Life with Subtitlesbecause some things are worth understanding

I was recently asked to share one of my short stories at "Story Telling Night", an event hosted by Metro Al Madina in Lebanon. The theme of the night was Eroticism, and so I chose to share a rewrite of an old short story I had written in the early days of this blog. For those who couldn't make it, or did but thought they'd read it again anyway, here's the story. Hope you enjoy(ed) it.

I went out for a cup of coffee in the middle of the night.
I needed to clear my head from the utter clutter that had slowly taken over my very ability to.. No wait, I called you.
I needed you there with me, wherever 'there' was going to be, to blow the dust off my soul and show me the way back home.. but you had better things to do and I ended up going out in the middle of the night, without you.

Stockholm may not be among the biggest in the world as far as cities go, however when it comes to hustle and bustle it is your scandinavian destination of choice. Whether you live here or you're just visiting, beware of Stockholm: This beautiful and charming city can eat you alive, or at the very least turn you into someone you don't want to be.

In an effort to counter all that "big city feeling" that Stockholm carries with it, here's my short and simple guide to surviving the capital of Scandinavia, in a few easy-to-follow everyday actions:


1- Keep it in your pocket

In Stockholm everybody and their grandmother has a smartphone. Literally.

He looks into her eyes and smiles. As their faces draw closer together, her grip on his hands tightens while the tips of her fingers playfully caress his palms. He resists the urge to kiss her right then and there, and instead presses his nose against hers, imagining his fingers lightly grazing her skin through the fabric of her dress..

The noise of an amplifier turning on breaks the silence, and a few moments later the couple's embrace is interrupted by a light cough. Startled, he turns around to find his best friend standing behind him, handing him an electric guitar, his guitar. Seemingly amused, he agrees to strap it on and reaches into his pocket for a plectrum. He takes a step back and away from his girl, looks at her with that wicked look she knows so well, and starts playing the opening chords from AC/DC's 'Highway To Hell'.

"I made a huge mistake"

The thought haunted him. No matter what he did he couldn't chase it out of his mind, and the feeling of her racing breath against his skin was not bringing him any comfort. He dimmed the lights, pretending to set the mood, and tried kissing her again.

Nothing.

Sensing his slow pace, she decided to move things along and reached for his belt. His heart raced in panic, it was all going out of control too fast and he needed to put an end to it somehow, a task that was seemingly impossible if he was to avoid hurting her feelings.