Dear Handsome Stranger,

You were the tall, rugged, and benevolent newcomer to the bar at Paul’s Baby Grand who realized I was being literally overlooked by the bartender. You offered to order my tequila soda. I knew you weren’t batting for my team, but I told you that you smelled great anyway. You said it was actually two colognes layered over one another, and I said, 'I knew it,” because there was something very classically clean and masculine about the way you smelled, but it had an unexpectedly warm base. You told me it was Jo Malone Amber and Lavender over Jo Malone Saffron Cologne Intense, and you liked it precisely because it was clean and warm. I said it was certainly not your mother’s lavender; it was so much greener. You said that was because of the mint, bergamot, and clove. I asked if I was also smelling pepper and vanilla, and you said, “Yes,” that was what you loved about Malone’s Saffron. I never got your name, but I did cop your scent. Oh, and thanks for the drink.

—Mackenzie Wagoner

Photos by Elizabeth Brockway.