Scent Compels Us

Scent compels us.

It has the power to repulse and simultaneously heighten our arousal. Hers was a mixture of almond shampoo and coco butter lotion. In the depths of each fold of her cloths was a lingering hint of stale tobacco. As a non-smoker, even this could not have stopped me as I pressed my face firmly into her collar and hoped for her aromatic blueprint to register.

I found a balance that very cautiously negotiated all that I loved in her with so many things that made me cringe and even gag in the real world, the world outside her embrace. Her arms locked me in and I instinctively inhaled.
Thursday nights were our mutual nights off. I picked her up after her shift at the Zeitgeist in the Mission. The scent of burnt charcoal and beer clung to her as she jumped onto the back of my moped. The other line cooks waited for the last of the orders as we freed ourselves of her responsibilities and rumbled down a side street. I could feel her as she buried her nose into the fibers of my sweater. Unconsciously she shrugged off the old with the hopes that she would discover a new set of hidden aromas.

We stopped at a gas station and amid the distinctive smell of petrol, a vague hint of dried almonds escaped from behind some whisper of hair that fell from her helmet. I grinned from ear to ear and surprised even myself as we sped off.