An Almond Scented Landmine in the Shop

Dear Delyara, I was standing in line to drop off a parcel today when a woman stepped in behind me, and the sudden, sharp scent of almond and orange blossom hand cream filled the air. It was the exact, specific brand my mother used to buy when we were kids. My brain went entirely wild for a second—my heart gave a massive thud, and I spun around with the absolute certainty that she was standing there behind me, looking for me. It was just a stranger looking at her phone, completely oblivious to the disaster she’d just caused inside my chest. The world is full of these sensory landmines that blow your stability apart in seconds.