Make sure you read Sparkling Cucumber Mint first!

Paula awoke the morning after her first swing class extremely sore, but extremely excited. She’d slept better than she had in weeks. She took an extra long, extra hot shower, and went to work with the biggest smile on her face. Everybody noticed her great mood; her glowing skin. They all asked if she’d been to a workout class, if she had a new boyfriend, if she was just thrilled it was Friday, or if she’d just won the lottery. “Oh no, I just feel like a million bucks!” was her response, as cheesy as it was, but everyone laughed at the joke. She felt like the world was at her fingertips. 

When she got home that night, she did a major clean of her apartment. Even though she hadn’t lived there long, it was extremely needed. Living alone, with no one to answer to, didn’t exactly lead to her being the neatest version of herself. Especially after having to deal with her now ex-husband’s fastidiousness, being a bit of a slob now that she was on her own felt so fantastic … until it didn’t. So she set to work, scrubbing everything in sight after she put a crockpot meal together in the oven. She loved to cook, really, and somehow she’d forgotten to really nurture herself that way post-divorce. Depression has a sneaky way of gradually overtaking aspects of our lives, and she was now going to try and make some big changes. It wouldn’t fix everything, but she knew she functioned better in a clean environment. Plus, her boss had hinted that they might need her around the office more; she was up for a promotion soon, and she wasn’t going to squander that opportunity. (Hello, 25% pay increase!) She needed to get her shit together and get herself into a better headspace. A clean apartment and cooking a nice meal for herself would do wonders.

Once the apartment was clean, with her sheets in the dryer (clean sheets!), she sat down with her homemade dinner and picked up a book she had been meaning to read. It was a super popular bestseller and she needed to know what the hype was about. She’d intended to practice some more steps after cleaning, but she was so exhausted from last night and then cleaning all evening that she fell asleep as soon as she put her freshly laundered, mandarin-scented sheets on her bed.
The next morning, she woke up late, another thing she only got to do post-divorce. It felt decadent and luxurious to sleep in on a Saturday morning. And she knew exactly what she’d be doing all weekend: practicing new swing moves. She was determined to show up again next week, better than before. So the weekend passed with Paula attempting new moves by herself, taking breaks to elevate her poor throbbing feet and legs. Monday came, and her workweek got so busy she was home late every night, eating takeout and going to sleep before getting up early to do it again. 

Thursday came, and she was absolutely dead set on making it to swing dance that night, come hell or high water. She got up even earlier than normal, was the first one to the office by several hours, and left early enough to make the class. She was exhausted, had forgotten nearly everything, but she wanted that rush to overwhelm her again. She wanted Peter to hold her close, teach her moves, twirl her around in front of everyone like she was something special. The butterflies rose from her stomach up to her throat as she walked into the hall. It was absolutely packed; there were at least three times as many people here as last week. Kelsey couldn’t make it, but she had warned her that some weeks were more popular than others, and clearly she was right. Paula’s anxiety kicked in, hard, as she scanned the room for Peter and his beautiful blue eyes. She didn’t see him, and without Kelsey or the prospect of Peter, she turned around and walked directly into … “Peter!” she said loudly. “I’m so sorry, I obviously didn’t see you. Really didn’t mean to run into you like this.” Her face burned crimson, but he just laughed. “It’s okay, Paula, I was actually looking for you. I was hoping you’d be here this week; you’re a natural. Are you ready to try the Lindy Hop?” Before she could respond, he took her hand and led her back to the dance floor. 

Scent Notes: Bergamot, sparkling green mandarin, sweet honeycomb, vanilla.