21. Never Djinn Kissed

Jovat The Abominable

"Tell me more about you." Jennie shifted on the couch, angling her body toward me.

I found I liked her attention being on me.

"There's not much to tell." I suddenly wished I had more of a story. "My whole life has revolved around granting wishes for others."

"Okay, but what about what you want?" she asked.

What did I want? Other than to slumber, I had never considered the question.

"I don't know what I want. It isn't something I've thought about." Wanting to keep her attention, however, I blurted, "I like slumbering between granting wishes for people."

"So… you like naps." Her lips curved up at the corners. "I do, too."

Her phone dinged, indicating a text had come through. "You better check that."

She shook her head. "I want to talk to you."

"But it might be something good."

Without taking her eyes off me, Jennie reached out and picked up her phone from the coffee table. Finally, she glanced down, and her expression drooped. "My boss is asking if I can put in a few hours tomorrow."

"I thought you loved your job?" I asked, confused by her reaction.

"Oh, I do." Her sad eyes and the downward curve of her lips contradicted her words.

Unsure what to do, I reached out and touched the top of her hand. With a hollow smile, she patted my hand on hers, still refusing to meet my gaze.

"How can I help?" I asked, suddenly hoping she wouldn't make a wish. Too bad I couldn't grant my own wishes.

"Some things can't be fixed," she said, finally meeting my gaze. "Wow. Your eyes are the same color as the jade you live in." Her breathy tone filled me with wonder, and I smiled.

My kind thought my home was ugly, but I'd loved it since I'd first set eyes on it. And now, a beautiful woman liked my place too.

"And your eyes are the color of the Sedona Mountains," I said, studying the rich red-brown hue.

"I swear I've heard the name Sedona before," she trailed off, and I sensed she was scouring every corner of her mind.

"Sedona is an incredibly beautiful city in Arizona." I hoped she'd conjured up the same rich brown bluffs and wavy cave walls I had.

"I don't travel much, but that must be where I've heard the name." She tapped at her phone and did a search. "Here we go! Wait, no. That's a person, not the city. Oh! There's the mountains."

Leaning her head and body toward me, she showed me the image, too. "The red rocks are so pretty," she breathed.

I wanted to tell her she was so pretty, but I held the words back. What if she thought I was patronizing her or just trying to make her feel better?

She was still focused on her phone's screen. "I never thought my eyes were all that pretty. They were just dirt brown to me." There was a longing note in her voice, and I wanted to pull her close and comfort her. "I love that you found something pretty where no one else has."

And with that, I gave in.

Wrapping my arms around her shoulders, I pulled her to my chest, wondering how she felt so small yet so significant. She leaned into me, lowering her phone and setting it beside her on the couch.

I liked this human with all her imperfections. Her goodness shone through, and I wondered why more people weren't like her. If they had been, maybe I wouldn't be so jaded about humanity in general.

Something clicked in my mind. Jennie was unique, one-of-a-kind, special. And for the first time in a thousand years—give or take a century or two—I wanted to be in a human's company longer than three wishes' worth of time.

"Are you going to tell me what is making you sad?" I prodded, wanting to find a way to cheer her up.

"I was sad… because I wanted to… Never mind. I knew it wasn't going to happen. But going into work makes it a reality." She stopped talking, abruptly closing her mouth as if she could swallow back the rest.

"What did you want?" I pressed.

"It's dumb." She sighed. "I want to have the perfect Valentine's date…"

Her words hit me like a right hook to the gut.

I didn't like the thought of her going on a date. Did she have someone in mind? Was it that strange man, Dillion?

As though reading my thoughts, she added in a voice barely more than a whisper, "With you."

Her teeth nibbled her lower lip, and I tried to sort through the flood of emotions rushing through me. She wanted a perfect date with me? I was the one she wanted?

Before I could fully absorb her words and understand them, she tilted her head back. Her gaze met mine, those beautiful eyes seeing me in a way no one before her had.

If I had a soul, she'd have been peering into it and ferreting out every secret I had… except that one.

Excitement slammed into my chest, stopping my heart for a second before the organ began beating double time.

Her gaze lowered to my mouth, and she leaned in, lightly pressing her lips to mine.

More than anything, I wanted to grant her heart's desire.

But she hadn't made a wish.