Dushenka (a diminutive of Dusha, meaning soul)

The scent in the air was thick and sweet, as it always was at eleven in the morning, when the sun warmed the crystal bottles through the huge shop windows. I was adjusting the velvet pillow with a new fragrance from an aristocratic niche brand, when the door quietly opened. He walked in. It was noticeable, like the pressure in the room had changed. Not because he was loud or flashy. Quietly confident, a perfectly fitting cashmere jumper, a watch on his wrist that cost more than my annual salary. He didn't smell like store-bought perfume, but like clean air, expensive soap, and the light scent of fresh parquet - the smell of money that doesn't need to be flaunted.

• Good afternoon, - his voice was low and calm. - I need help choosing perfume. For my wife. I nodded, summoning all my professional composure. "For my wife" was a standard phrase, but coming from him it sounded like "for the most important woman in my life," and it was disarming.

• Of course. Tell me about her? What does she like? What is her character like? He thought, his gaze slid over the shelves, but I understood that he didn’t see the bottles, he saw her.

• She is... bright. Smart. Very independent. Loves art, theater. And she does not tolerate banalities. I felt the thrill. This was a challenge. Not another Angel or Chanel No. 5. I picked up a narrow black bottle from the shelf. -Try this. Portrait of a lady in a park. Violet leaf scent, musk and vanilla at the base. It's complex. Not for everyone. He took a paper sample stick from me, carefully ran it over the skin of his wrist and brought it to his nose. He was silent.

• Amazing. It's... her. Right from the first chord. You hit the nail on the head. His gaze finally focused on me. Not on the bottle, not on the display case, but on me. Dark, very attentive eyes. -You have a rare gift. To feel a person in absentia.

“It’s my job,” I smiled, feeling myself blush under his gaze.

• No, - he said softly. - It's not a job. It's a talent. I'll take this scent. And... for me. Something like that. What do you recommend?