Page 9 of A Hint of Delirium

The portal closed behind us with a pop, cutting off the wind. I slid down Ansel’s body and he placed me on my feet. We stood inches from each other with his hands lightly resting on my hips. I gazed at our surroundings. We were cloistered in a dark alcove, but when I looked out into the street, I recognized Northern Boulevard. We were back in Jackson Heights.

“You crazy motherfu—”

“Vi …”

“Yes, you psycho?”

“There’s still so much I want to know about you … Is there somewhere we can go, a place you feel comfortable … so we can talk …?”

I realized just how close we were. I placed my palms on his rock-hard chest and pushed him away, feeling a tingle of electricity on the tips of my fingers. He released me and we separated.

I cleared my throat before speaking. “There’s really not much to tell, but there’s a Colombian bakery not too far from here where we can go, if you want. I haven’t had breakfast since you barged into my home,” I said sarcastically.

His green eyes shot open. “Sounds good.”

“But first,” I held up a finger, “un-glamour yourself. I won’t be walking around talking to my imaginary friend. People in this town think I’m crazy enough already.”

“Right.” He laughed and snapped his fingers. “Alright, done. Let’s go.”

We stepped out of the alcove onto Northern Boulevard and headed down to the bakery, two blocks away on the corner of Northern and 83rd. Our arrival was announced by the bell over the door, which emitted a tinkling sound. I motioned for him to sit on one of the red stools at the counter, which lent the bakery a cool fifties diner feel. The place was packed, leaving the stools the only seats available in the small bakery.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“Uh … I’ll have whatever you have.” He briefly glanced at the menu in Spanish and gave up. It was sort of funny.

I went to the counter and ordered. “Me da dos arepas con queso, dos pandebonos, y dos cafes, por favor.” After paying, I sat beside Ansel and waited for our late breakfast to be ready.

Ansel gave me an appraising look. “You speak Spanish?”

I laughed. “I’m Colombian. I learned Spanish and English at the same time.”

“Your mother is not from here?” He turned in his stool to face me, his beauty blinding and bright.

I nodded. “She is, but our ancestors are from Colombia. Why the sudden interest in my mom?”

“Has she ever been to Ireland?” he pressed.

My eyes widened astronomically. I was just about to shout my indignant response when our food was placed in front of us.

“Gracias.” I thanked the woman and waited until she was on the other end of the counter to turn my attention back to Ansel. “Ireland? Heck, no! She’s never been. Why would you ask such a random question?”

He took a bite of his pandebono, which was a type of cheese bread made of yuca flour, and made a satisfying sound. “This is tasty.”

I snapped my fingers. “Focus, Ansel.”

He swallowed his food. “I asked because I can’t make sense of you, Vi. You have the sight—you can see the fae and anything glamoured, and I can’t glamour you. It’s extremely unsettling. The only explanation is that at some point in your life, you were touched by a fae.”

I scrunched my face. “Touched? That sounds weird. And a little unsettling.”

He rolled his eyes and took a sip of his coffee. “It just means that someone from my realm must have given you the sight. But that still doesn’t explain why I can’t glamour you.”

I shrugged. “Maybe I’m an alien.”

“Be serious, Vi.”

His explanation sounded as far-fetched as my suggestion, but whatevs. We continued eating while Ansel asked me a million questions about my childhood and my mother and father. Unfortunately for Ansel, I couldn’t give him any information on the paternal front because no one knew who my sperm donor was. He was simply a one-night stand that my mother barely remembered. But according to her, he wasn’t worth remembering so I didn’t think about him much, if at all. I had my mom and that was enough for me. We were best friends, and she was the best mother I could have ever asked for. I didn’t need anyone else.

The rapid-fire questions lasted another two hours, through several refills of coffee. But Ansel was determined to figure out this mystery. Meanwhile, I was enjoying spending time with someone other than my mom, especially one as good looking as Ansel. Not that I minded spending so much time with her, but I had zero social life due to my ‘condition’. Now that I understood what it was I was seeing, maybe I could live a normal life with something calledfriends. Wow, what a novelty.

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