anniversary party. "Beloved Enemy" depicts a young woman from a small town who meets a college man at a dance, but their budding romance is complicated by family conflict and class differences, with the man's grandfather having told him the girl's family victimized his own. The issue also includes an advice article titled "Is Romance Necessary?" that discusses the practical and mature considerations necessary for choosing a suitable marriage partner, arguing against the notion of love at first sight.