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The Guys in the Parked Cars

August 1, 2026 By Melissa Llanes Brownlee

The Guys in the Parked Cars

One guy from summer school only wanted head. Told me I was pretty but he wasn’t really into me. Had plans to date this other girl. Smaller. Petite. Not me. In that moment, I had to choose between doing it or walking home.

One guy only wanted missionary in the passenger seat of his sports car after we went skinny dipping, the waves crashing in the moonlight. He already had a girlfriend. His skin was soft salt and I was a sucker for blond surfers.

One guy, after driving me to the top of the mountain, the lights of our hometown spread before us, only wanted to fuck in the bed of his truck, no blanket, tequila burning my throat, and I figured why not as the stars bounced overhead.

One guy wanted more from me, crying in the parking lot of the Sack ‘n Save, Whitney Houston singing about loving someone always, and I wanted to love him the way he loved me, but I didn’t. I kissed his tears away and lied.

About Melissa Llanes Brownlee

Melissa Llanes Brownlee (she/her), a native Hawaiian writer living in Japan, has work published and forthcoming in Prairie Schooner, Moon City Review, Redivider, and The Adroit Journal, and honored in Best Small Fictions, Best Microfiction, and Wigleaf Top 50. Read Hard Skin (2022) and Kahi and Lua (2022) and check out her new collection, Bitter over Sweet (2025), from Santa Fe Writers Project. She tweets @lumchanmfa and talks story at melissallanesbrownlee.com.

Artist Credit:

Brett J Barr is an artist/tattooist, born in Easton Pennsylvania. He grew up in Daytona Beach, moved to Orlando FL in 1997 and now resides in Orlando, FL. Aside from tattooing at Built 4 Speed Tattoo in Orlando, Brett enjoys many different art forms such as graphite, charcoal, paint, pen and ink, mixed media/graphic design, woodworking miniatures and studies classical guitar.

Contacts:
brettjbarr@yahoo.com
Facebook/Brett J Barr
Instagram/brettjbarrtattoos
Shop Insta/built4speedtattoos
built4speedtattoos.com/brettjbarr

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