What if ?
She walked in, shaking the rain off her jacket like she was shedding a whole day. Her footsteps were soft, heavy; she had been fighting the weather and something else she hadn’t named yet. “Long day?” I asked. “Long year,” she said, laughing and exhaling at the same time. She sat at the bar, her fingers tapping lightly on the counter. “What are you drinking?” she asked. “Negroni,” I said. “Is it good?” “I don’t know, but you definitely need one.” She raised an eyebrow. “Is th
Stefanos Oungrinis
2 min read
Act like you know.
He’d been coming in for a while — never the same time but always that same half-smile. He’d seen enough, and he’d learned to take it lightly. He laughed easily — life wasn’t funny, but it was easier that way. I reached for the Carpano Antica. He liked that bottle — dark glass, heavy shoulders, cream label with the messy red script and wax seal. Old-world confidence. It’s the kind of bottle that makes you slow down for a second; you don’t rush a drink that starts with somethin
Stefanos Oungrinis
2 min read
Fermented.
She walks into the kitchen with jars in her hand — veggies and salt, fizzing with invisible life. On the prep board, she's written: "Transformation in slow motion, stress-free zone." I'd never paid much attention to fermentation before she showed up. To me, it was just veggies in a jar — survival food. She studied in France, where she perfected the craft. The slow magic of time and bacteria — salt meets vegetable, oxygen steps aside, and life keeps working quietly beneath the
Stefanos Oungrinis
2 min read
Reminder.
The bioelectrical field of our heart radiates outward, up to five feet beyond our physical body. This isn't just a metaphor; it's measurable. Our heart is an electromagnetic force more magnetic than the brain. When she's behind the bar, the air changes within that radius; you don't need equipment to know it's true — you just need to watch her. There's something about the way people adjust around her. Posture relaxes, and the usual tension that sits in a room full of strangers
Stefanos Oungrinis
2 min read
Martha.
He comes in every Thursday. He doesn't need to order anymore; I'll start making the Negroni. He watches the way I stir it, the slow circle of the spoon. The small routine holds his world together, at least for a little while. It's been almost a year without her. The pain doesn't surprise me anymore—it's started to look familiar. He carries it well. You can tell it's still there, but he's come to terms with the weight. His shirt is always clean and pressed, his watch turned in
Stefanos Oungrinis
2 min read
Damn your laugh.
Her silence follows a laugh I didn't expect to last that long. She thinks I'm funny — and I like that she thinks that, because I love being funny when she's the one laughing. I keep talking, pretending it's nothing, but every word I say is just a way of keeping her smile a little longer. When we laugh, our brain releases dopamine, the same neurotransmitter linked to reward and desire. It creates that instant rush of pleasure and connection — and that is probably the reason I
Stefanos Oungrinis
2 min read
Still alive.
Ten years in America. Forty-something on Earth. Still have no idea—but most importantly, still alive. I arrived in Boston with questions and hunger and a raw, unshaped curiosity I couldn’t even name. Boston was cold in a way Greece never was. Not just in temperature—but in tempo. In the way people moved, in how they didn’t ask, didn’t notice too much. Everything felt fast and structured. It scared me. I had to remind myself why I came: to be curious. About the world—but more
Stefanos Oungrinis
3 min read
