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

From the look on Sebastian’s face, I can tell he’s still thinking about Renaya. Her death is new to him, and he’s just learning to cope with it. For hundreds of years, he held onto the hope that she was alive. When I wished him home, things got a little messed up. Instead of bringing him back to Ortarus before his sister died, it brought him to right after. He couldn’t save her. To learn she killed herself only moments before he returned must have crushed him. I was in his shoes four months ago, after Daisy died. Other than my best friend, Macy, I had no one to comfort me. I’m going to be there for Sebastian. This is all my fault, since I was the one who absolved him of his crime and caused Renaya to kill herself. I feel so guilty and wish I could undo it all. I wish Sebastian could go back in time and save his sister. Then he’d bring her here and she wouldn’t set foot in that terrible Ortarus again.

He and I are sitting at the kitchen table, eating pancakes. Sebastian isn’t, though, he’s just staring at his plate.

“Sebastian?” I ask.

He blinks. “I’m sorry.”

I rub my thumb over his hand. “I want you to know that I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you. And I’m sorry for everything that happened. I blame myself.”

He shakes his head. “Please don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault. You’re such a special person, Lily. I don’t want to constantly beat myself up over everything that happened, no matter how difficult it is.” He swallows.

“It’s going to take some time.”

“I want to be happy with you.”

I bring his hand to my mouth and kiss it. “It’s okay. Take all the time you need.”

He shakes his head again. “It’s like you said, the guilt is going to consume me. I need to accept that it happened and move on. I can’t change the past, and Renaya wouldn’t want me to wallow like this.” He eyes the pancakes on his plate. “These look delicious.” He cuts a piece and slowly, hesitantly, like he’s afraid the pancakes will eat him alive, he brings it to his mouth and takes a bite. His eyes light up. “Even better than delicious!”

I smile, feeling my cheeks warm up. “Thanks.”

His eyes narrow as he examines the pancakes. “What are those things?”

“Chocolate chips.”

“I’ve heard of them. Aren’t they used for cookies?”

He’s so adorable when he asks questions about the human world. I really love teaching him and watching the excitement shine on his face. “You can pretty much do anything with chocolate chips. I love being creative in the kitchen. Mom and I used to experiment a lot.” After we left the alley outside Inferno yesterday, I told Sebastian that I reached out to my mom and that we’ve started talking again.

“I’m going to visit her next week,” I tell him. “She and I have an appointment to see a therapist to help us deal with Daisy’s death. I’d love for you to come along so you can meet her. She’ll love you.”

He shifts in his seat. “I need to get used to the fact that people can see me. For hundreds of years, it was always only one person who I was visible to—my master.” He furrows his eyebrows and looks down at himself. “That’s strange. I have this weird feeling in my stomach at the thought of meeting your mother.”

“That’s probably nerves.”

He looks down at himself again. “Is that normal?”

As a genie, he never felt human emotions, up until he met me. I’m sure he’s been nervous before, but the nerves he’s feeling now is something completely new. I’d be freaking out too if he asked me to meet his parents.

When I think about his mom and dad, I can’t help but get angry. They handed Sebastian and his sister to the palace just so they could up their status in the Ortarian society. If anyone’s to blame for what happened to Renaya, it’s them.

I get up and sit on his lap. “It’s totally normal, but I wish you wouldn’t be nervous.”

“How do you know she’ll love me?”

I tap his nose. “Because you’re awesome.”

His cheeks redden. It was harder to see him blush when he was a genie. His skin would change into a lighter shade of gold. Now that he’s human and has light skin, I can see it perfectly. As much as I loved him as a genie, I love that he’s human and that I notice things I hadn’t before.

We finish eating. Today is Saturday, and luckily I don’t have to go in to work today. The thought of being away from Sebastian after he just came back? Hell no. I want to spend every second of every day with him, even though I know that’s impossible.

I get up and am about to collect the dishes, when Sebastian says, “Let me clean up.”

“It’s okay.”

“Please, Lily. You made the food. I want to help you.”

I want to argue, but decide not to. It seems silly to fight over something as stupid as chores. “Okay.”

He smiles crookedly as he raises his hands. My eyes pop open when all the dirty dishes float in the air. He has magic. I completely forgot. Even though he’s human, he comes from a magical world and still has some magic.

In a straight line, the dishes head for the sink, where they’re washed and rinsed with soap and water. I don’t have a dishwasher, and I’m really glad my genie has magic.

“Cheater,” I tease. “I don’t think that’s very human-like.”

He chuckles, pulling me to his lap. He wraps his arms around my waist and presses his lips to the side of my neck. “But now we have more time to do this.” He brings his lips down to the back of my neck, around to the other side. He stops right in front of my mouth, hovering a few inches away. His eyes bore into mine, so deep and intense. They’re like a dark ocean, and I can get lost in them. My heart is beating at an erratic pace and my body gets hot.

Sebastian smiles warmly, then slowly, antagonizing slowly, he moves his mouth closer to mine. When they touch, an electric bolt zaps through me, causing my entire body to shudder. I almost forgot what amazing things he can do with his lips. I feel like I’m transported to space, where he and I are floating, soaring as our lips mold together.

Sebastian pulls back. “So about meeting your mother…”

“Yeah?”

He swallows. “Have you ever brought boys to meet her? Did she give them a hard time? Does she expect—?”

I giggle and kiss his cheek. “You’re so cute, my genie.”

He lifts his eyebrows. “Genie? But I’m not a genie anymore.”

I run my finger along his jaw. “Doesn’t matter. You’ll always be my genie.”

He grins. “And you’ll always be my master, Master.”

“Hell no. You know I never liked being your master.”

“But it’s okay for me to be your genie?”

“Not if you don’t want to be.”

He presses his forehead to mine. “Of course I can be your genie. It reminds me of everything we’ve been through. Of falling in love.” He fingers my bottom lip. “I never imagined this would happen to me. I never thought I could be free, that I could feel all these emotions I feel when I’m with you.”

I play with his silky hair. It reaches past his shoulders and his bangs fall into his eyes. As a genie, he wasn’t able to cut it. We tried, but it grew back. “I think we should chop this beautiful hair off.”

His eyes widen.

I laugh. “Just kidding. But we should trim it.”

He nods. “So I can look presentable when I meet your mother.”

I slap his arm playfully. “Don’t be so nervous. I told you she’ll love you.”

“I wouldn’t be able to bear the thought of her not approving of me. Can you teach me how to make a good impression?”

I grab the front of his shirt and tug him close. “Sebastian, she’ll love you.” I peck his lips. He pulls me close, deepening the kiss. I can feel just how anxious he is, and I understand why. He’s never done something like this. He’s never been human. He wants everything to go well.

We settle on the couch and watch a movie. One of my favorite romances. It’s the first movie I watched when he popped into my life as a genie, where he asked me if I believed in love.

He’s the only guy I know who actually managed to make it to the end of such a movie. Not that I have much experience with guys, but whenever I suggested a romance, they turned up their noses. Sebastian doesn’t understand that most guys are into action movies and sports.

“Your game shows miss you,” I tell him.

He smiles. He’s obsessed with them because he loves testing the knowledge he’s gathered over the years.

“Don’t worry, you have many more days to watch,” I say.

He frowns and shifts his position, placing his feet on the floor. “Lily, I was thinking. Now that I’m human, I should get an education, right?”

I hadn’t thought about that. Sebastian knows how to read and write, but that’s about it. He had very little schooling on Ortarus.

I rest my head on his chest. “We don’t have to talk about this now.”

He places his chin on my head, stroking the side of it. “I’d also like to get a job and help you pay for culinary school.”

I smile at his kindness. “Thanks, Sebastian, but I’d hate for you to spend all your money on me.”

He looks into my eyes. “But I want to.”

“Sebastian—”

“It’s not like I need it or have anything to spend it on. I’d do anything for you.”

And I’d do anything for him. That includes helping him with school and everything else he will need. “Let’s take one step at a time.”

He agrees and we resume watching the movie. When the man and woman have their first kiss, Sebastian curls his fingers over mine and gives me a sweet smile. When I was younger, I used to dream about experiencing what the women in romance books and movies experience. I never thought it would actually happen. It’s better than I could have ever imagined.

My phone beeps. It’s a text from my best friend, Macy.
You okay
?

After Sebastian returned, I rushed into Inferno to punch out, then he and I ran home so we could be alone together. I told Macy something had come up. I didn’t have a chance to tell her about Sebastian yet. I text her that I’ll call her later.

“Was that Macy?” Sebastian asks.

“Yeah.”

“How are she and Andy?”

I smile. “Good. They’re getting married in a few months.”

“I’m happy for them.”

I scoot closer to him. “All that wouldn’t have happened if not for you. You saved Andy’s life.” Andy got hit by a truck trying to save me when I accidentally ran into the street. I wouldn’t be alive if not for him.

Sebastian frowns. “No, you did.”

I shake my head.

“You wished him to get better.”

“But you made it happen.”

He laughs. “Look at us, arguing over this.”

I laugh, too.

“Lily? Are we going to tell your mother that I am…that I was…” His voice trails off.

He has a good point. Macy and Andy are the only ones who know the truth. “I guess there’s no point. It’s not like you’re a genie anymore.”

“And we don’t want her to disapprove of me.” He swallows. “I need to be perfect.”

“Sebastian…”

He angles his head toward the TV. “The mom in this movie doesn’t approve of the man her daughter loves.”

I twist my nose. “That’s different.”

“Is it?” He takes my hands. “You’re your mother’s only daughter. You’ve been through so much. Of course she doesn’t want to see you get hurt.”

I stroke the side of his face. “You can never hurt me, Sebastian.”

He shuts his eyes as he leans his cheek into my hand. “I hope so.”

“Okay,” Macy says. “Talk.”

I’m lying on my bed with my phone pressed to my ear. Sebastian is watching a game show on TV in the living room. I can hear him cheer each time he answers a question correctly.

“Remember how I sent Sebastian back home to his world?” I ask her.

“Uh huh.”

“Well…he’s back.”

There’s a pause. I can picture her dropping whatever she’s holding, her eyes wider than the moon.

“Wait a minute. You’re saying your genie’s back?”

“He’s not a genie anymore. He’s human.”

Now I picture her mouth drop. “
What?
”

I laugh and tell her everything. “So yeah,” I say. “He’s as human as you and me.” Except for the fact that he has some magic.

“That means he’s not invisible.”

“Nope.”

“Oh my God, I’d love to meet him. And Andy would want to meet the guy who saved his life and thank him. We totally have to double date!”

Excitement fills me as I think about being able to go out with Sebastian in public, like normal couples do. It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I started falling for him.

“I’m sure he’d love that,” I tell Macy. “But we’re going to see my mother tomorrow.” There’s been a change of plans. When I grabbed my phone to call Macy a few minutes ago, I had a voicemail from my mom. It’s dated yesterday. I guess I had been so busy with Sebastian’s return that I didn’t pay attention to my phone. Mom told me that the therapist is going to be out of town next week and has pushed our appointment up to this Monday. Mom asked if it’s possible for me to come to California for the session, or if not, I could skip this one and go to the next one. I figured I might as well, since I want Mom to meet Sebastian. I plan on being in California from Sunday to Tuesday. After I called Mom and told her the plan—she seems very excited to get to know my man—I called my boss and he and I worked out my schedule, switching my shifts around.

Sebastian’s very nervous to visit my mom, but he’s looking forward to it as well.

“Maybe we can go out on Friday?” I ask Macy.

“Sounds like a plan. So since this is Sebastian’s first day back, I should let you two…you know…”

I laugh. “Thanks, Mace. We’ll talk later.”

After I hang up, I head to the living room and wrap my arms around Sebastian, who’s bent forward, studying the question on the TV. I rub my cheek against his. “How’s it going?”

He turns to me and shrugs. “These contestants aren’t smart.” He takes my hand. “How was your phone call with Macy?”

“I told her everything. She wants to meet you.”

He nods slowly.

I squeeze his hand. “I’m sorry to throw everything on you. First my mother and now my friends. I sometimes forget how overwhelming all of this must be for you.”

He kisses my cheek. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. All these people are important in your life, so of course I’d like to meet them.”

“We’re going to double date later this week with Macy and Andy.”

His eyebrows knit. “Double date. The term sounds familiar.”

“It means when two couples go on a date together. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” I rest my head on his chest. His skin is so smooth, his muscles so hard. “I love that we can do everything together.”

He strokes my hair. “I love that, too.”

“Do you want to go shopping for some clothes?”

He sniffs himself, then laughs lightly. “I think it’s time for me to take a shower.” As a genie, he never washed himself.

I get to my feet. “I’ll get you a towel.”

In the bathroom, I show him how to turn the knobs to adjust the temperature of the water. I point out the soap and shampoo. We’ll have to buy some guyish shampoos when we go shopping later.

I eye his pants. “Um…I guess I can quickly wash them. Just hang them on the door after you take them off.” My cheeks heat up. I can’t believe I’m talking about him
taking off
his pants. He’s got nothing on under there, since he told me he doesn’t wear underwear and doesn’t understand the point of it.

“Okay,” Sebastian says. “Thanks.”

I test the water. “This seems comfortable enough. Take your time and enjoy.”

He holds me close. “Thank you for taking care of me, Lily. I love you, so so much. I know I keep saying it, but I really do.”

I kiss him before leaving the bathroom. As I sit on the couch, I cover my face with my hands. I can’t believe Sebastian is taking a shower in my apartment. It seems so…intimate. Like we’re a real couple living together. I guess we are—it just feels surreal. My genie, my Sebastian, is here to stay for good. We can have the life I’ve dreamed of. Sure we have a lot of things to work through, but at least we’re together.

“Lily?”

The bathroom door is slightly opened, and his hand is sticking out, holding the pants. I take them from him and load them into the washing machine. It’ll take some time until they’re washed and dried, so I leave him my robe near the door. I’m not sure it’ll fit him, but it’s the loosest one I own. My cheeks burn at the thought of him wearing my clothes. It’s another one of those things that real couples do, sharing everything.

I make grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch while I wait for my man to finish with his shower. When I catch sight of him standing in the doorway, I nearly lose my balance. He’s wearing the towel, slung low on his hips. His chest glistens with water and his hair kisses his cheeks.

I’ve never seen him wet before. He looks beautiful. Like a magical, exotic being from another world. Also, he has no hair on his chest or legs, like he hadn’t when he was a genie. I wonder if he’ll never grow body hair. I can’t say I mind him not having any. I’ve always loved touching the smoothness of his chest.

His face flushes. “The robe didn’t fit.”

“Oh…um…” I can’t believe the way I keep staring at his chest. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before. Maybe because he’s here and is real, and that makes everything more…real.

He looks down at himself, as though he’s wondering what the hell I’m looking at.

“I could have used my magic to make the robe bigger, but I didn’t want to ruin it,” he says. “Lily? Is something wrong? Did I not tie this thing right?” He pulls at his left side, where he tied the towel.

I blink, snapping out of it. “No, you did. I’ve just never seen you wet. You look hot.” I press my lips together. Oh my god. Can I be more lame?

His face is still a shade of pink. I love how he blushes when I compliment him.

“I smell good,” he says with a small smile.

“I’m going to miss your genie smell, but I can’t wait to get used to your human smell.” Again, lame. Why am I so nervous around him?

He lifts an eyebrow. “How exactly did I smell as a genie?”

“I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. Exotic. Like not from this world.” My eyes flit to his chest again. “Oh, you can do whatever you want with my robe. I hardly wear it.”

“My pants?”

“They won’t be ready for a while.”

He moves closer and pulls me into his arms. I snuggle up against him, pressing my face to his chest and inhaling the soap and shampoo. He smells so clean and fresh, not that I ever thought he was dirty. It’s just another human thing about him. “I want to hold onto you forever,” he whispers. “I don’t want to be apart. Ever.” He brushes his lips across mine. “When I was back on Ortarus, I missed you like crazy. I never thought I’d hold you like this again.”

“You mean the world to me.”

He squishes me closer. “You mean the world to me, too.” He loosens his hold. “I’m getting you all wet.”

I pull his arms back around me. “I don’t care.”

He nuzzles his nose into the side of my face. Then he lifts his head toward the kitchen and sniffs. “Something smells good.”

“Oh, I made grilled cheese.”

He licks his lips. “I can’t wait to try it.” His eyebrows furrow. “Why is my mouth filling with water?”

I laugh. “That happens when you get excited to eat.”

“So it’s normal?”

I laugh again and reach up to kiss him. “Completely normal.”

“I just worry that all this is a dream. That I’ll wake up back in the castle in Ortarus. Away from you.”

I push some of his wet hair off his forehead. “That’s not going to happen. You’re here to stay and you never have to set foot in there or think about Ortarus again.”

He smiles, his eyes filled with hope.

“Do you have other family there or just your parents?”

“I have aunts, uncles, and cousins, but none that I have ever spoken to or remember. I was five when I was taken to work at the palace.” His gaze dips to the floor.

I rub my finger down his cheek. “We don’t have to talk about this. I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

He places his hand over mine. “It’s okay. I want to be able to talk to you about anything.”

“Me, too.”

He looks down at himself. “I’d better put that robe on.”

I watch as he holds it out in front of him and spreads his palm over it, slowly sliding his hand down. As he does this, the robe grows longer and wider. He then slips it on. “Comfortable. It smells like you.”

I laugh. “So I have a smell, too?”

He hauls me to his chest. “Are we obsessed with each other’s smells?”

“Looks like it.”

He chuckles, then his stomach rumbles, and his eyes widen. “That felt odd. I’ve heard humans’ stomachs rumbling over the years, but I never imagined it to feel like a tiger is inside me.”

“And you know how that feels?” I tease.

“I can imagine.”

I take his hand and lead him to the kitchen. As we sit down and start eating, I’m very aware that he has nothing on under his robe. I wonder what he’s thinking about. If he’d like to eventually take the next step with me, to bring us closer together.

“These are so good,” he says with a stuffed face. “I’d love to help you cook. It looks like a lot of fun. And it’s something we can do together.”

“It would be a lot of fun.”

He nods. “And I want to help around the house more. I’m living here now and it wouldn’t be fair for you to take care of everything.”

“Thanks, Sebastian. That’s very sweet.”

“Like I said, I’d do anything for you. This is really delicious. Can I have more?”

I push the plate closer to him. I hope I’ve made enough. I’m not used to him eating. I don’t know how much would satisfy him.

“Lily, about a job…”

I place my hand on his. “We don’t have to talk about this now.”

“But we’re two people living here now. When I was a genie, you didn’t have to worry about feeding me or clothing me.”

I bend forward to peck his lips. “I appreciate you wanting to help out, but let’s take one step at a time, okay? You’ve been here for like a day. I want you to enjoy yourself before you have to worry about serious things.”

He runs his finger across my palm, sending small tingles to every cell in my body. “Whatever you want, Lily.”

After we’re done eating and Sebastian uses his magic to wash the dishes, I pull his pants out of the dryer. I hold them out to him. “I hope they didn’t shrink.”

He smiles crookedly. “That’s fine. I can always make them bigger.”

He stands there, staring at me and I stare at him.

Then it hits me. He’s not comfortable undressing in front of me. “Oh sorry. I’ll leave.”

“Wait. Do you think I should use magic to put them on or do it the old fashion way like humans do?” He rakes his hand through his hair. “If I keep using magic then I’m not being human. Am I?”

I place my hand on his chest, feeling how soft the robe is. “You don’t have to be human all the time.”

“I know, but what if I’m slowly losing my humanity because I keep using magic? What if I get sent back to Ortarus?”

It hurts me how much he worries about being sent back home. “That elder who helped you get back here, did he say you’d be sent back?”

He shakes his head.

“Then we don’t have to worry.”

He nods unsurely. “Okay. Sorry for being so paranoid. I just don’t want to be taken from you and cause you any pain.”

I stroke his cheek. “Let’s not worry about this anymore. You’re here to stay.”

He smiles. “You’re right. I’m here to stay.” His eyes light up and he smiles wide. “I’m really here to stay.” He sweeps his hand and the pants appear on his body, sticking out from beneath the hem of the robe.

He unties the belt and takes the robe off. Once again, I come face to face with his chest. It’s heavily muscled, which is strange since he’s never worked out when he was a genie. He might look human, but he still appears as though he doesn’t belong in this world.

Sebastian follows my gaze. “What?”

I tear my eyes off. “Uh…I wish we had a shirt for you to put on.”

“I don’t mind walking like this,” he says.