Start your story with a couple sharing a cigarette in a parking lot.

Posted in Adults on Oct 31, 2022

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 66 stories

“Yes, Daddy” by Brynn Helena

Submitted to Contest #158

“Are you sure about this, June?” Mila asked softly, cupping her hand around the flame of the lighter to help June light her cigarette. It was her third in twenty minutes, and June wasn’t a smoker; she’d taken the pack out of Mila’s purse earlier that day before she'd gone to work at the hospital. Mila stared at the blonde with concerned eyes, one of her hands rubbing circles into June’s back as they sat perched on a chipping, yellow curb stop in the hospital parking lot. The sun was beginning to set on a late-August day. Summer was quic...

39 comments 39

Read story

“The Living Things” by Kelsey H

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #158

I came to this beach as a child, but that was before any of the bad things which would happen had happened, so it was another world. My parents smoking and arguing in the front seat as they searched for a park, me and my brothers jostling for space in the back, the scent of coconut lotion on my arms.As an adult, here in the night, it was a different place. Black water under a black sky. The car park emptied out, the tip of the cigarette glowing in the darkness of the car. “Here,” the man in the passenger seat said, passing it to me. I t...

45 comments 45

Read story

“Rhetorical Cigarette” by Michał Przywara

Submitted to Contest #158

Cheryl’s skipping Christmas this year, again. Because Brian dumped her, because she screwed things up. Again.She shivers in the crisp night air, behind Bill’s Beer ‘n’ Beef, in the derelict lot. It’s a good bar to cut loose in, and forget. Her hands cradle her lighter, giving her cigarette a chance to live, and she bobs along subconsciously in tune with the driving bass inside. She lost Brian because she screwed up, and she doesn’t want anything to do with her parents and their endless criticism.For a moment, the bass is joined by melody and...

56 comments 56

Read story

“Tokyo smoke” by Joey Balk

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #158

[possible triggers: intimidation (slight), mention of drugs and trial] She flicked the wheel of the lighter. Sparks shot up, followed by a small flame which she held to the end of the cigarette dangling from between her lips. ‘Talk; you’ve got about five minutes to convince me to let you live.’ ‘In that case, mind if I have a cigarette too? That’s executioner etiquette, isn’t it, or is that just Hollywood?’ ‘Just Hollywood,’ she said, but offered me her pack of cigarettes with her free hand just the same. Her other hand, the one hid...

9 comments 9

Read story

“Walking Them In” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #158

TW: This story contains allusions to domestic violence, child abuse, and abortion. He went back to smoking before I did. I showed up outside the clinic one morning with my customary black coffee and bran muffin. He was standing next to the motorcycle I told him he could buy when he turned fifty. There was a half-done Parliament in his hand. I expected him to toss it when he saw me pulling up, but he kept right on puffing. That was how I knew he’d had a bad day. “Are they back again,” I asked, receiving a slight nod in response. Jeff i...

15 comments 15

Read story

“Smoke and Sodium Lights” by Dave Bolin

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #158

It was a quarter after 9pm when Sandra walked out the front door of Legacy Nursing Home. Her eyes adjusted as she walked across the parking lot to the park bench in the lawn ahead. She collapsed on the bench with a sigh, and began rummaging in her purse. Finding her reward, she pulled her hand from the bag and shook the lighter out of the cigarette pack. One more shake, and the last of the cigarettes fell into her trembling fingers. Lighting it and taking the first drag, she slumped a little more on the bench and relaxed for the first time i...

5 comments 5

Read story

“Fading red ” by Yadriel Rivera

Submitted to Contest #158

“I read it somewhere that each day about 1,600 youth tries their first cigarette,” I said. We were both sitting on the hood of the car in a parking lot. She was holding a cigarette and looking up at the stars.“hmm”“One fact states that based on your lame replies, you have no interest in what I am saying.”She watched as the smoke filled the air around us and started disappearing after a few seconds. “I don’t understand your fascination with facts or the reason why you care so much about things that don’t matter,” Red muttered....

7 comments 7

Read story

“The Silent Man” by Theresa Tiller

Submitted to Contest #158

She leaned forward, hair partially obscuring her face, a cigarette held to the lighter in his outstretched hand. She inhaled deeply and sat back, exhaling smoke and misery in one long sigh. “This isn’t how it was supposed to go,” she said softly, “There was supposed to be more time.”’He watched her in silence, her words hanging in the air like the smoke from her cigarette. She was right, he thought. There was supposed to be more time. People always thought that; everyone who came to him had plans that were theory only, plans that, no matter ...

7 comments 7

Read story

“Cigarettes, Chianti, and Karaoke” by Mary Jo Fortes

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #158

The hot ember of her Kool Extra Long cigarette mesmerized him each time she waved her hand in conversation. He had long since lost focus on her words and even her smoldering green eyes. All he thought of was that familiar smoky scent invading his nostrils, his neurons. They had just finished devouring linguine and clams, paired with Chianti, at Mama Rossina's Ristorante on Elm Street. It was, in fact, a date—their first date. They met at a party hosted by mutual friends and hit it off immediately. He asked her out toward the end of the nig...

9 comments 9

Read story

“The Prude of Spring” by Daniella Dsouza Michaeli

Submitted to Contest #158

“You have to do it.” He tells me as he brings a cigarette to his dry yet still pink lips. He draws a breath, slowly inhaling the smoke, and then exhales it through his nose. “I know,” I sign, “I just don’t understand why he wants me to do it.” “He is known to have odd requests. I don’t know, but it would be suspicious if this happened in any other way. We don’t want to test him.” He says with frustration hugging his words. Many words enter my head about how stupid this whole way of running a society is and how angry I am about it, but ...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Smoking Kills” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #158

TW: Sex, swearing and spontaneous dance.Kirsten’s smile was the evil black of an aching tooth that lived to cause pain. She was the absence that smirks as cars veer of the road in the night. Invisible. The lovers broke from a kiss with ‘fuck me now’ lust in their eyes. They were youth and beauty. They were hope and health. Kirsten couldn’t resist. The cigarettes and lighter sat on the hood of his car, waiting. Some people like their bacon smoked. Some vampires feel the sa...

24 comments 24

Read story

“we were only seventeen” by Richa Jain

Submitted to Contest #158

“Dunhill.”I gaze at his stubby fingers clutching the packet, each nail shorter than the last. The warning label pokes out from between them, informing the consumer of the cautionary tale of Fiona, who'd succumbed to lung cancer at thirty-three after being a serial smoker most of her life. “Someone's rich.”“Only the best for her majesty,” He jokes, holding out the last stick for me. I graciously accept it, fishing out a lighter from my pocket as I grasp the cigarette between cracked lips. He throws the empty square a few metres away from the ...

6 comments 6

Read story

“Busted” by Althea Gowen

Submitted to Contest #158

"Well don't bogart the whole thing," Emma said, reaching for the cigarette.“I think you only say 'bogarting' for joints,” Connie replied. “And besides, I’m not bogarting anything. You’re just so damn slow that I want to make sure I get a few drags in case we get caught.”Connie took one more puff for good measure before handing the cigarette to Emma.It was a pleasant evening, the heat of the day just beginning to subside. The perfect time to sneak out of the house. Again. They’d done it so many times that they were expedient in their movement...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Wouldn't Hurt A Fly” by AnneMarie Miles

Submitted to Contest #158

He was circling the cigarette between his fingers, watching the embers that slowly drizzled onto the pavement. In one swift swipe, the cigarette was hovering vertically in his palm like a candle, the smoke rising upwards slowly. Just as quickly, Devi flipped his palm down, and the cigarette danced above his knuckles before landing perfectly between his index and middle fingers. Lifting it up to his mouth, he let the skinny tobacco stick part his lips. “You know you’ve got to leave town.” It wasn’t a question. He took a long drag off the ...

5 comments 5

Read story

“Blowing Smoke” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #158

Eva had a plan. On her break, she exited the Garden, and walked toward the Sycamore tree at the far end of the parking lot. The tree was the designated smoker’s area for guests of the Garden. At a staff meeting, she heard Garden founder, Dr. Elmwood, discuss the virtues and benefits of socializing over a smoke. Eva never smoked, but she carried a pack of cigarettes. Recently hired, she hoped to get acquainted with the clients. Despite lacking experience, she knew befriending clients was no option. But, by way of gaining trust, a smoke brea...

4 comments 4

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character with questionable morals.

Dark – 41 stories

Write a story where the law plays an important role.

High School – 24 stories

Write a story about a character who is trying to become a better person.

Middle School – 42 stories

Write a story that includes someone saying, “It’s not fair.”

Middle School – 72 stories

Contest #158

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: It's All Good, Man

$250

Prize money

245

Contest entries

103

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 12, 2022 EST

Won by Scott Christenson 🏆

Title: Your Cat™️ Customer Service

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Start your story with a couple sharing a cigarette in a parking lot.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 66 stories

“Yes, Daddy” by Brynn Helena

“The Living Things” by Kelsey H

“Rhetorical Cigarette” by Michał Przywara

“Tokyo smoke” by Joey Balk

“Walking Them In” by Story Time

“Smoke and Sodium Lights” by Dave Bolin

“Fading red ” by Yadriel Rivera

“The Silent Man” by Theresa Tiller

“Cigarettes, Chianti, and Karaoke” by Mary Jo Fortes

“The Prude of Spring” by Daniella Dsouza Michaeli

“Smoking Kills” by Graham Kinross

“we were only seventeen” by Richa Jain

“Busted” by Althea Gowen

“Wouldn't Hurt A Fly” by AnneMarie Miles

“Blowing Smoke” by John K Adams

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character with questionable morals.

Write a story where the law plays an important role.

Write a story about a character who is trying to become a better person.

Write a story that includes someone saying, “It’s not fair.”

Contest #158

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

245

Contest entries

103

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: