Palpitate

Its Chinese name speaks of arriving after crossing a deep sea, and the title, Palpitate, means to flutter or tremble. That sea is the one each of us carries inside: guardedness, doubt, the past, desire. The story imagines love as a crossing made with nothing but plain sincerity, aiming for the far shore of another person's heart.

The opening is bright and taut: citrus and bergamot, the green bite of basil, and the gentle bitterness of bitter orange leaf, so the start never turns juicy-sweet. At the heart, a salty sea-water note cools orchid, lily of the valley and jasmine, keeping the flowers fresh rather than heavy.

Underneath, dry cedarwood and piney juniper berry give structure, while musk and ambergris round off their edges, handing the chill of the tide over to warmth. The scent moves from choppy surface to quiet depth, much as the story does.