Tangerine, bergamot, and snow

A short story, leaning into magic realism and romance

The afternoon snowflakes mixing with slow thoughts, warping into a moment of singularity, tangerine and bergamot, and cold air from the open window. Tangerine, bergamot, and snowflakes on her tongue. Reflections overlapping, curious eyes in the reflection following her every move. She should’ve been scared. A normal woman would’ve moved to another table, or called the waiter, or at least turned away. She wasn’t normal, that she knew for sure. Instead, she smiled to the stranger observing her through the delicate glass. A man made of snowflakes swirling in the dusk. She took the tiny golden-wrapped candy from her saucer. The hot teacup had made it soft. Warm chocolate, salty caramel, bergamot and tangerine, and his smiling eyes.

He entered with a swarm of snowflakes dancing around him. Frozen butterflies fluttering their delicate frosty wings, they followed him as he approached Lily’s table. His eyes shone like twin moons, ghastly, cold lanterns on a winter’s night. Lily smiled. Hello, Mr. Winter, she thought.

He came to her, slowly making his way through indifferent coffee drinkers, hobby writers chasing words on their laptops and taking cappuccino selfies, and busy waiters wearing their uniforms of friendly smiles.

“Hi!” His hoarse voice was soaked in cold nervous sweat. He sat by her table, apparently her smile was as good as an invitation to join her. “I can’t believe we finally meet. Is it really you?”

“Yes, I’m really me. I don’t think I could be anyone else,” Lily replied with a shrug.

“Wow…” his eyes filled with tears, Lily observed his frost-covered eyelashes tremble, and she wondered if his tears would freeze, and fall onto the table as tiny icicles. Lily giggled at the thought.

“I love it when you laugh,” his voice hummed, “sorry, sorry, I promise not to be creepy.” He wiped his eyes with his palms to hide the tears.

“Tangerine and tea? I thought… never mind. I thought you love cappuccino with extra cinnamon. I thought I knew everything about you. Oh, no, am I being creepy? Sorry, I just…”

“Please, don’t apologise! I love cappuccino but today is special.”

“Of course! Yeah, of course it’s special. I mean… you, me, and…” he searched her eyes for something he had no courage to name. When she smiled, he appeared to have found whatever he was looking for.

“You have the most beautiful smile… sorry, I… just never imagined you’ll be so pretty,” the twin moons followed her every move.

She sipped her tea. Mr. Winter was a handsome creature. Tall, dark, and handsome, Lily’s Mom would’ve said. Skinny boy, he needs some good ol’ home cookin’, Lily’s Grandma would’ve added.

“Are you hungry?”

“Um… I’m too nervous to eat, I…” he stuttered.

“You can have a half of my tangerine,” she offered. He took it automatically, the twin moons glued to her face.

“Most people hate peeling tangerines. I don’t mind. I always peeled them for my Mom. And Grandma.”

“I didn’t know it.”

“Now you do.” Lily smiled.

He ate the fruit in silence, staring at the snowstorm outside, but Lily saw clearly - a snowstorm swirled inside his head.

“Um… I though… all these years… I kinda thought I know everything about you. Maybe I really don’t…” he said with the twin moons losing their shine.

“Why would you? It’s okay not to know anything about a person you’ve just met.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he paused staring blankly at the juicy tangerine, “I hope… you’re not disappointed. I’m not… “

“Why would I be disappointed?”

“This reality. It kills the soulful connection… I mean, the imperfection of the tangible things.”

“I think there’s beauty in imperfection.”

“You do?” Mr. Winter’s eyes lit up again. He stared at her hungrily, as if trying to memorize every inch of her in the soft light. Her huge brown eyes, short hair with the midnight-blue ribbon in it, her floral mini dress. Lily smiled, he clearly wished the table was invisible, so he could see all of her. Lily got up and took a twirl.

“Do you like it? Bought it just yesterday.”

“Um… you’re so beautiful. It’s like… you’ve stepped out of my dreams,” he barely spoke, and blushed in bright red.

A waitress tiptoed to their table.

“Sorry it took so long. Can I get you anything?”

“Tea, and whatever she’s having.”

“Earl grey. And a tangerine, please,” Lily added.

They sat in beautiful silence, filled with a soundless conversation, studying each other’s face.

“You’re taller than I thought you’d be,” she said touching his hand.

“Really? I hope…”

“No, I’m not disappointed,” Lily put her small hand in his open palm. Mr. Winter’s wide palm enveloped it softly. “Why would I be?”

They sat talking about tiny little insignificant things, the snowstorm, the tangerines, the tea. Mr. Winter acted surprised several times, claiming he thought Lily had a different taste, and how he thought he knew her well, to which Lily laughed, and he loved it.

How could he not know his soulmate? The one he had been exchanging long, heartfelt emails with every single day of the last five years. They met in an online book club and clicked instantly. He fell in love with her words, though they never exchanged photos. It was a mutual agreement. Finally, five years later, they met in person.

After tea they went for a walk in the snow. Lily swirled with the snowflakes, grabbed Mr. Winter on her way, and both weaver around each other, bound by the snowstorm. He was so close; his tangerine breath became one with hers in a kiss. A tangerine, bergamot, and snowflake kiss, with a hint of chocolate and salted caramel. It was perfect, both hot and cold, and Lily was grateful to Mom and Gran, looking after her from Heavens. They knew it. They said, they’ll take care of Lily before they died. All she had to do was sit in their favourite cafe on the first night of snow, drink their favourite tea, and wait. Both ladies had an immaculate intuition. They had predicted the day and precise time of their deaths, yet they didn’t try to avoid it. One must be ready to face their destiny, not to escape it but to fulfil it, Mom said. Tangerine, bergamot, and snow when he’ll come, you’ll know, Gran had added. And Lily knew. The minute she saw Mr Winter’s eyes staring at her from the snowstorm outside the caffe, she just knew.

They kissed the snowstorm away, until the snowflakes calmed, and a clear moon rose above the city.

“This is perfect,” Mr. Winter whispered.

His phone had been buzzing for a while, yet he ignored it.

“You should look,” Lily encouraged him.

It was a myriad of lengthy messages, explanation upon explanation, which ended with “I hope you will forgive me someday. We wouldn’t have worked out. I know we wouldn’t. The reality of our physical existence would’ve killed us. I’m sorry I didn’t find the courage to say this in person. I think we shouldn’t contact each other anymore. Julia.” Mr. Winter blinked trying to comprehend the message. He had never really made sure the girl he just shared the most beautiful moment of his life with was named Julia.

“Why…? Why did you kiss me? I am a complete stranger… I’m probably not the person you were waiting for,” he said backing away from this strange girl.

“You are. I knew it when I saw you. It’s just like Gran said. Tangerine, bergamot, and snow, when he’ll come, you’ll know.” Lily smiled. She knew she wasn’t normal. A sensible woman would’ve walked away, clearly this man was expecting to meet someone else instead of her.

Mr. Winter stood taking deep, silent breaths.

“I think she was right,” he said, taking Lily’s hands. “I must not be normal,” he whispered when Lily’s lips found his. His eyes wide as twin moons smiling at her.

“Neither am I,” she giggled, and gave into the sweetness of chocolate and salted caramel.

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