“Good. My interview has been pushed up to tomorrow.”
“Are you nervous?”
He stops eating. “No…should I be?”
I laugh. “Sebastian, you can feel however you want. There’s no right answer. If you feel confident, be confident.”
His forehead creases. “I’m excited to have a job—if I get it, that is.”
I nod. “That’s good. But we’ll need to go over a few things and I’ll prep you for what it’s like to have an interview.”
“Thanks. I read about it online. It seems daunting, but I think I’ll be okay. I just need to make sure I sound human.”
“Yeah, that’s what we need to go over.” If the interviewer senses something off about him, I’m worried what could happen.
We continue eating. Sebastian says, “I also researched dreams.”
“Oh. What did you find?” I’m not exactly thrilled with him looking into it. I just want to forget about it.
Sebastian shrugs and tells me many different thoughts, opinions, studies. Nothing useful, really. The dreams can mean a number of things.
“I know you don’t want to talk about it,” he says. “But it worries me.”
I place my hand on his. “I wish you wouldn’t. I’m okay.”
He nods reluctantly. “I’m always going to worry about you, because I love you.” He interlocks his fingers through mine, brings our hands to his mouth, and kisses mine.
“I love you, too.”
Chapter Nineteen
Something soft tickles my face. Sebastian’s silky hair. I smile and scoot closer to snuggle up to him, but I end up crashing to the floor. The soft thing knocks into my face. Opening my eyes, I find the bed empty and Teddy lying next to me on the floor. It wasn’t Sebastian’s hair, but Teddy, who fell asleep between us.
Sebastian must be in the bathroom. I get up and am about to climb back into bed for another hour of sleep, when I notice the bathroom door is open.
“Sebastian?” I say as I head toward it. He’s not inside. I check the kitchen and living room, but there’s no sign of my genie. Did he step out?
I bought him a phone yesterday. Returning to my room, I grab my phone and dial his number. Ringing sounds from under his pillow. I lift it and find his phone there. Did he go out and forgot to take it with him?
In the corner of my eye, I see something on my night table. A lamp. A genie’s lamp. A lamp that looks exactly like Sebastian’s.
What would his lamp be doing here? I must be dreaming. Rubbing my eyes doesn’t help. The golden lamp is still there. Did Sebastian buy it from the mall yesterday? That can’t be. He would have told me about it, wouldn’t he?
“Sebastian?” I call.
My insides churn as a thought hits me. Sebastian isn’t here, but his lamp is. Slowly, hesitantly, I take it off the night table and examine it. Swirly designs run across it, identical to the designs that were on Sebastian’s lamp. Oh my…no. No! Don’t tell me he’s…no, I won’t believe it. I can’t. He went out and will return soon. I know he did.
“Sebastian!” I shout, so loud I can almost feel the walls shaking. “Please, Sebastian,” I whisper.
I study the designs some more, forcing myself to find something—anything—different from his old lamp. There’s nothing.
Suddenly, the lamp starts to shake in my hands. Thick smoke shoots out of it, filling up the entire room, and my lungs. I fall to the floor, dropping the lamp and coughing.
A few seconds pass before the smoke slowly evaporates from the room and my lungs, and I see a form come into view. It’s a tall guy with long black hair, a golden, naked chest, and black pants.
Sebastian.
A noise I never knew I could make leaves my mouth and I slam my hand over it, stifling a gasp.
He’s a…genie?
He’s staring down at himself with wide eyes, like he doesn’t understand what he sees. Slowly, he raises his hand, turning it to inspect it. His mouth opens and shuts, trembling.
His gaze treks to mine. He’s all dazed. Does he know who I am? Does he remember anything?
I take a step toward him. “Sebastian?”
“Lily.”
A breath I didn’t know I was holding escapes my mouth. He recognizes me. That’s one positive thing so far.
His eyebrows furrow. “What happened to me? Is this a dream?”
I wish. I move closer to him until I’m standing right in front of him. He looks like my Sebastian, but he also doesn’t. I feel like I’ve been transported back to a few weeks ago, when I met him for the first time.
This can’t be happening.
“Lily.” His voice is panicked. He grabs my hands. “What’s happening to me? Why am I gold?” His fingers sweep over his chest and his eyes widen when he feels the bumps of his designs. They are a darker shade of gold than his chest.
I glance at the lamp that is on the floor near his bare feet. He follows my gaze, and a shudder passes through him. He shuts his eyes. “Am I a genie?”
As much as I want to tell him he’s not, I can’t. I pull him into my arms, feeling the silkiness of his skin. “It’s going to be okay.”
He buries his face in my hair, his chest heaving. I press my lips to the back of his neck, wishing I could tell him that this will all be over soon. A million thoughts and worries rush through my head, but I can’t think of myself now. I have to be strong for Sebastian.
“I was sleeping,” he says, his voice low and soft. “And the next minute I’m out here.”
“I rubbed the lamp,” I tell him, my voice also soft.
With his arms securely around me, Sebastian sinks to the floor. “I can’t—I don’t under—what’s going on, Lily?”
I shake my head because I have no clue. A lump the size of Jupiter is lodged in my throat. If Sebastian is a genie, does that mean he’s going to leave me? Tears fill my eyes. No. We were supposed to be together forever. I don’t understand what’s going on. Am I even his master?
Sebastian wipes my tears with his thumbs. His eyes are filled with tears, too.
“Am I…” He breathes out. “Going to leave? Are you my master?”
I rest my forehead against his. “I was just asking myself the exact same questions.”
His hands clench. “I knew it. Knew this was too good to be true.”
I massage his fist, uncurling it. “Sebastian, please relax.”
“Now I understand why my magic was growing stronger. Because I was turning back into a genie.” He shakes his head. “I was never really human.”
“Sebastian…” I don’t know what to say. Jupiter is starting to burn in my throat, and I can’t get any words out.
“And that’s why I was sick the other night,” he continues. “My body was rejecting being human.” His voice cracks, and a large chunk of my heart cracks along with it. This can’t be happening. He was supposed to return to me. We had so many plans for the future…
Sebastian draws away from me, his eyes wide. “My interview.” He holds out his hand and stares at it. “Am I invisible to others? Or would they see me like…this?”
He has a point. When I was his master, only I was able to see him. Now that I can, does that mean I’m still his master?
I get to my feet. “There’s only one way to find out.” I reach for my phone and snap a picture of him. Sebastian wraps his arm around me as we look at the picture.
The only thing I see is the wall. My heart sinks.
“So that’s it, then,” he says. “I really am a genie.”
I hold him close. I don’t know how we’re going to make this work, but we will. I won’t let him leave me. I can’t.
He presses his nose to my temple. “What do we do?”
I shut my eyes, as if that’ll make all of this go away. Sebastian’s finger brushes across my cheek. “I’m so sorry, Lily.” His voice is laced with pain.
I open my eyes. “For what?”
“For putting you through this again. I don’t know what’s going
to happen. If you’re my master, if you get three wishes again. Or if I’m going to leave you.”
I sit up as a thought hits me. If he leaves, I won’t remember him. He’ll remember me, but I’ll forget I ever met a wonderful guy who made me feel things I never knew were possible.
“I have to do something,” I say.
“What?”
I stare into his deep blue eyes. “I’m going to make sure you don’t leave.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. What I do know is that I can see you, which means I am your master. For now, anyway.” He could vanish any second. That thought alone slices my heart.
“I knew good things could never happen to me,” he mumbles.
“What do you mean?”
“Us.” He sweeps his bangs out of his eyes. “My life hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park. First I was a slave on Ortarus. Then I was a slave to humans.”
I wince at the last bit.
He quickly says, “Not that I was a slave to you. That came out wrong. What I mean is that someone like me can never have happiness.”
“Don’t say that.”
The room grows silent for a few seconds.
“I’m sorry, Lily. I just feel so…” He covers his face, breathing heavily. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t understand any of this.”
“Is there anyone you can talk to?”
He shakes his head. “Why would he send me back if he knew I’d turn into a genie again?”
“The elder from Ortarus?”
He nods. “I just don’t understand any of this.”
I lie against his chest, breathing in his genie smell of spices. For the past few days, I smelled it in my head. Now it’s the real thing, and as good as it smells, I don’t want it. I want him to smell human again.
“Let’s think of everything that happened since you came back from Ortarus,” I say. “You came back with powers. Do you know why?”
He shakes his head. “I assumed it was because I was an Ortarian.”
“And we believe your magic was getting stronger with each passing day because you were shifting back into a genie.”
“Yes.” He places his hands on either side of my face, stroking my cheek. I press it into his hand, finding comfort and warmth in his touch. Closing my eyes, I picture us on the beach, soaking up the sun’s rays. Not thinking about this. Not worrying about the future we’re almost certainly not going to have.
The phone starts to sing. My alarm. I ignore it, living in my fantasy. I don’t want the bubble to burst. Not now. Not ever.
“Lily,” he whispers. “You’re going to be late for work.”
I don’t listen to his words. I tune them out like they’re lyrics to a song I don’t like. “Don’t leave me.”
“I don’t want to. Ever.” His mouth closes over mine, slowly, then growing stronger. He moves his hand to the back of my neck, gently lowering me to the floor and climbing on top of me. He gives me sweet, tender kisses that cause my body to cry for him. Is this how it’s going to be? Will he kiss me one final time before disappearing from my life forever? Will my brain search for other guys while my heart yearns for Sebastian?
Will he stand aside and watch me move on with someone else?
Sebastian pulls off. He takes me in his arms. “Lily, you need to get to work.”
“You think I can go to work now? What if…” I bite my lip. What if I come home and he’s gone? I press myself closer to him. “I’m staying with you.”
He clutches my shoulders, pushing me away, not too roughly, though. “You can’t. You have to get to work. I don’t want you to get fired because of me.”
“Sebastian, you’ve just gone through something, something that might change our lives forever. And you want me to go to work? No. I’m not going to leave you. I don’t care about my job right now. I care about you.”
He doesn’t say anything, his eyes getting unfocused as though his brain left this world for a little while. A few seconds later, he blinks. “I’ve…persuaded your boss to give you the day off.”
I gape at him. “You controlled my boss?”
He pushes my head to his chest, caressing my hair. “I don’t want you to leave me, either. I’m scared.”
Hearing him say that cracks my heart into a million pieces. I’m terrified of what all of this means, but my fear can’t compare to his. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for him. To be forced to work in the Ortarian palace, to watch the prince take advantage of his sister. To try to protect her. To be punished to live hundreds of years as a genie. To be absolved of his crime and no longer be a genie. To be human.
To lose it.
Tears fill my eyes and splash down my cheeks. I need to help him, but I feel so powerless.
Chapter Twenty
We haven’t left each other’s arms. We remain sitting on the floor with my head buried in his chest. I don’t know how long we sit like this. It’s almost as if we’re afraid to move because the reality will pour over us like a tidal wave. I don’t want to deal with what’s happened. I don’t want to accept the fact that my boyfriend is a genie again. I don’t want my Sebastian to leave me.
I laugh to myself at how ironic this is. I’ve been calling him my genie ever since he came back. Little did I know that he would really be my genie again.
Sebastian’s breath is warm on my cheek, his chest rising and falling softly. I’m not sure if he’s sleeping, and don’t want to wake him. Maybe all these changes are taking a toll on his body and he needs rest.
A little while later, Sebastian shifts and opens his eyes. He takes in his golden body and he groans. “I thought it was a dream.”
I push some of his bangs out of his eyes. And that’s when I realize they’re long, just like they were when he was a genie. Were they like that a few minutes ago? I don’t think so. Is he transforming more and more into a genie? Does this mean we only have seconds together?
“I’ve been waiting to have a dream,” he continues. “But I suppose I’ll never experience it.”
“We can’t give up hope, Sebastian.”
He pushes away from me and gets to his feet. He fists his hands through his hair, tugging at the strands. His back faces me. “I don’t want this.”
“Sebastian—”
He whirls around. “You absolved me of my crime. Why am I a genie?”
I stand up and place my hand on his chest. His heart is beating wildly, as though it’s seconds away from catapulting out of his chest. “I don’t know why, but you need to relax.”
He paces around. “The king must have found out about me. The elder…the elder wasn’t as trustworthy as I thought.”
He needs to let out his emotions, but I don’t want him to explode or to hurt himself. I don’t want his pain to consume him. Resting my hand on his back, I say, “I understand you feel hurt and betrayed and upset, but you need to relax. We’ll…we’ll deal with this. I’ll fix it.”
His eyes meet mine. They’re filled with hurt and despair. He slides his fingers through mine. “I’m sorry for the way I’m behaving, Lily. But there’s no way to fix this. I’m a genie. I’ll always be a genie.”
“I don’t accept that.”
He tucks me close to his chest. “I feel it.” His voice is full of pain. “In here.” He points to his chest. “I just know I’m destined to be a genie for the rest of my life.” He laughs lightly. “No, I don’t have a life. I’m destined to be a genie for eternity.”
“That’s not true. I’m going to help you.”
He sighs, shaking his head. Hurt and some anger well up inside me. “Why are you so against this? Why won’t you try to save yourself?”
“Lily, I can feel it inside. I just know that I’m stuck being a—” He stops talking, his eyes wide. He lets out a strange sound, something between a howl and a bird’s cawing. Clutching his head, he collapses to the floor.
“Sebastian!” I’m at his side in less than a second. His eyes are shut tight
, as are his lips. He doesn’t seem to be breathing. Bending toward his chest, I don’t see it rising. When I grab his hand to check for a pulse, I feel nothing. Is he dead? “Sebastian? Oh god.” It feels like the walls are closing in and my lungs don’t seem to be working. My vision is blurry. My head starts to spin and my heart feels like someone is stabbing it with a sharp knife. Over and over and over again.
Sebastian isn’t breathing. No matter how many times I slap his cheeks and call his name, he doesn’t react. I’m about to reach for my phone to call for an ambulance, when I remember that no one will be able to see him.
Grabbing his shoulders, I shake him. “Sebastian! Please wake up.” Tears fill my eyes and splash down my face like a have a fountain behind them. “Please wake up,” I whisper.
Nothing. No movement.
I throw my arms over him, begging some more. Nothing I do seems to be working.
Am I really going to lose him?
I sit up sharply. Wishes. Wishes keep him alive. I don’t know if I’m his master, if I can help him, but I’m not going to give up.
“Sebastian, I wish for you to wake up.”
There’s no movement from him. His eyes don’t flutter. He looks like he’s dead. The tears drip down my chin, splatting on his chest.
Why won’t wishing help? Maybe I’m not his master after all. Then how am I able to see him?
Grabbing his shoulders, I shake him as hard as I can. “You can’t abandon me like this, Sebastian.”
I take his hand and give it a squeeze. It’s still warm. I press it to my cheek, feeling the silkiness of his skin. “How can I help you?”
I wrack my brain, trying to remember something—anything—that he mentioned that might help. There was a time when he told me he couldn’t do anything for himself, that he only served his master. By my wishing for him to wake up, that was doing something for him. Not for me. Does this mean I need to wish for myself?
There’s no time to waste. I blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind, “I wish for the kitchen sink to be fixed.” It’s been leaking for the past few days and I forgot to deal with it.
I stare down at my genie, looking for any sign of life. He’s still lying there like a log. The kitchen sink is still dripping. I sit back on my heels and bury my face in my hands. It didn’t work. Maybe he’s not meant to be alive. My entire body aches. I can’t…I won’t…this isn’t happening.
Loving the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 2) Page 11