Page 3 of The Genie’s Wish (Harmony Glen #10)

Chapter Three

RAYA

“Did that really just happen?” I throw my arms out as Orie turns the corner into her stockroom.

She cocks a brow at me. “What part exactly?”

“Um, hello, a man’s… dick just burst through his clothes,” I remind her, waving my hands at my crotch. “In front of us. Because of a genie .”

She nods at me. “Yes, that did just happen.”

“Stop being so literal.” I cover my face with my hands.

I feel a slight weight on my shoulders, Orie’s hands gripping them. Lowering my hands, I let them fall to my side.

Her expression is soft, but only briefly. The corner of her lips curve up, and her eyes narrow at me as they shimmer.

“Did you also forget the part where you stared at his chest like a lost puppy?” Her words make my cheeks feel like they’re on fire. “Or the part where you audibly went holy shit ? You rarely curse, and yet he was worth dropping one.”

I shake her hands off of my shoulders, crossing my arms in front of me. “I’m about to drop another one—fuck off.”

She places a hand over her heart. “You don’t mean that. Maybe what you mean was, oh Mr. Genie, you’re so hot, please fuck me. ”

“No—I—no.” I turn and look away from her, trying to occupy myself with whatever shelf I’m closest to.

She lets out a laugh, followed by a sigh. “Raya, if you think he’s attractive, and he’s clearly interested…why don’t you at least give it a shot?”

“After what we just saw? He’s bad news. No way.” I shake my head, fiddling with a bottle of who-knows-what on the shelf.

Her silence drags my eyes back to her, no matter how hard I try to fight it. She still just stands there, hands on her hips, staring at me.

I’ll never admit it, but she’s right. I do think he’s attractive. When we first—briefly—met, I didn’t look closely enough at him to have an opinion. But getting to watch the way he talks, moves, transforms …okay, he’s superhot.

That doesn’t matter though, because he’s clearly trouble.

“You’re just scared to let someone else in, aren’t you?” Orie’s voice is soft, even as she calls me out.

My eyes flicker away from her, the weight of her question feeling like it’s crushing my shoulders. She knows me too well.

“No.” I stare past her, focusing on a wall.

“You look away when you lie,” she reminds me, which brings my attention back to her reluctantly. “Listen, I know you worry, I know you don’t want to feel like a burden to anyone, but you have to give people a chance—like you did with me.”

“Yeah, well, not everyone is as understanding as you are,” I grumble.

She raises a brow at me. “How do you know he won’t be understanding?”

I open my mouth, not a single word leaving me. She’s got a point; I don’t know if he’ll be understanding or not. I’m making an assumption.

But assumptions keep me safe. Assumptions keep me…stable.

“It’s not a risk I’m willing to take,” I say quietly, moving to walk around her. “I’m going home now. I’ll…see you later.”

She lets out a sigh from behind me, but doesn’t push me any further. “Okay. See you soon, Raya.”

I scan the sidewalk and road through the window, looking for any sign that the genie is lingering about. When I deem the coast is clear, I unlock the door and scurry out.

Time to get home as quickly as possible—before I see any more penises popping out of pants.

The genie hasn’t left my mind since I left Orie’s store. I need to shake what I saw—and him —from my mind before tonight’s stream. I can’t be distracted. Somehow, my viewers always know when there’s something on my mind.

Please, universe, if he’s meant to be in my life, if these thoughts are stuck in my mind for a reason, give me a sign. Just something super obvious that I won’t be able to deny.

My stomach growls, reminding me of my hunger. Right, when I was at Tranquil, my mind was so consumed by everything else, I forgot how hungry I was—and still am.

I’ll make something easy for dinner; I don’t really have the mental energy to try to cook something extravagant. Maybe just something simple, like breakfast for dinner.

Throwing open my fridge, my shoulders fall. Not a single egg. I glance over at my recycling bin. Sitting on top of the pile is an empty carton, open, as if to stare me in the face.

Closing my eyes and tilting my head back, I fight off the tears that I can feel building behind my eyes. Logically, I know it’s just eggs.

But the fact that I forgot while I was out and could’ve grabbed some pains me deeply. This means I need to leave my house again .

I’ll have to make a trip to Harmony Market tomorrow—or maybe in a few days, after I build up the strength. When I’m there, I’ll pick up some more of Liana’s chicken eggs. I could also pick up some fruits or berries that Ogram grows.

The strawberries and blueberries that come from his farm are always so delicious, and fresh berries are the best berries. I’ll have to see what’s in season though, since I honestly have no clue when anything grows.

I’ll have to make myself a list, and maybe harass Orie to go with me, so I’m not alone. Not that Ogram’s farm is a bad place to go. If anything, it’s one of the few places I would feel comfortable going alone if I had to.

Ogram is quite reclusive himself, so he doesn’t try to force small talk with me while I shop. We only interact when I pay, and that’s if he’s the one tending the cash register.

I’ve already had to leave my house more this week than I wanted to, so I need to make a list of anything else I could possibly need while I’m out.

So that I can recharge for a week, minimum, by not leaving my house.

My entire body feels heavy, my mind constantly buzzing as it overthinks and overanalyzes every interaction and move I’ve made in public. I’m just…exhausted. From life.

I close the fridge, dragging myself to my couch and flopping down face-first. My limbs hang limply off the edge, the pillow stifling some of my breathing.

Sinking into the cushions, I just lie there, all my willpower seeping out of me—if I even had any to start. All I want to do is cry and sleep, and live in my own bubble away from anyone and everyone.

I shouldn’t do that, though. I can’t.

Tonight’s stream is one that my viewers have been looking forward to for weeks. We’re playing a new horror-romance game, and I told them we’d do some package openings at the end.

Everyone has been chatting so excitedly on my socials about it. Somehow, I need to find the strength to get through it.

I’ve canceled enough streams lately, with my mind being so…heavy. My viewers are getting worried, and I don’t want them to keep asking me more questions.

Taking as deep a breath as I can, I put my hands flat on the couch and push myself up. My body feels as if it’s being pulled down as I fight to stand fully, but once I’m up, I find my footing.

First, some food. I know I need to eat, and it will help me feel better, even if it’s temporarily. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

Once I’m done eating, I’ll go set up the stream and put on my best fake smile. Eventually, it’ll turn into a real one. Once I’m distracted by the game and interacting with the chat, I know I’ll be happy.

It’s just getting to that point that’s hard. The journey feels like such a long one, even though it really isn’t.

To try to distract myself, I message Orie.

Gods, that was traumatic. Too much penis for one day!!

I can’t help but roll my eyes and laugh as her reply text comes through.

You mean not enough penis, or maybe not the right penis??

Now, time for a bowl of cereal.

I’m feeling a bit better now, a few hours into the stream. My viewers—and I—are loving this new game. You try to survive in an apocalyptic world, with jump scares left and right, all while trying to romance the creatures that hunt you.

As I save the game and prepare to transition to the unboxing segment of the stream, I notice a question in the chat. Would I ever date a monster?

“Well, first, I don’t think the monsters in our world are the same as the creatures in this game,” I preface, before smiling slightly at my webcam. “But yes—I think I would.”

This sends my chat into a frenzy, a million and one questions about my type and monsters flooding the chat.

I let out a laugh, closing the game and adjusting the visuals of the stream as I debate my answer. I’m pretty open about this stuff with my viewers—how I don’t date, except in video games.

Rising from my chair, I cross the room to a section out of view where I have stacked up all of my packages.

I select a few for today, carrying them over one by one to my desk. Hopefully, everything is normal inside these packages—no weirdo messages, please.

“There’s no particular monster I’d like to date…I guess it just depends what they’re like on the inside, y’know?” I tell my viewers. “How they treat others is much more important than what’s on the outside.”

My mind flashes back to the events of earlier, and I squeeze my eyes shut to try to forget the massive penis bursting through unsuspecting denim. That genie definitely doesn’t treat others the way he should. His wish granting was proof of that.

Gods, I had worked so hard to get him out of my head. I shake the thoughts as best I can, sitting back down at my desk.

“Alright, are you guys ready for a few package openings?” I clasp my hands together in front of my chest, eyeing the packages. “As always, I just want to say thank you to everyone who sends me things, and that there’s no obligation to send me anything. Just hanging out with me is enough.”

My chat is flooded with a variety of heart emojis, bringing a warmth to me. It’s nice to feel so accepted, even if it’s by strangers on the internet.

They don’t feel like strangers, though. More like friends from afar.

As I open the packages, I make sure to hide the packaging slips to protect both myself and the senders. My eyes keep wandering to the blue package, but I’ll save it for last.

Today, I’ve gotten things like stickers, drawings, and my favorite so far—a pair of fuzzy, pink socks. Perfect for a cozy night in, which is my favorite kind of night.

“Alright, guys, last one before we sign off for the night.” I hold up a bigger box, giving it a gentle shake for the camera.

Inside, something shifts around, heavier than expected. It feels like just one object, and I can’t lie, my curiosity grows with each second.

After setting it on my desk, I open it up. My heart skips a beat as I lift the tissue paper off of the object, revealing the most unexpected item.

A genie’s lamp.

Slowly, I reach in, cool metal sending tingles across my palms as I wrap my hands around it. There’s a note tied around the spout part, so I adjust my hands to flip it to face me.

The note has delicate, perfect handwriting on it, reading:

Raya,

I’m a collector of all things magical and monster, and wanted to share a piece of my collection with you. This piece was just calling to me, that it belonged in your hands.

May all of your dreams and wishes come true,

Tiana

Okay, how can I justify that this is not a sign from the universe? What are the chances that my viewer sent me a literal genie lamp ? With that note attached?

No, no way. She would’ve sent it to me before the genie even showed up in Harmony Glen. It’s pure coincidence. Sorry, universe, you’ll have to do better than that.

I turn my attention up, realizing I’ve been silently staring at it for much longer than any of the other gifts. My chat is going crazy, all begging me to show off the item closer to the camera.

“Thank you, Tiana,” I say, smiling as much as I can to the camera. “With that though guys, it’s time for us all the get some sleep. See you tomorrow night, when we’ll pick up where we left off in our game.”

Setting down the genie lamp, I wave to the camera. Blowing a few kisses and reading the chorus of goodbyes in the chat, I wait for the movement in the chat to slow down before I end the stream.

Leaning back in my chair, I let out a sigh, my shoulders slumping and my eyes finding the genie lamp again. It’s very shiny, and honestly super pretty.

I don’t like that I like it.

I don’t like the timing of receiving it.

I don’t like anything swirling around in my head right now.