Loving the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 2) (4 page)

We’re standing outside the house I grew up in. When Sebastian and I came here a few weeks ago, everything was different. Mom and I were strangers, hadn’t spoken to each other for a few months. He held my hand to help calm my nerves. Now it’s me holding his hand and giving him a reassuring smile. I don’t know why he’s convinced my mother won’t like him. He doesn’t realize what a kind and caring person he is.

“Are you ready?” I ask.

A hard swallow makes its way down his throat. “I don’t think I can ever be.”

“Just be yourself. Oh, I completely forgot. We need to come up with a history for you. You know, where your parents are from and what they do. What you do. Damn, we should have thought about this sooner.”

His eyebrows lift. “I didn’t think of that.”

“We should try to stick to as much truth as we can, not that there’s a lot.” I tap my chin. “Your parents abandoned you when you were five and you were thrown into the foster system.”

He nods. “Like I was forced to work for the palace.”

“Yes, but no one forces the kids to be slaves. Many people treat their foster kids with love and attention, but there are some who don’t. You were part of the kind that didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t have a relationship with your foster family.”

He nods slowly, like everything is making sense in his head. “Okay. What else? How did we meet?”

“Through work. You wash the dishes at Inferno. We’ll tell her you’re trying to make a life for yourself. Saving up for college like I am. She’ll be impressed by your dreams for your future.”

“Which are?”

I hate that I can’t be honest with my mom, that Sebastian and I need to create a life for him. It seems silly. But what choice do I have? Telling her he was a genie seems pointless, since he’s no longer one.

“When you told me you want to go to school and get a job, what did you have in mind?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I don’t know. All my life, I’ve done things for other people. I guess I would still love to do that.”

“You can be a nurse.”

He stares ahead, like the idea never struck him. He beams. “Lily, that’s perfect! I think I want to be a nurse.” He bends toward my ear and whispers, “And maybe I can use a little bit of magic to my advantage. Not to cheat or anything like that, but to help my patients.” His eyes get unfocused. I don’t think his mind is here anymore. Perhaps he’s imagining his future.

When he returns to me, he smiles. “I’m really excited now. We’ll need to figure out how I’ll get an education—”

“Sebastian. Remember what we said? One step at a time.” In case things don’t work out the way he imagines, I don’t want him to be disappointed.

His face reddens. “Sorry. I’m just really excited.”

I rub his arm. “I’m excited for you. Let’s get inside. Mom might be worrying what happened to us.” I called her when we landed. She told me she’s looking forward to meeting the man of my dreams. That didn’t help calm my genie’s nerves.

Hand in hand, we approach the door, and I ring the bell. I keep giving Sebastian reassuring smiles. He returns small ones.

A few seconds pass before the door springs open, revealing my mother. She has green eyes and light brown, wavy hair. Daisy was an exact copy of her. I’m the only one in the family with brown eyes and auburn hair. I used to hate my hair, until my sister showed me how to style it properly.

Mom pulls me into her arms. “Lily.” We had just seen each other a few days ago, but it seems like years. So much has happened since then, with Sebastian returning.

I pull off and sweep my hand toward Sebastian. “Mom, this is my boyfriend, Sebastian…uh…” Damn we didn’t give him a last name. Do they even have last names on Ortarus?

Smiling, Sebastian steps forward and holds out his hand. “Smith,” he says. “Sebastian Smith. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Richards.”

Mom casts me a sideways glance before accepting Sebastian’s handshake. “Please, call me Lauren. It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Sebastian.”

She looks at me and widens her mouth and eyes. I can almost read her mind.
He’s hot
.

I smile.

Mom invites us inside, and we dump our luggage on the floor. It seems as though she was just as anxious to meet Sebastian, because the place looks beautiful and smells like she’s spent hours cleaning.

We sit down in the living room, where Mom has provided refreshments. Her delicious chocolate chip cookies and brownies. I’ve never been able to make mine just as good. Baking isn’t really my strong point.

“These look awesome, Mom,” I say, taking a cookie and offering one to Sebastian. “My mom makes the best cookies in the world.”

Mom waves her hand, her cheeks a little pink. “You’re exaggerating.”

Sebastian bites into one and his eyes widen. “She’s not. These are delicious, Lauren.”

Mom smiles. “They’re Lily’s favorite. I made enough for you to take home with you.” She addresses Sebastian, “Where do you live?”

“With Lily.”

Mom’s eyes widen. “Excuse me?”

Oh, God. We’re not as prepared as I thought. Mom thinks Sebastian and I just met a few weeks ago. It’s too soon for us to be living together.

Sebastian turns to me, his eyebrows furrowed. It’s too late now. Lying will only make things worse. I chug down some Coke. “Yeah, we live together,” I tell her. When Daisy was contemplating going to colleges far from home, Mom didn’t like the idea of her and her boyfriend sharing an apartment, even though they had been together for three years. Maybe that’s due to my father walking out on us when I was little. Mom has a hard time trusting guys. I know she just wants to protect me.

“Lily.” Mom looks from me to Sebastian. “I don’t know you, Sebastian, but you seem like a nice guy. Nevertheless, it’s too soon for the two of you to be living together.”

“I’m sorry,” Sebastian says. “I would never hurt your daughter or take advantage of her. She’s done so much for me and I love her.”

Mom’s eyebrows shoot up. “Love?”

“Yes, I love her. Very much.”

Mom looks at me.

“I love him,” I say. “Sebastian means the world to me.”

She’s quiet. She’s never heard me say that about a guy before, and I understand how surprised she is. “I want you to live your life, honey, but maybe the two of you are rushing into this?” She looks from me to him again.

“No,” I say. “We’re not.” I hug her. “Thanks for looking out for me, but Sebastian is a great guy. I want you to see how caring and wonderful he is.”

Mom turns to him. “How old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

“Are you going to school in the fall?”

“No.” His eyes flit to me for a second before focusing on her. “I work at Inferno—”

“It’s where we met,” I add.

“I’m saving up for college. I want to be a nurse.”

Mom seems pleased. Sebastian has a small smile on his face. He has no clue he’s being interrogated. “What do you do at Inferno?” Mom asks.

“I wash the dishes, but I’m hoping to climb up.”

“And your parents?”

Sebastian’s gaze drops to his lap. His fingers are interlocked, trembling slightly. He must be thinking about his real parents. Even though they abandoned him hundreds of years ago, it still hurts. I squeeze his hand.

“I don’t have parents,” he says in an empty voice. “They abandoned me when I was five years old.”

Mom rests her hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you. I grew up in foster homes. Unfortunately, they weren’t kind to me.” He smiles to me. “I’m grateful for everything your daughter has done for me. If not for her, I don’t know what would have become of me.”

I smile, wishing I could kiss and comfort him.

Mom eyes him carefully. “So you don’t have a home.”

“Mom…” I groan. “Don’t interrogate him like that. He did nothing wrong.”

“I never said he did.” Her hands tangle through my hair. “You have such a big heart, sweetie. I just don’t want to see you hurt.”

“You have my word that I will never hurt Lily,” Sebastian says, his eyes sincere.

Mom nods. “You
do
seem like a good guy, Sebastian. But Lily is so far from me. A mother always worries about her children, no matter how old or independent they are.”

“I appreciate that,” I say. “But you have to trust me to make my own decisions.”

“I do trust you. It’s just hard.”

I wrap my arms around her. “I know, but I’ll be okay.”

We resume talking, and Mom and Sebastian start getting to know each other better. Mom suggests we go out to eat, her treat. She and I take Sebastian to one of my favorite restaurants growing up. They serve all different kinds of pizza. Sebastian hasn’t tasted pizza yet. I’m very excited to share this with him.

“They never change the place,” I tell him as the three of us walk there. It’s a few blocks away from Mom’s house. “That’s what makes it so special. It looks the exact same way it did when I was little, and every time I come here, the memories pour in. Like when I was ten, and Mom and Daisy organized a huge birthday party for me. Daisy got me a dress as a gift, and that dress ended up being my favorite. I outgrew it quickly, but I used to try to force it on since I loved it so much.”

We enter the restaurant and take seats in the back booth, like Mom, Daisy, and I used to do.

Mom’s smiling, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. She must be thinking about Daisy and all the memories we had here. She and I haven’t had a chance to talk about the death yet. Mom still needs time. Maybe she’ll open up when we see the therapist tomorrow.

A waitress, Camille, comes to take our order. She’s an older woman and has been working here for many years. She and Mom are good friends, or they used to be. After Daisy died, Mom shut everyone out. She’s trying to reconnect, though.

When Camille sees Mom, she smiles. “Lauren! I haven’t seen you here in ages.” She turns to me. “Lily! How’s New York?”

“It’s beautiful.”

Camille smiles, then looks at Sebastian. “Hello, I’m Camille.”

“This is Sebastian,” I tell her. “My boyfriend.”

Camille’s smile grows wider. “It’s nice to meet you.” She bends toward Mom to whisper, “Ted, told me that George has been asking about you.” I don’t think I’m meant to hear this, but I’m sitting close to Mom. And Camille’s voice isn’t that low.

Mom raises her eyebrows. “George?”

Camille nods, eyes animated. “You know he never got over you.”

Mom’s eyes move from me to Sebastian. Both of us are staring at her. Who’s she talking about? Ted is Camille’s husband. But who’s George?

Camille seems to understand that Mom doesn’t want to talk about this now, so she takes our orders. I go for my usual eggplant pizza, Mom takes plain cheese, and Sebastian is completely lost.

“I don’t know what any of this means,” he whispers to me. “I mean, I know what these ingredients are, but I don’t know how they taste and I don’t understand…”

Both Mom and Camille are gawking at Sebastian as though he fell from the sky. I force a smile. “Sebastian hasn’t eaten a lot of pizza....”

“I’ll have what Lily is having,” he says.

Camille jots that down and walks away. Mom is still looking at Sebastian funny. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“No, not at all,” Mom assures him. “I just never met anyone your age who hesitates when it comes to pizza.”

Sebastian swallows. “I wasn’t allowed much when I was a child. We didn’t spend money on pizza and such things.”

Mom nods in understanding.

“Mom, who’s George?” I ask.

She waves her hand. “Just someone I went to high school with.” Mom has lived here her whole life and knows almost everyone in our neighborhood.

“Like a boyfriend?” I say.

Mom doesn’t respond, but the tips of her ears say enough. They’re red. It’s obvious she’s had a past with this man, and I wonder if he’s my dad. She never speaks about my father.

I’m about to press further, but Mom changes the subject, asking us about work, updating us on news going around the neighborhood. She still grills Sebastian, but she seems more at ease with him now. That’s one of the best things about my genie—it’s so easy to be comfortable around him.

As we’re enjoying our chocolate cake for dessert, I catch Sebastian smiling at me. He looks like he’s having a great time and doesn’t seem to be nervous around my Mom like he was before. I’m really glad he and my mom are getting along. They’re the two most important people in my life and I don’t know what I would do if I lost either of them.

Sebastian, Mom, and I are sitting on the living room couch, watching a documentary about ocean life. Sebastian’s eyebrows nearly shoot to the ceiling and his mouth practically reaches the floor. Even though he’s been on this world for many years and has gained a lot of knowledge, he’s never seen sea creatures up close like this. Most of his masters hardly let him out of his lamp, or hung out with him as a friend, or let him watch TV.

He’s bent close to the TV, his eyes growing wider and wider as a new sea animal is introduced. “This is beautiful,” he says.

Mom smiles. “Yes, it’s very fascinating. There’s a whole world down there.”

“I’d love to see it.”

I take his hand. “Maybe we can. We can take scuba lessons, if you want.”

“Scuba lessons…you mean, go underwater?”

I nod. “You, too, Mom. Maybe we can all go together.”

She laughs. “You kids go ahead. Let’s just say the ocean isn’t a place for me. I can’t swim.”

“I can’t, either,” Sebastian says. His eyes light up. “I’d really like to learn, though.”

“I’ll teach you,” I offer.

There are so many things for him to explore, for us to explore together. I can’t wait to share every aspect of my life with him. The possibilities are endless.

He pulls me close, nuzzling my nose. “Thank you, Lily. I love you.”

“Me, too.”

Sebastian lowers his mouth toward mine, but stops when Mom clears her throat. He quickly backs away. We’ve been alone for many weeks. He’s not used to having someone else around. “I’m sorry,” he says.

Mom doesn’t take her eyes off the TV. “I was clear about the sleeping arrangements, wasn’t I?”

I try not to groan. “Yes, Mom. I’ll be in my room
upstairs
and Sebastian will sleep on the couch. Downstairs,
far away
from me.” This is so embarrassing. I slurp down some Coke to try to lessen the awkwardness. Why do parents have to be like this?

“Why in separate beds?” Sebastian asks.

I nearly choke on my drink. Sebastian may have been on this world longer than us, but he’s completely clueless when it comes to human behavior. He and I have been sleeping together in my bed all this time—just sleeping, nothing more. He thinks that’s normal, when really many couples don’t do that until they’ve been dating for a while. He doesn’t understand what his question was implying.

Mom blinks at him. “Excuse me?”

He must sense his mistake because his alarmed eyes shoot to mine. “That is, uh…” He clears his throat. “Yes, I’ll sleep here.”

“If the two of you are sleeping together—”

“Mom!” I wish the couch would swallow me up. This is so mortifying. Talking about
this
in front of my mom when Sebastian and I have hardly spoken about it. A few days ago, he told me he thought about it, but that was it. I don’t even know how much he knows about sex.

“I just want to make sure you’re taking the right measures, that’s all.”

“Oh my god.” I want to bury my face in the couch pillow. I want to be anywhere but here. Mom and I have had “the talk” many times, but not in the presence of my boyfriend.

“Right measures?” Sebastian’s forehead wrinkles. Then understanding flashes across his eyes. “Oh, I see.” His face reddens.

“Can we please talk about something else?” I ask. “Or can we finish up this documentary and go to bed?”

Mom tilts her head forward slightly. “Okay, but you and I are going to have a talk before you leave for New York.”

I groan again.

***

Mom has gone to sleep, and Sebastian and I are still on the couch, cuddled in each other’s arms. I’m worried Mom will walk in, but it feels so good to be this close to my genie that I don’t care.

He’s munching on popcorn as we watch a romance movie. He grew obsessed with butter-flavored popcorn ever since I ate it a few weeks ago. I remember how much he wanted to taste it. Now he can’t get enough. He’s already on his second bag. I’m still stuffed from dinner—we had Chinese food, something Sebastian loved, too—but I keep stealing some popcorn from Sebastian’s bag.

“This is so good,” he says, his mouth full. He just keeps adding more and more, even though there’s hardly any more room inside.

“Careful. You’re going to choke.”

He swallows and accepts the can of Coke I hand him. “I’ve never eaten such good food as I do now on Earth.”

“You ate on Ortarus, didn’t you?”

“A little. They provided the servants with peasant food.”

“Like bread and water?”

“Yeah.” He points to the screen. “The best part.”

The man and woman are just about to kiss for the first time. Sebastian fits his fingers between mine and beams at me. His eyes then return to the screen, his smile widening.

“Why do you like watching that?” I ask once the kiss scene is over.

He arches an eyebrow. “Watching what?”

“Characters kissing for the first time.”

He plays with his empty Coke can, his face red.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. You can ask me anything you want.” He pauses. “I don’t know. I like the way it makes me feel here.” He touches his heart. “It reminds me of the first movie we watched together. When I asked you if you believed in love.”

I nod. “And you told me that as a genie, you don’t fall in love.”

He tucks me close. “I never imagined that would happen to me. I still don’t understand
why
it happened, but I’m glad it did.” He places his hand behind my neck and brings his mouth toward mine. When he’s less than an inch away, he stops, turning toward the doorway. “Will your mom catch us?”

I grab his shirt, hauling him on top of me. “I don’t care.”

His eyes don’t leave from the doorway. I pull on his shirt again, forcing him to look at me. “We’re together, Sebastian, and I love you. It’s okay for me to show you how much you mean to me.”

“I love you more, but I don’t want your mother to think ill of me. She already sees me as strange.”

I sit up, and he rolls off me. “No, she doesn’t.”

He rubs the back of his head. “I acted weird at the restaurant when I didn’t know which pizza to choose. And she was surprised when I mentioned I never tasted noodles when we ate the Chinese food.” He frowns.

I kiss his him. “Please don’t worry about that.”

“Should we tell her the truth?”

I’ve been pondering this, too. On the one hand, why should we bother telling her about something that is no longer relevant? Sebastian is human now, and should be treated as one. On the other hand, how could I keep something so big from her? Of course she’d think differently of Sebastian at first, but I’m sure she’ll come to accept him. Then again, I know her, and she’ll constantly be worrying about me.

“You’re human now.” I run my finger along his cheek. “It doesn’t matter what you used to be, because you’re no longer that person. Mom wouldn’t judge you, but—”

“She’d never see me the same.”

“As much as she likes you, it’s just human nature to be suspicious and wary. But maybe we can tell her one day. When she’s gotten to know you well. Right now, it’s just too much of a bomb to throw on her.”

He nods. “I think that would be best.” He gently lowers me to the couch and climbs on top of me, careful not to hurt me. He then slowly lowers his lips to my neck, pressing soft kisses on every inch of my skin, causing sparks to go off all over my body. My back arches and moans escape my lips. I completely forget where we are and that Mom is upstairs. It’s just Sebastian and me in our own world.

He nuzzles my nose. “I wish I could sleep with you.”

I sit up sharply, causing my nose to crash into his chest. “Ow.”

“Are you okay?”

I nod, massaging my nose. It doesn’t seem broken, doesn’t hurt that much, and it’s not bleeding. I didn’t mean to crash into him, I was just shocked by his words. Did he mean just sleep? Or did he mean
sleep
?

As I gaze at him, I realize he meant just sleep. His eyes aren’t heavy with need and he looks…normal. Not like he just asked his girlfriend to take the next step with him.

Maybe he’s not ready. He’s never done it before, either, and is only getting used to his human body. We can’t jump into something as serious as this.

I yank him close, resting my cheek on his. It’s as soft as it always was. Like his body, he isn’t growing any facial hair. I can’t say I mind this, either. “When we get back home, we can sleep together as much as we want.”

He smiles and kisses me so deeply and passionately that I feel myself floating to another world.