Pills of love

Summer Night City (Part 1)

A balmy summer evening like almost all those of that month, strangely. The air was thick with the smell of barbecued meats and the distant sounds of laughter coming from the nearby pub made the atmosphere electrifying and festive. Frida adjusted her floral sundress and settled a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear as she followed her friends through the streets of Stockholm. Frida could feel the pulse of the city resonate in her chest. The neon lights flickered above them, guiding their path like stars in an urban sky.

They were ready to escape the mundane routine of their weekday lives, to dance, laugh, and embrace the warm summer air until the stars blinked awake. Laughter filled the air as they made their way through the bustling streets, the warm breeze carrying the scent of street food and music to their eager senses.

"Girls, I've been looking forward to this day!" Laila groaned, raising her face to the sky as Charlotte grabbed her arm.

"Poor puppy, they push you hard at the academy, huh?".

"You can say it for sure... Exploiters!" Laila narrowed her eyes with a funny expression and everyone laughed.

Frida looked around in ecstasy, noticing every little detail. There weren't many opportunities to set foot outside the house in that period. Her work with her grandmother was a lot and there was little time to respond to all the unexpected amount of orders for sewing clothes that they had had.

Her grandmother wasn't the type to encourage her to go out at night just to have fun, but she had seen how hard she had worked and that morning, when she had received the phone call from Maria to invite her out, she had signaled her to go, with her usual ways gruff and dry, though leaving her speechless.

Even though she was taken aback, she hadn't said a word, she had just gone up the stairs to her room to choose what to wear.

"Still daydreaming, my dear?".

Frida turned to her right and chuckled when Maria took her arm "Oh, yes".

"What is it like to be outside those four prison walls?".

Frida laughed "I'm glad you think so highly of my house".

"I do... But... Well... It seems like it, sometimes" Maria shook her head, chuckling "How did you convince your grandmother? You can tell me now".

"I really don't know" Frida told her in amazement.

"Don't you also have that feeling in the back of your neck that at any moment she could pop up behind you?" Maria told her conspiratorially, looking around herself theatrically.

"Oh, come on" Frida sighed with a little smile "She's not so bad".

"Nah, she's not" Maria told her, squeezing her arm "She's a good woman. And strong. But too strict sometimes. But we love her anyway" Maria winked at her and made Frida laugh.

The neon lights of the pub chosen for their first stop pulsed with energy, promising a night filled with fun and memories. Their wanderings led them to it, its neon lights glowing invitingly against the darkening sky. The group eagerly joined the long queue outside, the promise of juicy hamburgers fueling their anticipation.

"It's going to take forever" Laila complained "Couldn't we go to 'Jackie's'?".

"Honey, we always go to 'Jackie's' it's time for a change" Maria chuckled and moved her long blonde hair over one shoulder.

"But I love 'Jackie's'" Laila moaned petulantly.

"You love anything fried, so it's not hard to make you forget 'Jackie's'" Maria continued, pinching her side and making her laugh.