Not dramatically. Not recklessly. But in a way that meant staying when things became complicated. And thingswerecomplicated.
Beth had trusted him. Chosen him. Out of everyone, she’d told him the truth. Not because he could fix it, but because she didn’t want to carry it alone. That mattered.
He reached for his phone, then stopped.Tomorrow, he thought.
And then the word curdled. Tomorrow felt inadequate. Cowardly. Beth wasn’t waiting for tomorrow. She was somewherenow, standing at the centre of whatever was happening. And if something was ending – if wishes were running out – then he was already late.
Kieran sat up sharply, heart thudding.
Sam and Jinnie’s.The certainty hit him with the same instinct he trusted when a system was about to fail.
Beth was there. And something was happening to Gigi.
He didn’t overthink it. He pulled on yesterday’s jumper, grabbed his keys and coat.
Prom lifted his head, offended.
‘Sorry,’ Kieran murmured, closing the door.
The night air felt charged as he locked the door behind him. He ran, then forced himself to slow. This wasn’t about rescuing anyone. It was about showing up.
Sam and Jinnie’s house glowed warm against the dark. Without hesitating, he pushed at the unlocked door and stepped inside. Immediately he felt it – the sense of something wrong, something off-kilter.
Beth stood apart from the others, arms folded, eyes fixed on the corner of the room.
The genie – Gigi – shimmered there, faintly. Small. Like a star about to go out.
Kieran crossed the room and stood beside her. He didn’t speak, didn’t touch her. Just stood close enough to be felt.
Beth’s hand slid into his, trembling.
This was the moment. Not about wishes, explanations, or even goodbyes. Just the choice to be here for whatever came next.
If some kind of magic ended tonight, then whatever followed, one thing was certain.
Kieran wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter Fifty-Four
‘I don’t want you to leave!’
Beth sobbed as Gigi shimmered in front of them. Like a badly pixellated film, he faded in and out of view.
‘But it’s time, Bethikins. Wishes almost granted, happy-ever-afters cooking like gas, and all that jazz.’
Sam stepped forward. ‘Do I need to perform some ritual? Please say no.’
Jinnie tugged at Sam’s arm. ‘I think this time, Gigi gets to do his own thing. Right, Gigi?’
‘Does this mean he’ll be shacking up with Dhassim, Aaliyah and DJ?’ Wilma cackled. ‘Rather him than me, although I do sometimes miss the lad.’
‘I do not know where I am destined to go,’ said Gigi, cheeks wobbling with emotion.‘Maybe a lava lamp, Beth?’
Beth choked back a soggy giggle. Kieran squeezed her hand.
‘Ach, the auras are all over the shop tonight,’ Wilma said to Jo, who shrugged. ‘Purple, pink, grey, a touch of orange. That’s a new one. Have you been dipping into the fake tan, Gigi?’
The madness of it all threatened to derail Beth. She’d moved to Cranley with a broken heart, met a genie, been granted threewishes and found Kieran. Sweet, lovely, honest Kieran, who’d put her back together. Like a reverse Humpty Dumpty.
