~COLE~
"Cole."
I turned my head and saw that beautiful smile I adored on her lips. Her green eyes sparkled with love as they locked onto mine. My hand squeezed her small hand that was in mine as I glanced back to the road in front of me.
"This project deal is going to change our lives," she said happily. "Aren't you excited, Mila?"
"Excited! Excited!"
A grin formed on my lips as I glanced into the rearview mirror to see my precious. She had the same green eyes as my love and her fuzzy blonde hair had navy blue highlights like mine.
Life was perfect. This deal was going to help us out of the struggling slump we'd been experiencing the last couple of months. I'd finally be able to give them the life they deserved. One filled with happiness and staying in one place that we'd call home.
Glancing back to my right, I had to take an extra second to figure out who the person sitting in the passenger seat was. She wasn't my love, but I knew her. I felt something for her, or at least my body reacted to her presence.
Her purple to pink hair was blowing from the wind of the open window and her tan complexion looked perfect as the sun's warm rays shone into the car. What caught my attention the most was her hazelnut colored eyes.
They were filled with so much love and compassion, it almost felt unreal. How could someone show that much care with a simple stare? I would never really know.
She squeezed my hand and it felt different, almost electrifying, sending shivers of want and intense desire through me. It was as if I'd never loved before, even if in the back of mind, I had.
"DADDY!"
My head turned away to stare forward, bright lights flashing into my face as the loud horn reached my ears before the strong impact that followed.
"Meow."
My eyes snapped open and I jerked from my spot. I attempted to calm my erratic breathing as I trembled in place. Quickly scanning the room, my gaze landed on the occupied bed, catching a glimpse of the purple hair that was under the white blanket.
"Meow?"
Looking down to my lap, I saw the small white kitten, her eyes transitioning from blue to gold. Her tail moved back and forth as she sat staring up at me with excitement. With a sigh, I relaxed, realizing I'd just had a nightmare.
Another one.
I lifted my hand to pet the little kitten and she began to purr for a minute or two before she moved away from my hand and jumped off my lap.
My eyes trailed her movement as she hopped onto the bed with Destiny. I ran my hands through my hair before rubbing at my eyes. It took forever for me to get to sleep, and from the clock display on the nightstand, I'd only slept for an hour.
I got up and walked over to the bed, and Rainbow lifted her head to stare at me as I sat down on the edge to check on Destiny. Moving the blanket just slightly, I noticed her peaceful expression as she slept deeply.
She'd stayed up long enough to eat her food and play for an hour with Rainbow. By the time I'd gotten her initiation requirement, she was fast asleep in between Jeremiah and Owen. Both of them had fallen asleep trying to entertain the new kitten who'd been playing with Luke.
I couldn't stop the frown that formed on my lips, remembering what her "Bad Side of Wishing" assignment was going to be. I didn't approve of it one bit, but who was I to question Fantasia's judgment. She knew what was best for all of us, even when we sometimes questioned her inner motives. Either way, we'd have to go through with this, at least, if Destiny wanted to.
My gut told me she would, but I wasn't certain. If I'd stop being such a hard ass, maybe I'd get to know her more. I want to know more about her.
As much as I wanted to get closer or let the walls I'd created around myself fall, I just couldn't. She was reacting because of the magic between us. It couldn't be because she was actually interested in me.
I'd nearly fallen for it, almost allowed my magic to close the distance between us, but my logic took over.
Kissing her on the forehead had already gone over my limit, and I knew I'd have to be cautious from now on. Yet, I knew my body did whatever it wanted, and it would be a challenge to ignore how this woman made me feel. She made me feel again.
Shaking my head, I reached out to pet Rainbow once more and planned to get up to leave.
"Cole..."
I paused and looked into Destiny's half-open eyes. She appeared as if she'd fall back to sleep in a few seconds, but I stayed in place, waiting to see if she would go to sleep once more.
"Go back to sleep, Destiny."
"Stay?"
I didn't reply, knowing I shouldn't do what she asked. Fuck, I can't stay.
"Sure," I mumbled and mentally cursed myself for being a soft asshole.
She reached out and placed her hand on mine, and I swallowed the lump in my throat as I stared at her soft hand. Obviously, mine was bigger than hers, and as I turned mine over so that my palm faced up, she lowered her hand into mine once more, only satisfying my need to feel her touch.
I glanced back up to see her expression, but her eyes were already closed. She held my hand with a bit of strength, which meant if I tried to slip mine out of her grasp, it would wake her up. That was what my logic was telling me.
"Guess I'm staying," I mumbled.
"Meow." Rainbow jumped off Destiny and waltzed over to our joined hands. She purposely laid on top of our hands and curled up into a ball. Really?
Rainbow closed her eyes and, in seconds, was purring quietly, which gave me a good hunch that she was also asleep. Great...
With no quiet way of interrupting Destiny and Rainbow, I rested my back against the headboard and lifted my legs to lay on the bed. A yawn left my lips, and my eyes were growing heavy, making me want to fall back to sleep. It wasn't long till I let my eyes close and I began to drift off.
The last image that lingered in my mind was those hazelnut eyes filled with love and compassion.
Those eyes that, if I weren’t careful, would consume me and open that side of me I'd buried long ago.
I couldn't fall down this road again.
I don’t deserve her love. Not again.
~DESTINY~
"Why are you in a grumpy mood?" I asked while nibbling on my breakfast sandwich.
"Meow."
I peered down at Rainbow and saw that she was staring at my food like it was the holy grail. "And can genie kittens eat anything?"
Cole took a quick glance at me before dropping his gaze to Rainbow who was still eyeing my food. "She'll be fine eating that," he mumbled.
I lowered the sandwich so that she could nibble on it. I had the best sleep I've had in awhile, and though I slept for only a few hours, it was more than enough for me. Cole, on the other hand, looked like he'd stayed up the whole night. Either that, or he was just being an ass.
"Did you sleep?"
"Yes."
"Then again, why are you so grumpy?"
He didn't answer me, and I rolled my eyes, deciding to change the topic as he continued to drive down this long road.
Today we were doing the dark side of wishing. Fantasia assigned what I'd have to witness, and the purpose was Cole would have to question the individual as to whether or not they wanted their wish to continue or not.
Cole did explain that whenever we went to earth without being summoned it was easier to drive through the merging road called "Open Sesame."
Yes, I did laugh and questioned whether that name was legit or not.
Driving there meant they could travel around and blend in, compared to just randomly showing up to places. It still happened, but that was when the wish was strong enough to pull you to wherever the Wisher was.
"Alright, different question. I'm just watching, right? I don't need to use any superpower Jinn abilities, which you still haven't shown me how to turn on," I pointed out.
"I'll show you how to turn them on once you decide whether you want to be a Jinn or not," Cole replied.
"I know for sure that I want to be a Jinn," I countered.
His galaxy eyes met mine, and I frowned at the sadness in them. It was gone the next second as he returned looking at the road.
"I'll ask you again when the day is over. Also, the person will only see me. You and Rainbow will be invisible to them."
"Does that mean I can't talk to you?"
"You can. The person won't hear it. I can talk back to you as well. Just a bit tricky without them hearing me. If you can, try to reserve your questions and comments for the end," Cole instructed.
"Sure." I noticed that Rainbow had finished the rest of the sandwich. I reached out and stroked her fur, scratching gently behind her ear. She curled up on my lap, purring away. "Are you mad at me or something?"
I didn't know what else to say. He seemed upset, but I knew I hadn't done anything to piss him off.
The moment I had woken up, Cole had directed me to the basement and we’d hopped into the car. Thankfully, Luke had followed us and had given me a breakfast sandwich for the road.
"If I did something, I’m so-"
"You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just tired." He cut me off, not letting me finish my apology. "Don't worry about it."
I nodded and glanced out the window, deciding that he didn't want to talk about it. We sat there in the quiet car, Rainbow's purrs the only thing helping me not think about what could have been bothering Cole.
He was such a hard book to read. I wasn't planning to give up on trying, and though we'd only known each other a short time, I wasn't going to abandon the goal of learning more about him.
Something inside me wanted to keep pushing. To figure out exactly what he was hiding, but I knew patience would help me figure things out. I just needed to wait it out and, hopefully, Cole would trust me enough to share more.
I wanted to really learn about all of my Jinns: Luke, Jeremiah, and Owen. I wanted to know everything about them. I'd have to become an official Jinn first, but I wasn't planning on abandoning this.
It was the first time I felt wanted, and I hoped to enjoy what it was like to fit in for once. Not to work my ass off to please others and "try" to fit into the crowd that didn't want me to begin with.
The mist around us began to fade, and my eyes grew wide when the familiar surrounding buildings made my stomach drop.
"Why are were here?" I asked. The familiar town that had forgotten my existence. I bit my lip and looked at Cole who was turning the car left.
"Our Wisher is in the same town as you."
"Why is it colder and looks like it snowed?" I inquired. Our town did sometimes get snow super early, like in mid-October, but we were now in August. Or I think we were after my week of mayhem.
"Time runs a lot differently between the realms, Destiny."
"What you mean? What's the date?"
"October 20th? I could be a day off," Cole replied and turned the car to the right.
"Three months?!" I exclaimed, trying to figure out in my mind when I'd "died." To be honest, I was having difficulty remembering to begin with. I could still remember the seven days, but small details like the date or even the weather were a blur.
"I can't really remember the date I'd been pronounced dead," I admitted.
"Your memories as a human will begin to fade once your powers take a hold of you. Doesn't erase everything. It's more unnecessary details that will be forgotten. You will, however, always remember traumatic events that occurred to you, unless it fades naturally over the decades," Cole explained.
"Decades? Does that mean..." I trailed off, unsure if my thinking was on the dot.
"Immortal? Yes. Jinns are immortal unless Fantasia thinks our time as Jinns are over, and we are given the option to either continue doing our duties or move on. You can also die when you have granted enough wishes, which is what normally happens, but again, Fantasia will give you the option to continue being a Jinn or to finally face judgment and rest."
"Judgement, huh? Does...your life as a Jinn count?" I inquired.
"Yes. In a sense. If you were a horrible person as a human and kind-hearted as a Jinn who granted 10,000 wishes, your judgment will weigh itself out and you could potentially go to the land of eternal happiness. I can't say much because I don't know what happens once a Jinn’s time is up and they receive judgment. All we can do is live our best lives as Jinns. It's another chance at redemption, and for those who believe in an everlasting place after judgment, it's their chance to turn over a new leaf and do good."
We rounded another corner and my eyes grew wide at the building we were approaching. You’ve got to be kidding…
"Cole," I said with a stern voice that got his attention. "Stop the car for a second."
He didn't ask questions, pulling over to the side of the road and putting the car in park. Rainbow lifted her head to look at me.
"We're not going where I think we're going."
"Depends what you’re thinking."
"This… is my ex-fiancé’s place." I breathed and hid my hands under Rainbow to hide their trembling nature. Not like Cole didn't notice.
"Destiny."
"I don't wanna go," I announced.
"Why?"
I bit my lip and looked away, trying my best to be calm and not answer irrationally. My heart still hurt. Even if 90 days had passed by down here, it had only been less than two weeks for me. The pain and agony I'd experienced were still raw in my heart, and I honestly didn't know how I'd react. How I'd feel.
Rainbow moved off my lap and jumped down to my feet, scouting for one of the few toys I'd brought for her entertainment.
I clenched my hands that were still trembling, and I could see Cole's eyes lower to them.
"Destiny, you won't be doing any of the talking."
"I'll have to stand there and listen to what he wished for, right? What… what if..."
"You don't know what he wished for."
"I can guess."
"Doesn't mean it's accurate."
"Cole." I turned to meet his eyes and whispered, "It's going to hurt."
His expression softened then, and he reached out to brush a strand of my hair that was in my face. "I know."
Lowering my head, my fingers began to fidget as I thought about it. "If I say no, does that mean I can't be a Jinn?"
"Fantasia chose this task for you, Destiny. Rejecting it would be rejecting Fantasia's judgment. She wouldn't give you a task unless she knew it would benefit you in the long run. But to answer your question, yes. You won't be able to complete the initiation process and you'd go back home. Your memories would be erased and, essentially, you'd be back in that hotel room."
I nodded and felt Rainbow's paws on my legs. I glanced down to see her wide, happy eyes that went from red to orange to gold. "MEOW!"
She leapt off the ground and back onto my lap and sat down to stare up at me with happiness.
"Rainbow..."
"Won't be able to come with you, Destiny."
I closed my eyes and sighed, realizing I'd have no choice but to do this. If I had to give up everything I'd discovered about myself, and forget these amazing men, Mother, and Cedrick...and little Rainbow… the pain would be much worse. Even if I couldn't remember it, the hurt I already felt just thinking about it was more than enough to make a decision.
"Alright. I'll go," I mumbled. Not waiting for a reply, I unbuckled my seatbelt, scooped up Rainbow, and got out of the car.
I just have to get it over with. Just block out my feelings and focus.
My legs were moving of their own accord, but I was walking at a slow pace, my anxiety and nervousness beginning to surface as I got closer to the home. I felt something land on my shoulder, and I stopped.
"Is that why you were grumpy?" I inquired.
He didn't reply, and I wanted to walk forward, but the arms that wrapped around my body stopped me from moving an inch.
"Being a Jinn sometimes means you have to take wishes you don't want to. It means watching someone you despise either laugh at what their wish created or see them beg for you to fix it. I don't know what your ex will say or do. I don't know if he'll regret whatever he wished for or accept the changes that followed with his request. I don't know, Destiny," he whispered into my ear.
"Cole… what if I can't handle it?"
"You will."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
"You barely know me."
"I know enough, Destiny. You'll be able to handle it… but if you can't, I'll be there," he assured me.
Closing my eyes, I slowly nodded. "Okay. No matter what happens, he won't see me or hear me, right?"
"Right."
"Okay," I replied, opening my eyes to stare at the two-story home.
Let's see the result of Phillip's wish.