Loving the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 2) (11 page)

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.

I lay my head on his chest, letting the tears spill down the side of my face. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to move on without him.

A hand strokes my hair. “Lily,” Sebastian whispers.

I shoot to a sitting position and stare at him. His eyes flutter. Soon they’re open and he looks up at me. “Sebastian!” I kiss him, hard and deeply, putting everything I have into this kiss. “You’re alive.” I kiss him again, and again, as though he’s the air I desperately need.

He gently pushes me back and slowly gets to his feet. Swinging his arms, he spins around. “Your wish is my command.”

A gust of wind attacks my face, just as it did the last time I wished. Peering into the kitchen, I see that the faucet is no longer dripping.

Sebastian is standing a few feet away from me, his eyes on the floor like he’s deep in thought.

I now know two things. One, Sebastian is my genie and I am his master. Two, I used up a wish. Two more and the love of my life will leave me forever. I’m going to forget him, but he’ll remember me for the rest of his life. Absolving him of his crime didn’t seem to do anything. He’s no longer a free man.

We just stand there, each caught up in our own thoughts. Again, I feel like I’ve been transported back to a few weeks ago, to when I cried at the prospect of never seeing my Sebastian again. Never had I thought I’d be going through it again.

Sebastian heads toward me, pulling me into his arms. He doesn’t say a word, just rests his chin on the top of my head. I press myself closer to him, wanting to become one with him.

He moves his hand to the back of my neck and brings his mouth to my lips, kissing them gently. “Thanks for saving my life,” he says.

I nod, unable to talk. My throat burns as I try to hold my tears in. I don’t want to cry, don’t want to see the pain on Sebastian’s face. He’d blame himself for causing me to feel this way. It’s not his fault. It’s the universe, or the genie rules, or Ortarus. I don’t know.

“That’s one wish,” he says, so low I barely hear him. He must be thinking the same thing I did a few minutes ago: two more wishes and he’s out of here.

He shoves his hand through his hair. “I don’t understand why you’re my master again. I’ve never repeated masters.”

I don’t want to talk about this. I don’t want to deal with this. I want this nightmare to end.

“Lily?” His eyes search mine. I pull mine away, keeping my tears at bay. It feels like a building collapsed on me. This isn’t fair. I know there are worse things in the world, but is it too much to ask for some happiness?

Would I have rather not met Sebastian and saved myself this heartache? I’m not sure. I can’t imagine never knowing him, but I guess that doesn’t really matter, since I’m going to forget him when he leaves.

My phone rings. “It’s Macy.” Glancing at the time I see that it’s nearly ten. She must be wondering why I haven’t shown up to work.

“Hey, Mace.”

“Chef Charleston told me you’re not coming in today.”

“Yeah, I called in sick.”

She’s quiet for a few seconds. “What’s going on, Lil? It’s not like you to miss work unless something serious happened. Are you okay?”

Physically, yes. Mentally and emotionally? Hell no. “I’m fine,” I lie.

She’s quiet again. Then, “You’re lying. What’s wrong?”

I look at Sebastian and find his gaze pasted on mine. I can’t tell my best friend that he’s a genie again. I can’t utter those words. Because once I do, they will become real. I’m not ready to deal with that.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Hmm.” I can picture her narrowing her eyes. “What happened to telling each other everything? Why are you shutting me out?”

“Macy, some things are meant to be private.”

She groans. “I know that, but I can tell this is something big. I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I am.”

“I’m coming over after work.” She’s not asking, she’s telling, and I have no strength to argue with her. Macy does whatever she wants, especially when it comes to me. Ever since Daisy died, she’s been protective of me. I appreciate it, but I’d like my privacy, too.

“If you must,” I say. There’s no point in hiding the fact that Sebastian is a genie again. She’ll have to find out. And Mom. Oh, god. How am I going to tell her? I suppose I’ll have to lie and say that we broke up. What’s the use in her knowing about him when he’s going to leave? My stomach twists. I don’t want to think about it. I wish we could fly somewhere where we can be alone together. To stop time and spend every second of every day loving each other, never letting go.

“Hello? Lil?” Macy’s voice snaps me back to the present.

“Huh?”

“I asked if everything is okay with Sebastian? You guys didn’t get into an argument, did you?”

I peer over at him and find him sitting on the floor with his legs pushed to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. He’s staring out my bedroom window.

“No,” I tell Macy. What we’ve been through is much worse. When couples fight, they have a chance to make up, to maybe grow even closer to one another. With Sebastian’s new genie status, we don’t have a shot at anything. Just heartbreak.

“Well, something’s going on.”

I sigh. “I’m sure you’ll get all your questions answered when you come over today.”

“You bet, but the curiosity is killing me. And the worry. You really have me worried, Lily.”

“You shouldn’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Are you and Andy doing okay?” I ask, to change the subject.

“I should get back to work.” She’s avoiding the question, which must mean things aren’t okay between them. “I’ll see you.” She hangs up.

Sebastian is still staring out the window. I join him and lay my head on his shoulder. “Macy’s coming over after work. She’s like a raging bull, unable to be stopped.”

I expect him to chuckle, but he doesn’t. His eyes are still glued to the window as if he’s watching a meteor crash into the Earth’s surface.

“Sebastian? Are you okay?” Stupid question. Of course he’s not okay. Neither of us is.

He brings his hand to the back of my head and smiles sadly. “I guess we have to make the most of whatever time we have left.”

I can’t hold them any longer. The tears break free from the dam I built around my eyes and pour down my cheeks. Sebastian presses his cheek to mine, not caring that he’s getting covered in my tears. “I’ll always love you,” he whispers, his voice warm. “Forever.” He gazes into my eyes. “I may live for eternity, but my heart will belong to you. Always.”

His sweet words cause another bucket full of tears to rush down my cheeks. I don’t want to hear him say that. He shouldn’t
have
to
.
He deserves to be human, like he was before. He’s such a kind and caring person. Why should he be doomed to live as a genie forever? It isn’t fair. I wish I could take the genie rules by the throat and demand they give my Sebastian a shot at a normal life.

“You’re going to move on with your life,” Sebastian continues, his voice soft. “You’re going to get into culinary school, be a famous chef and have your own TV show.” He swallows, averting his gaze to the floor. “You’re going to meet a man who will make you happy. You’ll live a happy life.”

I thrash against his chest. “No, don’t talk like that. You’re the only one I want.”

He shakes his head. “I’m feeling weaker and weaker by the minute. It won’t be long before I leave—”

“No!”

“You’re going to forget me.”

“No!”

“You’ll find someone.”

“
No
!”

“Because you’re such an amazing person, Lily.” He cups his hands around my face. “And you’re going to find someone who will make you happy.” He rests his forehead against mine, breathing heavily. “I can find the perfect guy for you, if you want.”

“No. I want you.”

Pain flashes across his face. “I don’t want to cause you any pain. You need to…” He shuts his eyes. “You need to forget about me.”

I grab him but the front of his shirt, but since he doesn’t have a shirt, all I manage to do is run my hand across his chest. “I’m going to find a way to turn you human.”

“It’s not possible.”

“You don’t know that!”

He shrinks back, like I slapped him across the face. I didn’t mean to yell, I just feel so lost and helpless. There
has
to be a way to save him.

“I’m sorry, Sebastian,” I say.

He envelops me in his arms. “It’s okay. I know that all of this is causing you pain, and I’m terribly sorry.”

“Causing
me
pain? You’re going to remember me for the rest of your life. You’re going to watch me move on. Get married, have kids.” I stroke the side of his head. “I can’t bear how much that will hurt you.”

He doesn’t say anything, his eyes on the window.

“Maybe one day down the line you’ll meet someone else. Maybe she’ll help you get rid of your genie curse.”

His gaze moves to mine. “I’m never going to meet another girl. I love you. I always will.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.”

Tears fill my eyes again. It’s not fair. Why should he be the only one to remember? I don’t want to move on with another guy. Have a future with someone else. I want a life with Sebastian.