Falling for the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 1)

by Stone, Dee J.

  So many negative thoughts enter my head. What Macy said about Sebastian and me and how I’m just going to get hurt. I shove them away. They’re not going to spoil this for me. I’m not going to think about it anymore. I’ll try not to.

  We resume flying through Manhattan. I’ve seen most of the city, but this point of view takes it to a whole new level. Not to mention the guy on my left who keeps giving me loving smiles. Tonight is the best night of my life. After my sister died, I never thought I’d enjoy the world again, but I do, and that’s all thanks to the genie.

  What would have happened if someone else fished his lamp out of the dumpster that night? The two of us would have never met. I know I’m going to remember him for the rest of my life. I’ve got to. It’s impossible for someone to have such an impact on my life and then just disappear. I won’t accept it.

  There I go thinking about it again. I shake my head, ridding them. Tonight is spectacular. I want him to know that.

  We approach the Statue of Liberty, circling around it before Sebastian slowly lowers us on the top of her crown. I climb onto his lap and rest my back against his chest, marveling at everything around me. The city looks so beautiful from here.

  I reach up to kiss him. “Thanks for tonight. Words can’t describe how amazing this is. How amazing you are.”

  He cups my face. “I’d do anything for you.”

  “I wish—I mean, I want to do something for you, too.”

  He shakes his head, wrapping his arms around my stomach. “You don’t need to do anything. Just be with me.”

  “This is only temporary, right?”

  He nods solemnly.

  I run my hand along his cheek. “I couldn’t have asked for a better date.” It doesn’t matter that it’s temporary. I just want to be with him.

  We remain like this, taking in the scenery and comfort in one another. It’s late, but I don’t feel a bit tired.

  “Sebastian?”

  “Hmm?” He lowers his lips to my head and kisses my temple.

  “Today with Macy, you revealed yourself to her, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  I turn to face him. “Why? I mean, how are you able to do that? I thought only your master can see you.”

  He plays with my hair. “I saw the look on your face when she talked about you seeing imaginary people. I’m able to show myself only for a split second, and if it’s to benefit my master. She’ll forget when I leave.”

  I close my mouth over his and wrap my arms around his neck. “Thank you for doing that. I know I’ve said it a million times, but thanks for looking out for me.”

  He buries his head between my neck and shoulder. “She was a little harsh when you told her we’re together.” He lifts his head, his eyes searching mine. “Are you okay?”

  I put my index finger on his lips. “We’re not talking about it. Not on this amazing night.”

  His forehead furrows, but he doesn’t say anything. Then after about a minute, “Lily, I’d like to do something else for you.”

  “You’ve done enough. Please. This is more than I could ever want.”

  With a serious look in his eyes that I can’t decipher, he takes my hand. “Do you trust me?”

  “More than anything.”

  His eyes intensify and everything gets black around us.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Opening my eyes, I take in my surroundings. Buildings that are too short to be from Manhattan, which means we’re no longer in the city. By the looks of things, I don’t think I’m even in New York. It’s dark out, but I can make out all the things around me, including the shadow standing beside me. Sebastian.

  He takes my hand and sandwiches it between his. I stare into his eyes, trying to figure out what’s going on. “Where are we?”

  He tilts his head toward an ice cream shop a few feet away. I recognize it. I’ve spent many weekends and celebrations here. We’re in California. I inch closer and peer at a newspaper sticking out of the nearby garbage bin. It’s dated…my heart skips a beat.

  The night of Daisy’s accident.

  I bring my shocked eyes to Sebastian. “You have less than five minutes,” he says softly.

  “We…we went back in time?”

  He nods. “You wouldn’t wish for it, but I needed to do this for you. You need to be quick. It’s not a wish, so it won’t last long. And I can’t do it again.”

  He did this for me. He knows how important this is for me. “Sebastian…” I want to say something to him, but I don’t think words would be enough.

  His brings my hands to his lips and kisses them. “Here it comes.” He stares off in the distance. Turning my head, I see the headlights of a car. Daisy is in there with her friends, moments before their deaths.

  This is my only shot to make things right with her.

  Sebastian steps behind me and rests his hand on my lower back. “Only she will see you.” He kisses my cheek. “Good luck.” He moves into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

  The car draws nearer. Suddenly it stops, like time’s standing still. Peering inside the car, I can see Daisy in the passenger seat, her best friend at the wheel, and two others in the back. They’re frozen in place. They all have smiles on their faces, and the driver’s mouth is open as though she’s in middle of talking.

  I’m about to go closer, when the top of the car peels away and Daisy, who is still frozen, lifts in the air. She’s lowered to the ground and blinks. She’s no longer frozen. The car and everything around us fades away. We’re left in complete darkness, except for the area we’re standing in. It’s as if a spotlight is shining on us.

  Seeing her after four months—seeing her alive—brings tears to my eyes. My chest feels tight, heavy, and I’m not sure I can hold my body up. But I’ve got to. Knowing I don’t have much time, I walk toward her. Taking one look at me, her eyebrows knit in anger. “What are you doing here?” Her voice is filled with disgust. This is taking place after she found out I had been communicating with her boyfriend. I’m her biggest enemy right now.

  “Daisy, please listen to me.”

  She crosses her arms over her chest. She makes a move to leave, but there must be an invisible wall because whenever she tries to move, she’s thrown back. “What the hell’s going on? What is this?”

  “Hear me out and you’ll be able to go,” I promise her. “Just please listen to me.”

  She taps her foot, looking anywhere but at me. I take this as a good sign. At least she’s willing to listen, instead of yelling at me like she did a few hours earlier. Well, at the me in the past.

  My legs move on their own, closing the distance between us. She doesn’t back away like I expect. She’s not disgusted with me anymore. I can see the pain and anger in her eyes, but there’s also something else in there. The way she looks at me. Like an older sis who’s always looked out for my well-being.

  “Jimmy and I aren’t together,” I tell her. “Yes, we’ve been texting and calling…” Her face tenses. I hold up my hands. “Wait. We were talking because we were planning something special for your three-year anniversary. He reached out to me because he wanted to make sure you’d love it.” I rest my hand on her arm. “He loves you, Daisy. More than anything else in the world. Please don’t be mad at him. Don’t hate him.”

  She doesn’t say anything, her lips tight as she stares at me. I can’t understand the expression on her face. If she believes me. It’s too bad I don’t have proof—I didn’t bring my phone, and I deleted the texts, anyway.

  “Daisy?” I ask. She seems to be in some sort of trance as she gazes at nothing straight ahead. I don’t know how much time I have left. I need to know if she accepts my explanation.

  She finally turns to me. “He really loves me?”

  “Of course. You’re his world.”

  She moves to me and pulls me into her arms. “And the two of you were planning a surprise for me behind my back?” I feel her exhale. “I’m such an idiot.” She draws back
and stares into my eyes. “Do you forgive me?”

  “Of course I do.”

  She smiles. “I’m going to call Jimmy right now and give him the biggest apology.” She frowns as she scans around. “So where are we? One minute I was in the car and the next…”

  We’re thrown out of our little bubble. Daisy is back in the car and I’m standing on the side. Her eyes are wide as she grips the dashboard, trying to make sense of what just happened.

  “Bye, Daisy,” I whisper.

  The car continues down the road. I can see the headlights from another car headed their way.

  Strong arms wrap around my middle and twist me away from the scene. Sebastian’s warm breath is on my cheek. “Don’t look, Lily. I wish I could take you away, but I don’t have control.”

  Tears gather in my eyes as I throw my hands over my ears, but I still hear the sounds of screeching tires, crushing metal, and screams.

  “I’m sorry,” Sebastian whispers before the entire area gets black and gusts of wind start to blow. I’m thrown toward the sky.

  I crash down on something hard. A floor. Raising my head, I find myself in my living room, right at the foot of the couch. Sebastian scoops me into his arms and cradles me on his lap. I cry on his chest as the sounds of the accident play over and over in my head.

  “I wanted to take you out earlier, so you wouldn’t have to see…” He shakes his head, his eyes getting glassy. “I’m sorry, but you had to stay the full five minutes since this wasn’t a wish.”

  I run the back of my hand across my eyes. “It’s fine. I’m glad I was able to say goodbye.”

  His hand strokes my back, soothing me. “Are you okay?”

  I nod. Even though I heard the dreadful accident and my heart is shattered, I feel like a load has been lifted off my shoulders. I’ll miss my sister forever, but at least she died knowing the truth. I kiss Sebastian’s cheek. “Thanks for doing this for me. You have no idea how much this means to me. I love you.”

  The tips of his ears redden a little. He shifts in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. I place my hand on his cheek. “What’s wrong?”

  He shakes his head. “I love you, too.” Pain conquers his face. I know he’s trying to hide it, because he gives me a fake smile.

  “Sebastian, please. What’s wrong?”

  He takes my hands in his. “I don’t want to upset or worry you, but I don’t want to keep this from you.” He swallows. “Performing such…powerful magic—without fulfilling a wish—took a bit of energy from me. Energy I need to remain here with you.”

  My heart lurches as hot liquid fills my head. “You’re…you’re going to leave me earlier than you thought.”

  He nods, his lips pressed into a tight line, his eyes filling up.

  I swallow. “How long?” I ask. He raises his shoulders helplessly. I hold him tight. “If only you discussed it with me before taking me back in time,” I whisper.

  “No. You wouldn’t have agreed. It was important to you.”

  With my face buried in his chest, I shut my eyes and think only happy thoughts. I want to push the reality away, far far away.

  “Lily,” Sebastian murmurs. “I never want to let you go.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  It’s morning. Sebastian and I fell asleep on the couch, in each other’s arms. His last words before I drifted off played over and over in my head. I don’t want to let him go, either. Ever. The fact that he used up a lot of his energy to take me back in time to see Daisy means the world to me, but I don’t like that he sacrificed some of himself. I wish he would have told me. As much as I wanted to see my sister one last time, I don’t want my time with Sebastian cut short.

  Looking to my right, I don’t find him sleeping there. Scrambling off the couch, I rush to my room to fetch the lamp, the walls of my stomach closing in. Please don’t let him be gone.

  The lamp is sitting in its usual spot on my night table. I examine it. The swirls aren’t there, which means he’s not inside. The pounding in my head and heart slows down. He’s still here. I slump against the wall to catch my breath. Then I stand up sharply. He’s not in the lamp, but he’s not in the living room, either.

  I peek into the kitchen and find him at the table, seeming to be deep in thought. He doesn’t notice me standing in the doorway, not even when a creak sounds from my feet. Is this about him leaving?

  “Sebastian?”

  He turns his head, his eyes empty and worn out, like he hasn’t slept. Has he been sitting here all night? He’s worrying me.

  Stepping closer to him, I say, “Are you okay?”

  He nods.

  I reach the table and lower myself onto the chair near him. I take his hands. They’re ice cold, as if he just stepped out of a freezer. I rub them, trying to warm them up, but his body seems to refuse to accept my warmth.

  Don’t tell me this is a sign he’s leaving…

  My throat gets stiff, like a rubber ball is rolling around inside. “Please,” I choke out. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  He slides one hand out from between mine and fingers my bottom lip. “I’m sorry,” he whispers.

  Tears enter my eyes and spill down my cheeks before I can stop them. I pull my head back, causing his hand to drop. “No. This isn’t goodbye. No.”

  “Lily—”

  “No.” The tears are so strong that I can hardly see anything. My heart is more than shattered. It’s been stepped on and smashed to bits by a herd of wild beasts. I can actually feel it bleeding inside me.

  A million thoughts attack my brain, most accusing me: why are you crying? You knew this would happen. Be strong. Accept it.

  I shake my head, shutting them out. I don’t care. I don’t care. He’s not going to leave me. He won’t.

  He takes me by the back of my neck and tilts my head so I’m looking up at him. “Not yet,” he says.

  My heart soars. Hearing him say that brings music to my ears.

  You’re just delaying the inevitable, that voice inside my head reminds me. I toss it into my mental garbage can.

  Sebastian takes my hands. He doesn’t look happy or hopeful that we still have time together, but dejected. Whatever pain he’s feeling, it’s eating him from the inside out. “Lily.” He shuts his eyes for a second. “I need to tell you something. I haven’t…” He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I haven’t been honest with you.”

  Dread fills me. “What do you mean?”

  He presses his forehead to mine. “About my life.” He strokes my cheek. “I want to tell you everything, but I’m afraid you’re going to hate me.”

  I place my hand on his, stopping his strokes. “I’d never hate you. You can tell me anything. Everything.” I kiss his hand.

  He shifts in his chair. Opens his mouth, then closes it. He looks at me, to the floor, then back at me. I’m bursting with curiosity, but I need to be patient. Whatever he has to tell me isn’t easy for him. Whatever it is, I won’t judge.

  Taking my hands again, he clears his throat, his gaze back on the floor. “The truth is, I didn’t just appear here. I was…” His eyes meet mine. “Sent.”

  “Sent?”

  He nods. “Exiled.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  He shifts again. “I come from a world called Ortarus. It’s part of Earth, but in a different dimension.”

  What?

  I open my mouth, but he holds up his hand. “Let me continue, please.”

  I nod.

  He takes another deep breath. “Ortarians look like humans, but we have magic.” He glances down at himself. “No golden skin, no tattoos. But we’re nothing like humans. Ortarus is nothing like Earth.” He stops, letting this sink in. It can’t sink in. He’s from another world? All this time I thought he was a genie who just appeared. Now I find out he’s a completely different person.

  “Humans are kind, compassionate,” he continues. “Unlike Ortarians.” He shakes his head. “The truth is, I’m happy I’m not there, b
ut I miss it.” He clears his throat, his eyes flicking to me. “I was sent to Earth because I committed a crime.” He fists his hands through his hair. “Murder.”

  My entire body grows rigid. He didn’t just say murder. He didn’t. My genie would never murder anyone. But as I gaze into his eyes, I see he’s telling the truth. My lungs feel like they’re going to burst. The room starts to spin as the words ring in my head. Murder. Murder. The guy I love killed someone.

  And I’m sitting here with him. Alone.

  “Lily…” He reaches for my hand.

  I jump to my feet and rush to the door, to get as far away from him as possible. When my hand is on the doorknob, he says, “Lily, please. Let me explain. It was an accident.” He stands up and heads toward me.

  My hand slides off the doorknob. An accident? Should I believe him? He’s never behaved violently toward me, but he could have been pretending to be a nice guy. Yet as I study his face, I see how sincere he is. I should give him a chance to explain. If I try to run, he’d catch up to me, anyway. He could have killed me all this time, but he didn’t. Why tell me the truth if all he wants is me dead? I need to hear him out. “You killed someone,” I say.

  He nods solemnly. “Yes, and I’ll tell you everything, if you’d just listen. I beg you.” His eyes fill with sadness. “I’m not going to hurt you, Lily. Trust me.”

  A large part of me does, including my heart. I nod for him to talk. He motions toward the couch, asking me to sit down. I shake my head. He seems bothered by that, but he obeys my wish and keeps a few feet between us.

  “I live in a magical world.” He forces a laugh. “One would think that’s amazing. To have magic and do whatever you want. Live however you want. With no hardships or worries. That all you have to do is snap your fingers and that’s it.” He snaps. “All your problems go away.” He stops talking as he stares at the walls in front of him. Then, “But Ortarus is a terrible place to live in.”