Short Stories

Cigarette smoke

Shortest thing ever. But, true story I'm allergic to second-hand cigarette smoke. Not to this degree, I get godawful sinus infections within 8 hours of being around it for an extended period of time. It's fun. Especially with covid around. I've had 6 covid tests in the past year because of it. It's great. 

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(Y/N) POV:

"What was the hardest adjustment with having a (Y/N) move in?" Lana asks Billie and Audrey while also holding a cigarette in her hand, I was in the room but not on camera. Billie was getting annoyed both her PR team and Audrey's had explicitly said no smoking during this interview. 

I wanted to hear them talk about me. But I was beginning to choke. I didn't want to disrupt their interview so I had to leave the room. As soon as the door closed my lungs did their thing and I began coughing hard, I felt like my throat was going to bleed from the force. I felt a hand on my back and one passing me an inhaler. I couldn't breathe. It was Billie behind me and Audrey trying to get me to move outside. Finally, Billie picks me up and takes me outside, I still can't hear anything. Eventually, I'm able to slow my coughing down, Billie takes my hand and squeezes it.

Lana comes outside and asks, "Are you two ready to continue?" She then lights another cigarette. 

Billie snaps, "No. We are stopping this interview now. We requested no smoking while we are here. Clearly, you don't care about our requests. So. We will be leaving. The interview can be done at our house at a later date. Today. We need to get her home and in bed so this doesn't develop into a sinus infection. We also need to get her on a nebulizer."

Billie picks me up and carries me to the car while I try and just breathe. Audrey drives us home. I manage to speak out, "So." Cough. "What was the ha-" cough, "hardest part." Another coughing fit.

"The hardest part of you moving in was the closest space. We told Lana it was quitting smoking." Audrey answers from the front.