Page 12 of The Genie’s Wish (Harmony Glen #10)
Chapter Twelve
ARMAN
I sit on a blanket on the beach, which I’ve kept as free from sand as possible. My laptop is open on my legs, and I scroll the internet looking for any residential listings here in Harmony Glen.
While my hotel room has been…cozy, it’s time for me to find something permanent. Settle down, for the first time in my life.
Pinky is supposed to meet me here soon. I haven’t told her I plan on getting a place yet. It’ll be a surprise—one she hopefully takes well.
Something rubs my shoulders before quickly moving to cover my eyes, followed by the sweet sound of Raya’s voice as she jokes, “Guess who?”
“My darling Pinky, of course.” I reach up, pulling her hands down to my lips and planting kisses on the backs of both.
She moves from behind me, sitting down next to me and bringing some sand onto the blanket. It’s fine, it’s just a bit of sand. I’ll just…stay away from that part.
“So, what’s up? What’re we looking at?” she asks, leaning to see what’s on my laptop.
I feel a bit warm, my palms clammy. “Places for rent.”
“Where? Here ?” Her voice gets louder and higher pitched.
She has wide eyes when I look at her, and her lips are parted. I nod, watching her reaction. Is this going to be too much too fast?
Her mouth hangs wide open, but very quickly turns into a giant grin. Instantly, my shoulders fall and I let out a sigh of relief. She doesn’t seem scared, at least.
I am, though—but not of her.
Not of the thought of loving her.
“You’re ready to settle down somewhere?” Her voice has moved many octaves higher, and her eyes have a sparkle to them that I haven’t seen before.
Nodding again, I wipe my warming palms against my pants. “Yes—I’ll admit though, it’s a scary thing for me.”
“Why?” Her eyes narrow, but her smile remains, an airy laugh floating through the air.
“I’ve never fully settled somewhere. Never rented a place for more than a few months. Never called a place home—and meant it,” I explain, rubbing the back of my neck. “But this time is different.”
She reaches out, putting a hand on my knee and squeezing. “When I moved here, I was nervous. This town, though…there’s something special about it.”
Leaning over and planting a quick kiss on her lips, I agree. “There must be something in the water.”
“I definitely think something is lurking at the bottom of the punchbowl.” Raya quickly turns serious. “Have you seen that part of the conservation area yet? It’s so deep, I don’t think there’s even a bottom to it.”
Shaking my head, I remind her, “No, I haven’t—my last trail walk got happily interrupted.”
Her cheeks instantly turn a shade of red, and she tucks a strand of her beautiful, bright-pink hair behind her ear. “Well, we’ll have to go see it—maybe without any interruptions next time.”
“Not even interruptions after we see the punchbowl?” I pout, my bottom lip sticking out at her, earning a giggle.
She exaggeratedly taps on her chin as if pondering my offer. “That could be arranged.”
I close the laptop, winking at her as I say, “Well, should we go now?”
“No, Arman.” She laughs, shaking her head at me. “First, let’s find you a place or two to apply for— then we can go see the punchbowl.”
With an exasperated sigh, I open the laptop back open. “Fine, fine.”
She scoots closer, her chin resting on my shoulder as we scroll through the listings. There are a few listings that appeal to me—mainly, ones that are close to my darling Pinky.
We open a few tabs of the best options, a combination of apartments and houses. All of them have one-year leases, going month-to-month after the first year.
I guess I just got lucky with all my other places being month-to-month off the bat. It’s fine, though. A year is nothing when I plan to stay here forever.
“Maybe after the first year, you won’t even have to do month-to-month…” Raya comments, lifting her head off of my shoulder.
Turning to look at her, I raise a brow. “Why, would I find another place after a year?”
She tilts her chin down, looking at me through her eyelashes. “I meant that maybe by then, you could…I don’t know, move in with me?”
“Wow, moving so fast,” I tease, nudging her with my shoulder. “Keep it in your pants, Pinky.”
With an eyeroll, she laughs again. “Relax, it’s a possibility —who knows, you might piss me off too much before that.”
I place a hand over my chest. “Pinky, don’t even joke about such things. You’re too important to me to even think about losing you.”
She squints at me, and her cheeks get even brighter. “Well…you’re important to me too.”
I reach out, cupping her cheek with my hand and pulling her lips to mine. As usual, she tastes sweet, the familiar flavor of cotton candy now on my own lips.
It’s her signature—or favorite—lip gloss. A taste I can’t get enough of.
Pulling away, I smack my lips a few times. “Delicious.”
She gives me a cheeky smile. “Are you sure you don’t mind the stickiness? Or that it makes your lips shiny?”
“Why would I mind?” I shake my head. “Besides, it’s not that sticky.”
Raya leans into me again, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. With my limited arm movement, I move the one from between us, wrapping it around her waist and holding her close.
“So, now that I’ve applied to some apartments, what should I—or we—do while I wait to hear back?” I ask, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
She shifts away, her eyes shifting as she wriggles her eyebrows at me. “How about a trip to the punchbowl, and then some… activities ?”
My heartbeat drops to my groin, and I can’t help but grin. “Now, that sounds like a great plan.”