Adult Story Time

I shut the door to my dingy apartment in Hammersmith, feeling the cold steel of the handle in my grip. The night air was icy, but very still, and the smell of the city felt heavy in its caress.

As I made my way along the footpath, I thought about the night ahead. I'd only been here for a few months, and after the first few boozy nights and spectacular rejections, I wasn't sure the london dating scene was for me. I felt like I was cursed, and the slightest amorous whisper to any woman could leave me permanently disfigured if I didn't shake it fast. Hopefully tonight I could break that curse.

I skipped through the door of the shop, the bell above the door making a dull thud to signal my entrance. Although I only lived a short walk away and came in every day, the owners didn't seem to like me. Being shy, it took a long time for me to break the ice and introduce myself, only to be met with apathy from the man and his sour looking wife. The same wife who begrudgingly peeled her eyes away from her magazine long enough to sell me a box of matches.

I guess there was a lot to learn abut this city in general, not just London dating. I'm sure that if I spent more time socialising and not doing silly things like working and studying, London dating could learn a thing or two about me as well. My thoughts elsewhere, I rounded the corner and rushed along the street; the terraced houses on each side silently reaching up into the dusky sky. The smell of lavender from their gardens jolted me back into the present, and as I looked around I could see that it was planted in almost every one. I continued across the street and on to the park, where I could cut through and save myself some time.

There was a slight breeze when I reached the open space of the park, only enough to rustle the trees but cold enough to chill your soul. I put my head down slightly and pressed on, the wet grass squelching like a damp sponge as I tread on it. I could hear the distant music coming from the pub, the low drone of bass accompanied by the deep, foundation-shaking thud of drums.

It was only a matter of time before the London dating scene was yet again going to be treated to my foreign charms, or alternately, I could be killed.