Orange Zest
The air smelled like burnt lavender and a heavy cloud of smoke began to fill the tiny dorm room. You sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor and flapped your hand in front of your face as the sting of smoke sent you into a coughing fit.
Wanda’s hair had become a tussled mess. She rubbed her eyes, smearing mascara around them.
“Okay, my bad.” She raised her hands defensively. “I didn’t know these two ingredients could cause an explosion.”
“I thought you said you were a witch.”
You took an orange from the stack of ingredients she had laid on the floor and threw it at her. She caught it and glared at you.
“Hey, careful with that it attracts men.”
“Do you see any guys?” You gestured around your empty room. “I should have never agreed to do this.”
You felt ridiculous and desperate. Who in their right mind would cast a spell to bring men into their lives?
With newfound energy, Wanda sat back on her haunches and put the pot on the portable stove. She browsed through the Wiccan book of love spells and began her ritual again, only this time she stuck to the original version of the spell.
“Today is the best day to manifest love. It’s Venus day, the goddess of love and sex and stuff. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”
“Uh-huh.” You cocked a brow at her. “Try not to blow up the whole dorm.”
“I said I was sorry!” she said, then mumbled something unintelligible.
Wanda handed you a black notebook and a pencil. You opened it to a new page and waited for her instructions.
“Okay, this spell is called ‘how to attract a lover.’” She looked up at you, her face twisted into an excited grimace. “You go first.”
“Why me?” you gasped. “What if your potion thingy blows up in my face again?”
“It won’t work if you don’t believe in my powers!”
Blowing out a frustrated breath, you put the pencil against the paper, even though you still had no idea what to write. “Fine. What do I have to do?”
Wanda held up her index finger while she read the spell. After a brief moment, she explained that you had to write a list of the personality, physical features, qualities and hobbies you wanted your future boyfriend to have. It was a very personal list so you kept the notebook close to your chest while you wrote the list down.
“Done! Now what?”
“Throw it in the pot.”
You tore off the piece of paper, crushed it and threw it in the pot. Then, you added the ingredients into the pot: cinnamon known for igniting passion, a lemon flower, a sprig of lavender and the juice of an orange.
“Now, we have to cook this for ten minutes.”
A thick white cloud began to pour down in front of you. The combination of all the ingredients smelled like overripe lemons boiling in vinegar. Wanda yanked her shirt over her nose and mouth while you forced your burning eyes open just enough to see the door.
“It’s not over, come back!” Wanda yelled as you left the room.
You walked to the shared kitchenette and poured yourself a big glass of water. There was no one around, but you could hear some people in the common room, watching TV. Once your nausea passed, you laughed at your own stupidity. You still couldn’t believe that you had cast a love spell.
The sound of footsteps made you raise your head. James ‘Bucky’ Barnes stood at the entrance to the kitchen. You had never really spoke to Bucky, but he visited Sam often. Sam Wilson lived in your dorm and he was a star on campus, everyone loved him.
Sometimes, you overheard conversations between Sam and Bucky and tried not to listen, but it was too tempting. You had a massive crush on a man who had never met. Luckily, you shared a class with Bucky. He usually sat two rows behind you and you never spoke to him, but it was comforting to know that he was there.
Bucky wasn’t just the most handsome man who had ever seen, he was also kind, caring and the most genuinely selfless man you’d ever met –or not officially met.
He was the living embodiment of Mr Perfect and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t based your ideal future boyfriend on him.
“Hey,” he greeted, rounding the table to stand beside you.
“Hey,” you repeated.
You stood there, awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say. Bucky stayed silent, his eyes roaming the room as he tried to come up with something to say.
“You’re in Mrs Carter’s class, right?”
You nodded.
“She terrifies me.” He let out a little laugh and scratched his head.
You laughed with him. Mrs Carter could be a little intimidating, especially when she snapped her fingers in front of his nose, forcing his gaze back to hers. God knows why he was so distracted.
Another silent moment passed. From the corner of your eye, you saw him sniff the air and you had to bite the inside of your cheek to keep from smiling. The sweet scent of oranges filled the kitchenette.
‘It attracts men.’ You remembered Wanda saying.
“So,” Bucky drawled out, “have you finished your assignment for Mrs Carter’s class?”
“To be honest, I haven’t even started it yet.”
He laughed again and ran a hand through his hair. Why was he so nervous?
“Well, I looked at it and I have no idea what to do. Do you think we could, uh, work on it t-together?”
“Together?” you repeated, staring at him with wide doe eyes.
“Yes,” he chuckled, ducking his head. “And then, we could go eat dinner somewhere.”
“Eat dinner?” You stared at him, not caring that you sounded like a parrot as you repeated his words. You were too stunned to form complete sentences.
“I mean, if you’re okay with that.” He raised his head, a look of panic crossed his face. “We don’t have to, but I’d like to… to take you out to dinner.”
He waited a beat to gauge your reaction. You stared at him, not believing what he’d just said.
“Dinner’s fine. It’s great, I love dinner, it’s my favourite.”
You cringed at your own words, but Bucky’s soft laugh put a smile on your face. You looked up at him, your heartbeat picking up a little. His face bore a smile so wide that his whole face lit up.
“Great, I can’t wait,” he said, still smiling.
He took a step forward and handed you a scrap of paper with his number on it. That made you smile, it was kinda old-fashioned, but you liked it. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to your cheek and turned around.
You had daydreamed about this moment so many times, but something wasn’t sitting well with you. Did the spell work? You didn’t want him if he was just under a spell. Before he could return to the common area, you stopped him.
“Why now? Why today?” you blurted out, startling him.
He frowned. “I’ve been wanting to ask you out for a long time. I wanted to do it after Mrs Carter’s class, but the words never came out. Sam asked if I wanted to watch a movie tonight and I was hoping I’d run into you. I heard you were in the kitchen and I thought… well it was now or never.”
“So, it has nothing to do with oranges?”
“Oranges?” His eyes widened, obviously taken aback by your question. “Um, no. What kind of oranges?”
“Never mind, it’s silly. See you tomorrow!”
He beamed at you and wished you good night before he joined Sam in the common room. You inwardly squealed at the thought of going out with Bucky Barnes. You were still smiling like an idiot when Wanda entered the kitchenette, holding her book of love spells.
“You need to read the spell out loud or it won’t work.”
“You’re too late, Wanda. Someone’s already under my spell.”