Relief flooded through Mandy, but confusion quickly followed. "Then why did you seem so... frustrated earlier about taking time to decide?"
"Because it is highly unusual." Kieran's deep voice carried a note of bewilderment. "In all my millennia as a Djinn, I have never encountered someone who could not immediately think of things to wish for. The challenge is typically limiting their desires to only three wishes."
"And yet you hesitate," Kieran observed, leaning forward slightly, his ageless eyes studying her with renewed fascination, "weighing the drawbacks of each possibility that crosses your mind, struggling to commit to a single wish."
Mandy felt heat creep up her neck under his intense scrutiny. "Well, when you put it that way, it does sound a bit ridiculous."
"Not ridiculous," Kieran corrected. "Merely unprecedented."
Steam rose from the spout of the teapot on the table between them, and Mandy had to shake her head as the small tea glasses refilled themselves. Taking the one nearest her, she sank back into her recliner, a rueful laugh escaping her. "I am so envious you can do that. Do you have any idea how wonderful it wouldbe to just..." She mimicked his elegant hand gesture. "...conjure things instead of having to get up and fetch them?"
Kieran's silvery-blue eyes fixed on her with that penetrating stare. "Explain to me more about the pain issues." It seemed more a command than a request.
Mandy grimaced, her fingers tightening around the pendant. She hated discussing her medical issues - it always made her feel vulnerable, exposed. "It took me two years to accept being permanently disabled and losing so many activities I loved." Her throat tightened. "I wasted that time crying and feeling sorry for myself, obsessing over the unfairness. Time I'll never get back, because this is my reality."
She met Kieran's steady gaze, chin lifted. "It's easy to fall into that trap where hopelessness blocks all positive thinking and stops you from moving forward or enjoying life. Once I finally got past self-pity, I focused on finding what I could do and being happy with that."
"So you've pared your life down to the basics, in order to survive," Kieran said, his deep voice carrying a note of understanding that made Mandy's throat tighten unexpectedly.
"Yes, exactly." Relief flooded through her at his precise grasp of her situation. Most people didn't get it - they saw only limitations, where she'd crafted careful solutions. "I've created my own little world here."
She gestured around the apartment, taking in the strategically placed furniture, the wall of bookshelves, the cat trees positioned by sunny windows. "It's not huge, but it's perfect for me. Large enough to be comfortable, but small enough that keeping it up isn't beyond my capabilities."
Through her window, the complex's swimming pool sparkled in the afternoon sun. "And that pool? Its location is no accident. Swimming is one of the few exercises I can still do that's actually good for my back, so I chose this apartment specifically tobe close enough that getting there and back doesn't undo the benefits."
She watched as Kieran's silvery-blue eyes swept around her carefully curated space, taking in all the small adaptations that made her independent life possible.
"It may not be big, or fancy, but it suits me. A big house wouldn't be good for me," she explained. "Would I love to have a house, airy and spacious, with lots of windows? A library with a fireplace and one of those rolling ladders? A swimming pool and gardens?" She shook her head, a wry smile tugging at her lips. "I'm disabled, not insane. Of course Iwantthat! In fact, a house like that has been my dream all my life."
She sighed a little, as she continued, "But it's simply not in my best interests, finances aside."
She broke off as her glass refilled itself, the fragrant steam rising in lazy spirals. The familiar scent of clove and other exotic spices tickled her nose, bringing a smile to her face.
"You Djinn and your tea!" Mandy laughed, carefully lifting the glass to take a sip. She savored the fragrant tea, letting the familiar spices dance across her tongue. The taste transported her back to those sun-drenched afternoons, watching the bustling streets of Cairo from her favorite café. walking along the Corniche el Nil, eating heated peanuts, buying jasmine necklaces from small, dark-haired children with big eyes, the bells and clopping hooves of passinghanturs, the horse-drawn carriages...
"You are thinking of Cairo again." Kieran's deep voice broke through her reverie.
Mandy's eyes flew open. "How did you?—?"
He tapped one elegant finger against his temple, those silvery-blue eyes gleaming. "You were shouting again."
Heat flooded Mandy's cheeks as she set her tea down carefully. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was thinking so loud."
"It pains you." His observation cut straight to her heart. "These memories of Cairo."
Mandy clasped her hands tightly in her lap, studying the way her fingers intertwined rather than meet his penetrating gaze.
"It was... easier before," she said softly. "When I had no money to travel, I could tell myself that was why I couldn't go back to Cairo, or explore the places I dreamed of seeing. That I could save up and maybe one day go back." She drew a shaky breath. "But now, knowing I can never go back because of my physical limitations, even if I had the money... it makes everything so much worse."
Memories flooded back - those dark early days when she'd first faced the permanence of her disability. "It brings it all back. The memories, the longing... the frustration and anger at how unfair it all is." Her voice cracked slightly. "And the longing for those places just tears me apart inside, especially Cairo. I can't... I just can't go down that road again. It's hard for me to even think of my time in Cairo now."
All of a sudden, the weight of everything she'd lost, everything she could never have again, pressed down on her chest until she could barely breathe. It was only with effort that she managed to keep tears from welling up.
Silence stretched between them, broken only by Bach's steady purring and Mozart's occasional trilling chirps. Kieran's eyes studied her with that unnerving intensity that made her skin prickle.
"These issues with traveling," he finally said, his deep voice measured and calm, "they are all things that significant wealth can overcome." His otherworldly features remained expressionless as he continued. "Private jets eliminate the need for commercial airports entirely. Personal flight crews can accommodate any special requirements. Chauffeurs andassistants can handle luggage and arrangements. Luxury accommodations can be tailored exactly to your needs."
Mandy stared at him, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly as she tried to process the casual way he suggested such extravagance. Heat crept up her neck as she finally found her voice.
