Lavender

Athena Kelly Chen runs a small aroma-therapy studio and scent shop in the city, and while her hands move confidently through essential oils and blends, her heart feels heavy with loneliness after the death of her boyfriend Andrew. Her days follow a quiet, almost ritual rhythm: she purchases a helium balloon each morning, scribbles a note on it, and releases it to the open sky, hoping the message will somehow find Andrew and mend the hollow space his absence has left behind. The act is a gentle, wistful alarm bell that nothing in her routine has truly filled the void inside her.

Then, one night, an injured angel Takeshi Kaneshiro named Angel crashes onto Athena’s balcony, a surreal vision that is equal parts peril and wonder. He explains that he cannot return to heaven until the Holy Door opens, and that his flight depends on gathering love from the humans he encounters. The visitor, both otherworldly and vulnerable, asks for shelter until he can regain passage to his celestial home. He promises not to be a burden, noting that he does not subsist on ordinary food, but rather on the affection he receives from people. In exchange for a roof over his head, he agrees to serve Athena, repaying her hospitality with quiet help around the apartment.

As they navigate this improbable living arrangement, a neighbor enters the scene with a striking force of personality. Chow Chow Eason Chan Yik-Shun is Athena’s nosy, energetic next-door neighbor, who also happens to be gay and immediately takes a shine to Angel. Chow Chow arrives with his own affable swagger, and his dog—also named Chow Chow—becomes a familiar memento in the tiny, interwoven world of the building. Through a few chances and a growing sense of mischief, Angel discovers more about Athena’s life and about Chow Chow’s connection to Andrew. It turns out Andrew had been Chow Chow’s childhood friend and object of affection, a revelation that deepens the emotional web surrounding Athena and explains why Chow Chow has moved across the hall to stay close to Andrew’s memory. Andrew’s backstory adds gravity to Athena’s longing and highlights the fragility of healing when memories pull at both of them.

Despite their differences, Angel and Chow Chow form an unlikely bond. Night after night, Chow Chow brings Angel along to clubs, where the angel dances for money and receives attention from several admirers. The money Angel earns is put toward new pairs of shoes, a practical keepsake for someone whose home in heaven supposedly lacks footwear. Yet even as Angel buys new shoes, he continues to wear the old, familiar boots Athena gave him, a tangible link to the life she has offered him on Earth. Athena, watching these developments, grows uneasy about the friendship she sees developing between Angel and Chow Chow. She worries that Chow Chow could be a disruptive influence on Angel and, by extension, on her already fragile ability to move forward from Andrew’s memory.

To help Athena move on, Angel enlists Chow Chow’s aid in orchestrating a social nudge—a single, clean attempt to set Athena up with someone new. But the plan backfires in a dramatic way: Athena’s party becomes chaotic as she flings out the guests’ shoes in a moment of rebellious frustration. Among the chaos, Angel’s cherished pair is among the discarded items, and its loss triggers a deep sense of disruption. Angel, feeling the ache of the missing shoes and the sweet absurdity of their bond, leaves Athena’s home for days, a withdrawal that signals how much he means to her and how much she means to him. The two eventually reconnect through a poignant, heartfelt conversation that helps them see each other anew.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Athena and Angel set out for Europe to prepare for his return to heaven. Athena packs away Andrew’s belongings, placing them in a careful, ceremonial bundle to deliver to Andrew in the afterlife, and the two share a lavender bouquet—Andrew’s favorite scent—in a symbolic bridge between past grief and present companionship. Their journey continues by train toward the location of the Holy Door, a ride that becomes intimate as they share a day and night together, deepening the emotional intimacy between them. In a quiet, intimate moment, they strengthen their bond, and the day’s closeness gives Angel the strength he needs to fly. When the Holy Door finally opens, Angel launches from the train window and ascends back to heaven, leaving Athena with a sense of closure about Andrew and a cautious, hopeful sense of possibility for her own future.

Time moves forward, and Athena returns to her life in Hong Kong, carrying the memory of Angel as a gentle, bright beacon that helped her begin to mend. Yet the ending leaves a slight, unresolved echo—a sudden intrusion of the unreal into the ordinary: a loud fall in her apartment draws Athena to investigate, and there on the balcony lies a man in white coveralls—the same boots that Angel wore—introduced as Angelo, the restaurant owner who lives downstairs. The sighting suggests that the ceiling between worlds may not be as impermeable as it once seemed, and it hints at a new chapter where the line between heaven and earth might still blur, leaving Athena both unsettled and curious about what comes next in her life and in the quiet, scent-filled rooms she calls home.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:29