He gets to his feet. “I think you have more pictures in that shelf over there. I’ll go get them.”
“Sebastian…”
He’s back with a stack of photos and lowers himself near me. He doesn’t say anything as he flips through the pictures, his eyes filled with intrigue. I know there are many embarrassing pictures of me growing up, but I can’t think about that now.
I place my hand on his. He looks at it, then at me. “What is it?”
I tuck my hair behind my ear. This is the moment of truth. “I met someone. Today at the mall.”
He doesn’t respond. No emotion is registered on his face.
“A guy,” I continue. “Max. We exchanged numbers. Does that bother you?”
His eyebrows crease. “Bother me?”
I nod.
“Why would it?”
“Well because….” I start, then stop. His eyes flash with indifference. “Never mind.” I don’t understand. If he doesn’t care, why did he change the subject when I brought up the prom?
“I’m happy for you,” he says, smiling. I’m not sure if it’s forced.
When I’m lying in bed wide awake a few hours later, I make up my mind. As much as my heart spins when I think about Sebastian, the truth is it’s only a fantasy. Sebastian is a genie. He’s not human. He doesn’t really exist. It’d be silly for me to chase him. Besides, he made it seem like he doesn’t care. Maybe that’s true, since he’s not a real person. Although a part of me suspects he’s hiding his true feelings. Either way, he knows just as well as I do that we can’t be together. I’m going to finish up my wishes and he’s going to leave.
I’ve only known Max for a short while, but he seems like a nice guy. He has a cute smile, and he listened to everything I said, even though it probably bored him to death.
I’m going to have to push my feelings for Sebastian aside and give Max a shot. As much as that hurts, it’s better for the both of us.
Chapter Twelve
Max asks me out and I say yes. We’re at the beach, strolling along the boardwalk. The weather is nice today, not too hot. Perfect for a first date. Max has made me laugh more times than I can count and he seems very interested in my thoughts and opinions. In my life. I haven’t told him about Daisy or Mom yet, but I hope to as we grow closer.
“I owe Andy, big time,” he says as we stop for hotdogs.
“For what?”
“For introducing us.” He smiles, displaying those deep dimples. “Truth is, I wasn’t so into the idea of dating. I just came out of a hard break up. But I’m really glad I put myself out there and met you, Lily. If not for this I’d probably be home, blowing up some zombies.” He chuckles, shaking his head.
If not for this, I’d be home hanging out with Sebastian. I push that thought aside. I won’t think about him right now.
“I’m sorry about your break up,” I say.
He nods. “I try not to think about it.”
This is a little awkward. Here we are on our first date and we’re talking about his ex. Is it any different than my thinking about Sebastian? We both need to move on and forget about the people we can’t be with. Maybe we can do that by getting to know each other.
“So you like zombies?” I ask as we continue walking. There are many people around, families with kids who bump into us as they chase each other. Max ruffles a little boy’s head as he accidentally crashes into him.
“Yeah, I do.” He smiles. “I used to chase my older brother like that. My family would come to the beach every Sunday when the weather was nice.”
“Sounds like fun.” My mother couldn’t take us to many places because she was constantly working, but we always had fun, even when doing chores. Daisy made a game out of everything. Max looks at me like he expects me to talk about my family. I’m not ready for that yet.
“I don’t really like zombies,” I say instead. “I might be a cliché girl, but I like romance.”
He nods, “You’d like a guy to be romantic with you. Got it.” He winks.
I laugh a little. We get quiet and the only sounds are the kids’ yells.
“I love kids,” Max says as he watches them run around. “I’d like to be a pediatrician.”
“That’s really nice.”
He nods, smiling again. “When I was younger, I used to love watching documentaries on medicine. When my friends were watching superhero movies, I was watching doctor shows on TV. I was just so intrigued by medicine and I knew I wanted to go into that field. In high school, I volunteered in the pediatrics department in the hospital near my house and I knew that’s where I belong.”
He has such high hopes and dreams. He’s making me feel inspired, and all I want is to get to know him better.
We continue walking in silence before he asks, “What’s your favorite dish?”
“To cook or eat?”
“Both.”
I laugh. “I love making everything, but my favorite is…hmm…”
“Pasta,” we say at the same time, then laugh. His eyes sparkle. Is he wondering what else we have in common? Because I sure am.
We walk on, talking about restaurants we’ve eaten at, a little about work. “Maybe, I can take you out to see a movie, if you’d like.”
He wants to go out with me again? My insides fill with excitement, but my heart doesn’t flutter. It worries me, of course, but maybe we need more time. Maybe without all these people around. Maybe I’ll need to open myself a bit more. I hope to be ready soon. I don’t know why it was so easy with Seb—no, I won’t think about that now.
“Okay,” I say.
After the boardwalk, we sit on the sand for a bit before going for a swim. Max isn’t a very good swimmer, so he doesn’t stay in there for too long. I decide not to leave him alone, and we end up sitting back on the sand and talking. He tells me more about his family and his childhood, places he’s visited. How he got that scar on his forehead from a fishing accident when he was ten. He tells me his older brother lives in Queens and he’s married with two kids.
“I’d want a large family one day,” he says.
I give him a small smile as a sinking feeling comes over me. I’m not ready to think about, let alone talk about, having kids. What would I tell mine when they ask about their other grandmother—my mom? Would I have to lie and tell them she’s dead?
“So Andy tells me you grew up in California?” he asks.
I scrunch some sand between my fingers. He’s just asking a general question. There’s no need to freak out yet. I don’t have to spill out my life’s story right now.
“Yeah.”
“What brought you to New York?”
The truth is I needed to get away. Daisy died and Mom was practically a zombie. She wanted nothing to do with me. Since Macy is going to go to school here, I figured I’d go along with her, get a job, and try to get into culinary school.
I shrug. “Why not New York?”
He gazes at me for a bit. Does he sense I’m not being straight with him? He breaks his stare and focuses on the swimmers.
I can’t do this. I can’t sit here with this nice guy and pretend everything is okay with me. “There’s a lot of…crap that happened in California,” I say. “Things I’m not ready to talk about yet.”
He nods. “I get that.”
The conversation shifts to other things, like school, work, current events. When Max drops me off at my apartment and I say good night, he takes my hands, stopping me.
“Is it okay if I kiss you?” he asks.
Of course it’s okay. I wish he wouldn’t ask, though. In all the movies I watch, the best moment is when the guy and girl kiss, especially when the girl doesn’t expect it. I know Max and I aren’t in a romance movie, but I want to be surprised.
“You don’t have to ask,” I tell him. “Just do it.”
His face reddens and he massages the back of his neck. “I know, I don’t normally ask, but Macy advised me not to rush into anything, and you said a lot of crap happene
d back home. I didn’t want to overwhelm or upset you.”
I smile and pull him close to me. When our lips touch, all I feel is just that—his lips. A warm feeling doesn’t enter my body. Chills don’t rush up and down my spine. Nothing. It’s as though I’m kissing my male friend. It’s nice, but it doesn’t move me. Not like Sebastian’s did. But that’s sure as hell not a reason to end things. I’m positive that with time, I’ll melt into a puddle when we kiss.
When I pull off, I catch a shadow at the window. Black hair and golden skin. Sebastian.
Max rests his palm on the side of my neck. “I’ll call you.”
My eyes don’t leave the window. He was watching. Why? I need to talk to him about this. About us.
“I had a great time.”
He grins. “Me, too.”
***
“Is that him?” Sebastian asks once I enter the living room, where he’s watching a game show. He doesn’t look at me.
I sit down near him. “Yeah.”
He doesn’t respond, and I can’t understand the expression on his face. I need to know if he has feelings for me. I had a great time with Max, but that was it. If kissing Sebastian stirred something deep inside me, I need to know if there’s something there before I make a decision regarding Max. It wouldn’t be fair to string him along when my heart might belong to someone else.
“We need to talk about what happened at prom,” I say. “About the kiss and what it…meant.”
His gaze moves to me. “It meant nothing.”
A knot forms in my stomach. “What?”
There’s no expression on his face. His eyes are as cold and hollow as ever. “What happened at your prom meant nothing. I just gave you a magical night. That’s it.”
I don’t believe him. The kiss meant something to him. I know it did. “You’re lying.”
He shakes his head.
“You’re lying,” I say louder.
He shakes his head again. “I told you I don’t have needs. I don’t feel things like humans do.”
“You felt something that night.”
He just stares at the TV.
I take his hand. He pretends not to notice. “Tell me that whatever this is…whatever happened means something,” I say. “Please.”
He looks at me. Gazes at me for what feels like minutes before talking slowly, letting each word sink in. “I just wanted to give you a magical night, that’s all. It didn’t mean anything. You don’t mean anything.”
That should be it. I should accept his words and try to move on and see if I can have something special with Max. But deep down, I don’t want to accept this. I saw the way Sebastian looked at me. I felt his heart pound. For some reason, he’s keeping his true feelings hidden.
“The day after prom,” I say, “when I brought up the kiss, you changed the subject. Because you felt something. Don’t deny it.”
“I didn’t feel anything. I stopped you before you turned it into something it’s not. Before you could grow attached.” He swallows. “Like you’re doing now.” I’m about to say something, but he narrows his eyes. “It meant nothing, Lily. Nothing.”
He can say it over and over, but his words are false. I understand what he’s doing. Whether we like it or not, we can’t have a future together. I know that. I just wanted him to admit he felt something. The way he’s behaving, his cold attitude, confirms that.
As much as it hurts, it’s better this way. Because if I grow close to him, it’ll be harder to let him go. What we had—short as it was—was special, something I’ll remember forever. But it wasn’t real. Max is real. He’s great. He’s someone I could have a shot with.
I clear my throat. “Do you want me to finish up my wishes?”
He breaks his gaze from the TV, and I see emotions in his eyes. Pain. Loss. He knows what we’ve just done, and he feels. “No, not unless you need to. Don’t rush your wishes.”
I nod.
“But I’ll remain in my lamp and get out of your way.” He stands and turns toward my room.
“Seb—”
He faces me. “No, Lily. We can’t be friends. I am the genie and you are my master. That’s all it can ever be.”
Chapter Thirteen
On Friday night, Max and I head to my place for dinner after he picks me up from work. I don’t have a car yet, so he’s been doing all the driving. He wanted to go out, but I suggested cooking something for us, and he jumped at the opportunity. I’m nervous to cook for him, but also excited.
At my apartment, I stab my key into the lock and shove the door open. Max and I walk inside, and he looks around. “Cozy,” he says. “Very homey. I like it.” He walks deeper inside, to the living room. “It seems very you.”
“Thanks.” I say. It’s not much, just some furniture and posters of chefs and dishes. And some of my favorite romance books and movies.
Sebastian must hear the noise because he comes out of my room. When he sees Max is here, I expect him to return to his lamp. He doesn’t, just stares at the stranger in the house, crossing his arms over his chest and scanning him from head to toe. He twists his nose, but doesn’t say a word.
Is he…jealous? He can’t be. He shouldn’t be. Because that would just confuse me more and cause me to re-explore what I feel for him, and I don’t want to do that when I’m with Max. Max, a guy I could possibly have a future with. Not with a genie who isn’t real and will leave me one day. A genie who made it perfectly clear that he doesn’t even want to be friends.
“I’ll start dinner,” I tell Max.
“Thanks, I’m starving.” He pats his stomach. “There’s something you should know about me, Lily. I’m always hungry. I’ve even won a few eating competitions. Not to brag.” He flashes a grin.
Sebastian snorts.
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll just be one minute. Need to go to my room to get something.” I gesture to the couch and chairs. “Please make yourself comfortable.”
“Any way I can help?”
“No, that’s okay.”
When I’m sure Max isn’t looking, I motion for Sebastian to follow me. “What are you doing?” I hiss.
He holds his hands up like he has no idea what I’m talking about.
“Stop snorting at him and giving him funny looks,” I say. “And please stay in your lamp.” I don’t want him to see me on my date. Not only will he make me nervous, but it’s not fair to Max. Not to mention I don’t want to see the jealous—if it is jealousy—look in his eyes.
“Sure thing, Master.”
“Don’t call me that.”
He’s about to say something, when Max calls my name, asking if everything is okay. I tell Sebastian to behave, then get started on dinner. I’m making mushroom soup and a pasta dish I used to make with my mom. Although it hurts, it’s a dish I love and hope Max will, too.
He once again offers to help, but I tell him it’s fine because I want to surprise him. The truth is, I knew this would be hard and I don’t want Max to see the tears in my eyes. He’d ask questions and I’m not yet ready to talk.
Once the food is done, I call Max into the kitchen and we start eating. I don’t want to stare at him, waiting for feedback, but I can’t help it. Not that many people have tasted my food. If Max doesn’t like the way I cook, that’s not a good sign.
I shove the negative thoughts away. No more being insecure.
“It’s good,” he says. “You’re a great cook.”
“Thanks.”
I’m a little disappointed because Sebastian gave me a bigger compliment. But Max isn’t Sebastian and I can’t compare them.
He’s gobbling the whole thing down, and the disappointment weighing me down lifts. “You’re an amazing cook, Lily.”
My cheeks warm. “Thanks.”
As we continue eating, Sebastian enters the kitchen. He takes one look at Max and his eyes fill with something. It looks like…pain. Could he be remembering the time we ate together and he got sick? Does it bother him that he can’t taste m
y food again?
I don’t understand him. What’s he doing? Didn’t we decide we’d keep our distance from each other?
Sebastian circles Max, studying him close. The expression on his face shifts to humor as he picks up a fork from the table and waves it around. Max nearly chokes on his food as he stares at the floating utensil. Sebastian drops it to the floor with a clatter.
Max gapes at the fork. “What was that?”
“What?” I ask, glaring at Sebastian, who’s leaning against the wall. He raises his hands innocently. He knows I can’t say a word to him without Max thinking I’ve lost my mind, talking to an invisible person.
Max follows my gaze and his eyebrows knit. “What are you staring at?”
I want to tell the genie to quit it, but I can’t. “Nothing,” I say. “The wind must have blown the fork on the floor.”
He shakes his head. “No, it floated in the air. I’m sure of it.”
I shrug. “I just saw it crash to the floor.”
He seems to be thinking about my words. After a bit, he laughs like he can’t believe what he’s saying. “Yeah, I must have imagined it.”
Sebastian chuckles from his corner. I glare at him again.
We move on to the pasta. Just like with the soup, Max tells me it’s good and starts to devour it. Sebastian grabs the edge of the table and shakes it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we’re having an earthquake. Max must think the same thing because he shoots up, grabs my arm, and pulls me under the table. He buries his head in his knees, rocking back and forth, muttering it’s an earthquake. As if that’s not enough, Sebastian takes a fork and scratches it against a plate. He also must be using his magic to cause the windows to open and shut.
“This isn’t an earthquake,” I assure Max. “Trust me. I know all about them. And that noise…it’s from outside.”
He shakes his head quickly. I stick my head out from under the table and find Sebastian leaning on the same wall with a smug smile on his face. What he’s doing is so immature. I’m convinced he’s jealous. He won’t admit that he feels something for me, yet he ruins my date? “Stop it,” I mutter.
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