A Silly Attempt at Short Story Writing

His Mysterious Scent


Our arms were wrapped tightly around each other; his skin felt so smooth against my own. I inhaled his scent and knew I would remember it always. I slowly lifted my head to gaze into his eyes…….Briiiiiiiiing!!!

“One of these days, I am going to throw that alarm clock out the window!!”, said Mattie in exasperation. Her dream had felt so real and true, in fact, the scent of his skin still lingered in her nostrils. She knew she was capable of having sensory dreams, but this one somehow disturbed her the most of any others she had had. She wanted to go back to sleep, to go back to him.

“Well, everyone says that I have too vivid an imagination.”, she said to herself. At age 24, Mattie owned the “Murder Must Advertise” bookshop opposite the William Penn statue in the town square. The shop had only been open for two years, but had developed quite a following. It contained several overstuffed, comfortable chairs, a coffee bar, and the biggest selection of mystery books, games and collectibles in the county. The biggest attraction was Friday’s amateur night, where would-be writers read their short stories to a maximum audience of 50. Mattie always closed the shop an hour earlier, 5 o’clock, to prepare for the 6 PM to 9 PM amateur night.

Today was Friday, and another amateur night loomed ahead. She had a group of regulars who would start lining up outside around 4:30 PM, and the rest was first come, first seated. She always made sure to have the favorite goodies on hand – hazelnut and French vanilla coffees, double chocolate chip cookies and orange liqueur coffeecakes.

This particular Friday went quickly as a new shipment of books had arrived. Between checking in the inventory, setting up displays, settling customer inquiries, Mattie had little time to notice anything, or anyone, else in the bookshop. Promptly, at 5 o’clock, the shop closed and preparations began for the night’s show. Mattie was looking forward to hear the new who-dun-its, and especially try to figure out who the culprits were.


Passing the front window, Mattie glanced out to see that the regulars had, as usual, starting lining up around 4:30 PM. But something, or someone, was different tonight. She had never really noticed this man before, but her eyes were drawn to him tonight. He was the 7th in line, about 6’3” tall, slim, but she could make out that he was well built under his dress shirt and khaki pants. He wasn’t the body builder type, but took good care of his body. His medium brown hair had blond streaks throughout, and rested neatly upon his shoulders. He slowly turned and looked back at her through the window. He was not what one would call overly handsome, the proportions of his face, the cut of his jaw, yes, he was good looking.

But it was the eyes that made Mattie go a bit off balance for a second. His eyes were a light blue, almost like a clear crystal, and she could see a sense of laughter and mischief shining through. But what perplexed her the most was that these were the eyes of her dream lover from the previous night.

She quickly admonished herself, “Come on Mattie, get a grip on yourself. You’re letting that imagination of yours get the best of you again.”. “Did you say something?”, inquired Cindy, Mattie’s coffee bar attendant. “Sorry Cindy’, just talking to myself again”, Mattie said sheepishly. “Well”, said Cindy, “you better get your act together. If you don’t open those doors right now, the McNaught sisters are going to tear them down. Cindy was right of course, it was 5:50 PM, and the regulars wanted in now!

Mattie unlocked the doors, and the people started to pass through, making their way to seats or the coffee bar. As her dream stranger came in, his hand lightly touched her own. His skin was smooth against her skin, this touch, so gentle, she couldn’t help but look up into those eyes. They were beautiful. He sat in the front row of seats, right next to the one reserved for her. This was just getting too weird.

As the readings progressed, Mattie could not help but glance at this strange man. “Why do I feel so drawn to him? How could he possibly be the same man from my dream?”, she wondered to herself. When a brief intermission was called, Mattie got up the nerve to speak to the man. “Is this your first time here? I don’t remember ever seeing you in my shop before.” “Oh, I’ve been to the amateur night several times.” His voice was soft and warm, like a spring afternoon breeze.
“I’ve also shopped here quite often. But you always seem to have your head buried in a book, or are busy with a customer, so that is why you probably haven’t noticed me. By the way, my name is Jason, Jason Maxwell.”

Mattie couldn’t believe she could have been so blind, or absorbed, not to have noticed this man before. “I’m Mattie Collins, the owner of this shop. Nice to meet you Mr. Maxwell.” He took her hand in his and she felt her pulse quicken. “Please call me Jason. Is Mattie a nickname?” “Yes, no, yes, I mean, yes, my given name is Mathia, but everyone calls me Mattie”

“Both names are lovely, just like their owner.”
Mattie felt herself start to blush and quickly turned her head away. He gently, but firmly, placed his fingertips against her cheek and turned her face towards his. She felt as if her breathing would stop. That scent! The scent of his skin, it was, it was….oh, the man of her dream!

“Perhaps, now that we have been properly introduced, we could get to know each other a little better.” He smiled as he spoke, and she noticed again the combination of laughter and mischief dancing in his eyes.

Mattie couldn’t reply, but she knew in her mind, felt it deep in her heart and body, that her dream was about to become reality.