Owen nodded, and Luke replied. "You’re very welcome, Destiny."
Being washed by a man was a weird thought to linger on. It was something Phillip would have never done, that's for sure, which lead to me assuming it was a thing no man would do voluntarily.
Luke immediately changed that viewpoint, helping me wash up without a second thought, before he assisted with my disastrous hair. It was so bad that I urged him just to cut it, but he wouldn't have any of that.
Jeremiah had returned with cherry detangler, and he was wearing a new set of Givenchy clothes, which meant either Cole had returned or Jeremiah had gone and gotten them himself.
After a good 45 minutes of slowly working his way through my hair, Luke was finished. He made sure it was tangle free, combed out, and thoroughly washed with cherry shampoo and conditioner that Jeremiah had also picked up.
During my time relaxing in the bath, Owen had brought a small plate of finger food. It wasn't anything crazy--a bit of crackers, cheese, fruits like strawberries and grapes, and small bits of bread--but I devoured it all and drank a bottle of water.
They had to encourage me to slow down, but it warmed my bitter heart that they even cared whether I ate or choked. By the time I was clean and full, I couldn't fight off the urge to sleep as I nodded in and out of consciousness.
When I opened my eyes briefly, I was in a silky pink pajama set and being carried to my bed by Luke. He lowered me onto the bed, and I thought he'd go away and leave now that the task was done, but he simply removed the gold sash off his chest and crawled in next to me.
He cradling me into a side hug with my head rested against his chest, and I immediately relaxed. I didn't know what words to say, or how to even express my gratitude to these men who had just met me.
They had come when I needed them the most and I couldn't thank them enough. The word just didn't emphasize HOW grateful I was for their kindness that no common person at my workplace or even town would’ve dared to show me.
"Thank you." I choked trying to get the words out, hoping I wouldn't burst into tears once more. I was tired of crying and the stinging in my eyes. Not to forget my headaches as well.
"Don't you worry about it, Pinky. Just sleep. We aren't going anywhere. We'll be here when you wake up," Luke assured me.
"No matter how long?"
"No matter how long," he vowed.
I opened my eyes just slightly, enough to see his warm smile. I glanced around the room and saw the others’ softened expressions, which gave me enough relief to let my eyes finally close.
The last thing I heard was Cole's icy words.
"Whoever took her away from our world is going to pay when I get my hands on them. That will be a wish I'll make come true."
"Granny. Why does this lamp mean the world to you?"
I held the gold lamp in my hands, my wide eyes staring at it like it was a valuable toy that only I got the chance to touch. I was sitting on Grandma's lap, the two of us enjoying the rocking chair on the porch and watching the stars up in the night sky.
Turning my head to look over my shoulder, my gaze found my grandma’s gentle brown eyes and she smiled brightly at me.
"It has many many memories, my sweet Destiny. When your granny was having a hard time, that was what helped me."
"A lamp? It helped you, Granny?" I asked, unsure how something as simple as a gold lamp helped my tough and brave grandma.
"It did. It gave me a place to call home and allowed me to find where I really belong."
"Granny, will I ever find where I belong? It's not here...is it?"
Grandma's smile widened, and my lips curved up to match her happy expression with my own.
"Not quite. You're too kind for this world.But one day, Destiny, you'll find where you belong and feel right at home. You will have a happy ending."
"Like in fairy tales!"
Grandma laughed sweetly and nodded. "Just like fairy tales," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a tight hug.
I giggled and squeezed her tight too. "You're the best, Granny. I love you."
"And I love you, Destiny. One day, you'll make other’s wishes come true."
* * *
"I want out."
"Oh, stop complaining, Mr. Shut The Fuck Up. Admit you're loving this! I should take pictures."
"Take a picture and I'll burn that Givenchy walking closet of yours so fast you'll wish you never pressed that snap button."
"That's just rude."
"That's Vengeance for you. You gotta admit, they do look good together.
"When Cole's asleep and not having his resting asshole face on. Destiny looks adorable when she's asleep."
"She's beautiful when she's awake."
"She's awake now, so can I leave?"
"You always say she's awake when she's not."
"Your instincts suck balls."
"Stop being grumpy. Any normal Jinn would be a happy mother fucker getting to be a cuddle pillow."
"I don't want to be anyone's pillow."
"But you are now."
"I'm burning your house down."
"You always want to burn his house down."
"Because he's an idiot."
"Just admit I grind your gears. You love it though. That's why we're friends."
"We AREN'T friends."
"Alright, Vengeance. We all know you wanna keep that ego of yours."
"Fuck off, Magnificent."
"I wonder what type of Jinn she is."
"Kindness or something. I don't think I'd be able to handle being in this room and watching everything play out the way it did."
"Humbly so."
"She's awake. I'm going away."
"Don't move, stupid Cole. You'll wake her up!"
"Your annoying loud voice is going to wake her up."
"That’s nothing compared to your vibrating chest, which reminds me. Again, why aren't you wearing a shirt?"
"Because it's fucking hot!"
"You two get loud when you argue."
"They're just going to wake poor Destiny up."
"She. Is. Awake."
I tightened my arms around something warm and the voices stopped talking for a moment.
"See? You ALMOST woke her up."
"Oh, for fuck’s sake."
"Don't move, you idiot."
"I wanna go home."
"Stop acting like a baby. She's so comfy cuddling with you."
"Look. I got a picture."
"Oh, fuck no!"
My eyes opened slowly, and as I lifted my head up, I saw a scowl on a man with silver eyes. Galaxy silver eyes.
"Grumpy Galaxy Eyes..." I mumbled, my eyes beginning to close.
"Ugh. My name is Cole. Not Grumpy Galaxy Eyes or Mr. Shut The Fuck Up if you're going to bring that up."
I nodded and laid back down, resting my head on his rather comfortable chest. "Okay. Grumpy Galaxy Cole." The room was silent, and I was already beginning to doze off.
"Guess he lost his chance of running away. I'm gonna get us food, you want anything, Grumpy Galax-FUCK!"
"Cole, don't burn the hotel room."
"Especially with us in it!"
"Or you're paying for it."
"Just shut it and be useful elsewhere."
I smiled a little bit in my half-asleep state. I didn't want to admit it, but whoever these voices were, they were really funny.
With that thought, I fell back to sleep.
* * *
"Destiny? Wake up, Pinky."
My eyes slowly opened and found a pair of blue ones staring back at me.
"Luke?" I croaked out. As I glanced around, I wondered what time it was. The room was pretty dark, so it must have either been late at night or super early in the morning. Either way, I didn't feel super refreshed, but I certainly felt better than the last week without sleep.
"At least you remembered." He grinned.
I noticed two important things: I was still in the hotel room, and I was spra
wled across a very chiseled chest.
Peeking up at the face that belonged to the chest, my gaze alighted on a sleeping Galaxy Eyes. He's Cole, right? He's asleep. Wait...was I cuddling him this whole time? What time is it?
I turned my focus back on Luke, who still had that wonderful grin on his face, and he nodded. "Let's not wake Mr. Grumpy."
I nodded my understanding and very slowly maneuvered out of Cole's supremely comfortable hold. You wouldn't think from his harsh, cold outlook that he'd be a good cuddler.
When I crawled to the end of the bed, Luke rose from where he had been situated near the lamp, and made his way to where I was, outstretching his hands to help me. With his assistance, I got off the bed and I glanced back at Cole. He mumbled something and rolled over, falling back to sleep with ease.
Luke chuckled quietly. "Thank goodness he's a deep sleeper. Why don't we go downstairs and get you some food? You haven't eaten in a while."
I peered down at my pajamas, which were now gold with pink trimming. I swear I was wearing pink before. "In pajamas?"
"Ah. Close your eyes."
"Are you gonna do some cool magic?" I asked with a hint of excitement.
He smirked and nodded. "A tiny bit, but it only works when you close your eyes."
My eyes closed, and I heard a snap of his fingers. My body felt warm, but it was a comforting sensation that made me want to giggle and be happy for a few seconds.
"Okay."
I opened my eyes and I wore a simple pink dress with white ankle socks and pink slippers. A quiet giggle escaped me. "I haven't dressed up like this since I was a kid."
"But from your joyous expression, you love it." Luke winked, and I nodded quickly.
"Really love it."
"Let's get you some food."
We headed outside the hotel room, which I noticed was super clean compared to what I remembered of it.
As we waited for the elevator, I nervously fidgeted with my hands.
"What's wrong?"
I gave Luke a sheepish smile. "I haven't really been outside of my hotel room for a while, and I'm kinda scared someone will recognize me… you know? The dead me," I whispered, looking at my pink slippers as I tried not to freak out.
I'd always been a confident person, but this whole ordeal had made me both insecure and afraid of being in public. One wrong move and I could be the talk of the town.
Destiny's ghost haunting Hotel 901. I bet they would investigate that for weeks compared to the one hour they spent on my own "death" scene. If they even spent one hour.
Luke nodded and reached out for my hand, enfolding my left hand in a firm grip. The elevator opened, and I was thankful that it was empty.
We walked in and Luke faced me. "Close your eyes again," he instructed.
I did exactly that, knowing he must have thought of something to help me out. I felt the strands of my hair grow warm and begin to move as if I was using a blow dryer.
Not even ten seconds went by before Luke spoke. "You can open them now."
Opening my eyes, I noticed my image in the elevator mirrors and a broad smile formed on my face at my new look. My long hair was the same length, but it was now completely purple. The roots were lavender, and as it flowed down it shifted to a gorgeous pink, almost like a mixture of cotton candy pink to magenta, which automatically gave me unicorn vibes.
Instead of being loose, my hair was braided and had the perfect gold jewelry interwoven in the purple-pink strands, making my smile widen even more. For a long time, I'd never really felt super pretty, even when I dressed up for holiday parties or events, but with my braided hair, simple dress, and white sock slipper combo, I felt beautiful in my own skin.
What was most mesmerizing, was my bright green eyes.
They shifted from a dark emerald green to a lime green with hints of gold and even blue, which would make people think I wore contacts.
My skin was a little less tan than usual, which could have been due to sitting in the hotel with barely any sunshine, but it fit my overall look. Though, it did make me feel like a foreigner.
"Wow. Purple to pink hair? How did you get it braided so nicely? And my eyes! Wait. Don't I stand out more? I do feel really pretty."
Luke smirked and lifted my hand to his lips, shutting me right up when those smooth gorgeous lips pressed against the back of my hand. "You are beautiful, Destiny. Don't let anyone, including yourself, tell you otherwise."
The elevator stopped and the doors opened before I could reply. Luke smiled as he lowered our joined hands, but he didn't let go. As we exited the elevator and turned left, I looked at our clasped hands and smiled as well.
My gaze swept over him and I noticed that Luke was wearing casual clothing, dressed in dark red jeans and a simple white top with red patterned dots. His ginger hair was combed to one side, and I already wanted to take another look at his face to enjoy those beautiful freckles of his.
We reached a room with a table full of food, and I saw the person named Jeremiah in yet another Givenchy jumpsuit. Next to him sat the strawberry blond Owen, who was in the middle of eating a slice of cake. He had donned a pair of simple black shorts and a red top with the words GET AT ME on it.
Their gazes lifted as we entered the room and their facial expressions brightened when they saw me.
"Damn, Pinky. You were hot before, but you're super hot now." Jeremiah grinned.
"You look well rested," Owen added.
"Thanks," I replied and gave them a small smile. "Uh...I didn't really introduce myself properly."
Jeremiah smiled, and Owen had a kind expression on his face, the both of them rising to their feet.
"Well, its bad manners that we didn't introduce ourselves either," Jeremiah noted.
"I did introduce myself, thank you very much, " Luke mumbled, letting go of my hand to grab us some food.
"Aside from Humble over there, we completely forgot. Our apologies." Jeremiah bowed his head.
Owen followed suit and bowed his head before he glanced around the quiet room. "Where's Grumpy Galaxy?"
"Oh, please tell me we're sticking with that nickname?! Pinky did a good job with that one."
"Me?" I didn't remember calling Cole Grumpy Galaxy at all.
"He's sleeping," Luke replied as he came back with a little plate of fruit, crackers, and cheese.
The sight immediately made me realize how hungry I was, and I looked up at Luke as if to ask for permission to take one of the plates.
He nodded and offered me both plates to choose.
I briefly darted my gaze between the two of them and took both without hesitating.
Jeremiah chuckled, and Owen sighed.
"Yup, I like her."
"You like anyone who loves food as much as you," Luke noted with a wide smile.
Owen shrugged. "I won't deny that. Food is life."
"And he'd never gain a damn pound! Watch me eat a damn cake and gain 50lbs within the hour. I wouldn't even fit in my jumpsuits anymore." Jeremiah’s exaggerated and dramatic speech had me giggling.
"How many suits do you have?"
"He has a good thousand in one of his many houses," Owen stressed, and Jeremiah rolled his eyes.
"You're just hating because I bought the jumpsuit YOU wanted. I was thinking of being a good Samaritan and letting you have it, but I changed my mind."
"I don't need your jumpsuits dosed in that nasty Axe cologne."
"I do NOT use Axe fucking BOY spray," Jeremiah snapped, looking insulted. "Don't embarrass me in front of Destiny."
I laughed and sat down in the single chair that faced the sofa Jeremiah and Owen had been sitting on.
"Axe smells horrible. Every teen boy had it and stunk up the high school halls for weeks."
"Exactly! I won't be compared to a teen trend," Jeremiah vowed.
"Uh huh. Can I finish my cake now or you want a slice? Oh wait, that 50lbs may hit you before the sun rises. My bad."
"Fuck you!" Jeremiah punched his shoulde
r and Owen just laughed.
Watching the two of them interact made me realize they must be really close friends. Luke walked over to stand between them and they reached out to ruffle his hair in greeting.
"You really can't introduce yourself without Cole," Luke pointed out.
"Why not?" I asked.
"He'd get butthurt and feel all lonely and shit." Jeremiah shrugged.
"Then he'd mumble all day long on how he's going to kill us in our sleep. It's totally spooky." Owen shivered just talking about it.
"Stop talking shit behind my back."
I looked over my shoulder and spotted Cole walking towards us wearing a pair of black joggers and a white shirt, which fit him like a glove and ensured everyone could see the lines of his muscles. His navy blue hair was messy in the typical bedhead style, which told me he'd just woken up.
"We weren't talking shit. It's plain fact." Jeremiah’s lips quirked up in a smirk.
"Just woke up?" Luke questioned, amusement lacing his tone.
"You said you wouldn't let me sleep." Cole’s whine caused my face to break out in a grin. His galaxy eyes lowered to see my smile, and he groaned. "Why is she so happy?"
"Because she gets to eat two plates of food." Owen chuckled.
I decided to nod, not wanting to admit that I was smiling at how cute Cole sounded when he complained. It was like seeing a giant whine about being too tall. So cute. Returning my focus to my food, I began to dig in while Cole grumbled something like 'I'm still tired' and moved over to grab some food.
Owen, Jeremiah, and Luke lowered their frames onto the sofa. Owen snatched bits from Luke's plate while Jeremiah relaxed back into the navy-blue cushion, putting his hands to rest behind his head.
By the time Cole had gotten some food, most of it similar to what Luke had chosen, the only option he had was to sit in the seat that was next to mine.
I blinked slowly at the sight of my empty plates before shifting my gaze to Cole's two rather tempting plates.
The others chuckled and snickered, and Cole groaned but offered me one of his plates. I beamed and reached out to take it before I lifted my eyes to meet his.
"Thank you," I said earnestly.
He nodded, but for a second I swore he was an inch away from blushing. Must get him to show more emotions than that resting asshole face.
Wish For Me (Destiny Jinn Series Book 1) Page 4
